In no other genre is a map at the beginning of the novel as important as fantasy. I put a map at the beginning of my own historical novel Roman Mask, but since that map is essentially of Europe with Roman names, I realize it doesn’t really have the same importance to a reader as a fantasy novel. The map of a fantasy novel is more than just a piece of cartography, it is a representation of the world the writer has created in his mind and a glimpse into a new world. rivers, valleys, forests, and mountains can traverse continents and seas, creating the perfect avenue of escapism that makes the fantasy genre so compelling. As my cousin used to say to me when we were eleven years old and first discovering fantasy books, “You can always tell it’s going to be good by its map, I always judge a fantasy novel by its map!”
maybe a bit harsh, but that’s for you an eleven year old, and it shows how important this aspect of the fantasy genre is. here are some fantasy worlds well represented through their maps.
You are reading: Maps in fantasy books
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narnia- cs lewis. most of the worlds we conceive have a relationship with ours; we expect them to generally follow the same rules as ours, possibly with a bit of magic. however, fantasy realms don’t need to follow any accepted rules or physics if the writer doesn’t want it to: imagination. is the only limiting factor. in this tradition, c.s. Lewis envisioned the lands of Narnia, a world that was flat rather than round, where the seas flow from the edge of the world in a great waterfall.
axisandallies.wikia.com
midkemia – raymond e feist. the beautiful world of feist is full of protagonists who arrive unexpectedly through a magical gap between worlds. If that sounds fanciful, imagine how Native Americans felt when Europeans first landed on their shores, and you’ll realize it’s unprecedented in our own history.
privat.bahnhof.se
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the wheel of time – robert jordan. it was a good job that robert jordan created such an interesting world for his wheel of time series, because after thirteen installments of these books, you will come to I know very well what I liked about Jordan’s world was the ring of northern countries, the borders. strong nations defined and shaped by tough warriors who hold the forces of the dark plague at bay.
home.arcord.de
The Six Duchies and the Cursed Shore – Robin Hobb. Robin Hobb takes an unusual approach in his fantasy novels, as each series, despite having completely independent stories, characters and plots, it’s set in the same world – just different parts of it. the benefit of this approach is that after each novel is published, his world becomes richer and more fulfilled. (The exception to this is the His Son His Soldier trilogy, which takes place in His own kingdom.)
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mistborn – brandon sanderson. it must be remembered that designing the mountain ranges, forests, and coastlines of a world can only take you so far: it is the inhabitants that make a world So realistically cities and towns are just as important. very often, complicated plots located within a city can be greatly enhanced with the help of a map, highlighting the streets and alleys of urban sprawl.
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the broken empire – brand lawrence. lawrence’s world is actually our own, simply changed beyond recognition by a nuclear apocalypse and a change in the laws of physics, so that only the will can shape events. this gives an appearance of magic and necromancy. place names will be somewhat familiar, but like the rest of your world, slightly altered.
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westeros – george r r martin. when george r.r. Martin started writing Game of Thrones, he wanted to write a set of novels that would free him from the constraints of filmmaking (he worked in Hollywood) and build a world so extravagant and luxurious that turning it into a film version would be impossible. . Of course, they have since accepted that challenge and succeeded to such a spectacular degree that few would have believed possible. the map also plays an important role, forming the opening sequence of the series.
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alera – patrick rothfuss. patrick rothfuss is the new star of fantasy writing, his books are incredibly popular and attract new fans to the genre with his excellent writing and thoughtful story. The world of him is equally well thought out, detailed, and rich with varied communities and races.
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Belgiariad and Malloreon – David Eddings. It’s been a long, long time since I’ve read these novel sets, so forgive me if my memory misleads me. One of the aspects I particularly enjoyed about this series as a young adult was how the world, depicted on beautifully drawn maps, slowly revealed itself as the two stories progressed. Just when you thought you knew the world, a whole new continent would reveal itself.
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middle-earth – j r r tolkien. the grandfather of them all, it remains the most complete and detailed of all the worlds ever created for the genre, despite being the first. One of the reasons all fantasy novels should have a map at the beginning is because Tolkien put one at the beginning of his, and his novels remain the benchmark all fantasy novels aspire to. p>
Well, I know some of you are thinking that if the writer does his job well, with his descriptive power and his ability to build images in the minds of the readers, the map is unnecessary. To some extent I agree with you, David Gemmell’s early novels never came with a map and that never spoiled my enjoyment of his books. but I think a fantasy novel never loses anything by having a description of its world at the beginning of the book and if it brings pleasure to some readers, why leave it out?
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