Back in March, I wrote about science fiction novels with not-so-science-fiction covers, by way of a comparison between the US and UK editions of Charles Stross‘s Halting State. Since then, the novel has been nominated for a Hugo Award, and the folks over at Tor.com are giving those jackets a second look, as part of a review of the entire “best novel” shortlist before the awards are announced at the end of the week. Designer Pablo Defendini actually spends most of his time on the American cover (“not particularly bad, but it’s not great, either”), with just a quick jab at the UK edition, which he describes as having a “whimsical approach… hardly appropriate for the tone of the book.” (De gustibus and all that; I actually thought it was a perfect match for Stross’s sly humor—and I love the UK paperback even better.)
