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!
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I love most of these covers. I’m going with Subterranean Press. Though the two from the 90s are close runners up.
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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… 🙂
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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 🙂
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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
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