I’m not actually a fan of Boris Vallejo’s work, but when I came across the Monica Hughes novel, Sandwriter, on the shelf at a local thrift shop, I knew I’d seen a better version of the cover image before, and here’s the ocular proof:
Notice that the unknown artist not only swiped the creature, rider, and composition from Vallejo’s painting but also saw fit to turn the somewhat phallic head and neck of the creature into a raging vein-wrapped erection, with the hint of a scrotum and elements of bondage thrown in to up the sexual ante. Because that’s what passes for creativity in some circles, folks. It’s not about what marvels you can conjure in your imagination and capture with the tools of art but about what you can get away with on the cover of a novel written for teenagers…
P.S. I don’t own either of the above novels. The Boris cover scan is from McClaverty’s flickr stream, the Sandwriter scan is from the Amazon website.
Ragged Claws Network 
Well discovered! That’s an amazing steal! I too don’t go for Boris much as I found Ken Kelly’s style had more life and appeared less staged. Thanks for the great blog
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You’re too kind, Norman.
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