Valancourt Books Paperback Cover Designs

The Black Cloud (2015)

Fred Hoyle's 1957 science fiction novel sees an enormous cloud of gas enter the Solar System. This sparks the world's greatest minds into action before it inadvertently destroys all life on Earth by blocking the Sun's radiation.

October the First Is Too Late (2015)

First published in 1966, October the First is Too Late, describes an extraordinary temporary phase through which the world passes, presenting a civilization of the distant future, and the events leading to that future.

Fifth Planet (2015)

Fred Hoyle's novel describes another star passing close to the sun. The first planets observed orbiting this star are four gas giants, but then an inner "Fifth Planet", which may support life, is found.

Man In A Black Hat (2015)

After a round of intense bidding, Mr Crawshay-Martin wins the auction for a 16th-century manuscript containing occult secrets. He does not get to enjoy his purchase long as the following morning, he is found dead and the book missing. Written off as a suicide by the police, Crawshay-Martin's friend Dr Hawke isn't so sure about the nature of his death. He suspects the mysterious figure of Gollancz, whose face, partly concealed beneath a black sombrero hat, does not seem to have aged a day in thirty years.

House On Fire (2015)

When reporters Tony Dumont and Robin Shepherd are sent to interview teenager Mark Elias, a scientific genius, about a scholarship he has won, it becomes clear there is something very strange about Mark, and his sister Shirley, who spend long hours behind closed doors conducting weird and inscrutable experiments involving electricity and a tape recorder. The journalist soon start believing there is a more serious news story than the one they were sent to cover.

The Great Wash (2015)

A group of the most powerful men in the world have kidnapped a physicist, who knows how to make a radioactive isotope of silicon that can be used to make atomic bombs cheaply and easily. Their plan is to manufacture these atomic bombs and use them to create detonations that will melt the polar ice caps. The flood from the melting will wipe out most of the world; leaving only the very high mountainous places they inhabit will survive.

For insight into design process and collaboration with Valancourt Books, Read, Concept over execution which details the process for the cover of The Great Wash.

Day of The Arrow (2015)

James Lindsay is summoned to the ancient estate of Bellac by his old flame, Françoise, to help her husband, Philippe de Montfaucon who has become convinced he is about to die. With the ancient festival of Les Treize Jours approaching and the castle filling up with strange and sinister visitors, Lindsay must unravel an intricate and horrifying web of legend and superstition to save Philippe from a terrible fate.

Clock Without Hands (2015)

Clock Without Hands describes the impact of a sordid murder on the mild-mannered neighbour who witnesses the crime.

Neither Man Nor Dog (2015)

A collection of 37 stories by Gerald Kersh which include deals with the devil, body switching, and a sinister cat. Some are funny, some are weird, some are a little horrific.

Golgotha Falls (2015)

Mario and Anita travel to Golgotha Falls, Massachusetts to investigate an abandoned cathedral that is purportedly the site of strong supernatural events.

Devil Daddy (2015)

When Teenager Elsie Kerr is hospitalized with a high fever after being found raped and beaten, eminent bacteriologist Sir Marcus Levin is asked to consult on the case. Elsie, however, accuses him of the crime, pointing at him and screaming “Devil Daddy!”

On An Odd Note (2015)

A collection of short stories by Gerald Kersh.