Welcome to the Friday Face-Off, a weekly meme created by Books by Proxy. Join us every Friday as we pit cover against cover, and publisher against publisher, to find the best artwork in the literary universe. If you want to join us next week, check out next week’s predetermined theme, choose a book, compare two or more different covers available for that book, then name your favorite. A list of future weeks’ themes are available at Lynn’s Book Blog
This week’s theme is:
“To be a legend, you’ve either got to be dead, or excessively old!” – A cover with a title featuring the word ‘legend’!”
There was one book tailor made for this theme!
AND THE WINNER IS . . .
A TIE! Well, sort of. Or you could think of it (as I do) as merely two different style covers.
On the left is the minimalistic cover with merely an axe in brown and white. It is simple yet striking. On the right is the action oriented cover with the main character wielding his famous axe in the thick of the fighting. Very different covers yet both eye catching in their own way.
So, do you agree with my picks? Disagree? Love all the covers? Hate them all? Let us know!
bookwraiths.com 
I have the physical of the first pic you have. This was the first Gemmel I read and I loved it.
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It’s a classic.
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The shape of the top of the axe on the cover on the right is absolutely iconic, but I do love the minimalist approach on the left.
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I agree with both of your choices tho I like the right one best!
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There are a lot of fabulous covers for this one! I had trouble choosing as well, before I settled on a favorite. I really like the Ballantine too!
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I agree and actually, prefer the minimalist style of the two you chose.
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My two favorites were the minimalist cover on the left and the Legenda cover with the axe buried in the ice. Cheers, Brian
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