Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!!
This is my weekly feature
showcasing beautiful book covers!
It also provides information,
if available, on their very talented creators!
For more information
about Shelf Candy Saturday,
simply go HERE.
Here's my choice for this week!
Firebird
(Fairy Tales, Book 1)
Trade Paperback, 352 pages
Tor Books
January 8, 2008
Fantasy, Fairy Tale Retellings,
Historical Fiction, Science Fiction
My Thoughts About This Cover
The beautiful legend of the Firebird, of Russian origin, is wonderfully evoked in this gorgeous cover!
Those highly-detailed wings create a very dynamic composition, with their swirling movement, which carries the eye from the top of the image to the sides, and help focus the viewer's gaze on the magical woman, to whom they belong. They also give the feeling that she has just landed, having flown from an unknown location.
A metal band encircles her head, with a stone or perhaps a jewel, resting on her forehead. This contributes to her magical-looking appearance. She is gracefully poised, having stopped to gaze at the viewer. Or is she about to take off? Now I'm wondering....
The contrast between the two fonts used is a striking one. The font used for the title reminds me of 19th-century writing styles. I think I've seen this font on the cover of some classic from that century. The other font, which is used for the author's name, is definitely the type used in Art Deco designs, usually for posters.
I also like the lines that frame the cover image on each side. Another nice detail is that the wings go over the lines, and the color of these lines contrasts very nicely with the cover's predominant color, which is a beautiful shade of soft golden tan.
Thanks to the Amazon reader, I have been able to get information about the superbly talented cover artist! Her name is Julie Bell. She not only creates fantasy art, but wildlife paintings as well, and is married to the equally talented, and very well-known fantasy artist, Boris Vallejo. I hope to own this book someday!!
Online Links for Julie Bell
What do you think of my
choice this week?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!
I am glad to see your Self Candy Saturday back Maria.
ReplyDeleteI really like this cover.
I had never hear of the legend of the Firebird before. I will need to look it up.
I think that the colors in this picture are really interesting. I am not really good with the names of colors. I would all the tan like??
Either way I think that these colors are not too common in this type of art. In this case I think that they work very well however. They seem to be understated yet the picture is eye catching if that makes any sense.
I also like the way that image of the Firebird seems to exude seriousness.
Hey, Brian!
DeleteYeah, I'm very HAPPY to be back with this feature!! Slowly but surely, I'm getting back to my regular blogging!
You know, I'm not too familiar with this legend myself. I know a little about it because Stravinsky composed a ballet score with this name, and it's based on the legend. So I do have to find out more about it myself.
I would say that the predominant color in this cover is a sort of yellow-gold, with a hint of brown. The various shades are soft, yet also vibrant. So I agree with what you say about the color(s) being "understated, yet the picture is eye-catching". And yet, that does make sense!
All in all, I LOVE this cover!! When you refer to it exuding seriousness, I know exactly what you mean. To me, there's a sense of awe and majesty about it. This winged woman is definitely not one to be messed with!
Thanks for your thoughts, which are, as always, very interesting!! : )