Top 5 Wednesday #8: You Are Here

Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme created by GingerReadsLainey. For more information on this meme, visit the Goodreads group. This week’s topic:

Favorite maps

I enjoy studying maps but I don’t have favorites; so the ones that I feature in this post are those that left an impression on me, causing me to remember them when I began writing this post. They are listed in no particular order. Click on the maps for a larger image.

From The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, illus. by Jules Feiffer

Map of The Land Beyond

This map left an impression on me not because of how the places are laid out, but because the names of the lands are so queer. Just imagine being lost in the Foothills of Confusion. You’ll probably end up walking around in circles there. And I wonder what would happen if one were to sail the Sea of Knowledge. I guess it would be overwhelming. I wonder if Juster wrote any more stories set in the Lands Beyond.

From Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch

Map of Primoria

Of course this one is next since I recently reviewed Snow Like Ashes. But apart from that, this map left an impression because of how unusual its lands are and why they are so. Some of the lands in Primoria have only one season and they are named according to the season they are known for. To find out why they are stuck on one season, you should read the book. I’ve only read Snow Like Ashes, the first in the series, thus far but a bit of explanation was given in it. I hope we get even more details from the other books.

From A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin

Map of Westeros, Essos, and the Free Cities

This is another obvious map to include. It’s hard to find a good map for the Game of Thrones world but this is the best I’ve found. It’s very detailed. I had to include a map of the Game of Thrones world. The stories in the series are so addictive. It’s usually hard to put the book down, and the map is essential to the story what with all the wars and political maneuverings.

From the Earthsea Cycle series by Ursula Le Guin

A map of Earthsea.

I had to include this because Earthsea is such an intriguing place. It’s an archipelago and cultures differ from island to island. Also, not all cultures hold magic in high regard. I’ve only read the first three books in the series so I don’t know if more lands are discovered beyond the archipelago in the other books in the series. I just like how the islands are laid out all in a jumble.

From the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan

Wheel of Time map excluding the land beyond the Spine and other countries.

Another obvious choice for me since I’m slowly making my way through this series. It’s such a dense story that I’m taking a break. I’m not sure if I’ll finish it, actually. There are 14 books in the series and I’m only on book 6. I have 8 more thick tomes to go. Anyways, the map. I like this map. I especially like that I refer to it many times while reading. There are some books that have maps but I never need to refer to them which annoys me. I like figuring out where the character is and how much further he has to go, which I do often while reading this.

Honorary mention for the Merlin series by T.A. Barron

Map of Fincayra

This is a fantasy series that I enjoyed as a kid. I like Fincayra. I think it’s an awesome place, especially since you can only find it by chance. While reading the stories, I sometimes imagined myself living in a tree house in Drumawood like Merlin and Rhia or visiting Slantos to get some of their mouth-watering bread. I love bread. ❤

What are some of your favorite maps?

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