Book Traveling Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Catia and Danielle.  Each week everyone picks a book related to that week’s theme, then you write a blog post explaining explain why you choose that book and spotlight all the different covers from different countries. To find out more check out about BTT go to the Goodreads group!

This week’s theme is: A BOOK FEATURING MY FAVORITE MORALLY AMBIGUOUS CHARACTER!  

Morally ambiguous characters.  Individuals who are more villain than hero, but they have a few redeeming qualities which keep them from completely slipping over into the darkside. At least, that is my personal definition of them.

There seems to be a lot of these “type” of characters inhabiting the pages of recent fantasy novels.  So many, in fact, that it is becoming hard to keep track of them all, or for any of them to stand out from the crowd.  Strange how the genre has changed during my life, because years ago it was all about the heroes.  Now, it is really about the villains, and my favorite “morally ambiguous character” of the moment is the drug dealer known only as the Warden!

ORIGINAL COVER 

A tie!  These two editions of Low Town published on the same date (according to my hasty research) by two different publishers: Doubleday and Anchor.  Another thing each of these covers has in common is the very simple, plain, white style.  Not my favorite sort of cover, but I’m sure others might like them.

FAVORITE COVERS

I love the moody atmosphere of each one of these pieces.  Certainly, the shadowy figures portrayed in each one adds to the tension, but I’d have to say the one of the right does the best job of using the figure, cityscape, and the bloody color to best effect.

LEAST FAVORITE COVERS

Just no.  No. No.  No.  None of these covers does Daniel Polansky’s amazing grimdark story justice, and I have to just say so emphatically.

So what do you think.  Agree?  Disagree?