YA & illustrated books
by morgan on Jun.17, 2009, under Brandon Sanderson
Sometimes I’m jealous of the novels sold into YA. I want them in the Fantasy & SF section. Sure, I understand the publisher’s decision, but the books are so good and the appeal so broad that it seems a shame not to show them off all over the store. One example that comes to mind is D. M. Cornish’s Monster Blood Tattoo series. Those are some gorgeous books.
Speaking of Monster Blood Tattoo, there are illustrations! Would you like to see more illustrated novels? There are a couple of interesting adult illustrated novels forthcoming: Peter & Max, a Fables novel & the Child Thief by Brom. Is this a trend that you’d like to see catch on?
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June 18th, 2009 on 12:06 pm
Yes I think illustrations in novels are great! I love little black and whites interspersed throughout (see Walter Moers stuff). I remember reading Peter S. Beagle as a YA - The Last Unicorn has great black and whites in my copy and his other unicorn novel The Unicorn Sonata had an awesome full color insert in the middle of the book. I like the trend - obviously i also love leaving the illustrating completely up to my imagination - but it is very cool to read something illustrated every once in a while. I support the trend - although not to become the reg (which i doubt it would) but definitely as a novel adage to the plentiful illustration-less books out there.
June 18th, 2009 on 12:10 pm
Eh. Morgan, this is a good question. It seems some novels lend themselves to illustrations, some don’t.
I would be annoyed with a novel with sparse, forward, prose that was illustrated. My imagination works better. But for a novel with explicit character descriptions, an artistic rendition ads value to my imagination.
So yes, I would like to see more illustrations, but only when they work.
LOL, I am sooooo helpful… not.