Contest #2 Entry: Alternative Book Cover

Above is my entry for Contest #2. I chose to create an alternate cover for the book Fear by Michael Grant.

Short summary of "Fear": It's been one year since all the adults disappeared. Gone. Despite the hunger and the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they've built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear. Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally—turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. In darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. But even in their darkest moments, the inhabitants of the FAYZ maintain a will to survive and a desire to take care of the others in their ravaged band that endures, no matter what the cost. Fear, Michael Grant's fifth book in the bestselling dystopian Gone series, will thrill readers . . . even as it terrifies them.

My cover is a good representation of the novel Fear in many ways. The barrier going dark is a huge part of this story as it signals the end of light and happiness in the FAYZ (fallout alley youth zone). The kids believed it was "the beginning of the end". The sunset on my cover is meant to symbolize the sun leaving the FAYZ for the last time, thrusting the kids into total darkness and leaving them trembling, afraid and vulnerable in the dark. Sam (the protagonist of Fear) has the unique ability to shoot killing light out of his palms. He is also able to control his power to form little balls of light (christened "Sammy Suns") to provide some light in a world of darkness.The little ball of light that is the sun in my picture is also supposed to represent a "Sammy Sun". I chose to use a girl cupping the sun in her palms on my cover because I wanted to portray the huge role Diana plays in "Fear". The fate of the FAYZ rests on her and her baby's shoulders; she holds the world in her hands. The girl on my cover is Diana, and the sun she is holding is her world (the FAYZ). The other reason I chose to use a human cupping the sun on my cover is because I wanted to get across the idea of man and nature working together. "Fear" is all about the battle between man and nature. The kids in the FAYZ are trying to overcome the laws of nature to stay alive. And eventually, they end up working with nature to achieve this. I chose to use red as the main color in my cover because red is the universal color for fear. As fear is essentially what this novel is centered on (hence it's title) I thought it fitting to inject a feeling of fear into my cover. I also tried to portray feelings of fear with the font; I wanted something bold, dark and frightening. Finally, I would like to mention asthetics. My cover is very pleasing to look at. It's colors and theme are eye-catching, which makes it pop out from the shelf. Hope you like it!

Original cover: