The Other Half of the Sky: Cover
“…they see women as radiant and merciless as the dawn…” — Semíra Ouranákis, captain of the Reckless (“Planetfall”).
I’ve been barely able to contain myself while waiting to share this cover. As with the story teasers, I won’t say more — I think the art speaks for itself. The artist who gave such eloquent expression to the stories is Eleni Tsami, whose work has graced other book and magazine covers.
One of the many marvelous attributes of the cover is that it’s not pegged to a specific story — the figure could be almost any of the protagonists in the collection. The wraparound version is as breathtaking as the front shown here and I will link to it when it appears on Eleni’s site [ETA: see link at the end of this entry]. Among other things, the back contains the full list of contributors. Be sure to click on the image to see a larger version that does justice to the work.
For those who missed it the first time, here’s the anthology TOC:
The Other Half of the Sky
Athena Andreadis, Dreaming the Dark
Melissa Scott, “Finders”
Alexander Jablokov, “Bad Day on Boscobel”
Nisi Shawl, “In Colors Everywhere”
Sue Lange, “Mission of Greed”
Vandana Singh, “Sailing the Antarsa”
Joan Slonczewski, “Landfall”
Terry Boren, “This Alakie and the Death of Dima”
Aliette de Bodard, “The Waiting Stars”
Ken Liu, “The Shape of Thought”
Alex Dally MacFarlane, “Under Falna’s Mask”
Martha Wells, “Mimesis”
Kelly Jennings, “Velocity’s Ghost”
C. W. Johnson, “Exit, Interrupted”
Cat Rambo, “Dagger and Mask”
Christine Lucas, “Ouroboros”
Jack McDevitt, “Cathedral”
Update: Eleni discusses the evolution of the cover and shows the full wraparound on her blog.
Very exciting stuff, Athena!! (: The cover artwork for The Other Half of the Sky is beautiful- Eleni Tsami is a rather skilled artist. I’ll have to check out her online portfolios.
May I ask for an advance copy of The Other Half of the Sky? I can barely wait to read all of the stories…
I think the cover does an excellent job evoking a theme and mood. The look on the woman’s face is nearly as enigmatic as the staircase/spires behind her, suggesting wanderlust and hard choices.
I can’t wait to read this collection.
Morgan — Exactly!! Better yet, it’s not pegged to a single story. This could be just about any of the protagonists in the stories of the collection.
Christopher — indeed, Eleni’s portfolio made me very secure in my choice. She does beautiful SF art that has that haunted, haunting aura that I wanted to be integral to this collection. The cover truly reflects the interior!
Hurray! Looks wonderful!
It’s gorgeous. I love her expression.
Stoic determination and indomitable will. Eleni got it so ineffably right. When I first saw it, I told her and Kate, “She’s saying, ‘It’s me against the world’ — do you think the world has a chance?”
No way the world stands a chance!
My exact thoughts! *laughs*
Calvin, wait till you see the wraparound!
What a beautiful cover — I love it!
Isn’t it, though? She really captured the spirit of the work!
Wonderful! Looks fantastic!
Thank you, Kathryn! The wraparound is equally dazzling — that dramatic sweep of nebular stardust continues unbroken on the back.
Very very nice cover, Athena. Fits very well with what is in the anthology.
Thank you, Larry! I couldn’t agree more.
Such a beautiful cover!
Thank you, dear Heather! In particular, having a woman depicted like this is important — not the usual SF/F portrayal that veers between bimbo and bitch.
I’m very happy I had the chance to work together with you on this, Athena!
And thank you everyone for the kind words!
It was remarkable and exhilarating to see that cover take flight, Eleni!
“not the usual SF/F portrayal that veers between bimbo and bitch.” <– That's what I love about it most, Athena! It's a cover with a woman on it, not a cover with a pin-up on it.
That’s exactly right, Kelly. I wanted the cover to show someone who is human first and has all kinds of things to do with her time, energy and knowledge. Note, not so incidentally, that I think she’s very beautiful. Not pretty, beautiful.
Lovely cover, Athena. Great to see the book taking shape!
Very happy you like it, Susan! Indeed, this is one of the archetypal “created by one’s will” ventures.