The Friday Face-Off was created by Books by Proxy, where each week bloggers can showcase books with covers centered around a weekly theme. You can visit Lynn’s Books for a list of upcoming themes. Join in the fun each Friday by finding a book whose cover is based on the theme!
This week’s theme: “I saw huge buildings rise up faint and fair, and pass like dreams.” – A cover that is steampunk.
I love the steampunk sub-genre and I’ve read a fair amount of books with steampunk elements. But my favorites are hands down Perdido Street Station and The Scar by China Miéville, which I read long before I started blogging. I decided to go with The Scar as my pick today because I like the covers better than Perdido Street Station🙂 And if you haven’t read either of these books and you love fantasy, I highly recommend them! The story takes place in a floating city, and you can see the ship/water elements on many of the covers. Here are some of my favorites:
Del Rey edition 2002 | German edition 2004
Pan Books (UK) 2003 | German edition #2 2004
Pan paperback edition 2011 | Turkish edition 2013
Hungarian edition 2008 | French edition 2008
I love ALL of these covers! So really no matter which one you pick, you can’t go wrong. However, the one that always grabs my attention and sparks some amazing memories of the feelings I had while reading this book has to be the Pan paperback edition, my favorite:
I know it’s simple, and this isn’t even the edition I own (I have a beautiful copy of the Pan 2003 hardcover), but this really gives you a sense of how odd and wonderful Miéville’s world-building really is.
Which one is your favorite? Have you read these books?
Next week’s theme: A cover featuring a starry sky.
Oh. I really need to read more China Miéville, I’ve only read This Census Taker. Love these covers and agree on your pick. Also really love that Turkish edition.
I have The Census Taker but haven’t read it, must read!
I know nothing really about this book but if I was shopping, I’d definitely grab the Turkish edition. There’s just something ominous about it. Great book choice. I can honestly say I read less steampunk than science-fiction, so you know what that’s saying 🙂
Yeah, I don’t think I remember you ever talking about a Steampunk book!
What a really fabulous set of covers! I love them all – with the exception of the German edition – as she looks psychotic. My favourite, though, is the 2011 Pan paperback edition – I just love the colours and the vista…
Ha ha, you’re not the only one who thinks that girl on the German cover is…weird!
I haven’t read this book before, but I love the Del Rey and Turkish covers! (The Turkish one in particular made me interested in what this book is about.)
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Yes, I love the Turkish cover! It’s so strange and really makes you wonder about the story:-)
I’ve only read “the City and the City” and some shorter works from Mieville. The Pan paperback cover does look great and scary.
I haven’t read The City and the City yet, I need to catch up with some of his books that I’ve missed.
I just love both Pan covers and couldn’t choose between them for totally different reasons. They both immediately stood out to me.
Lynn 😀
I feel like this whole bunch is hard to choose, I guess because I only picked covers I like, lol.
Oh fun topic this week! I really like both Pan editions and the Del Rey ones! I do like the colors going on in the Turkish edition as well. I’m actually pretty into the Hungarian edition as well, but it lacks a bit of the storytelling aspect that the others have. 🙂 This is also my regular reminder to finally pick up a China Mieville book, haha. I see things about him at least every week and I’m super intrigued and always promise myself to go pick up one of his books, yet here we are. One day!
His books are so good, I recommend starting with Perdido Street Station:-)
Love your pick! You know.. I’ve always wanted to try a book by this author, but I can’t decide where to start. I think I’ve got Perdido Street Station and The City & the city on my TBR though. Guess they aren’t bad places to get your first taste of this author’s writing style huh? 😀
Ooh start with Perdido! Some of his books don’t work for me, but I love this series. Very strange and imaginative, his world building is amazing.
I like yours too, and also the Pan Books edition!
I love the Pan edition as well:-) He really got lucky, there are so many good ones!
All of these are great except the German 2004, which looks like it has a rubber person on it? I think my favorites tho are the Hungarian and French editions!
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Ha ha, that’s what I thought about the German edition too:-)