Foreign Friday

Posted on by scott

A couple of recently arrived foreign editions for your weekend delectation.

First, a radical interpretation of Uglies.

The covered face is really dystopian and dark, despite all the vibrant colors. The physical book has lots of shiny on the cover, with that classy trade paperback heft. (And note the locket she’s wearing.)

Here’s something that just occurred to me. Polish, like any other language with adjective/noun number agreement, has plural adjectives. So “brzydcy” is a normal Polish word in a way that “uglies” isn’t. And any translator who didn’t know the English title would reverse-translate “Brzydcy” into “The Ugly Ones.”

This means that all my words like “uglies” and “pretties” sound perfectly normal in Polish, not like future slang or even slightly odd. Obviously this goes for a ton of other languages—all those in which adjectives can be pluralized and used without nouns to mean “the x ones.”

Hmm. I wonder if it feels a bit less alien because of that.

Of course, Australians say “littlies” and “crumblies” anyway. (And “pressies” for “presents,” “Chrissie” for “Christmas,” “musos” for “musicians,” etc.)

Polish speakers can click here for more.

And now from Germany, an old-school sf rendition of Risen Empire.

Loving the title: WorldStorm! Perhaps more properly: Storm of the Worlds, but come on: WORLDSTORM!

An important note: Weltensturm puts Risen Empire and The Killing of Worlds in one volume, like they’re supposed to be.

Thanks to Eduard for sending that.

Update: The cover of Extras will be posted here on Monday.

42 thoughts on “Foreign Friday”

  1. that uglies cover is awesome!!! i love it! the mask (or is that her face?) that she is wearing is kind of…odd though.

  2. The Weltensturm cover is really cool, wasnt the english version both books in one as well (alas, when we bought Killing of Worlds off Amazon, we realized our mistake)

  3. and why, oh why, are there a million rix ships?

    also the Polish Uglies thing looks really cool. and saying the ugly ones, or those who are ugly is used A LOT in languages. and the covers really cool, is it a slanty corridor or a lift shaft?

  6. i believe that is a crooked bridge on the cover of uglies nick. and yes, mask/ bag or watever thing on her head… very scary making.and i didn’t even realize at first, on the cover of risen empire, are those little specks tons of ships? looks pretty cool.

  7. I’m really sorry, Scott, but when i saw the girl on the Uglies cover, i had to stifle a giggle. But I always thought that somebody wearing a bog over their head looked ridiculous.

    Don’t get me wrong on this, it fits into the story remarkably well, just like I want my book covers to do, but it just looks a bit silly. I like ours better. And even a cover like that can not take away the wonderfulness that is the plot of the books. Just so you know…

  9. the part on the outside of the bridge doesnt look like uglyville or new pretty town

    oh well, the book is still fawsome

  12. i don’t know i don’t really like it the cover i mean it’s kinda weird a know?
    i’m just not all that fond of it really

  13. That’s SO fawsome!!! That uglies cover is really great. But the whole adjective thing seems like it really would kind of un-alienate the book. And the Risen Empire thing looks fawsome too!! I ordered that book 9 days ago from Barnes and Noble but the losers still haven’t sent it in!!! I’m hopeing to finish it and The Killing of Worlds both pretty quick so I can move on to your adult novels and read all of those!!! YAY!!!

  15. No, it’s not just you. That cover does look kinda 80’s. The background’s good, but the person? The uglies never wore masks. Never really pictured Tally like that, either. (That is Tally, right?)

    Oh, and I’m probably insane, but those ships on the Risen Empire look a lot like angry, red-eyed turtles.

    I’m sorry, but those covers are not that great. Definitely like the American ones better.

  17. Yeah, I’m not liking the mask so much and whats with the purple thing?? She was never really tried to hide her uglieness, well when she came back to the dorms from Special Cir. but she wasn’t wearing her locket then..hmm Whats the thing in the background?? oh wait is it the Rusty Ruins?

    Hahaha they do look like turtles!!:D

    Yeah I have to admit that the American covers are better I think..I was just wondering if you have a say in the covers as the writer, do you like get to plan them or is it up to the company??

  19. Have lived in Oz all my life and never heard the term “crumblies” here. “Oldies” and “fossils” have been used instead.

    Have a lovely day! 🙂

  20. The Polish cover looks too modern. Sort of like those novels with ‘futuristic’ covers that look a bit. silly.
    haha no offence scott. or to the designers.
    STILL LOVE AUS VERSION OF PEEPS THE BEST.
    cool stuff x 1000, right there.

  21. *blink blink* To tell you the truth, The Polish cover makes me think to hard and there for, I don’t like it. What does it mean? Is she (Tally, I think) a Smokey, a hopeful Ugly or what? What does the bag represent? What’s with the purple shawl? I just don’t get it.

    WILDSTORM!!

    Makes me think Nordstrom.

  24. but masks are really cool like in V for Vendetta, now that, was a good film.

    but i digress, the mask does look really weird, but it does actually say they were wearing masks in Uglies (Pretties is flying its way to me, courtesy of Amazon), even though Tally only wore a pig mask. Hey, maybe Polish pigs are gold.

  26. IILWJ:Thanks.

    Scott: This is very off topic, but in So Yesterday, what is Mandy’s last name? Have the time it says Wilkins, and half the time it’s Jenkins. I love the book, but that always bugs me. Am I missing something or what?

  27. I noticed that too!!! It was wierd!! I just let it slide thought, since its such a good book.

  28. I think the background on Uglies cover is in the Pretty Tower, and maybe that’s the mask instead of the pig one. I don’t know…lol, nick, pigs are gold…I never knew that…god, i just fell off my chair laughing…the ships look more like devil turtles, their red eyes glowing from under their shell while they plan to attack, destroying humanity…a lot of ships, though…amazing…the only books I haven’t read by you Scott are The Last Days, The Risen Empire, and The Killing of Worlds…

    Scott: Very off topic, but Peeps is good…I didn’t think I’d like it, but it was good…must be a good writer, because usually I don’t like books like that…tip #3 to avoid parasites is very, ahem, interesting…

  30. i think we need a new phrase ‘pigs might be gold!’ to replace ‘pigs might fly’ coz i mean like, with Genetic Modification, anything can happen. (and i mean, flying pigs, that would be COOL)

    and yes they do look a lot like turtles, maybe theyre the blackbody drones or something, but I thought they were going away from the Lynx (which would look totally different) so a cross between a turtle and a baboon perhaps?

    Also, the idea of the lynx using reaction mass to move around, when lynx is actually a deodorant (that you spray out of cans) is just hilarious. Was this intentional, Scott?

  31. I mean, they already made, wait for it GLOW IN THE DARK PIGS with jellyfish genes, so gold pigs, coming soon

  32. Hey, I love the Polish cover, it confuses my eyes a bit though!
    Littlies I’ve heard, Chrissie, and pressies, but I’ve never heard musos, or crumblies…
    Oh well, its still cool (and pretty clever, actually).
    Glow in the dark…are you being serious???

  33. The Polish Uglies cover looks pretty cool. If I was Polish, I’d stop and check out the book. The cover is a little weird but intriguing.

  37. Um ya, question, in your book uglies, the nick name thing was supposed to be for all names right???… well… mine doesn’t work… or does it??? Lauren-la??? Lauren-wa??? Just wondering. Oh ya! I really like the cover for UGLIES… but i think it would be better without the paper bag… but it is probably more apealing to the people in Poland.. ya… well here you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

  40. Hey Christine! yes i like monkeys. help…arg, i dont know i’m scared…cuz my dad is sooo right about Uglies! He said it didn’t make sense…like, when Tally finds out about the Surg, i mean, its not like the surgents cuz ur head open so u get lesions…idk, but my dad said some pretty deep stuff…and i went back to read those chapters..and…he was…RIGHT.

  41. the uglies cover is very odd to me, and by the way i still haven’t seen the cover of uglies that i have on the website, of well maybe i’ll see it later….

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