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| Gollancz SF Masterworks paperback, 1999. Illustration by Chris Moore. |
"EDUCATION: none.
SKILLS: none. MERITS: none.
RECOMMENDATIONS: none.
That is the official verdict on Gully Foyle, unskilled space crewman. But Gully has managed to survive for 170 days in the airless purgatory of deep space after the wreck of his ship, and has escaped to earth carrying a murderous grudge and a secret that could change the course of history."
Ten points go to Bill Miller, who spotted that the painting is actually mirrored. According to Wikipedia this was done for aesthetic reasons. So when Gully meets the Scientific People, they tattoo 'DAMON' on his forehead.
Is the cover image flipped? If I remember correctly his tattoo was supposed to read 'NOMAD'.
ReplyDeleteGood grief - well spotted! Hadn't noticed that myself. Ahem, according to Wikipedia, the image was mirrored for aesthetic reasons (!) because having DAMON written on your forehead makes a lot of sense! ;-)
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading the book, I also noticed the issue with "NOMAD." There is also a more subtle problem: the tattoo that Gully sports is dark red as opposed to the color of India ink, suggesting that he is depicted here after the surgery to remove the distinct and terrifying tattoo he gained in space. At points after this in the story, when he become enraged, the destroyed capillaries then erupt in a blood red (hence a reference to the original title, Tiger! Tiger!). Of course, the Gully Foyle on this cover seems to be pretty serene.
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite novel of all time, and this is the copy that I originally read (a Scottish edition, actually). I guess no cover could do justice to my image of the main protagonist...
Love this blog, by the way. Keep it up!
@ J.Sims:
ReplyDeleteThanks for the informative comment! I've only started reading the book recently but by the second chapter it's already evident why this novel is so highly praised. I didn't think Bester could get any better than The Demolished Man!