Here be dragons: exploring fantasy maps and settings

"Fantasy worlds are never mere backdrops. They are an integral part of the work, and refuse to remain separate from other elements. These worlds combine landscape with narrative logic by incorporating alternative rules about cause and effect or physical transformation. They become actors in the drama--interacting with the characters, offering assistance or hindrance, and making ethical demands. In Here Be Dragons, Stefan Ekman provides a wide-ranging survey of the ubiquitous fantasy map as the point of departure for an in-depth discussion of what such maps can tell us about what is important in the fictional worlds and the stories that take place there. With particular focus on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, Ekman shows how fantasy settings deserve serious attention from both readers and critics. Includes insightful readings of works by Steven Brust, Garth Nix, Robert Holdstock, Terry Pratchett, Charles de Lint, China Miéville, Patricia McKillip, Tim Powers, Lisa Goldstein, Steven R. Donaldson, Robert Jordan, and Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess."--Publisher information.

Introduction : The relevance of settings ; What is fantasy? -- Maps : Previous explorations of fantasy maps ; What is a fantasy map? ; A survey of fantasy maps ; Reading fantasy maps --Borders and boundaries : Together apart: borders in Brust, Gaiman and Vess, and Nix ; The geography of history: polders in Tolkien, Holdstock, and Pratchett -- Nature and culture : Two slippery terms ; The return of the tree: bringing nature back into Minas Tirith ; Nature, magic, and misfits: Wilderness within Newford ; Blurred boundaries: conflux in New Crobuzon ; Growing somewhere in-between: liminal nature in Ombria -- Realms and rulers : Linking rulers to reams: an overview ; Ruling the mythical landscape: The Fisher King in Last Call ; Shaping the realm: palimpsests in Tourists ; Where the dark lords live ; Landscapes of evil in Tolkien, Donaldson, and Jordan -- Some final thoughts -- Appendix A. Method for the map survey -- Appendix B. Map sample.