{"id":298,"date":"2016-01-14T16:23:25","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T21:23:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/?p=298"},"modified":"2016-01-14T16:23:25","modified_gmt":"2016-01-14T21:23:25","slug":"mapping-the-drowning-eyes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/01\/mapping-the-drowning-eyes\/","title":{"rendered":"Mapping The Drowning Eyes"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"the-drowning-eyes\" \"the-drowning-eyes-map\"<\/p>\n

To mark the publication this week of a new fantasy novella,\u00a0The Drowning Eyes<\/a><\/em> by Emily Foster,\u00a0the artist hired to create the map, Tim Paul<\/a>, wrote an essay on how he did it<\/a>. I’m struck by the lengths he took to “avoid making the map look too European” and by the careful consideration of what\u00a0a map from that world\u00a0should\u00a0look like, which is almost unheard of\u00a0in the fantasy map business, where maps invariably conform to a very specific style.\u00a0The end result is a map that evokes portolan charts, replete with\u00a0windrose lines and looking like it was drawn on vellum. As fantasy maps go, it’s one of the finer executions I’ve seen.<\/p>\n

Amazon: paperback<\/a> (Canada<\/a>, U.K.<\/a>),\u00a0Kindle<\/a> (Canada<\/a>, U.K.<\/a>)<\/span> | iBooks<\/a><\/p>\n

For the audiobook version (Amazon<\/a>, iTunes<\/a>), the publisher has taken the map and made it interactive<\/a>: clicking on a location\u00a0gives you an excerpt from the book. It might not\u00a0quite<\/em> be “[the]\u00a0newest in map technology<\/a>” but it’s a small and interesting innovation as far as fantasy maps are concerned.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To mark the publication this week of a new fantasy novella,\u00a0The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster,\u00a0the artist hired to create the map, Tim Paul, wrote an essay on how he did it. I’m struck by… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"link","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[30,87,31],"class_list":["post-298","post","type-post","status-publish","format-link","hentry","category-maps-and-literature","tag-books","tag-fantasy-map-design","tag-fantasy-maps","post_format-post-format-link"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1836218,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2025\/01\/kathleen-jennings-shows-us-how-she-draws-a-fantasy-map\/","url_meta":{"origin":298,"position":0},"title":"Kathleen Jennings Shows Us How She Draws a Fantasy Map","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"27 January 2025","format":"link","excerpt":"Kathleen Jennings In addition to being an author in her own right, Kathleen Jennings is an illustrator who draws maps for other fantasy novels. For a recent work\u2014The Wild Huntress by Emily Lloyd-Jones\u2014she takes us behind the scenes, going step by step through the process to create the map. I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Maps and Literature"","block_context":{"text":"Maps and Literature","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/maps-and-literature\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/jennings-wild-huntress-sketches.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/jennings-wild-huntress-sketches.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/jennings-wild-huntress-sketches.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/jennings-wild-huntress-sketches.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/jennings-wild-huntress-sketches.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/jennings-wild-huntress-sketches.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2516,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/08\/mapping-the-dreamlands\/","url_meta":{"origin":298,"position":1},"title":"Mapping the Dreamlands","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"3 August 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"Once again, Tor.com is marking the publication of an upcoming fantasy novella, this time\u00a0The Dream-Quest of Vellitt Boe by Kij Johnson, with an essay on how the book's map, executed by artist Serena Malyon, came into being. Malyon takes us from the author's own map\u00a0through several iterations of what ended\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Maps and Literature"","block_context":{"text":"Maps and Literature","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/maps-and-literature\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"vellitt-boe-cover","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/vellitt-boe-cover-188x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4860,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/09\/the-territory-is-not-the-map\/","url_meta":{"origin":298,"position":2},"title":"The Territory Is Not the Map","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"27 September 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Critiques of fantasy maps have more to do with the shortcomings of fantasy worlds than the maps that depict them.","rel":"","context":"In "Book Reviews"","block_context":{"text":"Book Reviews","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/book-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"From Jared Blando, How to Draw Fantasy Art and RPG Maps (Impact, 2015).","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/blando-example.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2289,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/06\/a-fantasy-map-of-north-america\/","url_meta":{"origin":298,"position":3},"title":"A Fantasy Map of North America","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"22 June 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"The latest map of the real world done in the style of fantasy maps (remember: fantasy maps have a distinct style), at least that I've encountered, is this map of North America offered by Etsy seller Aoraki Maps. (They also have one of the southeastern U.S.) The style is very\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"aoraki-fantasy-north-america","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/aoraki-fantasy-north-america-1024x734.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/aoraki-fantasy-north-america-1024x734.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/aoraki-fantasy-north-america-1024x734.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/aoraki-fantasy-north-america-1024x734.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5940,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2014\/10\/fantasy-maps-of-us-cities\/","url_meta":{"origin":298,"position":4},"title":"Fantasy Maps of U.S. Cities","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"2 October 2014","format":"link","excerpt":"For another example of using fantasy map design language to create real-world maps, here's the work of geography professor Stentor Danielson, who draws maps of U.S. cities in the style of fantasy maps and sells them on Etsy. Boston, Cleveland (above), Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington are available. His Tumblr. Via\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Art"","block_context":{"text":"Art","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/art\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fantasy map of Cleveland (Stentor Danielson)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonathancrowe.net\/images\/2014\/mapsburgh-cleveland.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonathancrowe.net\/images\/2014\/mapsburgh-cleveland.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/jonathancrowe.net\/images\/2014\/mapsburgh-cleveland.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4697,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/08\/in-defence-of-fantasy-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":298,"position":5},"title":"In Defence of Fantasy Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"28 August 2017","format":"link","excerpt":"Paul Weimer offers up a defence of fantasy maps, at least the good ones. It might be facile to hashtag #notallmaps, but, really, not every map is a geologic mess, not every map is a Eurocentric western ocean oriented map, with an eastern blend into problematic oriental racial types. Not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Maps and Literature"","block_context":{"text":"Maps and Literature","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/category\/maps-and-literature\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/one-night-in-sixes-724x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/one-night-in-sixes-724x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/one-night-in-sixes-724x1024.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/one-night-in-sixes-724x1024.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=298"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":306,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/298\/revisions\/306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}