Friday Face Off : ‘Beware the moon, lads.’
Here we are again with the Friday Face Off meme created by Books by Proxy . This is a great opportunity to feature some of your favourite book covers. The rules are fairly simple each week, following a predetermined theme (list below) choose a book, compare a couple of the different covers available for that particular book and choose your favourite. Future week’s themes are listed below – the list has been updated to help out those of you who like to plan ahead – if you have a cover in mind that you’re really wanting to share then feel free to leave a comment about a future suggested theme. I’ve also listed events that take place during the year, that I’m aware of, so you can link up your covers – if you’re aware of any events that you think I should include then give me a shout. This week’s theme:
‘Beware the moon, lads.’ – A cover with a shapeshifter
Hopefully this week’s theme wasn’t too much of a struggle. Shapeshifting is a fairly well used theme in the world of fantasy. This week I’ve gone with : Bitten (Otherworld #1) by Kelley Armstrong. I’ve only read the first in the series and that was some time ago. I didn’t continue, not because I didn’t like the book, more because I think I had so many series on the go at the particular time – have you read this series? Do you think I should return to it?
The covers:
The top right corner is the version that I read.
The covers I like best are:
My favourite this week is:
I also really like the simplicity of the black cover with the spots of blood.
Which one is your favourite?
Like last week I’ve added a Mr Linky here so that you can leave a link if you wish or please leave me a link in the comments so we can all visit and check out each others covers. Thanks
I’ve updated the list and included themes through to the end of 2019 – I’ve also included events that I’m aware of so that you can perhaps link your themes up where possible (if you know of an event you’d like to share that let me know in the comments). I also have a list prepared for 2020 and so will set up a separate page soon for forthcoming themes. As always, if you wish to submit an idea then leave me a comment.
Next week – A cover featuring a king
Future themes: (if you’re struggling with any of these themes then use a ‘freebie’ of one of your favourite covers)
2019
22nd March – ‘A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse’ – A cover featuring a king
29th March – “I thought unicorns were more . . . Fluffy.” – A cover featuring a unicorn
5th April – ‘nomad is an island’ – A cover featuring a desert landscape
12th April – ‘Odin, Odin, send the wind to turn the tide – A cover featuring a longboat
19th April – ‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – A cover featuring a school
26th April “The sunrise was the colour of bad blood” – A cover featuring a sunrise/sunset
(May is the month of Wyrd and Wonder – details here, Twitter: @wyrdandwonder)
3rd May – “How sweet to be a cloud, floating in the blue” – A cover that is predominantly blue
10th May – “As full of spirit as the month of May” – A cover featuring a festival/party/celebration
17th May – “The dark fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn. Go back to the Shadow!” – A cover featuring a fantasy beast
24th May – “bibbity, bobbity, boo” – A cover that features ‘magical things’
31st May – “simples” – A favourite fantasy cover
7th June – “One swallow does not make a summer” – A cover that makes you think of Summer
14th June – “Coraline opened the box of chocolates. The dog looked at them longingly.” – A cover featuring something sweet
21st June – Summer Solstice – the longest day of the year – Pagan rituals/standing stones/blazing suns – a cover with your own interpretation
28th June – “And who decided which people wore the striped pyjamas” – A cover that is striped
5th July – “The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe… has been answered” – a cover featuring something/somebody historic
12th July – A wrap around cover
19th July – “You can’t choose between life and death when we’re dealing with what is in between.” – A cover that is grainy or looks like ‘white noise’
26th July – “Ludo ….. down” – A cover that is Upside Down
2nd August – “There are children here somewhere. I can smell them.” A cover featuring children
9th August – “I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request.” – A cover featuring Pirates
16th August – “The haft of the arrow had been feathered with one of the eagles own plumes” – a cover featuring feathers
23rd August – A cover that is a movie tie in
30th August – “I wandered lonely as a cloud” – a cover that is predominantly yellow
6th September “Warm September brings the fruit” – a cover that is seasonal for Autumn/Fall
13th September – Friday the 13th – unlucky for some! A cover with ‘curse’ in the title
20th September – “Your hair is winter fire,January embers.” – A cover featuring hair
27th September – Freebie
4th October – “Feed me Seymour” – A cover that is 60s horror
11th October – ““And, though there should be a world of difference between the smile of a man and the bared fangs of a wolf, with Joss Merlyn they were one and the same.” – a cover featuring an Inn
18th October – “It’s your favorite scary movie, remember? He had on the white mask, he stalked the babysitters.” – A cover featuring a scream
25th October – for Halloween – pick any scary cover you like
(I’m hoping that November will once again bring to us SciFiMonth – Twitter @SciFiMonth)
1st November – A cover that is predominantly grey
8th November – “big badda boom” – a cover that features an explosion
15th November – “No thinking thing should be another thing’s property, to be turned on and off when it is convenient.” – a cover featuring a robot
22nd November – A cover that is Futuristic
29th November – “When a day that you happen to know is Wednesday starts off by sounding like Sunday, there is something seriously wrong somewhere.” – a cover that is 60s sci fi
6th December – Now is the winter of our discontent, Made glorious summer by this sun of York” – a cover that puts you in mind of winter
13th December – A cover that features a temple/or religious icon
20th December – Longest Night – a dark and foreboding cover
27th December – the festive season – a cover that is glittery or sparkling
(2020 – January is Vintage SciFi month so I’ll be including possible themes to take that on board.)
‘Normally, I have a very sweet disposition as a dog…The tail I could live with. But the fleas? ‘
1 February 2018
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Shapeshifters, The Fantasy Hive, Tough Travelling
Once again it’s time to go Tough Travelling. So, don your jaunty cap and let’s go and see whether Lembas Bread is all it’s made out to be because this month we’re looking at Elves. The Fantasy Hive are now hosting Tough Travel so don’t forget to head on over there and link up.
This month’s theme … SHAPESHIFTERS.
“Shapeshifting is frequent among both WERES and MAGIC USERS. The usual form taken is that of a wolf, but lions, eagles, serpents, owls and cats are common too. In all cases the Rule is that the Shapeshifter cannot stay too long in ANIMAL form without actually becoming that animal and losing touch with her/his human thoughts.”
– The Tough Guide to Fantasyland by Diana Wynne Jones
So many! How to rein myself in – I thought I’d go for type of animal and see how many I can come up with. Okay, in no particular order:
Coyote – Mercy Thompson from Patricia Briggs series. A great series and a great character.
Wolf – werewolves, the more traditional animal that we expect to see in shapeshifter books – well, there are werewolves in the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer or there’s Adam, Mercy’s partner and alpha of the werewolf pack in the Mercy series by Patricia Briggs.
Bird – Atticus from the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne can shift into the form of an owl – as well as two or three other animals.
Dog – Sirius Black from JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series transforms into a large black dog. Also, Sam Merlotte could also transform into a dog – usually a collie.
Dragon – two dragons immediately spring to mind. One is from Kristi Charish’s Owl series – Mr. Kurosawa, who runs a casino in Las Vegas transforms into a red dragon. The second is from the Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman but I can’t say more for fear of spoilers.
Kitsune (Fox) – Suzume Hollis from Generation V by M L Brennan transforms into a Kitsune. She’s a brilliant character and I heartily recommend this series.
Bats/Rats and Mist – Dracula, who else! Bram Stoker.
Bears – in Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series we are introduced to the Maghuin Dhonn – believed to be witches they can also shift into bears.
Finally: Mystique – can turn into just about anything:
Art by Mike Mayhew
This is it for me this month – stop on over to the Fantasy Hive and add your links to the shapeshifters you’ve come up with.
‘Don’t make me angry, you wouldn’t like me when I’m angry!’
27 April 2015
Filed under Book Reviews
Tags: Characters with form than one form, Shapeshifters, Skinwalkers, The Broke and the Bookish, Top Ten Tuesday
This week at the Broke and the Bookish the topic for Top Ten Tuesday is :
Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who _____:
– can change – either weres, shapeshifters, skin walkers, etc’
- Mercedes Thompson from Patricia Briggs series. Mercy is a great character, I’ve loved watching her develop throughout the course of the books. Mercy is a ‘walker’ who can turn into a Coyote.
- Suzume from M L Brennan’s Generation V. Suzume is one of my favourite characters at the moment. She has a great sense of fun and her cheeky nature stems from the fact that she is actually a fox – that can become human – that’s pretty unique I’d say!
- Atticus from Kevin Hearne’s Druid Chronicles – Atticus is a druid who can turn into a number of different forms – I’m pretty sure one of which is an owl and also a dog. Not sure if he has any others at this point.
- Tamlin – this is a recent read by author Sarah J Maas – A Court of Thorns and Roses – Tamlin is fae and has the ability to turn into a strange beast, a mix of bear, wolf and I don’t know what!
- Sam from Charlaine Harris’ True Blood series. Sam can take any form but usually takes that of a dog.
- Sirius Black from J K Rowling’s Harry Potter – a huge black dog. I do like the character Sirius
- Shallan Davar from Sanderson’s Word of Radiance. Shallan is a low born light eyes. It turns out she has many strange abilities, one of which is to capture somebody’s likeness in the form of a drawing and then to be able to change herself to take on their appearance.
- Cassell from the Curse Workers series by Holly Black. Cassell is a transformation worker – he can transform just about anything into anything – including himself!
- Lord Maccon of Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate – I had to go there – he is a bit of a studley after all! A werewolf.
- Jacinda from Sophie Jordan’s Firelight series – I had to include this one as Jacinda is a draki, a descendant of dragons who can shift into human form
Thought I’d spotlight the Hearne books – I do love the covers for this series:
Books and travelling with Lynn 