Date: Wed, 12 May 2010 10:14:29 -0400
From: "Michael Walsh" <mjw at press.jhu.edu>
To: "WSFA members" <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>,
    "WSFA Official List" <wsfa-forum at yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [WSFA] re: The eyes, they bleed!  The brain, it hurts!
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

> "Mike B." <yahoo at omniphile.com> 5/11/2010 8:24 PM >>>
>Madeleine Yeh wrote:
> >    That is horrible in ways that words can not describe.
> >  Is his pants falling off?  Is there something wrong with
> > her posture?  her proportions?
>
>Her posture and proportions are well within normal limits, and his =
pants
>are intact.
>
>On the other hand, it looks like someone fingerpainted her attire on,
>the position he's holding the sword in is a bit more suggestive in =
light
>of her lack of dress than it really needs to be, and one does wonder
>what sort of culture (or ambient temperature) has him dressed in =
layers
>of formal fanciness, including ruffles, while his companion is nude,
>with both of them out in public (the steps are a bit extensive for a
>typical dwelling I think, and the buildings in the background likewise).
>
>His uniform also looks kind of European, as does the sword belt, but =
the
>sword is Japanese...the hilt (tsuba) anyway.  The blade is indistinct,
>but the curve isn't typical of a katana...looks like it hooks too much
>near the tip...more scimitar-like, though too narrow for that.  He's
>also missing any sort of scabbard.  Looks like someone stole most of =
his
>armor too...just has the greaves and whatever that goofy collar thing is.
>
>They obviously aren't from around here...temporally speaking of course
>(Earth is shown in the background).

Face it ... it's just bad art.

That said, Baen books sell ... they know their market.  & this will =
probably sell fairly well.

I think part of the "problem" is that anyone who has already read the =
stories know the covers for this and the previous ones in the Baen series =
are essentially pandering.  (And the art sucks anyway.)

I console myself with the thought that some number of people will discover =
Anderson and go onto more, such as "The high Crusade".  Or perhaps even =
these: http://www.nesfa.org/press/Books/Anderson-1.html and http://www.nesf=
a.org/press/Books/Anderson-2.html
 and this NYP: http://www.nesfa.org/press/=
Books/Anderson-3.html

mjw