By yacob on Wednesday, November 24, 2004 - 01:56 pm:

greets, I was browsing in a bookstore yesterday and came into the hardback version of "Sliding Scales" and recent reprints of the Flinx and Pip classics. I was immediately taken aback by both as my mental picture of the characters had again come under attack. This seems to happen with nearly every reprinting or so. Pip on the cover of Sliding Scales now has very pronounced horns and her wings have diminished and moved upward to the base of her neck. Since the original publication there has been a trend of evolution where Pip's wings get smaller and horns longer. At the present rate Pip will sport full blown moose antlers and humming bird wings in another 10 years. Flinx's hair cut and facial features have also been a moving target. What printing of the works is authorative as a visual reference of the characters? Pip's wings have also changed shape and design over the years. I know "don't judge a book by its cover", etc, but inescapably the cover on the printing I started off with helped shape my mental image of the characters. Every other rendering comes across as a mutant imposters posing as my favorite characters. I've also wondered for many years, how much control does an author have over the cover art? Is it complete control? Can you reject anything? Do you only make suggestions or do you have an active involvement? Such as sitting side by side with the artist? thanks, /Daniel

By adf on Thursday, November 25, 2004 - 07:12 am:

Hi Dan; Authors have very little control over their cover art, as it is considered a marketing decision by publishers. Once in a while, you can recommend a cover artist. In 34 years, I've had to reject two covers as unusuable, and in both cases the publisher went along. As to accuracy, that's invariably secondary to what the publisher sees as selling points. For examples of some really accurate covers: 1) The original FOR LOVE OF MOTHER-NOT by Michael Whelan. The 14-year old Flinx is perfect. Alas, Pip is much, much too big (Pip is about 18" long). Mike did a fabulous color "rough" for this book that was terrific, showing Flinx and Pip in an alley on Drallar. 2) The best Pip is on the original ORPHAN STAR cover by Darrell Sweet. This is taken from a sketch I supplied, complete with color scheme. Unfortunately, Flinx is wrong. 3) The SF Book Club cover for THE MAN WHO USED THE UNIVERSE, by Jill Bauman, is terrific. Book Club covers tend to be more accurate, I think because the BC doesn't need to use its covers to sell the book. 4) Warner Books' cover for CARNIVORES OF LIGHT AND DARKNESS. I was able to work with the artist, Keith Parkinson, on this one, so even the fine details are accurate. 5) Josh Kirby's wonderful cover for the British pb edition of GLORY LANE. Marvelously dynamic as well as accurate. 6) The cover for the NEL edition of INTO THE OUT OF. Pretty accurate, and really scary. 7) James Gurney's evocative cover for the ACE and SFBC CYBER WAY. 8) Estaban Maroto's cover for the SFBC CACHALOT. There are others. Sometimes the author gets lucky. Stephen King or Tom Clancy can get anything they want on their covers. 3)

By jeff the sith on Thursday, November 25, 2004 - 08:59 am:

One of the things I like most about SF and Fantasy are the covers as compared to "contemporary" fiction. To be honest with you, it's been a long time since Stephen King has had a cover of any interest; James Patterson, Dick Francis, and Patricia Cornwell have the least imaginative covers possible! Why must the title be so miniscule in comparison to the author's name - ego? Anyway, I like the point about the cover influencing your mental image of the characters and how the changing of a look seems false. I agree with ADF that Michael Whelan's Flinx is great! New thread idea - favorite ADF cover and why!

By yacob on Friday, November 26, 2004 - 10:20 am:

Mr Foster, thanks for the extended answers, they are very enlightening. A related question, anyone who knows can reply, the answer is probably in one of the books and I've forgotten it over the years, what is the biological purpose of Pip's horns -or are they antennas? I've imagined they might help with targetting venom strikes or empathic communication. Perhaps this and the questions on cover art can be worked into the FAQ? thanks again,

By adf on Saturday, November 27, 2004 - 07:37 am:

Yacob; Pip doesn't have horns. She never did. They're an invention of the recent artists and/or art directors. As mentioned previously, for a reasonably accurate rendition of Pip, you have to find a copy of the original edition of ORPHAN STAR, with the Darrell Sweet cover from my sketch. Her wings should be a little bigger, but otherwise it's pretty good.

By Ryodin on Thursday, December 02, 2004 - 06:05 am:

I had the same problem with every re-issue of the Flinx series. Each time the cover art gets further and further from my mental image of both Pip and Finx. For me, I always thought the rendition of Flinx on the original cover of For Love of Mother-Not was the best. Since that was the first book I ever read in the series, and because Flinx was portrayed exactly as he was described in the book, I've always kept that mental image with me as I continued reading the rest of the series. However, for me the best cover came with the original printing of Flinx in Flux. That cover (and the story too, for that matter) really captivated me. I will forever see Flinx and Pip as they appear there. And Clarity Held, too! Btw, I think Michael Whelan is the GOD of sci-fi/fantasy covers! The cover he did for Robert A. Heinlein's Friday is just pure brilliance -- and not just for the obvious reason. ;)

By adf on Thursday, December 02, 2004 - 07:16 am:

Ryodin; Mike Whelan is the best. It's that simple. That's why the cover to MOTHER-NOT was so good(Pip excepted, and we can probably blame the art director for that one). Mike also did the covers for my WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE (that's him and his wife, Audrey, on the cover) and NOR CRYSTAL TEARS. TEARS is not quite accurate, but it's a beautiful painting of a moment. The best cover painting so far of a thranx is on the SF book club omnibus edition of THE FOUNDING OF THE COMMONWEALTH. Note that I pointed out above that the best Pip is Darrell Sweet's for ORPHAN STAR. Well, Darrell painted the original FLINX IN FLUX cover, too, so it's the same Pip as on Orphan Star. And his Flinx isn't bad (Mike's is just better). I do wish y'all could see the unused color rough Mike did for MOTHER-NOT that shows Flinx & Pip standing in a dark alley in Drallar, on Moth. It's the most evocative Flinx ever done. As to recent Flinxs, bear in mind that Flinx is now (as of SLIDING SCALES) 25-26 years old and his full height of 6'6". Still got the shoulder-length red hair and the boyish mien, though.

By yacob on Thursday, December 02, 2004 - 07:29 am:

> I do wish y'all could see the unused color rough Mike did for MOTHER-NOT... Now that's tantalizing :-) When you have the spare cycles, can you scan the image and publish it on the site somewhere? Or, maybe you can ask michael to provide a copy for us at his site, which appears to be: http://www.michaelwhelan.com/

By Chris on Friday, December 17, 2004 - 12:20 pm:

Alan, Read your response above that Flinx is now 6'6", red hair and boyish mien. Then went home and saw Late Night with Conan O'Brien. According to IMDb, he is 6'4.5" Does he come close to fitting your mental image of Flinx if you added 15-20 years to Flinx's age? BTW, I used to work in Rockefeller Plaza and saw Conan stalking through the lobby late one night (I'm an attorney and work long hours). He looked startlingly tall, perhaps b/c he, like Flinx, is relatively thin, so he looks even taller than he might otherwise. Chris

By adf on Saturday, December 18, 2004 - 07:16 am:

Chris; An interesting comparison. Certainly Conan looks more like Flinx than, say, David Letterman. Conan's face is too open, however. Think more DiCaprio (boyish, yet serious). DiCaprio could never play Flinx, however. Not nearly tall enough...which is a problem with his portray of Howard Hughes, who was also 6'4" (at a time when that was really unusually tall).

By Chris on Sunday, December 19, 2004 - 08:36 pm:

Yes, the personality doesn't quite match, does it. Too cheerful and chipper. You know, when I get stressed out, I think of Flinx during the really long streches on Teacher, e.g. when he ended up on Midworld, alone with the tranquility of silence and Pip (and his AI). I've long dreamed of doing a solo-round-the-world sailing trip someday (I raced sailboats for a number of years), and was interested to learn that NASA is studying solo-round-the-world-sailer experiences for guidance on a Mars mission. Both cases take about 3 years. Now solo-sailers have a lot more human contact thanks to satellite phones and even e-mail (!!!) but it would nice to get away from the crush sometimes (spoken as a true NYC resident). Thanks for the mental relief provided by your novels. I'm counting down the days until the next Flinx novel (reading your updates assiduously).

By adf on Monday, December 20, 2004 - 07:30 am:

Chris; I'm lucky...I can get away from everything, and everybody, just by writing. But there are indeed places on the planet where you can do so. Check out the "road across the Namib" vidcap in the bio/photo section. That was the quietest, most isolated surround I have ever experienced on the surface of the planet. Zero noise, wind, no human debris, not a contrail in the sky. Dead stillness. To experience real silence is not difficult. Find a cave.

By Trendane on Tuesday, December 21, 2004 - 02:47 pm:

A cave. That definitely reminds me of the troupe's trip through the Earth's Throat in (I believe) "The Hour of the Gate" (and, for the record, I *LOVE* the 'temporal' titling of all the books). Having been through many a cave--though not yet "The Cave With No Name"--I can appreciate the true sense of isolation. An incomparable separation from the world outside.

By charlie on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 03:33 pm:

on the topics of covers, on my copy of SON OF SPELLSINGER,not sure which print it was but it had Buncan and the otters riding the Rhino through the desert, I notice that the back paragraph has many mistakes, such as; calling Neena, Nocter calling the sloth peddelar an anteater now with the name of Mudges kids I've always been confused because at the end of transferance, theres a few different names, I suppose though that, knowing Mudge, and I feel that I do, he and Weegee probably had LOTS of kids.... but I was just wodering why the back print would, could, and did have mistakes and if anyone else ever noticed.

By charlie on Wednesday, August 16, 2006 - 03:35 pm:

also, Trendane , don't you love the idea of slipping through the "cave with no name".....perhaps I'll take a quick sojourn to San Antonio

By Sean on Friday, April 04, 2008 - 12:43 pm:

In "The Time of the Transference", Mudge has 4 cubs: Picket, Smidgen, Nickum, and one un-named, although the last line of the book says "Wicket bit her on the leg." I assume this was a typo meant to say Picket, and not the 4th cub's name. In "Son of Spellsinger", Mudge only has 2 kids, Neena and Squill, but as mentioned above by charlie, Neena is called Nocter on the back of the book, along with all the other inconsistencies on it. Mr. Foster, if you still check this thing at all, what happened to the other 2 cubs and their names?????? Did you just not research your own books in the 7 years in between and forgot? In "Chorus Skating", Neena is back to Nocter, even inside the book, which is the stuff I assume Mr. Foster has control over, and those books were only a year apart. Not to mention the back of that book which says ridiculous things like they "wage war on a guerilla gorilla" (I think they might mean the Grizzly Bear Manzai who kidnapped the princesses), that they're "trapped by an evil alien band" (they weren't ever trapped and it wasn't an alien band, it was one human from our world), and especially "battle the compulsions of a bizarre bazaar" (I have absolutely no idea what that could be referring to). The first 6 books were incredible and I loved them, but these last 2 put a bad taste in my mouth, and the inconsistencies made me feel that they were just cranked out to appease some sort of publishing demand. Mr. Foster, could you respond to any of these things? I'd love to know what happened. I hope I didn't come off as rude, I still think the 1st 6 are masterpieces.

By adf on Saturday, April 05, 2008 - 08:25 am:

Sean; Fair enough. The last two books were not what I would have preferred to have done, and while I'm generally happy with parts of them, I'm not happy with the overall approach. As to the details of the contradictions you point out, most folks wouldn't pick up on them. That does not make them any less objectionable. For a much more enjoyable and contiguous approach, read the Spellsinger novelette SERENADE, to be reprinted this July in my upcoming collection EXCEPTIONS TO REALITY, from Del Rey.

By richard on Sunday, April 06, 2008 - 04:29 pm:

Hi Alan, hows things mate..?? I am really impressed with the cover for quofum.. Would love that on my lounge room wall..i`d just have to make room for it by taking down a few whelan prints..:-)) its even got my wife looking..hope it is available as a print eventually.. All best From down-under Richard Schellenberger

By adf on Monday, April 07, 2008 - 07:57 am:

G'day Richard; Yes, the Quofum cover will be available as a print. I'll post the info here when it becomes available, or you can always monitor Todd Lockwood's site.

By richard on Tuesday, April 08, 2008 - 04:46 am:

Hi alan, yes i did exactly that and have ordered a Glicee copy of Quofom... Was very impressed with todd`s website and he was very helpful.. I can`t wait for the book and your new collection.. C U Around Alan..all best

By Tibacceni on Thursday, August 14, 2008 - 09:56 am:

I'm new here, just wanted to say hello and introduce myself.

By richard on Wednesday, August 20, 2008 - 03:19 am:

Hi Tibacenni, everyone who is usually on will help and lend their opinions i`m sure..Alan has always answered questions so make to ask him ok.. all best from down under

By avrille on Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - 07:41 pm:

comment5

By Andy T. on Friday, November 06, 2009 - 06:08 pm:

I wasn't sure if I wanted to start a new thread or contribute to this one. Since this is going though, I'll add in. A year or two ago, I replaced a few of my missing Flinx books in preparation to reread the whole series, and got an early printing of the first one - The Tar-Aiym Krang. That one was, in my opinion, proably the worst drawing I've seen on an ADF book, in as far as it relates to what happens in that scene. Plus, the blurb on the back of the book was also terrible. I also got an early printing of ICERIGGER, which I thought was one of the best covers I'd seen. I've since seen the revised cover on later printings, that's not bad either, but I like the original better Except for the too-close mountains in the background, it was a nice graphic of that scene in the book. I thought all of the final run of Flinx books covers were pretty bland. -Andy

By adf on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 - 06:22 pm:

Me too.