While revisiting Brave Story for its paperback debut, I started thinking again about the book's zany cover painting. It's an awesome piece of art, both playful and frightening (much like the Miyuki Miyabe novel itself). In fact, the book's designer was so taken with the image she ultimately purchased it for herself. It's now hanging on the wall of her hip San Francisco apartment. And I have no doubt that it provokes spirited conversation during dinner parties.

I remember when the novel first popped up in stores back in 2007. It didn't look like anything else on the shelves. I even remember Andrew Wheeler blogging about it. "(The novel) has a great oddball cover by Dan May," he wrote back then. "When people complain that all fantasy covers have to look alike, they forget that things like this are possible."

In conclusion, he wrote, "I'd love to see more like it, if the audience doesn't run screaming in disgust." And guess what? It looks like Mr. Wheeler is going to get his wish. We're publishing the latest novel by Miyabe in January (The Book of Heroes) and it sports another terrific painting by Dan May.