SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

How important are maps?

In my opinion, I dislike having unnecessary notes and lore that just end up gathering dust. These bits of information may never have any relevance to the story, such as the distance between different systems. However, I believe they are useful in creating maps that can enhance the story by giving the reader a visual representation of the world. They bring the world to life in ways that just describing geography cannot. To me, maps play a crucial role in creating a believable and immersive world.



Did you follow along from the Shire to Helm's Deep?
Did you check to see if Mon Calamari was in the Outer Rim or Mid Rim?
Do maps add to the story or bring you closer to the adventure?

I think it's important for the author to have a map, to keep track of relative locations and distances while writing the story. (Tolkien notes in one of his letters, "I wisely started with a map..."). Whether they then share their map with the readers is a separate question. As a reader I do like having a map, but don't insist on it.

I love having maps in the books I read. I refer back to them as the story progresses.

I believe that maps can be very useful to readers, especially in historical novels, as few people know how countries and borders have changed through the centuries/milleniums. As an example, how many readers would be able to point at Sarmatia's location in the First Century BCE? If you write an historical novel (either fiction or non-fiction), then I believe that including at least a general map current to the time period of the novel would be a good idea.

Starmaps that I have always admired.

Star Trek-


Star Wars-


Firefly-


I’ve always been captivated by the vastness of the universe, which was fueled by my love for galactic scale maps in tabletop RPGs and video games. My fascination with deep space, black holes, and neutron stars has grown into a passion, and I wanted to set my Novel in a real place. As a sci-fi enthusiast, my ultimate goal is for fellow nerds to gaze up at the stars, point, and exclaim, “That’s Menkalinan - the very place where Kai Randel first encountered the Stygiamites!”

Jonathan Crowe is writing an illuminating series of articles on fantasy maps at Tor.com (that Goodreads doesn't want me to link, though I tried); from which we learn, among other things, that Tolkien might wisely have started with a map, but that he was no geographer: the mountains of Middle Earth make no sense, to say nothing of the rivers.

Simon Jiménez, whose The Spear Cuts Through Water is our fantasy Book of the Month also wrote an article for the same website explaining why the map of his own book is basically useless as territory.

we'll see if this link works:

https://www.tor.com/2020/01/22/celebr...

I prefer the embedded links, but anyway...

https://www.tor.com/author/jonathan-c...
https://www.tor.com/2022/08/25/fantas...

I've created some maps for my personal use, and just don't have the money right now to hire somebody to do it for me. But in the future, I'll have my maps included in the book as well.

30+ years ago, when I read Vernot Vinge books I appreciated the maps.

I Love maps! My office walls are covered in them. I like them in books as well.

I've drawn some for my book, but they aren't great, so I left them out. My daughter is in college right now getting a degree in Graphic Design. She doesn't know it yet, but her first job will be doing maps/covers and various artwork for my books!

She won't be getting a choice on that ! LOL

I've created maps. Mostly out of fun, but also to help me keep track of where everything. Also, it's relevant for me because the characters move back and forth across the map and I need to know how all their paths intersect.

I've created maps for reference and somebody suggested that I create a map for my Fantasy books. I mean I need to, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

I think its crucial to every good story to establish place. If you're using real life, you can get away without a map. If you're making it up, maps are, in my opinion, essential. Not just for the readers, but for the writer, as well.

The distance between locations, how they interact with each other, their specific landscapes, etc etc., all of these things should inform the story and guide the writer to where the logical conclusion of events lies. Without this, I think the narrative bumbles around in the dark, lost in a sea of terra incognita.

My own map, which I'd made well before I started writing, helped so much.

Oh my gosh!! I'm not a writer, but I love a map. It doesn’t need to be gorgeous, just give us readers a visual. Especially for fantasy worlds... it helps us to relate what the words tell us as people are traveling around. I refer to maps often as I read.👍❣️

I drew maps when I was DMing role-playing. They set context and just looking at them sparks ideas. This mountain here, what makes it special? Is this swamp near the rivermouth home to something especially nasty?

This is probably why the first thing you seen in my home is a wall of fantasy book maps in the foyer.

Economondos wrote: "I drew maps when I was DMing role-playing. They set context and just looking at them sparks ideas. This mountain here, what makes it special? Is this swamp near the rivermouth home to something esp..."

I'd love to see that!😊

Jason wrote: "I Love maps! My office walls are covered in them. I like them in books as well.

I've drawn some for my book, but they aren't great, so I left them out. My daughter is in college right now getting ..."

HAHAHA so funny that's actually cute ! And you must be happy to have someone else dive into your world. Even if they might not have a choice in this case XD

I’ve always loved maps... I mean, even as a reader, I used to spend hours just looking at Tolkien’s ones — like following the road from the Shire to Mordor... Especially when you notice that some parts of the maps from Tolkien are almost like... levels ?:... Like they travelled from an "easy" landscape, then a row of mountain, "middle difficulty" after the Moria and through the Anduin and Gondor etc, and Frodo and Sam through the mountains of Mordor and they go through "hard level mode" hahah.... It's a map that is MADE for the story. I remember as well with the Silmarillion... trying to find all the little names between Beleriand and Middle-earth and find out where the rivers fit before and after the flood and change of the world. There’s something about maps... that makes the world feel alive.

I don’t think you always need to show everything, you know? Sometimes just a name on a map... the sound of it... gives a little mystery, a feeling that there’s more waiting behind it. Some places are barely mentioned, others are described in detail, but together they create this illusion of depth.

For me, a map is like a stage. It’s where the imagination starts to build the rest of the world beyond the paper.

Here are some of my own maps from the galaxy I’m writing about, called The Spiral. They show the main regions, the spread of its civilizations, and all the known (and unknown) worlds scattered across it.

WOWWWWWWWWW !!!!!!!! sooooo impressed!!!! how do you get the pic to display here?

These maps are really impressive!

Liz~In~Colorado wrote: "WOWWWWWWWWW !!!!!!!! sooooo impressed!!!! how do you get the pic to display here?"


Thank you !! Canva is your friend to create cool designs ;) hehehe

well you have to register your pictures in your profile, there is an option after clicking on your profile pic. Then "add more pictures" I think it's called. then when it is uploaded, you just have to click on it and copy the picture adress and then in your message ,wherever you do it, you must add this piece of html >>

img src="https://YOUR PICTURE.jpg" width="500" (just add <> around it ;) )

:)

Kaladin wrote: "These maps are really impressive!"

Thank you Kaladin :) I actually built the world before writing the book you know ? It's almost like you can.... hmmm.... write a book... about a map ?... Like you have this place and you can then imagine what's in it ?.... I don't know if it makes sense hahaha

Besides if you do it well, you can really give the feeling that the place is a character on its own in the story ! LIke a looming influence.... I think sometimes it comes from simple patterns that structures the map. For example, what shows Matthew above with his continent of Elysia, is a bit like a diamond shape. I think it helps a lot ;)

Kevin wrote: "Liz~In~Colorado wrote: "WOWWWWWWWWW !!!!!!!! sooooo impressed!!!! how do you get the pic to display here?"


Thank you !! Canva is your friend to create cool designs ;) hehehe

well you have to re..."

THANK YOU FOR EXPLAINING! ❤️