German Behemoth

Posted on by scott

I’m liking this German cover of Behemoth, which follows the original flavor Leviathan cover rather faithfully:

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According to Google Translate, Im Labyrinth der Macht means “In the labyrinth of power.” Pretty good tag line for the book.

Comes out from CBJ in Germany on April 24, 2011.

Note that this isn’t what the US cover would have looked like if the redux hadn’t happened. This is:

behemothnoncover

Leave all complaints and compliments in the comment thread below.

106 thoughts on “German Behemoth”

  1. Why didn’t we get the awesome cover design…?
    Not that I don’t like Deryn and Alek, but the first is extensively better in my opinion.

  2. Argh why did you put the cover we could have had??? I love that version SO much more….wanna see the Behemoth cover now please! 🙂

  3. GAH!!! I love that version of the cover – why do publishers always think the YA demographic won’t buy a book unless it has an angst-ridden face on the cover?!? I protest. We are intelligent enough to read the books without teens on the covers screaming “HEY LOOK, I’M YOUNG JUST LIKE YOU!”

  4. Complaint: Why isn’t it this cover?! The cover on my book is someone looking to the side with a little twinkle in his/hers eyes. (Boring!)

    Compliment: This cover is gorgeous. Love the intricate designs!

  5. @Bee
    HAHAHA i love “why do publishers always think the YA demographic won’t buy a book unless it has an angst-ridden face on the cover?!”
    Made me laugh!
    And also, someone else stated they had to hide the new cover at school, and I TOTALLY GET IT. People think the book is stupid b/c of that (which is stupid, but whatever) and I have to say, when I pick up a book and it has a person on it, for some reason it turns me off of that book. Maybe on this one more because the pictures look so…..fake.

    And as for those who are wondering who will be on the Goliath cover….Alek and Deryn, maybe?

    GRR. I Think i may have a book-cover DIY ahead of me… 😛

  6. Actually, I have a question…..

    WHAT IS VOLGER’S FIRST NAME? My friends and I REALLY want to know and we’ve been using ridiculous names and I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANNA KNOW!!

  8. I so wish you would have stuck with this cover design for the US books. My books would match then! Part of what I love about Leviathan is that it’s so aesthetically pleasing as well as plain awesome to read. I really hate the people on the covers. Honestly, if you re-released Behemoth with that cover, I would buy it again. That cover is absolutely gorgeous.

  9. Why didn’t they use that one??! I love that and it DOES follow the flavor. Consistency publishing people! Consistency! At least use the cover above for hard cover and the one used for paperback.

  10. I would not have picked up Leviathan if it had the cover on it that it has now. I picked it up because of the cool original cover. When I was reading Leviathan, I loved showing everyone the beautiful cover. I didn’t do that with Behemoth. I think the switch was a very poor choice.

  11. I prefer these covers to the final American cover as well. I don’t think the current cover is particularly *un*attractive, but 1) as a rule, I don’t like book covers that feature photoshopped people on them, and 2) the mechanically-inspired cover designs are more intriguing to look at. I spent a significant amount of time admiring all the little details of the ‘Leviathan’ cover; this was not the case with the ‘Behemoth’ cover.

    Like others have suggested, I recommend that the publisher rerelease the book with this unused cover, too. I avoided buying the book–despite loving it–because I disliked the cover so much in contrast to the ‘Leviathan’ cover.

    You should post a full wraparound-size image file of the original cover so we can all print it out and put it over the covers of the current copies. 🙂

  13. @Bee

    You are ridiculously right….it seems like every book has some fake-looking model on it! Apparently there are “trends” that publishers follow (such as, I think Cassie Clare mentioned that it is now more “in”/wanted to see entire faces of models on the cover, which is why her new book has Clary’s whole face on it…..or something like that. Okay, I’m butchering it.

    Scott-la, do you know anything about “trends” in book covers?)

  14. How about sleeves in the original style? Could high-definition PDFs be made available in a Shop or Download section?
    The German cover is nice but IMHO a bit too Clanker (should I be surprised?) except for the little green face 🙂

  15. I prefer both versions posted than the one that was actually used. In reply to Kailey-wa, I don’t see how seeing a face on the cover of a book is appealing to anyone. Do people get so lazy that they can’t imagine the characters themselves? Maybe I’m misunderstanding the point. Anyway, to me, consistency is far more appealing than a profile.

  18. Everyone that I know (except a few who commented above) either don’t care whether or not there are models on the cover, or (MUCH more common) very very strongly dislike a cover BECAUSE there is a person’s face on it. If you’re going to read a book, you might as well imagine your own characters (in this case, guided a little by the beautiful illustrations in the book). Having someone’s actual face on the cover to represent a character bugs me. They don’t look anything like the character… especially because they’re real…
    So, there’s my rant.
    No model faces on book covers, please.

  20. @elise – I took this cover off too! I felt embarrassed to bring it anyplace. This book is AMAZING, but you wouldn’t be able to tel that from the cover!

    @ kailey-wa – I think the current trend is “young beautiful people staring off into distance”. Which irks me because a) It’s not original anymore and b) I like to use my own imagination to figure out what the characters look like, not have it dictated to by some stupid cover model! Or, in the case of Leviathan/Behemoth, I like to imagine the characters based off the beautiful illustrations inside – which, can I just say, the cover did not seem at ALL congruous to the illustrations?? That bothered me even more!

  21. I like the German cover better. I wish someone put an English translated edition of the German cover somewhere on the net…

  22. The live action covers are absolutely awful, use the original one with the clogs and whatnot. They are better and give the book a better and more mature look. Or use the illustrators illustrations for the cover. they’re awesome!

  23. Urgh, My two signed copies dont match. The story is great so I guess I’m happy. The whole “This is what it could have looked like” thing justs snaps my sprockets n’ grinds my gears.

  25. That cover is so much cooler! And it would match my hardcover Leviathan! Gr. But, you can’t judge a book by its cover and the story inside is truly amazing ^.^

  27. I agree a little bit with ‘random’ about how having a character on the front of the book slightly takes away from the imaginative version of the character. But then again most of the time I ignore whatever characters are on the cover and come up with my own idea of what they look like.

    I do wonder why you changed from the blue to green? Green is my favorite color and I really like it on the cover that got published, but it seems like such a dramatic change. Though I think green might suit Goliath better because I think ‘large’ when I think Goliath which kind of reminds me of the hulk in a way (don’t ask) so green would make more sense for that cover.

    Oh well, either way the covers are pretty cool and very clanker-ish which works well! Can’t wait for Goliath ^_^

  28. Ugh… the original cover is SO much cooler… can the goliath cover be in the original style?

  29. You guys’ve said it all…go pre-redo cover!! (Its BLUEEE) Im just wondering…what colour will Goliath be? And of course, face or no face???

  30. omg, i think the old one was totally bubblie! and the new one is well…whatever, but it dosnt really matter because your writeing is soooo good 🙂 and lik wen exactly is your goliath coming out, i dont know if i can wait!!
    <3 u!

  31. I love your books either way, but I do like the above covers better than the covers in the U.S. I don’t really like the cover all that much, I like the ones above better!
    I love your craft and have got me inspired to write my own stories!
    Hope to see your new books on the shelves!

  35. i’m sorry off of the subject of your new book. i started rereading the midnghters series and i just can’t wrap my brian that it is the end. the third book is such a cliff hanger though it it is an awesome book., it erks me that its open for another book and there not. It would be cool if there were like short storys or somthing. there is so much more potintaial for the series, like different powers other cluse into the history of the midnighters and a way to get Jess back (that really erks me). please if its possible could you do this

  36. … I think I was better off not knowing what the cover would have been… I loved the first cover for Leviathan (what got me to read it in the first place, hello!) and now the copy I actually own has the fake Alek picture…

    On a separate note, now have to get the German exchange student to buy me a copy of that when he goes home. Just because.

  38. Dear Mr. Westerfeld,
    I’m a big fan of yours. I recently finished reading the UGLY series and decided to try LEVIATHAN. I loved it so much I bought a hardcover copy of BEHEMOTH at a local Borders. Unfortuantely while I was reading the book I noticed the page numbers went from 88 to 122. Also, the story did not make sense. I was reading chapter nine and with one flip of the page I was in chapter thirteen. I am very sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if there was anything I could do about that. I am very eager to read BEHEMOTH and find out what happens in CONSTANTINOPLE. Warm regards.

  39. The original cover is beautiful!! I hope that it will be released. I love the original style, and I hope that Goliath has it!

  40. I like the frist cover. It show that the books are contred if you have that sertong cover and the other cover doesn’t resamble the pictiures inside the book . Athoner idea I had is that you could show the marchins or the aniels on the cover.

  42. So, I JUST finished Behemoth, and I loved it. Though I was execpecting a certain secret to be told to a certain Alek, and maybe a certain Midshipman to kiss a certian Alek (Not being subtle at ALL.), but… Ah, well. XD
    And I, too, love the original covers! The current covers are okay for a different novel, but Leviathan and Behemoth (and the rest of your novels!) are literary masterpieces, and deserve a masterpiece of a cover!

  43. Yeah, the German covers rock. Luckily I’m German and can’t wait to fill the gap next to my version of “Leviathan – Die Geheime Mission” (The secret mission) with Behemoth. 😀 Now when will it finally be April?

  44. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PRETTTTTYYY!!! seeing this angers me. i much prefer these covers and MUCH dislike my non-matching LEVIATHAN/BEHEMOTH copies!

    -Lizzy-wa OUT! 🙁

  45. they should sell a version of the book with this cover for all of those who have OCD and want matching books. this cover is amazing!

  46. Covers are the least of my problems!As long as the book is the same all nation-round I’m Happy!

  47. @Kim
    I admire your optimistic glass-is-half-full attitude, but you’ve gotta agree that the ‘without teens staring off into the distance and trying to look like they’re thinking deep thougts’ cover is kinda lame. They totally shoulda stuck with the original. That was super cool. But whatever 🙂

  48. i like both much, much, very much better than the one it’s set on right now. the original rocked and i thought i’d be cool to keep to the same design for the others. but oh well *deep loong sigh* i guess you can’t do anything.

  49. I say that you should really try to make the Leviathen series into movies or a show. I hope that you do you also would make lots of money.

  50. Non-matching covers aside *twitch*, I also prefer the original cover designs to the redux. The original designs have a certain energy to them that the redesigns lack.

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