Cover Critique: Incarceron and Hunger

Let me preface this post by saying that my design critiques of these covers are in no way, shape or form a reflection on the author, the content or the publisher. I know the authors have very little, if any, control over the design. These are strictly my thoughts stemming from my design experience.

Hmmmm. Anyone else seeing double? Both covers are gorgeous, I just find it interesting how similar they are despite the different publishers and therefore presumably different design teams. As it is, I've concocted a fictional conversation between the respective designers during the design process:

Incarceron Designer (to be abbreviated ID): Hey

Hunger Designer (to be abbreviated HD): 'Sup (we designers are very hip and cool)

ID: How's your cover design going?

HD: Good. It's almost done, I'm liking what I have so far. I've gone with an eerie blue-gray and black color scheme that I think represents Famine well. I've also played around with a heavily textured background and vignetted the corners so there is a gradient effect from the image to solid black. You're jealous of my design skills right?

ID: Um. I've done a blue-gray and black color scheme, textured my background and vignetted my corners to black as well. So I'm apparently not jealous, but of the same mind.

HD: What! Send me your file.

ID: Send me your file!

They email each other the files.

HD: Maybe no one will notice?

ID: ...

HD: Right. We'll just tell everyone great minds think alike.

ID: At least my type treatment is better than yours. I've got an interesting, eye catching font. See how my serifs extend above and below some of the letters? And how my size and height alternate letter to letter? It's ingenious. Visually engaging. You have a boring, linear serif font.

HD: Real mature. My author's name is more readable because it pops off the black. And I have a quote. What say you to that?

ID: I say you pilfered my design that's what.

HD: I pilfered? You were clearly influenced by me. You even took my nature theme. I put branches in my background and then you try to one-up me with your leaves.

ID: I added gears and clock faces, so that's something. But you know what?

HD: What?

ID: My book releases before yours. I win.

HD: Crap.