Raising Steam

[Molokov]

I notice there is no cover photo yet.

Paul Kidby is still working on it! On July 17, he posted a photo of his paints to Facebook with the comment "Painting the colour rough for new Discworld novel 'Raising Steam' today!"

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

 

[Sister Jennifer]

Paul Kidby is still working on it! On July 17, he posted a photo of his paints to Facebook with the comment "Painting the colour rough for new Discworld novel 'Raising Steam' today!"

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater

If you click on his page you can see the finished cover. Lots to look at. Astounding artwork as usual.

 

[JAK]

Really good cover but to my mind not Discworldly - my main fear is that the image is too similar to something that took the Roundworld’s industrial revolution 100-150 years to evolve into, so with Moist as the main character I can’t get to grips with how this will have happened virtually overnight – It’s not as if the paddleboats of Snuff had a primitive form of steam power that could have been perfected - hopefully the book will full explain.

 

[pip]

I'm assuming its a huge part to do with the Devices as found in Thud. This would make sense in relation to a massive technological leap forward as the Dwarves had used such things to move stuff underground.

 

[Tonyblack]

Didn't Ned Simnel's Combination Harvester in Reaper Man, work by steam? :think:

 

[Jan Van Quirm]

And the doors of the massive cathedral in Omnia - or was that some kind of hydraulics? I know that Terry's mentioned about steam power being far older than we tend to think, as the Egyptians and other Near East cultures had some idea of steam power in their temples and palaces...

 

[=Tamar]

And the doors of the massive cathedral in Omnia - or was that some kind of hydraulics? I know that Terry's mentioned about steam power being far older than we tend to think, as the Egyptians and other Near East cultures had some idea of steam power in their temples and palaces...

You are correct, the Omnian cathedral doors were moved by hydraulics. Urn's steam engine was new.
There were some amazing engineers in our past, but in the West their work was mainly in special effects rather than civil engineering. (I must admit, though, there are some truly astonishing pre-Christian civil engineering waterworks being found in Spain and the Near East, among other places. Tunnel complexes, buried cities, deep wells - you'd think people had been digging to avoid bombardment by meteors as described in Schoch's book, Voices of the Rocks.)

 

[=Tamar]

It seems the release date for Raising Steam has changed from October 24 to November 7, 2013. I hope it's just that they are being extra careful with the proofreading. I wonder whether it is the difference between the UK and USA release dates.

 

[=Tamar]

Really good cover but to my mind not Discworldly - my main fear is that the image is too similar to something that took the Roundworld’s industrial revolution 100-150 years to evolve into

The early steam trains of the first half of the 19th century were small, but I believe the general shape was very much like the later, larger ones. The main quibble i have is the length, and if it is immediately used to transport goods, that's reasonable. (Note that the cover for Snuff had Vimes piloting the ox-powered paddlewheeler by himself, which does not fit the description in the book.)

 

[raisindot]

The cover of Raising Steam is almost a spitting image of that of Snuff, down to the color palette, the general angle of the composition (facing left viewed straight on) and the central image of someone driving some kind of motor-assisted vehicle.

I love Kidby's work, but one wonders whether he was forced to execute a design idea thrust upon him by the publisher and its marketing department. "Oh, we sold a million copies of Snuff with a cover of Vimes steering a boat through some kind of chaotic scene, so it's obvious that we need this same kind of image to hook new readers. So just recycle the same concept with a train in it instead."

 

[=Tamar]

The cover of Raising Steam is almost a spitting image of that of Snuff, down to the color palette, the general angle of the composition (facing left viewed straight on) and the central image of someone driving some kind of motor-assisted vehicle.

Not to mention the goblin. On the other hand, if the representation online is correct, the lettering and the central area are more copper-coloured than gold-coloured. That's one point of difference, the complete difference of central vehicle is another, and both are scenes in the dark -one at night, the other underground.

I love Kidby's work, but one wonders whether he was forced to execute a design idea thrust upon him by the publisher and its marketing department.

Marketing departments and chief editors have whims of steel.

 

[raisindot]

Marketing departments and chief editors have whims of steel.

SO true. If only, however, Transworld/HC's chief editor had a whim of steel in applying an editorial hand in curbing the excesses in Pterry's last few adult books.

 

[=Tamar]

About those cover pictures:
Maybe it's just this year's color scheme. Do the publishers also follow the cabal that chooses commercial clothing colors three years in advance (so the books will color-coordinate with the clothing of the buyer)?

Discussing current nominees for an award:
http://charlotteslibrary.blogspot.com/
"(Hmm... seems that blue and orangy/yellows are the cover color schemes most likely to win. They do all look very nice together....)"

 

[DaveC]

From Paul Kidby via Facebook, compare and contrast before and after publisher meddling:

 

[pip]

Much prefer the first one minus the blurring and stuff

 

[Jussi]

I wonder whether it is the difference between the UK and USA release dates.

The USA publishing date is March 25, 2014:

http://edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com/P ... 038553826X

 

[pip]

Ouch. Big difference. The Kindle release is November though.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Prefer the original Kidby one by far.

 

[Ghost]

same here

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Buggerit train delayed. Just like B.Rail then.
LikeTerry Pratchett · 628,879 like this.7 August at 05:54 near London, England · ..** SERVICE UPDATE **

We regret to announce a delay in the expected arrival of the new service from Discworld. Fuel is being loaded, knobs are being polished and engines stoked.

RAISING STEAM will arrive into the Roundworld on the new date 7th November 2013. We apologise for any delays this may cause to your Discworld journey.