With the upcoming release of its sequel, Mortal Gods, Kendare Blake's Antigoddess has gotten a redesign. The new cover has a more Urban Fantasy feel, and stylistically, is more in keeping with Blake's Anna duology; I have a feeling it will appeal to a whole new readership, which I'm sure is why the change was made. But when I saw the change, I couldn't help but laugh to myself, based purely on an amusing little anecdote Kendare shared about the design of the first cover — I'd imagine it factored into the decision, too...
Anyway, take a look at the original (left) and redesigned (right) covers below, as well as the synopsis below, and tell me which you prefer. Which would you reach for on the shelves? If you've read the book, which do you think suits it best? In short,
Which one did it better?
The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.
Old Gods never die…
Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.
Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.
These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.
Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.
Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.
The Goddess War is about to begin.
Old Gods never die…
Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.
Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.
These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.
Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.
Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.
The Goddess War is about to begin.
Last Time on FFO: Oof. It's been a few weeks since we took a look at Charm & Strange, and when we did, we were pretty torn. Some of you were downright disturbed by the UK paperback, which is raw, aggressive, and more than a little off — which is exactly why I love it — and though many people commented on how gorgeous the US hardcover is when I showed it in vlogs, in comparison to the other 2 editions shown, you guys found it too simple and borderline boring. In the end, that left only the UK hardcover, which won the day.
Winner ---------->
The second one with the bloody G.
ReplyDeleteLove the original design, ever since I first saw it.
ReplyDeleteThe redesign looks too much like every other UF out there in comparison, IMO.
The second one, because your eyes are just drawn to it.
ReplyDeleteI like the original (on left) even though it reminds me so much of a book written years ago by Richard Bach, "Illiusions". Anyway, going with the original because I like the way the feather darkly ties into the narrative, and yep, the other one does look quite a bit like all of the other UF out there. But wow!, I really like that type font on the redesign.
ReplyDelete