Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover–Issue Twenty-Five: Science Fiction (Part 2)

“Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover” is a regular feature on Pop! Goes The Reader in which I pay tribute to some of the best and brightest the publishing world has to offer in the way of book cover design. This feature is inspired by Katie’s feature Cover Love on her blog One Page At A Time. The idea is being used with her gracious permission.

I think we’re all familiar with the age-old adage “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. And you know what I have to say about that? Rubbish! Covers are an invaluable part of a book’s package. A truly great cover can tell you a lot about the novel contained within its pages. Book covers can also catch your attention and attract you to a novel you might otherwise ignore. So go ahead, judge a book by its cover – We all do it!

Aliens, space exploration and time travel! Oh my! It isn’t often that I feature Science Fiction on Do! Judge A Book By Its Cover, primarily because I don’t feel it’s a genre I’m qualified to discuss. My personal experience with it has been very limited, although that which I have read has been overwhelmingly positive. That said, given that it has been close to eight months since I last touched on this genre (Yes, seriously), I felt it was more than time I re-visit it. And I’m so pleased that I did! I found a number of new, absolutely stunning cover designs with vibrant use of colour and unique interpretations of the novels’ subject matter. Some of my favourite covers this week include A Better World by Marcus Sakey, Plus One by Elizabeth Fama, Tempest by Julie Cross, Empire State by Adam Christopher, The Martian by Andy Weir and The Islanders by Christopher Priest.

A Better World by Marcus Sakey ● Plus One by Elizabeth Fama ● Archetype by M.D. Waters

Falls The Shadow by Stefanie Gaither ● The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker ● The Here And Now by Ann Brashares

Armada by Ernest Cline ● The Burning Dark by Adam Christopher ● Tempest by Julie Cross

Empire State by Adam Christopher ● Emperor Mollusk Versus The Sinister Brain by A. Lee Martinez ● Lock In by John Scalzi

The Martian by Andy Weir ● The Unbinding by Walter Kirn ● The Pentrals by Crystal Mack

The Islanders by Christopher Priest ● A Working Theory Of Love by Scott Hutchins ● Lexicon by Max Barry

Under Different Stars by Amy A. Bartol ● Stone by Adam Roberts ● Everything Matters! by Ron Currie Jr.

Now it’s your turn! What are some of your favourite science fiction covers? Did I list one of your favourites here or is there one I forgot that just has to be included? Let me know in the comments!