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Thread, I am in a jam. Editor wants an example of the kind of map I want in ~my book~ (regrettably it does need a map). I'm looking for something clean, graphically striking, readable, and personable. Got any favorites? So far my strongest candidate to mimic is a map of the Hundred Acre Wood.
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Dec 11, 2014 22:17
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The map in Watership Down is pretty similar to that in Winnie the Pooh. Other favorites are the Earthsea map in LeGuin's Other Tales, the map in Dianna Wynne Jones' Tough Guide to Fantasyland (keep looking at it!), and the map in early editions of The Great Hunt that had a heavily illustrated thick border around a fairly simply drawn map.
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Dec 11, 2014 22:21
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The map from the first Kushiel Trilogy wasn't a bad example as I recall.
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Dec 11, 2014 22:23
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General Battuta posted:Thread, I am in a jam. Editor wants an example of the kind of map I want in ~my book~ (regrettably it does need a map). I'm looking for something clean, graphically striking, readable, and personable. Got any favorites? So far my strongest candidate to mimic is a map of the Hundred Acre Wood. Fantastic, historical, or modernist?
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Dec 11, 2014 22:34
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Hm, good question. It's a secondary world but there's no overt magic. The map's supposed to be a political operative's hastily sketched survey of her target country, with ducal boundaries and a few landmarks and some broad strategic notes.
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Dec 11, 2014 22:57
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General Battuta posted:Thread, I am in a jam. Editor wants an example of the kind of map I want in ~my book~ (regrettably it does need a map). I'm looking for something clean, graphically striking, readable, and personable. Got any favorites? So far my strongest candidate to mimic is a map of the Hundred Acre Wood. I like the map of Fillory from the Lev Grossman books, and it seems to me along the lines of The Hundred Acre Wood map
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Dec 11, 2014 22:57
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I tried to think about this and I kept going back to my favourite books, unsure if I really like the maps as maps, I just like them because they're in my favourite books. Anyway, there's the map in the Abhorsen trilogy:  Maps in fantasy tend to look like actual maps made by cartographers, and are often anachronistically accurate (or at least made to look as such, with a lot of detail, scales, etc). Historical maps can be very abstract and I like the idea of the Hundred Acre Wood type of map which is straddling the line between abstract (the relationship of places to each other) and geographical (how far away everything is from everything else). You could go for historical maps for ideas too, like the Tabula Rogeriana:  Or the extremely abstract T and O map:  Edit: Oh, there's a diegetic (I hope I'm using that correctly) origin for the map. Maybe not the T and O type then  But I would love a clearly hand-drawn map which has notes scribbled on it and which is more on the abstract side. I don't know if I've ever seen a map like that in a fantasy novel.
Sulphagnist fucked around with this message at 23:04 on Dec 11, 2014 |
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Dec 11, 2014 23:01
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Antti posted:But I would love a clearly hand-drawn map which has notes scribbled on it and which is more on the abstract side. I don't know if I've ever seen a map like that in a fantasy novel. Given the description given, this is exactly what I would envision. I would call it hand-sketched rather than hand-drawn to try to capture the difference between what a spy might put together as notes and what Ye Olde Cartographer might draw. Almost something like this, only with hand printed notes instead of type written.
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Dec 11, 2014 23:16
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I just finished The Yiddish Policeman's Union (Michael Chabon) and I'm halfway through The Speed Of Dark (Elizabeth Moon) and I cannot recommend either highly enough. Neither are conventional sci-fi novels, there are no spacecraft here but both ask a question and explore the outcomes. Well written and engrossing.
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Dec 12, 2014 04:30
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General Battuta posted:Hm, good question. It's a secondary world but there's no overt magic. The map's supposed to be a political operative's hastily sketched survey of her target country, with ducal boundaries and a few landmarks and some broad strategic notes. Sounds awesome, when can I read your book?  Check out gently caress Yeah Fictional Maps: http://fuckyeahfictionalmaps.tumblr.com/ It's chock full of cool maps from books (mainly). Might find some inspiration there
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Dec 12, 2014 11:58
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I just finished Liminal states by our very own Zack Parsons. I am ashamed to say I came to it somewhat wary, goons recommending another goon writer? Now I am a full convert. Apart from some slight purple prose and use of overly literary words (a first book misstep), what a great ride! I was put off a little bit by the prologue, written like a stream of consciousness of an alien mind. Very hard to grasp what the hell was going on there, easier of course after reading the book but this is sci-fi novel writing 101, hook em by the very first sentence and after you earn it, then you can dump the whole alien mind on us. Those are my only criticisms of otherwise a truly great book. Most impressive for me the utter dedication to completely examining the central concept of the story and its possible consequences from the level of the individual to the whole world over a century of time. It could have been left as a nice and competent short story but no, Zack impressively examines every angle and delivers a great finish. Also the blend of western, noir, sci fi and cosmic horrors keeps everything fresh. Grimwall fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Dec 12, 2014 |
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Dec 12, 2014 20:59
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General Battuta posted:Hm, good question. It's a secondary world but there's no overt magic. The map's supposed to be a political operative's hastily sketched survey of her target country, with ducal boundaries and a few landmarks and some broad strategic notes. There is always the map Vriska drew for Tavros http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=004270
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Dec 13, 2014 03:52
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A few pages back someone recommended a sci fi book about a spaceship whose captain acted a lot like Zap Brannigan. Can anyone tell me the name?
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Dec 13, 2014 14:33
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regularizer posted:A few pages back someone recommended a sci fi book about a spaceship whose captain acted a lot like Zap Brannigan. Can anyone tell me the name? Probably Steven Erikson's Willful Child. It was fun, if not super deep.
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Dec 13, 2014 14:50
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regularizer posted:A few pages back someone recommended a sci fi book about a spaceship whose captain acted a lot like Zap Brannigan. Can anyone tell me the name? Wilful Child by Steven Erikson
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Dec 13, 2014 14:50
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General Battuta posted:Hm, good question. It's a secondary world but there's no overt magic. The map's supposed to be a political operative's hastily sketched survey of her target country, with ducal boundaries and a few landmarks and some broad strategic notes. 
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Dec 13, 2014 16:03
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You guys are great, thanks for all the suggestions.
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Dec 13, 2014 19:15
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gently caress you, i came here to post this
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Dec 13, 2014 19:28
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Just finished City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett and enjoyed it. World was really interesting and the plot was solid, though some of the twists a bit predictable. The characters had some depth too them, too. It also told the story in one book, didn't have a lot of unnecessary filler, and was overall pretty tight. Next up, Roadside Picnic, which I've been meaning to read for a long time.
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Dec 13, 2014 22:45
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I've never seen that version before. (Really needs a trail marked "the shameful path" somewhere.)
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Dec 13, 2014 22:55
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I'm a giant nerd who has enjoyed almost everything written by Greg Egan, can anyone recommend other books/authors that do the same sort of things? (paper-thin characterisation is optional)
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Dec 13, 2014 22:57
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Dzhay posted:I'm a giant nerd who has enjoyed almost everything written by Greg Egan, can anyone recommend other books/authors that do the same sort of things? (paper-thin characterisation is optional) Less math-heavy but I feel like Ted Chiang scratches a similar itch to Greg Egan. 'The Story of Your Life' is a pretty incredible novella and should come in a collection with other short stories.
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Dec 14, 2014 00:01
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Dzhay posted:I'm a giant nerd who has enjoyed almost everything written by Greg Egan, can anyone recommend other books/authors that do the same sort of things? (paper-thin characterisation is optional)
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Dec 14, 2014 00:12
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how is Joe Abercrombie's new series, Shattered Seas?
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Dec 14, 2014 00:37
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Less Fat Luke posted:The Quantum Thief and sequels are somewhat similar. Having read them: what makes you say that?
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Dec 14, 2014 00:47
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Xandu posted:how is Joe Abercrombie's new series, Shattered Seas? It's fine, just be aware it's a YA series.
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Dec 14, 2014 00:56
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Ah, didn't realize that.
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Dec 14, 2014 00:57
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Dzhay posted:Having read them: what makes you say that? I didn't feel that Quantum Thief evoked Egan at all, personally. The former is very character-driven and ultimately space opera-like compared to the high concept stuff Egan does. At least to me, they weren't similar.
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Dec 14, 2014 03:43
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Xandu posted:how is Joe Abercrombie's new series, Shattered Seas? The first book was good. It essentially reads like a toned-down First Law book; one POV character, a respectable amount of violence, no sex stuff (not that there was a lot of that anyhow).
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Dec 14, 2014 04:45
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bonds0097 posted:I didn't feel that Quantum Thief evoked Egan at all, personally. The former is very character-driven and ultimately space opera-like compared to the high concept stuff Egan does. At least to me, they weren't similar. Also Egan should write more goddamnit.
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Dec 14, 2014 06:42
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Ted Chiang and Greg Egan pretty much go hand in hand. Read everything by Chiang. Do it now.
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Dec 14, 2014 10:29
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General Battuta posted:Thread, I am in a jam. Editor wants an example of the kind of map I want in ~my book~ (regrettably it does need a map). I'm looking for something clean, graphically striking, readable, and personable. Got any favorites? So far my strongest candidate to mimic is a map of the Hundred Acre Wood.   
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Dec 14, 2014 13:03
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McCoy Pauley posted:I like the map of Fillory from the Lev Grossman books, and it seems to me along the lines of The Hundred Acre Wood map That is an excellent map, tonally matches the source material very well. Speaking of this, I was waiting on The Magician's Land to come out and... forgot about it, imagine my delight to check my local library's catalog and see it's been out since August! Got it on reserve, looking forward to it. I could have sworn there was a thread for The Magicians, but it seemed to have dropped off into Archives.
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Dec 14, 2014 13:04
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Sadsack posted:I've just given up on Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie. I really liked its predecessor, but this book really didn't grab my attention. For the first 150 pages nothing seems to be happening. Have I made a huge mistake? Does a plot start to happen after pp.150? This never got answered and I'm wondering the same thing. 150 pages in and nothing is happening. Does it go anywhere? The first one was alright but I'm not really sure why it won so many awards.
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Dec 14, 2014 17:31
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Bold Robot posted:This never got answered and I'm wondering the same thing. 150 pages in and nothing is happening. Does it go anywhere? The first one was alright but I'm not really sure why it won so many awards. Ancillary Sword is a pretty good episode of Deep Space Nine.
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Dec 14, 2014 17:54
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Hell I couldn't even get into Ancillary Justice. 
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Dec 14, 2014 18:07
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Bold Robot posted:This never got answered and I'm wondering the same thing. 150 pages in and nothing is happening. Does it go anywhere? The first one was alright but I'm not really sure why it won so many awards. Couldn't tell you, I didn't have your stamina. Looking at my Kindle app, it seems I checked out on page 67.
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Dec 14, 2014 19:01
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General Battuta posted:Thread, I am in a jam. Editor wants an example of the kind of map I want in ~my book~ (regrettably it does need a map). I'm looking for something clean, graphically striking, readable, and personable. Got any favorites? So far my strongest candidate to mimic is a map of the Hundred Acre Wood. Send your editor this and let us know what he/she says. General Battuta posted:Hm, good question. It's a secondary world but there's no overt magic. The map's supposed to be a political operative's hastily sketched survey of her target country, with ducal boundaries and a few landmarks and some broad strategic notes. My first thought was the map in The Hobbit - stylised but roughly geographical, annotated, and diegetic. I also thought of the maps in the Swallows and Amazons series (especially Secret Water where mapping is actually part of the novel; sadly I couldn't find a good one online) and then remembered this essay and this one,* and the first includes "Mayweed's Map of Moledom" which looks relevant:  *This is the website that introduced me to Hugh Cook, and if anyone's into dirty sword and sorcery that's a pro choice.
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Dec 14, 2014 19:43
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If I were a spy scribbling a map, I'd probably go with a stick and balls model. Big circles for big things, small circles for small things, and lines arrows etc. Denoting relationships. Because what shape the harbor is probably doesn't matter, but that these two are connected by a tunnel does, and do on. Kinda like the maps of Bujolds wormhole nexus, or the codex sepheroth.
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Dec 14, 2014 19:57
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Bold Robot posted:This never got answered and I'm wondering the same thing. 150 pages in and nothing is happening. Does it go anywhere? The first one was alright but I'm not really sure why it won so many awards.
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Dec 14, 2014 20:54
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