A few weeks ago, I revealed the new paperback cover for Leviathan. Well, now it’s time to show you the matching cover for Behemoth Here they are together:
And here’s Behemoth on its own:
Although I loved the old cover style, this is also a really great look, especially with this new color scheme. The blue and green seems perfect for the Darwinists, just like the rusty metallic reds suited the Clankers.
But I’ll let you guys say your piece in the comments, as NO DOUBT you will.
In other news, the word “Leviathan” now has its own species, an extinct killer whale from 12 million years ago. Behold!
A skeleton of the highly predatory, 17-meter-long (55 ft) whale was discovered in Peru. It’s teeth are twice as big as those of any current-day whale, possibly because it shared the water with a prehistoric 15-meter-long shark! (Remind me not to bring my swimming gear when traveling to any era before, say, 1492.)
And what’s the scientific name of this newly discovered monster? They’ve chosen Leviathan melvillei, in honor of Moby Dick,
So study hard and grow up to be paleontologists, because the bones of a Behemoth westerfeldii would totally rock my mantelpiece.
Here’s more from BBC News.
More cool stuff soon.
This Just In:
Here’s an interview with me about the art of Behemoth and Leviathan at Suvudu.
The Behemoth cover is nice but I agree with all the people that are disappointed that it won’t match the original Leviathan cover.
Totally Love the cover! I heart the colours and the design above the title.
But the original cover for the hardback Leviathan is a better design I think.
If I’d never seen the original Leviathan cover, I’d say that these covers are ‘okay.’ But as it is, they are very disappointing and I’m kind of angry that Behemoth won’t have a similar hardback cover to the original.
So I guess I’ll be buying Leviathan in hardback (normally wait for softcover) and will only be getting Behemoth through the library and *hope* that it will receive a better cover for purchasing in the future.
I agree with nearly everyone else – I loved loved loved the original Leviathan cover, and I’m really disappointed in the paperback Leviathan and this new one. The colors are lovely and all, but the people and, to me, the overall design is very disappointing! I hope this is a paperback cover and a prettier one will come out for hardcover, preferably something similar to the original so when I get both hardcovers, they’ll look perfect together.
Congrats on the awards and such, by the way!
Honestly, I don’t care what the cover looks like. I just finished reading the Leviathan, and I can’t wait to read Behemoth!!!
I can’t be the only one who thinks that the new covers look absolutely horrible, can I? I just hate the way they’re put together, especially when the original Leviathan HC was so absolutely gorgeous. I mean, I’d love to purchase a full-sized print of the original cover art. But the current covers? No. Definitely not.
I agree with Emily-wa in that the colours are lovely for Behemoth, but I just don’t like the actual images used. I was so looking forward to a HC that looked just as gorgeous and intricate as Leviathan’s, so I’m honestly disappointed.
In the end, though, it’s the content of the book that matters, and I know I won’t be disappointed in that.
I prefer the original, personless Leviathan cover. The color scheme of Behemoth is all well and dandy but what grinds my gears is that it will not match leviathans intricate design. If it were designed to look like a web of Darwinist creations just as Leviathan looked like a Clanker invention, i would fall over with joy. Well, what can I do? Anyway I’ve been told not to judge a book by it’s cover so i just have to wait to be so engulfed by the story that I forget about my dismay about the cover and just read. Keep up the great writing Mr. Westerfeld!
I cant wait for the book… But I really dont like this cover. I know its already been said, but this kinda takes away on the pure originality that shone from Leviathan’s cover, which made me take it off the shelf. It is still original, and is better than most book covers, but having that teen there just ruins it for me. I love the color scheme, and having a person there is the only problem I think.
I mean, youre in the Ottoman Empire, so there can be no shortage of awesome machines that could take her spot. Even that zeppelin in the backround could be sized up and put in her place, or the egg from the end of the first book. This is a great cover for the paperbacks, but I would do anything to get a cover that can match with Leviathan’s.
personally i dont like these covers i liked the origonal cover style better they just looked…cooler
As the other commenters said before, the colors are great but if this is Behemoth’s hardcover cover, it won’t match my hardcover copy of Leviathan. And personally, I think covers with random stock image, Photoshop’d people make books look extremely gaudy. It worked for the Uglies because it actually made sense, but the Leviathan series is illustrated and would go better with a person-less cover.
Can’t wait to read it though!
Wow, great Scott! I ove your covers can’t wait to get the books! I am getting both in hardcover. (I love your books so much I’m gonna frame them all!)
Yes, I agree with Alex as well, it would look better if you put a Darwinist creation or machine there besides the person. Alex it right it messes up the originality ;(Clanker
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Sorry, the smiley wasn’t working :$
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Gosh, NONE OF THE SMILIES WORK. This ninny-ish website!
The cover for leviathan was so awesome and im disappointed that the behemoth cover will not match
Changed name to Chase wa
I just thought of something. If you guys read the Spoilers in the video for the audiobook you’ll get this. People are confused on whether it’s Alek or Deryn on both covers…. but what if it’s the weird new girl whose name starts with an L on the Behemoth one? Just a thought…. But the new girl-not-knowing thing is still bugging me. October 5th needs to come faster before I explode. *boom, poof, explosion* Too late now.
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Oh no! I loved the Leviathan hardcover! I was so excited for the new cover art for Behemoth…i don’t want a person’s face on it. I want an updated version of the beauty that was Leviathan’s cover. Why does every single YA novel have to have some model’s face on it?? I’m intelligent enough to buy it if it doesn’t have a random kid staring off into the distance! & why use real people when they look nothing like the illustrations of the characters? Grr.
I’m in the boat of “Please don’t let the publisher invalidate all the people who purchased the first one.” It wouldn’t be that hard to make them match. Why are they doing this? The person-less design looks way cooler.
NOOO NOOO NOOO I love the old style better please please please say you will be releasing the blue one in hardcover ppppppppppppppplllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssssssssseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee *cue the puppy dog face that melts your heart*
Not meaning to spam or anything, and if there is a better way I can show you this image, then by all means please show me, but this, so far, is the only way I know how to give this creature exposure.
http://artofthelovelychemist.blogspot.com/2010/09/found-it.html
Enjoy. รขโขยฅ
if you look on sammyyuen.com there’s a cover for behemoth that looks like the leviathan cover, and, its blue and totally awesome ๐
Oh my gosh, Adrian you are right! THAT is a beautiful cover.
First, I’ve got to say that I hate to send any negative vibes at any author, (and for the record, I’m sooo loving the start of this series), because I want to be one myself. I know authors don’t have as much say over the design as any of us think. My friend just had her first book released this summer. Her original cover was changed the day it went to print and she saw it after she could change anything about it. Luckily for her, the first one had gotten such bad feedback, the change made it better. So I believe feedback (like the comments here) is important input for the publishers. And hopefully, they’ll read what we have to say before they ruin the design of the Hardback.
That being said, I’m glad I’m not the only one who cringed seeing the face on the Behemoth Hardback cover. It’s the head, the face. The head has that Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland bobble-head quality about it. Distorted and displeasing. When I first glanced at it I thought it was a collage thing — cut and paste.
As a graphic designer, I can’t help but be swayed by cover design. Even though as a writer and reader, I know the content of the book is what matters. But the truth is, covers matter too. They affect book sales, obviously. We scan the shelves for something that catches our eye and then we read about the book. Covers matter. And this one makes me sad.
I love hardbacks, but as a rule I take the dust covers off when they go up on my shelf. Leviathan was so beautiful I couldn’t do it. I left the cover on. If Behemoth ends up having the face cover, that sucker is going in the dust cover box with the rest of them.
BUT, I’m looking forward to the second book, despite the cover.
Maybe I’ll take a screenshot of the one Adrian links to and print it out to use as the cover instead….
No, no, no, no, no! The paperback covers are AWFUL! It makes the books look cheap and gaudy – the original cover was much better.
The blue one on sammyyuen.com is phenomenal, but is it going to be used in the hardcover editions as well?
The new covers look extremely photoshopped….I picked up Leviathan originally because of its cover. If it were the people cover, I wouldn’t have picked it up. It looks too cheesy now. I was looking forward to the a new version of the first cover for Bem. I’ll read the second book, but I probably won’t buy it, just because of the cover.
I am very sorry to say it but I shall not be purchasing this book. I am sorry that Scott will miss out on the royalty he would get from the purchase but it is my little protest at the terrible decision for the cover art to not only be gaudy populist pap, but also not fit the thematic scheme established with the brilliant artwork of the first book.
The publisher made this decision and it always saddens me when a publisher decides to change art direction in the middle of a series. It always smacks of a lack of respect for the readership. Just look at Harry Potter, they were released over 10 years or something and that publisher held true to the artistic vision. Unfortunately examples like that are not as common as they should be, but every one I can think of was a true success.
If the original leviathan had a shiny floating face on the cover I would never have picked it up. I guarantee this is going to happen a lot with this second volume.
Why didn’t you use the other awesome wheel cover for behemoth! You have to change it back, I was way more drawn into the book with the other cover! Change it back!
I bought Behemoth with the face (Is it a girl or boy? I can’t tell!) only because I was pressed for time and I didn’t see any of the original, faceless covers. I should have been more patient. Not far away was the faceless cover. T^T Oh well. I have my book. I’ll just make sure to be more patient for the next one. xDD
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The second cover should match the first book’s. The aviator kid looks dorky and really stupid. make it personless.
the covers are a discrase to the book. when i saw the new covers i wanted to cry in shame. this was a hearbreak. i know dermatic but it did not do the book justice!
It’s not that bad, and the book is still wonderful! What I want to know is whether this is Alek or Deryn, because at first, I thought the other one was Alek, but this one looks more like the illustrations in the book of him. Plus, the silk tie conveys status, but Deryn has one, too so I’m confused!
hey leviathan is the best book ever