Months ago, I thought it was a cool coincidence that black snakes graced the covers of Pierce Browns’ DARK AGE and Leigh Bardugo’s NINTH HOUSE. They looked dark and menacing, a thing not to be trifled it. But between the months those two books were released, Shelby Mahurin’s SERPENT & DOVE was chosen to become Barnes & Noble’s monthly book club pick. Last month also added Kendare Blake’s FIVE DARK FATES, which has small red-and-purple snakes coiled around a shield. And just recently, the book cover was announced for Suzanne Collins’ hotly anticipated Hunger Games companion prequel. The name of the book? THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES, which sports a golden snake draped across a circular tree branch.
Curious about this phenomenon, I hopped onto Google to see if anyone else had noticed this trend. I was surprised by the lack of articles, but at least there were a couple out there. Even if I thought the content was lacking the substance I was hoping to find. Both articles were published way back in April.
Over on Stacked Books, the author listed eleven books she stumbled upon with snakes on recent YA and adult book covers. Some snakes were more in your face, others were more subtle. On Epic Reads, they noticed the same particular snake appearing in different forms – the snake gracing the cover of Bardugo’s book. (And then Epic Reads had fun with this idea and photoshopped the snake onto other popular book covers. Some of them are quite hilarious. Others actually could have fooled me, thinking they belonged on the actual book.)
I also learned that skulls have been a common occurrence on book covers lately too, usually accompanied with a snake. How interesting that the current literary fad is dark fantasy, filled with morally ambiguous characters, sly snakes, and creepy skulls.
But what is it about snakes that book designers believe will entice readers to pick up the novel?
A serpent made its very first appearance in one of the oldest stories out there: the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis. The serpent tricked Eve into eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, twisting God’s words to sow doubt into Eve’s heart. As a consequence, enmity was formed between man and the snake.
This biblical story and its snake meaning still echoes in the current age. If you get called a “snake” nowadays, you are considered to have a slippery character. Someone who is sneaky, someone who is hiding something, someone who is crafty. A liar.
But snakes aren’t always considered a negative symbol. It could also mean “rebirth,” because of how a snake will shed its layer of skin to make way for a new one. It could signify “healing,” for it appears on the modern medical staff (based on Roman mythology roots). When a snake is shown eating its own tail, it represents “unity” or “completeness.” A never-ending loop.
Curious about this phenomenon, I hopped onto Google to see if anyone else had noticed this trend. I was surprised by the lack of articles, but at least there were a couple out there. Even if I thought the content was lacking the substance I was hoping to find. Both articles were published way back in April.
Over on Stacked Books, the author listed eleven books she stumbled upon with snakes on recent YA and adult book covers. Some snakes were more in your face, others were more subtle. On Epic Reads, they noticed the same particular snake appearing in different forms – the snake gracing the cover of Bardugo’s book. (And then Epic Reads had fun with this idea and photoshopped the snake onto other popular book covers. Some of them are quite hilarious. Others actually could have fooled me, thinking they belonged on the actual book.)
I also learned that skulls have been a common occurrence on book covers lately too, usually accompanied with a snake. How interesting that the current literary fad is dark fantasy, filled with morally ambiguous characters, sly snakes, and creepy skulls.
But what is it about snakes that book designers believe will entice readers to pick up the novel?
A serpent made its very first appearance in one of the oldest stories out there: the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis. The serpent tricked Eve into eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, twisting God’s words to sow doubt into Eve’s heart. As a consequence, enmity was formed between man and the snake.
This biblical story and its snake meaning still echoes in the current age. If you get called a “snake” nowadays, you are considered to have a slippery character. Someone who is sneaky, someone who is hiding something, someone who is crafty. A liar.
But snakes aren’t always considered a negative symbol. It could also mean “rebirth,” because of how a snake will shed its layer of skin to make way for a new one. It could signify “healing,” for it appears on the modern medical staff (based on Roman mythology roots). When a snake is shown eating its own tail, it represents “unity” or “completeness.” A never-ending loop.
Are any of the recent book covers trying to portray the reptile in a more positive light? Eh, probably not. I have not read any of the books I listed above (yet), but based on the tone of the cover designs, I’m going to make this assumption. Dark colors, flickering forked tongues, and broken crowns don’t scream, “soothing” or “restorative.”
Like any other fad, I’m not certain how long we’ll be in the “dark fantasy, snakes, and skulls” phase. Maybe once the world seems a little bit brighter, when we’re all tired of reading and consuming stories about people overthrowing corrupt organizations, we’ll move on to another genre and symbol. For all I know, perhaps butterflies and doves are next.
Like any other fad, I’m not certain how long we’ll be in the “dark fantasy, snakes, and skulls” phase. Maybe once the world seems a little bit brighter, when we’re all tired of reading and consuming stories about people overthrowing corrupt organizations, we’ll move on to another genre and symbol. For all I know, perhaps butterflies and doves are next.
But in the meantime, I’ll enjoy my ominous snake-covered novels.
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