The author says:

My previous submissions for this project were all self created and variously unsatisfying. (some were so broken that not even the arrayed talent here at Cover Critics could fix them) After running a very exciting and intense cover design competition at 99Designs I have three finalists to choose between. If this book were a standalone I would be happy to have any of these three as its cover. However, this is intended to launch a series so I need a strong brand identity and a layout that is flexible enough to stretch across all the different characters and situations. (At the moment my heart favours one design and my head a different one) Which would you choose? or Have I missed something fundamentally terrible about them all?

Proto-blurb: The Aether Guard has patrolled the Borderlands for aeons protecting the nations of the Rationalle from the encroaching Realm of Chaos and its vile Spawn. When a flesh eating shape shifter slips past a renowned Patrol Captain, both personal ambition and the sanctity of the most sacred relic in the cosmos are put at risk. Can the monster be found and stopped before it is too late, or will Chaos finally reign for all of eternity?

(Original submission and comments here)

Nathan says:

Designating them “#1,” “#2” and “#3” in the order they appear here, I would go with the artwork for #3, although possibly with the title treatment from #1 (it’s more distinctively branded). Then you just need to make sure that the covers for the following books in the series also feature a dynamic close-up character portrait.

Other opinions?

The author says:

A travel guide covering Australias East Coast. It is targetted at young men and has more of a focus on adventure activities and nightlife than your usual travel guidebook.

Nathan says:

…Sorry. What were you saying?

You know what? I’m going to leave the critiques on this one entirely up to our commenters, because I’ve got nothing.

The author says:

An action-thriller set in a 1980s retro-future after a devastating world war. It takes place in the South East Asian refugee metropolis of New Saigon and details one man going against a ruthless mercenary company he used to work for to rescue his love.

Nathan says:

Hmm.  It definitely has an ’80s vibe, but I don’t know if it’s in the way that you mean — I look at this, and I think of cheap direct-to-video action movies on VHS cranked out by Roger Corman starring Don “The Dragon” Wilson. The fact that your stylized setting sun graphic looks like the logo for Corman’s New Horizons production company exacerbates that:

I don’t know how many people are in the target audience for that kind of ’80s nostalgia.

Also, “Fury” is very hard to read in thumbnail, and the UZI becomes almost invisible.

Unless the ’80s-ness is a big of the appeal — everyone wears Swatch Watches, there’s lots of kickboxing, and you can practically hear the synth-score when reading it — I think you might instead want to play up the post-apoc/cyberpunk vibe that I imagine from the description. (Remember, Blade Runner was ’80s too.)

Other comments?

The author says:

The realm of Belkin is now in open civil war. The southern county of Turgany rises up to try to defeat the self-proclaimed President and end his tyrannical rule. Will Arbor, Freamhaigh to the druids, must find a way to counter the threat of Erebus. Gaea has been wounded and no longer responds to her druids. Meanwhile, the Sect of the Church of the New Order rises with greater power and threatens to destroy the unstable harmony of the Realm. Will Arbor and the druids are all that stands between Erebus and the land of Belkin. As Freamhaigh, Will must be ready to sacrifice all he holds dear.

Nathan says:

I looked at the previous three volumes up on Amazon, and they all show consistent branding. Unfortunately, those consistent parts are the biggest problems.

• Your title font is the plainest, most non-evocative font imaginable.
• The white type disappears against the light brown background.

In addition, while I understand the progression of the central tree from a sapling on the first cover to a full-grown tree on this one, the tree in the center clashes with the foliage behind it.

Now, I also saw that you have some combined volumes up on Amazon, one with the first two volumes and one with the last two:

I think these covers are a lot closer to what you need.  Simply switch out the title font with something a bit more evocative of ancient Britain, and I think you’re good.

Other comments?