My Top 10 Book Covers From SPFBO9
My Top 10(ish) Favourite Covers From Mark Lawrence’s Self Published Fantasy Blog Off Contest
The Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off is an annual literary contest intended to bring greater visibility to self-published English-language fantasy authors. As a fellow contestant, here are my personal top ten(ish) favourite covers, in no particular order:
The Top 10
Forged in the Fallout by Ben Green
Clayson Spangler navigates the wreckage of a strange underground world threatened by nuclear magic and his family’s secrets.
I turned fourteen a couple of days ago — maybe. Dad keeps the exact date under a mountain of secrets.
On a tranquil evening in the Appalachians, my solitary life crashes into Dad’s impossible past: a kingdom under the Rocky Mountains; his wife enchanted to forget her own son; strange metal objects filled with magic; and Dad’s most dangerous secret — mithrium — a metal strong enough to level cities.
Now, Dad is on the run, Mom is on trial for treason, and I’m ordered to hide in the last remaining safehold — Tungsten City. To stay out of danger, I’ll need help from my new mentor, Rugnus, a master of the elements, and Andalynn, the sister Dad kept hidden from me.
After years of secrets, I won’t stand by as a world of enemies — both known and unknown — threatens to eradicate my family and ignite a war between the last two cities deep under the Rockies in the Kingdom of Rimduum.
What I Liked: I really love the colour scheme on this one. The text is so big, stands out, flows nicely and is easy to read. The watercolour digital art style in the background is right up my alley, and I didn’t even notice the subtle city cutout at the bottom until I looked at it a few times! Without reading the description, I’m getting fantastical dystopian vibes by looking at this cover.
The Hand of God by Yuval Kordov
The world ended — twice. Once at humanity’s hand and a second time at God’s, according to legend. Only Esther, the Eternal One, saw it all happen. Chosen by the Messiah to redeem humanity, she heads a holy sisterhood that rules Cathedral, the Last City. Except Cathedral isn’t the last city, and the source of the Revenant Sisterhood’s supernatural power is far from holy.
It’s the year 2500, give or take. The passage of time has become as blurry as the gray wastes that cover most of North America. No moon or stars light the night, and demonic hordes smash against the last outposts of civilization.
Two reborn nations vie for humanity’s future. In the west, Cathedral unleashes its God-engines — ancient walking war machines — in a final bid to cleanse the earth. In the east, the struggling city-state of Bastion turns to the last living AI for salvation. Between them, a tribe of technological scavengers known as the Union unwittingly holds the balance of power.
Hell is on the horizon. Who will survive?
What I Liked: The art in combination with the text here is really doing it for me. The round circle of the doorway/sun and the actual drawn sun made this cover POP. The colour scheme is very atmospheric and draws me in.
Soul Relic by Samuel Hinton
Raysha will do whatever it takes to fix her broken soul. Even if it means venturing into the unknown with nothing but her brother, an enchanted water bottle, and her fierce determination.
The only one without the ability to cultivate aeon from the world, Raysha has been ostracized her whole life for her weakness. In a world where true masters of aeon have slaughtered gods, Raysha’s future in her village is limited to babysitting pre-Awakened children.
Desperate for a chance to prove her worth, she leaps at the chance to join her brother at the Academy, where he believes they can find a cure for her soul. It will only take the crystalised heart of an ancient spirit, lost to the world thousands of years ago.
Armed with an enchanted water bottle and a stubborn attitude, Raysha sets out to prove that she is more than just a second-rate outcast.
What I Liked: I think this cover is laid out very nice. It has a central thing to focus on and the usage of triangles draw your eye toward the girl’s face. I like that the text is both unique, has dimension and is easy to read. I can tell that the person featured, assumedly the main character, has gone through a lot and is a fighter.
Echoes of Dragons by C. Borden
A decade after Mythnium’s suns eclipse each other, the White Lord’s malignant shadow stretches north to Mythos once more. There, he unleashes his secret weapon: a massive dragon long thought to be extinct.
Three groups of travelers set off on separate journeys, drawn toward the elven city of Elmnas and the answers they hope to find within. Along the way, they face strange factions of creatures united against them as the White Lord’s influence grows.
As their paths intersect, the travelers face an uncertain new world where echoes of dragons come to life.
What I Liked: This one is simple but good, and says everything it needs to say. The text is unique while remaining clear and easy to read. A green-gold colour scheme is really pleasant on the eyes, and I like the hints of a forest at the bottom.
Rise of the Falsemarked by Samuel Gately
What if James Bond carried a sword and worked for a dragonarmy?
Since the return of dragons, armies and corporations have divided the skies. War was inevitable. It only took master spy Aaron Lorne moments to start the war with the falsemarked. Now he has just five days to end it. He and his team will need every alliance they can get to fulfill this mission. Surviving in a city that longs for their blood is not enough. They have a war to win.
Rise of the Falsemarked, the second Spies of Dragon and Chalk adventure, combines elements of Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels and crime noir into a thrilling world of epic fantasy.
What I Liked: The art in this one is complicated while remaining simple and easy on the eyes. It creates an atmosphere that’s immediately drawing me into the story. The effect of looking over the character’s shoulders makes me feel like we’re observing the chaos happening in the city with him.
Twilight Kingdom by HJ Tolson
On the eve of her 16th birthday, Candle Enys discovers her brother has sold her soul to a demon.
Scared for her life, Candle runs away. But the mountains of Hanternos are dangerous, especially for soft-hearted girls who have never learned to fight. At dawn and at dusk spirits crawl from the shadows, searching for bodies to steal. Evil stirs in the deep caves, and the wind smells of black powder.
A chance meeting with an ancient being sets her on the path to power she never knew she possessed. It also places a target on her back.
If she is to survive, Candle must defeat her monsters, or risk becoming one herself.
A dark fantasy with steampunk and horror elements.
Content warning for emotional abuse, some gore.
What I Liked: This cover is one of my absolute favourites. I was actually super certain it would win the cover contest. I just really like how big and easy to read the text is, and I’m a sucker for watercolour-styled art. The blue contrasting with the gold text really sells it for me, and the person featured is in such an interesting stance.
Shadow of the Winter Moon by Cam Sinclair
Drunk … Scoundrel … Thief … Vagabond … Fool …
Reelum Hangs has been called many things, and at one time or other has resembled them all. Reelum, however, knows a dark and terrible secret — one that delves right to the heart of Kraven city.
Sharrock is a grisly veteran from the harsh lands north of the Riven Expense — a brutish man with a hard temper and harder reputation. When a business opportunity presents the seemingly simple task of locating Reelum Hangs and providing a solution to his money woes, Sharrock is set on a course that will forever alter his life.
Foul conspiracies that may threaten the very fabric of society will be uncovered. Scores will be settled, violence and mayhem unleashed, and bestial lusts unfettered to rampage without restraint. The notion of right and wrong, hero and villain, action and consequences will forever be skewed and tainted.
Welcome to the Kraven Kronicles …
What I Liked: This cover stood out to me against all the other ones because it had a vibe none of the other ones did. The red/grey colour scheme makes it seem dark and dreary, and the featured characters give me the impression that there’s a mentorship trope (one of my favourite tropes ever). I feel like this book might be gorey and action-packed because of the blood splattered across the title.
The Dungeon That Walks Like A Man by Alex Raizman
It’s not easy being a house that eats people.
Zaria was just a normal woman, living a simple life — until demons burst through her door and ate her heart. Reborn from tragedy, Zaria rises from the ashes as a Core, but with a twist. A rare mutation has turned her into a Mutant Core, destined to explode unless she forms a bond with a human witch to become a Striga.
Her mutation? Legs.
With the power of a full dungeon compressed into a walking house that is her body, Zaria sets out on a journey to find her Striga and avoid detonation. Along the way, she battles demons, builds her dungeon, and feeds her mimic mobs.
This is not the life she once knew, but it’s the one she’s determined to make work, no matter who she has to walk through to get there.
This book includes people that get devoured and language your grandmother wouldn’t like.
What I Liked: I couldn’t NOT include this one. It’s so cute, I’m obsessed. It reminds me a little bit of the movie Monster House. Not only is the text easy to read, but its directly related to the art behind it, and the colour scheme is very aesthetic.
Fairywood Falls by Steven Paul Watson
An Appalachia Fairy Tale….
Naomi and Garrett are making big changes to their lives. Deciding to leave the city life behind, retire early, and move back to Eastern Kentucky to live a simpler life with their dog Growler and horses.
They quickly realize something about their new property isn’t quite right. There is something or someone dwelling on their land and everything points to something straight out of a fairy tale. Do winged creatures really live among the earie woods of Kentucky? Naomi and Garrett will soon find out what tiptoes through the forest at night…but can they escape the crossfire from those that already know what lurks deep within?
From the author of the Howling Moon series comes a new vision of what could be lurking out in the hills of Appalachia.
What I Liked: I love what this cover is insituating. It seems really powerful in nature. The torn fairy wing ensnarled by all the thorns and the deep purple makes me uncertain if the fairies in this book need to be saved, or are what’s plaguing the story. It seems mysterious and captivating.
Pawn’s Gambit by Rob J. Hayes
Yuu wants nothing more than to forget the mistakes of her past. The Gods have other plans.
Once a renowned strategist and general, five years ago Yuu made a mistake that cost her everything. Now she is on the run, royal bounty hunters snapping at her heels. But what if there was a way to get back what she lost, a way to bring back a murdered prince?
Every century, the gods hold a contest to choose who will rule from the Heavenly Jade Throne. Each god chooses a mortal champion, and the fate of all existence hangs in the balance. On a battlefield full of heroes, warriors, assassins, and thieves can Yuu survive long enough to learn the rules of the game, let alone master it?
What I Liked: When I look at this cover, I want to play Borderlands. I like how interesting all the featured characters look, and I wonder what great mission they’re going to encounter together. The text is super artistic and interesting while remaining easy on the eyes. I like that the text actually feels part of the art itself and not just slapped ontop. I can see that the artist actually left room for the text in the artwork.
Honourable Mentions
Candle Children by M.J. Baker
A dark flintlock fantasy set in a city haunted by more than just ghosts.
Bluejay, the orphaned son of a disgraced knight, has dedicated himself to protecting Rosetta’s poorest from the city’s many spirits. Alongside Beth, who knows all the old songs and stories of the city, he can outwit or outrun any spirit.
But he has never been hunted by an emperor.
When disaster strikes the emperor unleashes death on the city, sending in his fearsome personal guard to massacre those least able to defend themselves. Bluejay must turn to the very spirits that have been haunting him for help. They already have his soul, now they want something else.
The spirits have been playing their own game. One where orphans and emperors are both pawns. As the city teeters on the edge of destruction Bluejay discovers that there is more power in the old stories than he ever realised. Enough to overthrow an emperor or doom an entire city.
Contains violence and adult language.
What I Liked: This is one of the few covers that makes me want to read. I love the title, and I want to know what it’s about so badly when I look at it. The colour scheme paired with the big sophisticated text is coming across as both beautiful and heartbreaking. The ONLY reason I couldn’t include it in my main ten was, (as my boyfriend pointed out to me), the D and R in “children” kind of look like they’re coming out of the person’s head instead of sitting behind their head. Once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it!
The Third Crossing by Karim Soliman
The drums of war are beating in Koya. By the Light’s will, the Red Cloaks shall cross the sea under His holy banner, the ancient homeland will be restored, the slaughtered ancestors will be avenged, and the damned occupants will all perish.
By the Light’s will, the Third Crossing shall happen.
Akira will be one of the heroes of the upcoming holy war; that’s the seer’s promise to his mother. He will outshine his fellow mages, don the red cloak, and join the Light’s own soldiers. He will bring victory to his people and honor to his family, clearing its name from his father’s shame.
Or that’s what Akira thinks. Because seers can be devious sometimes.
From the rural side of Koya enters Natsu as she assumes her late husband’s place and takes the smuggling underworld by storm. Her shocking rise provokes not only the Koyan navy, but also her rivals, and a fierce war ensues on land and sea. A war she can only win if she shakes hands with the smugglers’ deadliest enemies; the Red Cloaks themselves.
For honor and coin, Akira and Natsu will forge a shaky alliance, both knowing that one of them will eventually have to betray the other. Trust could be a grave mistake in these dark times of war. If you wish to be the last one standing, you must be ready to be the first to stab in the back.
What I Liked: I think this cover is laid out extremely well. Everything is clear to see and read. The only reason I didn’t include this one in my main ten was my own personal bias: the characters look like superheroes, and I don’t like superhero movies! It looks almost like a Marvel movie poster.
The Outside by Jack Batchen
The Vale is safety. The Vale is prosperity and protection.
Yet the Words of Life themselves state that every young man must leave the safety of the Vale at age sixteen and cross the deadly wasteland that is the Outside. Kaere has lived her whole life within the mountain walls of the Vale, dreaming of somewhere else, anywhere else, dreaming of a future that is anything but being one wife among many to a husband she barely knows.
So when her oldest and dearest friend stumbles back through the mountain pass seven years after he left, battered and bruised, declaring that the Outside is alive, moving, eating places of safety like the Vale, all Kaere can see is a chance at another life, a life Outside the Vale Walls. But when she follows Janzen back Outside — against his wishes — she realises that everything she thought she understood is not as it seems, including her oldest friend.
What I Liked: I adore this cover. It reminds me of the video games Little Nightmares and Journey. I love that the title is glowing and the little green dots give me the impression of fireflies. I think this cover is really unique and unlike a lot of the other covers in this years batch. (Also, I didn’t even notice it until now, but is that a wolf subtly painted in the clouds??)
You know what? Nevermind. I’m going to include this cover in the top 10. It’s now top 11.
Thank you for reading and good luck to all the 300 entrants in this years SPFBO!
W.D. Seitz is the author of the dark epic YA fantasy, The Beauty of Dawn.
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