{"id":5300,"date":"2012-01-20T10:12:10","date_gmt":"2012-01-20T15:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2012\/01\/four_map_stories\/"},"modified":"2017-10-19T19:24:43","modified_gmt":"2017-10-19T23:24:43","slug":"four-map-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2012\/01\/four-map-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Map Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have not forgotten my Maps in Science Fiction and Fantasy project<\/a>, though it’s lain fallow for a bit while I juggled other things. Here are a few short stories about maps that I’ve encountered over the past few months.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

“The Map”<\/b> by Gene Wolfe<\/a> (Endangered Species<\/a><\/cite> [New York: Tor, 1989], 20-36) belongs to the universe of The Book of the New Sun<\/a><\/cite> (one of my favourite works) and features one of its secondary characters. A former torturer named Eata now captains a boat along the river Gyoll. He is hired by a man with a map seeking treasure in the dead parts of the great city Nessus. The Book of the New Sun<\/cite> belongs to the dying Earth<\/a> genre, and Wolfe’s Urth is extremely old and layered; as such the map may no longer be reliable.<\/p>\n

Those spidery streets might\u2014or might not\u2014be the very streets that stretched before him. That wandering line of blue might be a stream or canal, or Gyoll itself. The map presented an accumulation of detail, and yet it was detail of a sort that did nothing to confirm or deny location. He committed as much of it to memory as he could, all the while wondering what feature or turning might prove of value, what name of street or structure might have survived where there was no one left to recall it, what thing of masonry or metal might yet retain its former shape, if any did. For an instant it seemed to him that it was not the treasure that was lost, but he himself. (30-31)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the event he has to be rescued; Eata seems to be of the opinion that maps are rather good at getting their owners into trouble, and not much else. The map, in this story, is a symbol of obsolescence.<\/p>\n

“The Mappist”<\/b> by Barry Lopez<\/a> (Light Action in the Caribbean<\/a><\/cite> [New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000], 146-162) is neither science fiction nor fantasy, but has genre appeal. Matthew Cheney (more on whom momentarily) considers it an homage to Borges<\/a>; I’ll let him describe the story: “it tells of a narrator’s obsession with a pseudonymous author of remarkable travel guides and maps, works of such detail and care that they capture the ‘essence’ of whatever city they describe. The narrator eventually tracks down the creator of these works, the reclusive Corlis Benefideo, and visits him, viewing new maps Benefideo has created, maps of remarkable depth and brilliance.”<\/p>\n

When he placed the next map in front of me, the summer distribution of Swainson’s hawks, and then slid in next to it a map showing the overlapping summer distribution of its main prey species, the Richardson ground squirrel, the precision and revelation were too much for me.<\/p>\n

I turned to face him. “I’ve never seen anything that even approaches this, this”\u2014my gesture across the surface of the table included everything. “It’s not just the information, or the execution\u2014I mean, the technique is flawless, the water-coloring, your choice of scale\u2014but it’s like the books, there’s so much more.”<\/p>\n

“That’s the idea, don’t you think, Mister Trevino?” (159)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Benefideo is capable of mapping impossible things, but he claims it’s just a matter of hard work. “The Mappist” is a quest for “an elegant order [that] has disappeared” (161), but the maps are sui generis, the mapmaker unique.<\/p>\n

“A Map of the Everywhere”<\/b> by the aforementioned Matthew Cheney<\/a> (Interfictions: An Anthology of Interstitial Writing<\/a><\/cite>, Delia Sherman and Theodora Goss, eds. [Easthampton MA: Small Beer Press, 2007], 207-221; Kindle version<\/a>; audio version<\/a>) is a beautifully written story that evinces Beckett in its absurdism. Its rather feckless protagonist, Alfred, drifts from job to job until a strange trio sends him to see a cartographer.<\/p>\n

“You must dig a hole to China,” one of the creatures whispered.<\/p>\n

“I was digging for faith or direction,” Alfred replied. “I have no interest in China. I couldn’t even find it on a map.”<\/p>\n

“Then you have need of a cartographer,” another of the creatures said. “I have known many cartographers.”<\/p>\n

“They are a strange breed, cartographers,” another of the creatures said.<\/p>\n

“They live in hovels and garrets,” another of the creatures said. “They seldom shave.” (210)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The cartographer Alfred ends up seeing is the questionably gendered G\u00fcnther Lopez (whose name has<\/em> to be a tip towards the author of “The Mappist”). Visiting the cartographer does not yield tangible results in the cartographic sense, but in the end, at last, Alfred does leave with a sense of direction, if not literal directions\u2014and that seems to be what the cartographer stands in place of.<\/p>\n

Finally, I want to mention “The Dala Horse<\/a>,”<\/b> a delightful story by Michael Swanwick<\/a> (Tor.com, 13 July 2011) that isn’t about<\/em> maps, but it does feature a talking map, as well as a walking, talking knapsack, both of which accompany a fleeing Swedish girl who is trying to find her grandmother’s house.<\/p>\n

Carefully, so as not to tear, the map unfolded. Contour lines squirmed across its surface as it located itself. Blue stream-lines ran downhill. Black roads and stitched red trails went where they would. “We’re here,” said the map, placing a pinprick light at its center. “Where would you like to go?”<\/p>\n

“To Far-Mor,” Linnea said. “She’s in Godastor.”<\/p>\n

“That’s a long way. Do you know how to read maps?”<\/p>\n

“No.”<\/p>\n

“Then take the road to the right. Whenever you come across another road, take me out and I’ll tell you which way to go.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It sounds like a fairy tale, but it isn’t; this is a tale in which technology is indistinguishable from magic, where “we taught things how to talk and think”; Swanwick’s map is a satnav in fantasy clothing.<\/p>\n

Update:<\/i> Since this post is getting a bit of attention, I should mention that these are only the map stories I’ve encountered most recently. See The Map Room<\/strong>\u2019s Fiction About Maps<\/a> category for earlier examples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have not forgotten my Maps in Science Fiction and Fantasy project, though it’s lain fallow for a bit while I juggled other things. Here are a few short stories about maps that I’ve encountered… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[],"autoblue_post_url":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[745,644],"class_list":["post-5300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-maps-and-literature","tag-fantasy","tag-science-fiction"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1812811,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2023\/02\/an-sf-fantasy-map-roundup\/","url_meta":{"origin":5300,"position":0},"title":"An SF\/Fantasy Map Roundup","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"21 February 2023","format":"link","excerpt":"In December Tor.com revealed the map for Martha Wells\u2019s upcoming fantasy novel, Witch King, which comes out in May. The post includes both Rhys Davies\u2019s map and Wells\u2019s initial sketch: compare and contrast. Amazon (Canada\/UK) | Bookshop How often do Star Trek tie-in novels come with maps? John Jackson Miller\u2019s\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":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":4931,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/09\/you-are-here-an-anthology-of-sffantasy-map-stories\/","url_meta":{"origin":5300,"position":1},"title":"You Are Here: An Anthology of SF\/Fantasy Map Stories","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"25 September 2017","format":"link","excerpt":"I can't explain how I missed this one when it came out last fall. You Are Here: Tales of Cartographic Wonders is an anthology of 18 science fiction and fantasy stories about maps. Edited by N. E. White, it includes one story I've seen before: Charlotte Ashley's \"Eleusinian Mysteries.\" 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\/2017\/09\/you-are-here-sf-anthology-100x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5378,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2012\/07\/kate-elliott-on-fantasy-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":5300,"position":2},"title":"Kate Elliott on Fantasy Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"5 July 2012","format":"link","excerpt":"Fantasy and science fiction writer Kate Elliott talks about maps. An excerpt: I know that some love maps, some are indifferent, and some dislike them. That's as it should be. I personally like maps, because I'm geeky that way but also because I process information both visually and kinesthetically, and\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":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5302,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2012\/02\/how-readers-use-fantasy-maps\/","url_meta":{"origin":5300,"position":3},"title":"How Readers Use Fantasy Maps","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"14 February 2012","format":"link","excerpt":"It occurs to me that how readers use fantasy maps should be another line of inquiry for my science fiction and fantasy maps project. Take, for example, Donald Petersen's comment on the Boing Boing post about Victoria Johnson's map essay (posted here last week). One of the few downsides to\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":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3950,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2017\/02\/telling-the-map\/","url_meta":{"origin":5300,"position":4},"title":"Telling the Map","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"23 February 2017","format":"link","excerpt":"Christopher Rowe's short story \"Another Word for Map Is Faith,\" which\u00a0imagines an alternate America ruled by a theocracy\u00a0that treats maps as infallible, and territory to be corrected to conform to the map, was the first\u00a0speculative fiction story I encountered\u00a0in which maps were a central role. (I soon found other examples.)\u00a0It\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\/02\/telling-the-map-194x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1430,"url":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/2016\/04\/the-medieval-origins-of-thrors-map\/","url_meta":{"origin":5300,"position":5},"title":"The Medieval Origins of Thr\u00f3r’s Map","author":"Jonathan Crowe","date":"4 April 2016","format":"link","excerpt":"In my 2013 article on fantasy maps for\u00a0The New York Review of Science Fiction, I noted that J. R. R. Tolkien's\u00a0two maps from\u00a0The Hobbit were much more like real-world medieval\u00a0maps than typical fantasy maps usually are. Medieval scholar\u00a0Thijs Porck explores how Thr\u00f3r's map, in particular, is quite similar to the\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":"thror-cotton","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/thror-cotton-1024x488.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/thror-cotton-1024x488.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/thror-cotton-1024x488.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.maproomblog.com\/xq\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/thror-cotton-1024x488.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5300","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=5300"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5325,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5300\/revisions\/5325"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.maproomblog.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}