Shastrix Blogs

May 2020

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
				1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Recent Posts

Rail travel in July 2016

Cover of Survivors

Book of the Year 2014

Saying goodbye to Clive Cussler

Cover of The Children of Hamlin

Cover of The Peacekeepers

Book of the Year Award

Recent Comments

Jim Books on the shor...

ASH Will SOMEBODY ple...

ASH Quite right; more...

Cait That last point r...

Jim MathsAlso, if the...

Guy I think I saw the...

Daffyd :o That's wierd. ...

Warning: Use of undefined constant galimg - assumed 'galimg' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /var/www/html/blogs/craptohtml.php on line 8

Warning: Use of undefined constant galimg - assumed 'galimg' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /var/www/html/blogs/craptohtml.php on line 9

Warning: Use of undefined constant youtube - assumed 'youtube' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /var/www/html/blogs/craptohtml.php on line 10

Site News \| 9th January 2011, 18:38
The last 'Site News' entry that I can find is dated August 2006, and announced the launch of the forums section of the website. Given that was four and a half years ago, and that I've been updating some stuff recently, I thought it about time the feature returned. Since then, we've gained some comics and lost some comics, including 'Team Nexus', the first comic to appear. The 'live' comics at this point are 'The FAN', 'Khatru', and 'SHiNG' with 'High Five', a relatively new comic getting that way. There are also some discussions about a new comic to join them in the unspecified future. We've also branched out into the world of podcasts, playing host to the BunnyCast, an audio extravaganza that nominally is about webcomics, and El Goonish Shive in particular, but seems to be the random musings of Dame Helen and her guests/co-hosts. We've also talked about a second podcast joining it but that has yet to materialise. Recently, I've spent most of my time focussed on two areas. The bridges site has a completely new front-end that I launched the other day, and a little new content added. This is the most popular area of the site, as far as we can tell simply due to Google listing it highly for various Pontifex related searches. As the site was a little bodged together and dated it's had a refresh and is now looking spangly. The other area I've been working on is my Book Reviews site, which has now been running for two years, on which I review every book I read (91 in 2010). I worry sometimes whether it seems selfish to dedicate most of my coding time to working on my own area, but then it is an area that I know has a lot of content now and is regularly updated. Today, I've tied it in with the blogs area so that book related blog entries, so far just cover comparisons, are mirrored in that template in a shameless attempt to reach a wider audience (which will fail as no-one goes there). At the moment it doesn't mirror comments so I might add that in future. There's also a couple of quick things that I put together over Christmas - I don't know whether they will ever see the light of day but they were a fun exercise. Anyone whose been watching the site will have spotted my recent forays into using the Glow JavaScript library, and this features heavily in both of these. The first is a mock-up of a picture gallery. This is something that's been half requested by one of our artists, and so was a proof-of-concept. The Facebook comments were just for play and the current policy is we would be sticking with our own comments system if we did launch, but probably re-written into some sort of more centralised comments system rather than the many disparate ones that exist at present. Finally, a mock-up of what a new homepage could look like. It's only for fun at the moment and isn't connected to the database at all. The animations aren't perfect in my new browser either which is a shame, but it is just a beta so hopefully will improve in future iterations. So, that's probably it for now - if I think of anything else I'll leave it in the comments.
Comments (0)

Cover comparison: I Shall Wear Midnight \| 2nd October 2010, 23:01
I Shall Wear Midnight is the latest in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, the final episode of the young adult 'sub-series' focussed on trainee witch Tiffany Aching. Above are the cover images for both the US (left) and UK (right) hardback editions. There are a lot of things I like about the US cover. The image makes Tiffany look like a real person rather than a caricature, and the Wee Free Men (the small blue chaps) even look mildly realistic and have a nice 3D effect. The flames Tiffany holds are a plot element, but there is very little else in the cover that links to this book rather than any of its three prequels (1, 2, 3). The image on the UK edition is much more cartoony, admittedly in keeping with the other recent releases in the Discworld series. It contains many more plot elements, including the older witch, the hare and the club, and Tiffany is wearing the correct colour - as she says, when she is old she will wear midnight, not yet. The image also ties in well with the cover I've included at the bottom of the post, which appears to be a re-release of The Wee Free Men, Tiffany's first adventure. This could be compared to the original cover which the library copy I read sported, also pictured below. Both options have a restrained amount of text. The US version does have to go with the clichéd New York Times reference, but the interesting difference is that the US edition sells itself as a Tiffany Aching 'adventure' whereas the UK edition as a Discword novel. Perhaps 'Discworld' as a concept is not as popular in the US? Perhaps Tiffany Aching herself is more popular in the US? The text that completely lets down the US cover however is the title. It's an ugly font that is hard to read, and it's been placed right over the focus of the cover image. The artist probably spent more time working on the flames than any other part of the image and it's been hidden away behind this hideous font. In conclusion, apart from the robes' colour and the title font, I like the US cover better, and the UK one would not sell itself to me without the name Terry Pratchett on it.
Comments (0)

Cover comparison: Roadside Crosses \| 1st October 2010, 20:49
I'm being a little naughty with this one because the US cover (on the left) is, I think, from the hardback and the UK cover (on the right) is from the paperback. This is because I couldn't find a decent resolution image of what I think is the US paperback. The paperback is basically the same though but with some added text. The UK hardback however has a completely different cover picture, while retaining the same colour scheme and layout. To me, the UK version looks much more contemporary. The font chosen is more stylish and modern, whereas the text on the US edition looks like the standard of the 1990s that graced original John Grisham and Ken Follett publications. It makes the book look dated, rather than the relatively new release it still is. It's interesting that the two publishers have chosen to plug different books from Deaver's back catalogue in their 'best-selling author of' strapline. The UK version highlights the first book in the Lincoln Rhyme series (published 1997), and the US version the recent first novel in the Brynn McKenzie series (2008 in the US, 2009 in the UK). My only assumption is that the recent novel didn't perform well enough in the UK and the British publisher wanted to get the words 'number one' onto the cover. The UK edition also takes the space to mention that it's a Kathryn Dance thriller, whereas the US version fails to mention this - suggesting perhaps that the previous Dance novel didn't perform so well in the US and they are trying to sell this one on the author's name rather than the series. Finally, the UK publisher (Hodder) have added the words "Watch for the warning signs...". I wonder how many meetings there were to discuss what to write in that space. I'd like to think it was many. I also wonder how many extra copies they sold. The US version plumps for 'A novel' - at which I continue to laugh... does anyone seriously think it's going to be mistaken for the truth. The picture is the remaining element, and here I'm torn. The image used on the US cover is so much nicer, and the cross itself is much more accurate compared to the descriptions in the novel. However, it doesn't look like a crime book. It looks like the sort of shot you would get of the poppy fields following the first world war. It puts me in mind of Sebastian Faulkes's Birdsong rather than a gritty whodunnit. The UK image looks much more menacing but is somewhat at odds with the title as it depicts the cross in the middle of the road rather than at the side. In conclusion, I have to say I'd go with the UK version - it looks like a crime novel and one from the 21st century. Just for fun, this is what they released in Australia:
Comments (0)

Cover comparison: Shades of Grey \| 8th May 2010, 22:24
These are the US and UK covers for Jasper Fforde's latest novel - the fantastic Shades of Grey (which I have written about elsewhere). It's the story of Eddie Russet, in a world where your social status is defined by which, and how much, colour you can see. My personal preference is for the UK edition (on the right) which also has a really nice texture that you can't see on the image. I should admit that I have not experienced the texture of the US version (on the left), but I expect it to just be a normal hardback dust-jacket, whereas the UK edition is jacketless and the decoration is actually in the hardback cover. So which actually has the most relevance to the plot? Well actually I think it's the US version. Although the world it depicts is not quite what I saw in my head, it's certainly more similar than the UK edition. The world of the story is viewed mostly in grey (apart from the colour you can see - if any), although a network of colour in pipes distributes limited artificial colour to some places. This is what I see in the US edition. The only thing I see in the UK cover that refers to the plot is the swans - the characters have an irrational fear of swans - but they are also present in the US edition. I'm still baffled by the need for US editions of books to have the text "A novel" on the front - as if anyone would be confused and think it true? The obsession for plugging the New York Times also makes another appearance, which I still think makes it look like they think readers won't pick up a book without such an accolade. The credit though is for the Thursday Next series, which is a very different set of novels to this one. I find it very interesting though that the title has been kept as Grey rather than changed to the US 'Gray' - this may, I suppose, reflect that the setting of the novel is Britain, but I'm still surprised. The UK edition merely tells us that the novel is "True literary comic genius" - which at least tells the prospective buyer that it's meant to be a humorous read, possibly quite useful for attracting readers. The paint-by-numbers theme seems very arbitrary - although the colours in the story are referred to by number it's not really in this manner - more akin to photoshop. So mixed conclusions this time - the US cover is best fitting to the story, but I still think the UK one is nicer. Wonder what the covers to the sequel will be like...
Comments (0)

Cover comparison: Half-Blood Prince \| 25th March 2010, 16:49
This is an interesting one because, while I don't think either are particularly appealing, my preference is for the US version on the left, over the UK children's edition of the sixth Harry Potter book: "... and the Half-Blood Prince". I think that Bloomsbury, the UK publishers, have shot themselves in the foot a little with the covers. When the first book originally appeared, Bloomsbury was almost a nobody in the industry, and so probably didn't have endless pots of cash to spend on designers and artists, and so the cover of Philosopher's Stone ended up with a very basic, blocky design, and they have had to continue with it despite the popularity of the book to avoid annoying readers. Scholastic, the US publisher, came into things much later, knowing that they were already on to a winner, and so could invest in a cover design that would give them a lot more freedom for the sequels. In fact, the logo (the words Harry Potter) seem to be the only aspect that is carried over on the US covers, and is helpfully the same logo that has been used in the film series. The second half of the title on the US edition is an odd choice of typeface though, and doesn't particularly appeal to me as it is rather difficult to read. As regards the image, this is the main part where I feel the US version wins. It depicts a scene that is definitely identifiable from the book, and although the characters look a little cartoon-esque, the rest of the scene appears fairly realistic. It's clear who the characters are meant to be, and evokes a sense of mystery as to what they are doing, leading the shopper towards the book. The UK version's image is just of the two characters surrounded by a horribly unrealistic and over-bold attempt at fire. The characters themselves look horrible, almost as if they've been deliberately drawn to be grotesque. They remind me of Ponder Stibbons, a wizard from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, more than Harry Potter. No attempt appears to have been made to produce a picture that will sell the book - it almost seems as if Bloomsbury have realised that the book will sell on title alone and not bothered to invest in the cover. Bloomsbury have chosen to promote themselves on the cover (as a small publisher why wouldn't you?) but Scholastic seem to have made the fantastic decision not to plaster accolades all over their design - but then they don't need to - everyone knew it would be good in advance. My only issue with the US design is that it's one of the 'not-want-to-be-seen-reading-on-the-train' designs, but so is this UK version. And that's the reason I bought the UK 'adult' cover instead.
Comments (0)

Cover comparison: The Colour of Magic \| 16th March 2010, 22:16
The cover images above are for the most recent (as far as I can tell) covers for the US and UK publications of the first novel in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, 'The Colour of Magic'. It would be hard for them to be more different. I can understand where different publishers are involved that the cover designs may be owned by each publisher and so differ between markets, but these covers are so much at odds that the two publishers almost seem to have a completely different idea of who the books are targeted at. The most obvious difference, of course, is that the title is spelt differently on each of the two versions. At least it's not gone as far as Harry Potter, being titled differently in each market. I have to wonder though whether the editors in the US have gone through and changed all the text into US-English - and I expect they have. I'm not really sure why this is felt to be necessary, there are lots of books on sale here in US-English so I don't see why they cannot put up with a little of our version. Both covers are part of an attempt by their respective publishers to reissue the entire series of books in a uniform new design, and the US version seems to me to have decided to aim for a younger audience. The bold colours, cheesy Discworld logo down the border and funky font remind me of the Glory Gardens cricket books I read as a child, and also of the most recent issues of the Jennings series. I'm not sure why they have decided to aim for a young audience, perhaps their original issues didn't sell to that market, but part of me is concerned that actually they just don't get the deeper humour behind Pratchett's writing and think that they actually are kids' books. The UK designers have gone for something a lot more subtle, and definitely something that adults are more likely to be seen reading on the train than the previous covers, which were brightly coloured but richly detailed pieces of art in their own right, or the cheeky US cover above. Indeed I didn't even pick up a Discworld book until I saw them in this cover. So perhaps it is just that the original covers in the US were more successful with adults and the UK with children, and they have both tried to rectify this. The design also, in my opinion, tells the reader what sort of book they are getting - that it is deeper, and that you need to peer into the shadows to get the full picture. The photo suggests that a lot of thought has gone into preparing the cover design, and the simple image evokes an air of mystery surrounding the trunk and coins. The US version of the 'Luggage' (almost a character in its own right) looks like it has been sketched together quickly, and by someone who has failed to read the description from the books. It's a "travelling trunk" made from "sapient pearwood" - not a cheesy red suitcase with a lightbulb in. As always, the US version takes the time to label its author as a 'New York Times bestseller', as if these are the only books worth reading. I imagine it to have got to the point where the majority of books/authors can claim this and so a book without it leaps out in shops as being awful without the need to look at it. The remaining text highlights that it's the 25th anniversary, although I think that could work against it, given that the lower text states that this is the first book - thus telling potential buyers the content is now 25 years old. There's nothing wrong with that in itself but some readers may decide it will be dated without even picking it up. The text at the bottom is very light-hearted and fits with the cover design, but not really with my view of the book and the series - this was meant to be a fairly light-hearted mickey-taking of the fantasy genre, but the description on the cover makes out that it's just a crazy romp. It's just too cheesy. The UK publishers though have gone with the tactic of including a reviewer's quote on the cover of each book (but unlike Wheel of Time actually a different quote on each book!), which to me adds an air of intellectualism to the presentation. It emphasises the series' long standing and brilliance without having to resort to stock phrases or giddying zaniness. As you may have gathered, it's once again the UK version for me. Maybe the US version would have attracted me fifteen years ago, but I'm glad it didn't - the Discworld books are best read by an adult who can get the jokes.
Comments (0)

Cover comparison: Crossroads of Twilight \| 9th March 2010, 20:46
Crossroads of Twilight is the tenth book in Robert Jordan's epic fantasy series 'The Wheel of Time'. I've been reading these since last May and attempting to catch up with the publication schedule - so far books 1-12 and a prequel are out, with 13 & 14 on the way. However as you can see from the pictures above, the US cover is very different from the cover the book is released with in the UK - and these are the paperback designs. I should note that my paperback (UK, right) actually has bronze shiny text for the author's name and for the logo. The reason for the difference seems to be immediately obvious - that the publishers of fantasy novels understand the desire of readers to have matching sets, and so they've released book 10 to match the previous novels in each of the two markets. This is something John Grisham's publishers have recently annoyed me with, releasing the latest book in a new design. I have been told though that the original releases of the early books in the series carried the US covers, which suggests that a deliberate move was made to change the covers here. The UK editions do carry and interesting strip down the side of the reverse, about 2cm wide, which appears to be a portion of the US artwork (in this case just some bare branches/trees against a night sky) - almost as if they know they have paid for the artwork so want to use it if only in such a small bit it becomes completely meaningless. The lack of the US artwork is the main difference between the two designs, replaced by the wheel of time logo, which I assume appears on the inside of the US editions as a chapter breaker as it does in the UK. It's also on the most recent novel labelled as a registered trademark so it must be thought of as integral to their brand. Let's be brutally honest - the artwork on the US cover is awful. It's amateurish and makes the book look like something for kids or from the eighties - the key question designers need to learn to ask is 'Would I be seen reading this on the train?'. If the answer is 'No' then it's clearly a bad design. The image in no way entices me to pick up the book - it's bland and basic, would easily blend in on a bookcase in the shop, and doesn't even look like it's a scene I would recognise from reading the series so far. The writing is so packed with description that the reader cannot help building up an image of the way the world looks, and seeing this cover design just clashes ridiculously. The UK covers on the other hand looks rather striking lined up on a bookshop shelf, and are likely to draw the eye of any reader glancing across the shelves. I had eyed them up for several years before getting round to reading. The text on both covers is almost identical, although the US version feels the need to have an oval telling us it's the sequel to the previous book - presumably for readers who miss that it's marked as 'book ten'? The US edition also describes itself as New York Times best-seller (with ! ), whereas the UK version goes with 'NEW international best-seller' (even, bizarrely, on my 6th edition copy printed 5 years after publication) - presumably that way of saying it is more likely to appear to a British reader who might be put off by having the knowledge that it is an American book thrust in their face? Overall I'm very definitely in the UK cover camp - the US version looks like a kids' book. I can't believe they put up with it.
Comments (0)

Page 3 of 15
(Show All)