“Top 5 Wednesday” is a weekly meme currently hosted on Goodreads by Sam of Thoughts on Tomes, where you list your top 5 for the week’s chosen topic. May is rewind month, and my chosen topic is: favourite SFF covers.
Now, there are many incredible SFF covers out there, and it’s impossible to include them all on this list, so I’m going to get a bit more specific and share some of my favourite fantasy covers that are red and blue, which happen to be my favourite colours.
1. Certain Dark Things (US)
The interplay of the dark shadows and the blood red is something I will never stop loving. There’s something elegant yet dangerous about it, which perfectly describes the protagonist of the story, who happens to be a vampire.
2. Assassin’s Fate (UK) – Art by Jackie Morris
Jackie Morris did all the covers for the new UK editions of Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings series. But this last one for Assassin’s Fate takes the cake. This picture doesn’t fully convey how beautiful this cover is. With gold foiling that shines brilliantly against a blue background,this is one of the most gorgeous books I own.
3. Deathless (UK Paperback)
While I do like the Tor cover of Deathless, it’s a little too…sophisticated. The UK edition, however, isn’t quite so civilized–it’s rough, it’s textured, the feathers are drawn violently, and there’s a yellow eye staring right at you. And I love it to bits. I think it perfectly represents the themes of life and death explored in the story. Plus, it looks like something you would see right out of an old volume of fairytales.
I couldn’t find out the artist’s name so if anyone knows, drop me a comment!
4. Strange the Dreamer (UK Hardback)
UK, you guys are killing it with these covers. While I do like the reflective blue of the North American cover, the contrasting gold and deep blue of the UK edition is nothing short of mesmerizing. This is one I could stare at all day long.
5. Amberlough (US Hardback) – Art by Victo Ngai
Victo Ngai is one of my favourite cover artists. She’s prominent in SFF, covering books like Vicious, Bark: The Elephant’s Graveyard, and the paperback edition of Neil Gaiman’s The Norse Mythology. The Amberlough cover is probably my favourite, though. It’s vibrant, it’s sexy, and she captured the personality of the two main characters perfectly.
It’s been blurbed by Pat Rothfuss and given a rave review by Mark Lawrence–what more can I say? The generic title belies a summary that’s chock full of excitement and teases a dark adventure in a non-medieval setting. Most importantly, it promises something that I want to see more of in epic fantasy: sibling relationships. Plus, the cover features a saber cat and a lady whose arm appears to be on fire, which is always a cool combination.
Anna Undreaming is the first of the 
