Artsy Shelf – 11- The Trees
Many movies and book sset their most scary scenes in the woods. The forest is a place of strange sounds and mysteries; it’s no surprise then that many books use trees and branches to create an intriguing cover!
By now, I’m sure you’ve noticed it too : Brian Freeman’s The Watcher looks a lot like Tana French’s covers, especially The Likeness. Not only are the images similar, but the title and author’s name are in similar fonts and colors. The only reason I noticed this look alike was because someone at the bookstore had placed them side by side; an employee with a sense of humor, maybe?
Now, do you think one cover inspired the other? Or is it a simple coincidence? Some dates :
In the Woods : December 2007
The Watcher : December 2008
The Likeness : August 2009
I think it might be a simple coincidence, but Freeman has something on his cover that French doesn’t have : an awesome blurb-thingy! “Evil has eyes that see in the Dark” I don’t know why, but it sounds hilarious to me! Probably because it sounds like a lolcat caption. Perfect for a basement cat!
I like the three other covers, which are similar : branches all around, title at the center. My favorite though, is The Boys in the Trees. I find the cover poetic, and it reminds me of chinese calligraphy paintings.
So, do you have a favorite? What do you think of the Freeman-French similarity?
I like the last one. How the roots grow together.
There’s a cover of The Likeness that looks a lot like Her Fearful Symmetry. Which is unfortunate, since I think they’re both kind of boring.
Okay, can someone explain the Her Fearful Symmetry cover to me? I can never tell if they’re roots or the tips of leaf-less trees against the sky? Or are they veins? Am I the only one who’s confused and does it really matter?
the last cover is my favorite!
Juju : I like it too! Plus, I really want to read it!
Softdrink : You’re right! I saw it when I looked for different versions of those books’ covers.
Alitareads : I first I thought they were roots, too, but when I saw the display at the bookstore last week, they had some kind of trees that imitated the cover around it, so I guess they’re leaf-less trees. I love you’re idea of veins, though.
Bianca : And in real life, it also has a pretty, shiny effect!
The HB copy of In the Woods that I have also has trees on it (which makes sense, given the title) although they are illustrated and more like Shiver… but my copy of The Likeness has a similarly drawn Mirror… which also makes more sense than having trees and woods again given what the book is about!
The Likeness is such an amazing book!!
I love that Watcher tagline – it does sound like an evil cat is out on the prowl in the woods.
I notice we almost always love the same covers! The Boys in the Trees is also my favourite of the lot. It’s the only one I’ve read also, so far. I didn’t totally love it, but liked it a lot. But I’ll forever keep my copy because of the gorgeous cover. 🙂
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