• “The smartest historical sci-fi adventure-romance story ever written by a science Ph.D. with a background in scripting 'Scrooge McDuck' comics.”—Salon.com
  • A time-hopping, continent-spanning salmagundi of genres.”
    —ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
  • “These books have to be word-of-mouth books because they're too weird to describe to anybody.”
    —Jackie Cantor, Diana's first editor

US Cover Proof for ECHO!

Well, the art department chose a different background color than the one I’d suggested–but they did a wonderful job with the caltrop! And over all, I think it’s quite striking, and in keeping with the rest of the series.

Whattayathink?

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211 Responses »

  1. Diana, the cover is beautiful. I can’t wait to read what’s behind it :)

    I’m sitting here in Flagstaff, watching it snow! It’s been coming down all day, and apparently it will be tonight, too! My 10 year old daughter is crossing her fingers for a snow day tomorrow.

    I might have to re-read ABOSAA to get me through the storm :)

  2. oh I am so exicted! just seeing that picture made my heart start to race at the reality that this book is coming!! ok, so Im a bit of a Jamie Fraser junkie who needs a fix. Nothing wrong with that right? :)

    the cover looks incredible. It will perfect in my hands!

  3. I would indeed read the new book if it was wrapped in a brown paper bag, but I do prefer the UK cover better. My first thought was “chicken foot” too, so I was glad someone else posted before I did. Love the black and the Celtic circle, wish they would of went with silver though.

    I can’t believe it’s getting so close to the next book!

    Woo Hooooooooooooo!

  4. I would indeed read the new book if it was wrapped in a brown paper bag, but I do prefer the UK cover better. My first thought was “chicken foot” too, so I was glad someone else posted before I did. Love the black and the Celtic circle, wish they would of went with silver though.

    I can’t believe it’s getting so close to the next book!

    Woo Hooooooooooooo!

  5. Chicken toes are pointed somewhat in one direction except the back one is pointed.. well backwards. So I don't see the chicken thing. Here's a link that shows a rooster and his feet:
    http://www.chickenauctions.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?category=23914&item=1234228226

    Actually, before I enlarged the pic and realized it was a caltrop I thought it was a stylized ginseng root!

  6. The way the caltrop and the circle are positioned reminds me of looking through a sight…like taking aim at something…
    …but what?
    Waiting to find out….
    Just curious…do the people in the art dept. read parts of the manuscript before coming up with a cover design?

  7. Dear Pamela–

    Oddly enough [g], I’m also in Flagstaff, watching the snow. En route to Santa Fe tomorrow, always assuming the roads are passable–but I think they will be. It’s not one of those Big Snows, where it comes down without stopping for two or three days; just repeated small storms.

    Really beautiful–did you see the orange sky earlier tonight? There was a light fog over the Rim as we came up around twilight; it was like being inside a black pearl.

  8. Dear Athena–

    Generally speaking, no; but on the other hand, I’ve been with Random House for nearly twenty years now, and I suppose it’s possible that some of the art people may have read one or more of the books.

    They haven’t read ECHO, though, because I haven’t finished writing it!

  9. Dear Iago–

    Oh, an immediate gratification junkie, eh? [g] That’s OK; once I finish the series, I’ll do a second volume of the COMPANION, which will include detailed synopses of the second four books (THE OUTLANDISH COMPANION has such synopses for the first four) and you can find out what-all happened without the labor of reading several million words.

    Still, given your history with the books, and knowing that this is the seventh in the series, you wouldn’t be likely to read ECHO, no matter what the cover looked like, would you?

    (Not saying that your opinion is irrelevant, by any means–just that you aren’t in either the buy-on-sight or the never-heard-of-this-person-but-it-looks-intriguing group.)

    I believe those things are called “sleeping policement” in the UK. [g]

  10. I love the black !!! – but then I’m one of those freaks who wears black for now (till they find something darker) *g*

    Waiting with baited breath till it’s in my hot little hands.

  11. Well, I love it. Makes me wonder, since black has such a final quality to it… will the next one be white?

  12. I think the black will stand out nicely next to the rest of the set. I don’t think it looks like a chicken foot. And I agree that the gushing fans of the books have grown word of mouth just as predicted. I know I’ve told everyone I meet about the series, even loaned a woman in a dental office my spare copy I keep to read when Im stuck too long in a office! Never hurts to be prepared with gum, snack and a good book!

  13. Diana,

    im loving your ability to smartly (and politely) zing criticizers.
    *HG*

  14. Rachel,
    I must wade back in here as one of the chicken-foot people. I imagine the point of Diana’s posting the cover here is to elicit feedback so that when the book launches the NY Times and others do not find some problem. A second reason is likely to keep us all engaged, and she is succeeding.

    I’ve been involved in developing and deploying customer software for 20 years. If I am very lucky, I have beta testers who tell me what they really think and point out potential problems.

    I love the books, I have read the entire series once and listened to them in audio form three times. I can’t wait to get the next one and will also buy the graphic novel. I am a true fan and because I am, I want Echo to succeed wildly.

    So don’t take the comments of those of us who are critical as negativity. We are being good beta testers and pointing out the potential issues as we see them. You may not see the same problems and that is a totally valid position.

    Best
    Leslie

  15. Rachel,
    I must wade back in here as one of the chicken-foot people. I imagine the point of Diana’s posting the cover here is to elicit feedback so that when the book launches the NY Times and others do not find some problem. A second reason is likely to keep us all engaged, and she is succeeding.

    I’ve been involved in developing and deploying customer software for 20 years. If I am very lucky, I have beta testers who tell me what they really think and point out potential problems.

    I love the books, I have read the entire series once and listened to them in audio form three times. I can’t wait to get the next one and will also buy the graphic novel. I am a true fan and because I am, I want Echo to succeed wildly.

    So don’t take the comments of those of us who are critical as negativity. We are being good beta testers and pointing out the potential issues as we see them. You may not see the same problems and that is a totally valid position.

    Best
    Leslie

  16. my comment was about one commentor in particular (who shall remain nameless cuz im not gonna be that way)
    :} thanks for the zing.
    high fives! (and im not being a smartypants when i say that, i really mean it) *G*

  17. I like the new cover a lot and can not wait for it to come out in stores. I have started to re-read the complete series again as it has been some years ago that I read them the first time. I am currently just about done with Dragon fly in Amber. I just love Clair and Jamie..

  18. Ya know, I think I’ll like it even more when I’m holding it in my hands…

  19. I like the cover a lot.
    I find the image striking with the black background…though I think someone already said that in the comments [g]. I’d buy the book either way, since I’ve already read most of them (I’m just starting The Fiery Cross), but I emailed a link to the cover to my friend, and she said that the cover interested her, and she would definitely pick it up to see what it was about. I, as a fan, like how the covers of all of the books keep a similar aspect with the “one-color” background and then the shape in the middle.

    How is the book coming along so far? Is it going to be around the same length as the previous two?

  20. Oh,gosh, Diana I hope you are safe! It looks just awful out there. Flag did cancel school…my hubby made it in to work OK, though.

    We’re down in Kachina Village, and we seem to get more snow here than town does. :: shrug ::

    Drive careful on your way to Santa Fe!

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