The Daylight War by Peter V. Brett

Not too shabby. I like that they’ve included a woman on the cover (presumably Inevra) without over-sexualizing her. There’s a nice amount of energy, equal to The Desert Spear, and you can never go wrong with a bold red/black colour palette. The dice are a little cheezy, but they’re important to the series, so I’ll let them pass. Worth noting, this cover was debuted by Entertainment Weekly, a large mainstream publication, rather than a genre blog, website or publication, a vote of confidence for Del Rey, Brett and the success of this series.

For those interested, Entertainment Weekly also has an excerpt of The Daylight War.

Discussion
  • Rob B November 21, 2012 at 11:57 am

    You are quick and that image is extremely eye-catching. I think a lot of us (fantasy geeks) thought Peat was a big deal, but this really is a few steps above and beyond.

  • Stefan (Civilian-Reader) November 21, 2012 at 11:59 am

    Huh. They completely changed the color-palette. First ones I saw were predominantly blue (it was a nice blue). I do love that red, though. The woman’s pose is a lot better, too. Really like it.

  • John November 21, 2012 at 3:27 pm

    wow….that’s ….i don’t know,why does it remind me of some women’s magazine covermusic video poster /erotica book maybe ?? LOL

    I liked the french edition covers of the previous books,the english eds. were also decent,at least they clearly gave the impression that the book was “Fantasy”,but this,nope.

  • Scott November 21, 2012 at 3:45 pm

    Hey is that a Kushiel cover?

    Blerg. Awful.

  • Charlotte November 21, 2012 at 4:23 pm

    This cover is absolutely awesome. It’s powerful, it’s sexy and it’ll definitely make anyone pause in a bookstore.

    Just because it’s red and shows a bit of skin doesn’t mean it’s erotica. Only that it’s a nice change from previous covers in the series and a smart deviation from other book covers in the genre that to me is a breath of fresh air. The cloak and sword thing was getting too old, imho :)

  • Natalie November 21, 2012 at 10:50 pm

    They may have covered all the naughty bits, but we have very different definitions of over-sexualized.

  • Martin November 22, 2012 at 2:58 am

    I like that they’ve included a woman on the cover (presumably Inevra) without over-sexualizing her.

    Not over-sexualising her!? It’s orientalist soft porn.

  • Nadine November 22, 2012 at 6:15 am

    I think the cover is stunning just on its own (not having read any of Brett’s books yet – shame on me) but I have to agree with Martin. This is a pose that clearly says “come take me, I’m yours”…
    Despite that, I love the colors and how striking the entire design is. Definitely an eye-catcher.

  • LeNainJaune November 22, 2012 at 7:47 am

    Lol ! This is so corny.

  • Jared November 22, 2012 at 9:16 am

    I’m with Martin. This is about as sexualised as it gets.

  • Aisha November 22, 2012 at 9:43 am

    I’m with Martin on ‘Orientalist soft porn’. If this is an accurate depiction of the character as she’s portrayed in the books, I’m glad I haven’t read them.

  • Mithfânion November 22, 2012 at 12:19 pm

    Really hate this cover. Would be embarrassed to be seen reading this.

  • Locusmortis November 22, 2012 at 9:10 pm

    At least its not a bloke in a cloak!

  • Tom Lloyd November 23, 2012 at 6:17 am

    Well it certainly seems to be doing its job of getting everyone to notice the book, given the debate it’s causing!

  • LeNainJaune November 23, 2012 at 9:07 pm

    Laughing at something stupid is not a debate.

  • Adam Whitehead November 24, 2012 at 1:09 pm

    If THE DAYLIGHT WAR is even half as rape-happy as THE DESERT SPREAD (which taught us how rape reduces women to mentally-traumatised wrecks whilst it merely builds strong character in men), this cover will be even more inappropriate.

  • Brandon November 24, 2012 at 5:13 pm

    @adam whitehead

    It’s SPEAR!

    @locusmortis

    Damn straight. Hell, the people hear complaining would probably bitch away if it were another pillock posing in that f@#$in hoodie. Political-correctness, as usual, in nuclear mode.

  • Brandon November 24, 2012 at 6:29 pm

    About the cover itself. Eh it’s nothing special. If not for the titles, one would think it was for a kushiel cover. At least the colors look sharp.

  • LeNainJaune November 26, 2012 at 1:30 pm

    DESERT SPREAD would be a good title for this one.

  • Restiva November 28, 2012 at 7:19 pm

    They are totally over-sexualizing her. Bare skin, transparent red cloth, and a come-hither look? Nasty. The Kushiel covers were sexy, but this is just tasteless.

  • Aidan Moher November 29, 2012 at 9:18 am

    I thought I should let everyone know that I got a severe tongue-lashing from my wife when she read this post. I’ve been set in my place and seen the errors of my comments!

    :S

  • Mike December 3, 2012 at 9:57 am

    I’m going to second Adam’s comment since I clearly can’t be that clever.