Sunday, June 3, 2018

Shelf Candy Saturday No. 251: The Blue Salt Road, by Joanne M. Harris



Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!


*Late Edition*
This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful covers!
It also provides information, 
if available, on their 
very talented creators!



Here's my choice for this week!



The Blue Salt Road
Joanne M. Harris
Hardcover, 256  pages
Gollancz
November 15, 2018
Fantasy, Mythology

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40200607-the-blue-salt-road?ac=1&from_search=true


  
My Thoughts About This Cover

This is such a whimsical, utterly stunning cover! I first came across it at one of my favorite blogs, Bookfever, which is run by my friend Stephanie, who lives in Belgium. I saw this book on her "Can't Wait Wednesday" post, on Wednesday, May 30th. You can view that post HERE

Some time back, I featured another gorgeous cover for a previous Harris book, titled A Pocketful of Crows. Coincidentally, I also came across that cover on Steph's blog! You can see this previous post HERE. Both books are published by Gollancz, a publisher renowned for their beautiful book covers! And I'm definitely a fan! Obviously, Steph loves their covers just as much as I do!

As with the previous cover, one of the most amazing aspects is that the artist achieves wonderful effects with the use of just two colors -- black and white. Amazing!

This particular cover makes me think of children's fairy tales, although the story is one written for adults. But those seals are so cute! Lol.

Everything in this cover is perfectly balanced, perfectly symmetrical. And yet, the effect is dynamic, bold, and yes, flows beautifully, evoking the restless motion of sea waves. 

The author's name and title are perfectly juxtaposed, and I love how each is framed -- one by a gigantic seal tail (at first glance, I thought it was a fish tail, but I was wrong), and the other by very ornamental, stylized waves. And then, exactly in the middle, also beautifully framed, a ship sits, smoothly riding all of those curling waves! The total effect is just beyond awesome!

I also love how the classic font has been altered and embellished for the title. This contributes to the cover's whimsical feeling.

Needless to say, the brilliant cover artist responsible for the cover of A Pocketful of Crows also created this cover. The style is the same, and yet, each of these books has a very unique cover image. 

Sue Gent is an illustrator and designer based near Bristol, in the UK. She uses a combination of traditional art techniques along with digital ones. She is a graduate of UWE Bristol, with a First Class Honors Degree in Art and Visual Culture.  

Gent's illustrations have been published in several British magazines, such as BBC Countrylife Magazine, BBC Wildlife Magazine, and Lost In London. 

She has also produced short films and videos for Bolexbrothers and Collision Films, working with such artists as Radiohead and The Scissors Sisters.   

Of course, Ms. Gent is already included in my growing list of favorite book cover artists! 
 

Online Links




  


What do you think of 
this week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!








6 comments:

  1. There it is! :D I've been staring at the cover and wondering if those seals could maybe be selkies because it all revolves about mythology. That would be awesome. :D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Steph!

      You know, I think you're probably right; those seals are bound to be selkies, since this book does have mythological elements. So now I'm even MORE interested in it!! Yes, that would indeed be awesome!!

      Thanks for the nice comment!! HUGS!!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)

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  2. Great cover. I looked back at your post on A Pocketful of Crows. The two covers match so well. These covers seem perfect to me. The simplicity of using just two colors is brilliant. The particular shade of blue that makes up this one may be my favorite color/shade in the world! So I really like this cover.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Brian!

      Yes, these two covers certainly do match well! And they are just PERFECT. I, too, love the simplicity of the two colors.

      Oh, you've mentioned the blue background of this cover! To me, the background looks black. Lol. Well, I'll know for sure when i get the book! Lol.

      Thanks for the interesting comment!! <3 :)

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  3. I love this cover and Pocket Full of Crows is awesome as well. It is whimsical yet also kind of dark - which I love. Great post.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Barb!

      Thanks so much for the compliment!! <3 <3

      Yes, both covers are definitely AWESOME!! And it's interesting that you have pointed out the combination of whimsy with darkness. I hadn't realized it, but it's definitely there! Great point!

      Thanks for the lovely and perceptive comment!! HUGS TO YOU AND THE PUPS, AND WOOF, WOOF TO THEM, TOO!! <3 <3 <3 :) :) :)



      Delete

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