Horrible? I hope not!
For Joss Whedon fans (meaning, all of you, I presume), the fantastic Dr. Horrible is up and free! Watch three episodes of this super villain musical and experience the future of media. This was a lark project and experiment Joss Whedon did during the writer's strike. With no budget and friends and family helping, they made a mini-movie for web release, free for the watching for a few days only. Rated PG, I'd guess. I can only think of one word that's questionable in the first two episodes. And you have to admire anyone who would make a creative project with the word "horrible" in the title--you just make things too easy for critics and reviewers. [EDIT: The free period is over, and now having seen episode 3 I'd say PG-13. Some felt disappointed in the final episode, but I have to admit, I loved it. Dean and I vote Bad Horse as one of the greatest characters of the past decade.]
And on another note, leaving the adjective horrible far, far, far behind (I hope), Bloomsbury is repackaging the Bayern books in the US. That means, the original Alison Jay covers will remain on the hardcovers, but the paperbacks get completely new looks.
Before I reveal, let me answer the probing question:
"WHY? Why, why, WHY?!"
Well, it's a good thing, really. I know we're all very attached to the original covers. Alison Jay's paintings are just beautiful. But repackaging paperbacks gives them new life. They figure everyone who would pick up the book based on its cover already has, so time to reach a new audience. Bookstores might order in the new books if they'd stopped stocking the old ones. It can revitalize a series. And know that Bloomsbury has taken this very seriously. We've gone through multiple iterations of the river secrets cover alone, and my editor has rejected over 100 cover models to be Ani on goose girl. The goose girl cover is not final yet, but I have a marvelous story to tell you about its genesis. I can't tell you yet...but soon. I'm so excited! As the enna burning and river secrets covers are already out there, I can show you those. Now, kvetch away.
