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: “One swallow does not make a summer.” – A cover that makes you think of summer.
The book I chose this week makes me think of summer because it has the word “summer” in the title, lol. So I’m really being lazy this week! For some reason I couldn’t come up with a good “summer” looking cover, so I selected Summer of Night by Dan Simmons. And now that I look at these covers again, one of them has a bicycle on it, which definitely has a summer vibe. I remember spending my summers as a kid riding my bike all over town, so even though this is a horror story, I think it works. Here are some of my favorite covers:
G.P. Putnam’s Sons (U.S.) 1991 | Warner Books (U.S.) 2002
St. Martins Griffin (U.S.) 2011 | Serbian edition 2015
Guild Publishing 1991 | Czech edition 1999
Subterranean Press edition 2016 | Spanish edition 2019
These are all so different, and to be quite honest, none of them really makes me shout “Wow I LOVE this cover!” But I will pick one anyway. The G.P. Putnam’s Sons is the edition I have, so for nostalgia’s sake, I’m choosing that one. But I also really love the Serbian edition!
I like your choice because it’s got that classic horror cover vibe going on, but there’s something about the Spanish edition that works for me.
All of these covers give me a totally different sense of the book. The Spanish edition looks like a thriller, some of them look like a good ghost story, the Czech edition look like bizarre 70s/80s sci-fi. I think I’d have to read it to pick a favorite!
What an interesting choice! I love the fact that there is such a range of covers for this book – so I’ve no idea whether it’s horror or just a creepy thriller… My favourite is the Subterranean Press cover with the children around the camp fire, because it looks quite cosy and summery:)). It probably isn’t, though!
I like that one as well as the Serbian edition for some reason. I read this books years and years ago (in fact, it’s probably been about 15 which REALLY makes me feel old this morning). I really enjoyed it and although I don’t reread a lot, I can see myself revisiting this one at some point. I love the old truck in front.
Well, they are all quite creepy!
I really like the two covers from the 90’s! It’s hard to decide but maybe i prefer the one with just the house. The creepy child and the worm things are just too much
Oooh I like these covers. They’re so atmospheric and creepy. My favorite is probably the Serbian edition. I like it a lot!
I love most of these covers. I’m going with Subterranean Press. Though the two from the 90s are close runners up.
I really like the one you chose! The Guild Publishing one has a really classic throwback vibe to it that’s pretty fun, also.
Ooooh, I didn’t realize Summer of Night had SO many different covers. I read it way back when and can’t remember which cover was one. I think it was a mass market paperback though.
The first two covers are amazing: not one of the others – even though there are some good ones there – says “horror” and “dread” like those images of houses that are certainly haunted…
These are all so very different, and I love that! I like the one you selected, and there’s also something I really like about the Serbian edition.
Warner and Serbian are my favorites but I like the one you picked too.
Hmm, I think I like the Guild Publishing 1991 cover more because of the colors.
This reminds me that I need to read more of Dan Simmons’s books. I’ve only read one so far – Song of Kali – and really liked it.
Love the look of the 2019 Spanish edition, and this is one Simmons book that’s been on my TBR for a long time! Really need to check it out some time.
This is a great choice – because I’ve not seen this book before!
I love your choice and also the one directly next to it – although that really does have a horror vibe doesn’t it.
Lynn
That’s another Simmons book I need to read – and those covers really convey the horror vibe pretty well. The St Martin Griffin’s one looks pretty cool as well
I’ve only ever seen the St. Martins Griffin edition but wow, I’m a huge fan of the G.P. Putnam’s Sons edition too!
Great pick! I really like the St. Martin’s 2011 edition.
The 5th and 6th covers are a complete 180 from the vibes I was getting from the first 4 covers I like the Warner Books (U.S.) 2002 cover best! It has kind of a tower of terror feel to it