I'm always on the hunt for cool painted gothic romance novel cover art, and yesterday's find proved to be a real winner. Yes, there it was staring back at me from the shelf in all of its atmospheric, moonlit winter scenery and ominous mood. As most books presented in this style from this era, we get the flimsily-clad female frantically running away from the dark old haunted house, (CHECK!), --flickering candle in hand (CHECK!), --gnarled, claw-like tree reaching up from the ground like the hand of the undead (CHECK!), --and the eerie escape in... to... the... outhouse?!! Wait a second! This Moriah Thorneycroft Ravensbeak "classic" published by Abandon House isn't actually a book at all --it's a 115 piece puzzle! And a seriously silly spoof of gothic romance novels at that! Further exploring the fine print on the back, Springbok Editions is of course a division of Hallmark Cards, so this was yet another fine, and funny, gift alternative to their usual greeting cards. Be sure to read the hilarious cover blurb and back cover synopsis, (it was the author bio that made me truly bust out laughing loudest though.) And what's this? I found a few more of these book puzzles at the store as well, pokes at Moby Dick, Zorro, and Zane Grey westerns, but by some strange compulsion I only grabbed this one. For now...
I had that Zero puzzle though I don't know what happened to it. I never knew they made a series of these puzzles.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite gag? The name of the author: Moriah Thorneycroft Ravensbeak. That's a great comedy name, and screams "gothic romance book author" even without everything else. Bravo, unnamed comedy writer!
ReplyDeleteThey really did a good spoof; even down to the lady always looking behind her as if she is being chased, and the very muted blue and gray color scheme. Good job, all around!
Um ... I think that author lady is actually me
ReplyDeleteAwesome find!
Yeah that's pretty amazing. This is definitely my cup of tea, too, and what a terrifically dead-on-target parody I might have looked right at on a book cover without even registering the gotcha. I think the blurb on the front is my favorite part, what with its also fairly subtle pointers to the joke. But the bio did make me laugh out loud.
ReplyDeleteThe Zane Grey satire is equally delightfully camouflaged as the real thing. Moby Dick and Zorro are a little too MAD Magazine--which is to say they are funny and well made, but they lack the straight-faced conviction that make TESS such a surprise.
Thorneycroft Pants Carol, I knew it!
ReplyDeleteSince everyone else is telling their favorite bits, mine is on the Bad Day at Boondock cover: the horse he's riding on through the desert is a coin-op! haha