Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!
***LATE EDITION***
Due to some unforeseen circumstances,
this post is late again....
I guess I'll have to play things by ear.
Although this meme is titled
"Shelf Candy Saturday", some weeks
it will seem to be
"Shelf Candy Sunday". Lol.
This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful covers!
It also provides information,
if available, on their
very talented creators!
if available, on their
very talented creators!
Here's my choice for this week!
Beauty Belongs to the Flowers
Matthew Sanborn Smith
Kindle Edition , 30 pages
Tor Books
February 1, 2011
Science Fiction, Short Stories
Matthew Sanborn Smith
Kindle Edition , 30 pages
Tor Books
February 1, 2011
Science Fiction, Short Stories
This is a GORGEOUS cover! I was surprised to see that it was for a digital book, and a very short one, too. I've never seen such beauty on a cover intended for an electronic book. This saddens me, as I would much prefer to see a cover like this one on a printed books.
The colors are bright and so very cheerful, which is interesting, because, according to the synopsis -- as well as a couple of reviews I've read -- the story is not exactly a happy one. In fact, I confirmed this for myself when I read a brief excerpt on Amazon. The story beginning is pretty grim. So I find it highly ironic that the sleeping young woman in the lower right-hand corner of this cover seems to be having a nice dream.
The orange flower next to the young woman's head is strikingly beautiful. It's just a shade darker than the woman's lipstick, which is rather interesting. The background color is a nice contrast to the flower, as well as to all of the hanging cables, if that's what they are. Since I've read the story's beginning, I think they could be IV tubes, actually.
This is really a very enigmatic cover. Is the girl in some sort of medically-induced coma? Is she hooked up to a virtual reality machine? What's the meaning of this flower? Is it supposed to represent a poppy, which is the flower from which opium, and also, heroin, are derived? And what about the upper left-hand corner of the cover. What is it supposed to represent? These images just raise so many questions....
Normally, I would have objected to the cover image being split into sections, the way this one is. And the title is printed on a light orange bar running through the upper half of the cover, too. Somehow, however, these things don't bother me here. The composition is just as effective! Besides, the drawing is exquisite, and I LOVE the various shades of orange, even though this color is far from being my favorite.
As for the font, it's very ordinary looking, but it does stand out because it's placed on that light orange bar. Its simplicity is in stark contrast to the rest of the cover.
The amazing art for this cover was created by the brilliant Japanese illustrator, Yuko Shimizu. Based in New York City, she's also an instructor at the School of Visual Arts. In 2009, Newsweek Japan included her in their list, "One Hundred Japanese People the World Respects".
She has published several monographs of her work, and has illustrated many book covers, for publishers such as Penguin and Scholastic. Her art can also be seen on The Gap T-shirts, Pepsi cans, VISA billboards, and Microsoft and Target ads. Her work has also been featured in The New York Times, DC Comics, Time, Rolling Stone, and The New Yorker.
I'm definitely adding Shimizu to my list of favorite book illustrators! And I would like to get a hold of at least one of her monographs!
What do you think of this
week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
