Blackbirds vs. The Serpent Sea — Cover Battle Semifinals!

Two phases and a total of seven rounds have reduced the competition in this Cover Battle of 2012 from sixty to eight covers. These eight cover met head-on in four quarter finals. Now, only four covers are left: Discount Armageddon by Seanan McGuire, The Serpent Sea by Martha Wells, Wide Open by Deborah Coates, and Blackbirds by Chuck Wendig. That means it’s time for the semifinals. Over the course of two one on one battles, it is up to you to decide which covers will make it to the grand finale!

If you want to know more about the Cover Battle, want to see the bracket, or take a look at all sixty covers, check out the big introduction post here.

This semifinal is between the covers of Chuck Wendig’s Blackbirds and Martha Wells’s The Serpent Sea. Here are the covers:

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Chuck Wendig’s Blackbirds (information here) has had no problem getting through the previous battles. It easily won every one of the three battles it was in so far. It is safe to say that this cover, created by Joey Hi-Fi (a.k.a. D. Halvorsen) and published by Angry Robot Books, is a unique gem of awesomeness—just like the book that wears it. With the overwhelming amount of votes it received in previous battles, Blackbirds is definitely a favorite for the title of Best Cover of 2012.

Meanwhile, Martha Wells’ The Serpent Sea (more information here) has had a much more difficult time. It was up against King of Thorns—a huge favorite in this contest—during the previous battle, and looked to be losing. Somehow, though, it persevered. This underdog is part of The Books of the Raksura. This gorgeous cover, and the previous book in the series, were created by Steve Argyle, designed by Rebecca Silvers, and published by Night Shade Books (the previous two are here and here, the first having award-winning art work by Matthew Stewart). These covers fit perfectly with Wells’ gorgeous world building and are a good representation of the stories in this trilogy. The Serpent Sea may have barely won its last battle in the last hours, but it definitely deserves its place in this semi final!

So, which of these two covers is your favorite? Blackbirds or The Serpent Sea? You decide!

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