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Spell and Sextant #1
The Map and the Territory
When the sky breaks apart and an earthquake shatters the seaside city of Sharis, cartographer Rukha Masreen is far from home. Caught in the city's ruins with only her tools and her wits, she meets a traveling companion who will change her course forever: the wizard Eshu, who stumbles out of a mirror with hungry ghosts on his heels.
He's everything that raises her hackles: high-strung, grandiloquent, stubborn as iron. But he needs to get home, too, and she doesn't want him to have to make the journey alone.
As they cross the continent together, though, Rukha and Eshu soon realize that the disaster that's befallen their world is much larger than they could have imagined. The once-vibrant pathways of the Mirrorlands are deserted. Entire cities lie entombed in crystal. And to make matters worse, a wild god is hunting them down. The further they travel from familiar territory, the more their fragile new friendship cracks under the strain.
To survive the end of their world, Rukha and Eshu will need more than magic and science—they'll need each other.
He's everything that raises her hackles: high-strung, grandiloquent, stubborn as iron. But he needs to get home, too, and she doesn't want him to have to make the journey alone.
As they cross the continent together, though, Rukha and Eshu soon realize that the disaster that's befallen their world is much larger than they could have imagined. The once-vibrant pathways of the Mirrorlands are deserted. Entire cities lie entombed in crystal. And to make matters worse, a wild god is hunting them down. The further they travel from familiar territory, the more their fragile new friendship cracks under the strain.
To survive the end of their world, Rukha and Eshu will need more than magic and science—they'll need each other.
364 pages, Paperback
First published December 12, 2022
4 people are currently reading
334 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 23, 2023
I adored the worldbuilding in this fantasy series starter about a magical apocalypse, and I can’t wait for the next book. One MC is gay, and one is aroace.
CW: Eshu, the gay MC, has an abusive ex, who does appear in page in the book.
CW: Eshu, the gay MC, has an abusive ex, who does appear in page in the book.
February 23, 2023
I liked the first half of the book better than the second-the first half was the two characters journeying, copying with horrific devastation that couldn't be explained, and the second half was set in a city with lots of other characters and reality was increasingly wonky. Fern, the cartographer, is a great character; there are few field scientist cartographer heroines in fantasy for grownups, and her level headed path toward understanding the new circumstances of the world was just what I needed when not understanding it myself....
September 23, 2023
A world spanning disaster has destroyed the world's cities. Two people meet, a cartographer and mage, begin traveling to find out what's going on. During this, there are politics, adventures and a reunion with old manipulative lovers. An interesting read, I will read the sequels.
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May 19, 2024I really enjoyed the characters and the world building in this book. The contrast between Rukah's more practical survival skills and Eshu who is more academic, was interesting.
Rukah is stated to be a cartographer, I would have liked it if this could somehow have featured more in the story, particularly with the changes that unfolded on the world.
I liked the world building and the way that different people and populations reacted to the different disasters. I am interested to see where this story continues in the next book.
Rukah is stated to be a cartographer, I would have liked it if this could somehow have featured more in the story, particularly with the changes that unfolded on the world.
I liked the world building and the way that different people and populations reacted to the different disasters. I am interested to see where this story continues in the next book.
June 19, 2023
(This review originally appeared at HistoryThatNeverWas.com)
The Map and the Territory by A.M. Tuomala (Candlemark & Gleam, 2022) is a gorgeous secondary world fantasy novel, the first in a series, with lush worldbuilding and spectacular characters.
When a strange event destroys the city where Rukha, who also calls herself Fern after a custom of people not using their given names in times of strife, is visiting, she finds herself unable to get home. And when Eshu comes through a mirror into that same city, he’s in the same situation. The two form a tenuous alliance to try to get home–either one will do. But as they make their way to other cities, they realize that the problem is more widespread than they thought, and it’s even bigger cosmologically as well.
Even though the characters are dealing with a world-shattering problem, the focus on Rukha and Eshu is so tight that parts of this book feel almost cozy and intimate. Both characters, as well as the supporting cast, are wonderfully fleshed out. The worldbuilding, too, with layers of history and geology, magic and science, is similarly brilliant. If you enjoy fantasy that is epic in scope but with cozy moments, check out The Map and the Territory and its eventual sequels!
The Map and the Territory by A.M. Tuomala (Candlemark & Gleam, 2022) is a gorgeous secondary world fantasy novel, the first in a series, with lush worldbuilding and spectacular characters.
When a strange event destroys the city where Rukha, who also calls herself Fern after a custom of people not using their given names in times of strife, is visiting, she finds herself unable to get home. And when Eshu comes through a mirror into that same city, he’s in the same situation. The two form a tenuous alliance to try to get home–either one will do. But as they make their way to other cities, they realize that the problem is more widespread than they thought, and it’s even bigger cosmologically as well.
Even though the characters are dealing with a world-shattering problem, the focus on Rukha and Eshu is so tight that parts of this book feel almost cozy and intimate. Both characters, as well as the supporting cast, are wonderfully fleshed out. The worldbuilding, too, with layers of history and geology, magic and science, is similarly brilliant. If you enjoy fantasy that is epic in scope but with cozy moments, check out The Map and the Territory and its eventual sequels!
November 20, 2022
This book will be a favorite gracing my shelf for a lifetime to come. As a standalone work I found it exemplary, and to learn Tuomala plans to write more in this setting and series genuinely made my entire month.
The author's mastery of the written word has always captivated me, and Map & Territory turns it up to eleven. For a book set in the soaring grandeur of a high-fantasy arcane apocalypse, Tuomala effortlessly introduces the reader to a beautiful (and devastated) original world, weaves poetry around the intricacies of a complex and interesting magic system, and still finds time to get you deeply invested in the minor details of the characters' lives as they move through it all.
And what characters! Tuomala's shifting perspective between pragmatic cartographer Rukha and grandiloquent student mage Eshu made me feel as if I were walking beside them on their journey through the plot. I grew to care for them as they learned to care for each other; as they dared to find hope and purpose in their troubled and uncertain world I found reassurance in ours.
To be able to rave about all I love in this book would begin by quoting it directly, in its entirety. To save you the trouble of reading a review longer than this one, instead I'll gesture wildly at the book itself and yell that I can't recommend it highly enough.
The author's mastery of the written word has always captivated me, and Map & Territory turns it up to eleven. For a book set in the soaring grandeur of a high-fantasy arcane apocalypse, Tuomala effortlessly introduces the reader to a beautiful (and devastated) original world, weaves poetry around the intricacies of a complex and interesting magic system, and still finds time to get you deeply invested in the minor details of the characters' lives as they move through it all.
And what characters! Tuomala's shifting perspective between pragmatic cartographer Rukha and grandiloquent student mage Eshu made me feel as if I were walking beside them on their journey through the plot. I grew to care for them as they learned to care for each other; as they dared to find hope and purpose in their troubled and uncertain world I found reassurance in ours.
To be able to rave about all I love in this book would begin by quoting it directly, in its entirety. To save you the trouble of reading a review longer than this one, instead I'll gesture wildly at the book itself and yell that I can't recommend it highly enough.
January 9, 2023
https://wordnerdy.blogspot.com/2023/0...
You know how sometimes when you’re reading a novella, character development feels rushed/underbaked, and it’s frustrating? Well, this a full length novel that somehow suffered from that issue. Really interesting world-building here, as a young woman cartographer and a young wizard dude in training meet each other in the midst of a worldwide disaster, with cities destroyed in mysterious magical ways (this isn’t a romance, at least not between them: he’s gay and she’s ace), and they go to try and see if they can find out what happened and if their homes are okay. But they end up dealing with politics in one of the cities they stop in, and things king of bog down, and I don’t know, I just wanted MORE from this! I will say there is a very interesting epilogue that makes me want to read the next book in this series (assuming one is coming). The bones of a good story are here but it didn’t totally come together for me. B/B+.
You know how sometimes when you’re reading a novella, character development feels rushed/underbaked, and it’s frustrating? Well, this a full length novel that somehow suffered from that issue. Really interesting world-building here, as a young woman cartographer and a young wizard dude in training meet each other in the midst of a worldwide disaster, with cities destroyed in mysterious magical ways (this isn’t a romance, at least not between them: he’s gay and she’s ace), and they go to try and see if they can find out what happened and if their homes are okay. But they end up dealing with politics in one of the cities they stop in, and things king of bog down, and I don’t know, I just wanted MORE from this! I will say there is a very interesting epilogue that makes me want to read the next book in this series (assuming one is coming). The bones of a good story are here but it didn’t totally come together for me. B/B+.
February 3, 2023
What an incredible book! It did take me a while to get through the first 100 pages but once the tale got moving The Map and the territory had me fixated until the end!
I adore the friendship between the two main characters whose pov we skip between, and the character growth for our wizard was LOVELY! I really need this to be a trilogy which I need to devour now!
Highly recommend and think this will appeal to many people! Can’t wait for MORE
I adore the friendship between the two main characters whose pov we skip between, and the character growth for our wizard was LOVELY! I really need this to be a trilogy which I need to devour now!
Highly recommend and think this will appeal to many people! Can’t wait for MORE
January 27, 2025
I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did. I think one of the ways early career authors get short-changed is in editing -this whole thing needs a once over. The dialogue especially reads like an early draft, and the characterizations are abrupt and told-not-shown in a way that reminds me of YA novels and early RPG video games. I sincerely hope that in coming years this book is forgotten amidst better, more accomplished work by Tuomala.
August 19, 2023
My favorite aspects of this book would be the smaller details of the descriptive language throughout, and the charm of the dual protagonists, Rukha/Fern and Eshu. The story, although set in the fallout of a mysterious disaster, is episodic yet steady as the characters make their progress slowly- one day at a time. There are many moments focused on their practical self-care as well as memories of their homes. I also liked hearing of Rukha’s scientific/mapmaking knowledge, and the several different ways to perform magic:
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They set out together over the sands, Fern enthusiastically speculating on the minerals that composed the black ridges and the way the silver trees might have spread and sustained themselves.
“It’s obvious that there’s a spring somewhere in the mountains, or possibly several springs,” she said. “My guess is that this black rock is just porous enough to let water drain through, and there’s a major aquifer somewhere below our feet-“
“It’s a dreamscape,” said Eshu. He wished he didn’t sound quite so desperate. “You can’t just apply science to it.”
“Then explain the arroyos. They’re all more or less perpendicular to the mountains. I wonder what the rain is like here.”
“It never rains here. The sun never rises. It’s a void beyond time and space.”
“It’s hydrologically interesting.”
----------------------
He steadied himself on the mast and pushed down the pain, and he sang the great glorious anarchy of the spheres. He sang moons swinging in retrograde, sang stars leashed to each other in twos and threes; he sang the wild whirl of wind that broke across the equator in untraceable curls and billows. With his hand bracing his cracked ribs, hot blood pulsing between his fingers, he raised his voice and sang the swelling tides- the oceans rising from their beds to follow the moon.
------------------------------------------------
From the book’s summary, I was expecting an initial personality clash between the protagonists, but they start their relationship friendly with each other (not negative, just different). Although thrown together by chance, Rukha and Eshu become close through their shared journey. Rukha especially is quick to put herself between those near her and a dangerous god. The relationships between characters are a bit flat and more outright stated than felt. I do like Rukha and Eshu's friendship, but I wanted it to feel more natural. I wasn’t personally interested in Eshu’s encounters with handsome men, but I can find appreciation in the unremarkable nature of his queerness. Rukha’s express lack of interest in romance is another part of that naturalness (although I wish it came up a little more), and there are several references to queer couples and androgynes. It's an enjoyable character-focused fantasy.
------------------------------------------------
They set out together over the sands, Fern enthusiastically speculating on the minerals that composed the black ridges and the way the silver trees might have spread and sustained themselves.
“It’s obvious that there’s a spring somewhere in the mountains, or possibly several springs,” she said. “My guess is that this black rock is just porous enough to let water drain through, and there’s a major aquifer somewhere below our feet-“
“It’s a dreamscape,” said Eshu. He wished he didn’t sound quite so desperate. “You can’t just apply science to it.”
“Then explain the arroyos. They’re all more or less perpendicular to the mountains. I wonder what the rain is like here.”
“It never rains here. The sun never rises. It’s a void beyond time and space.”
“It’s hydrologically interesting.”
----------------------
He steadied himself on the mast and pushed down the pain, and he sang the great glorious anarchy of the spheres. He sang moons swinging in retrograde, sang stars leashed to each other in twos and threes; he sang the wild whirl of wind that broke across the equator in untraceable curls and billows. With his hand bracing his cracked ribs, hot blood pulsing between his fingers, he raised his voice and sang the swelling tides- the oceans rising from their beds to follow the moon.
------------------------------------------------
From the book’s summary, I was expecting an initial personality clash between the protagonists, but they start their relationship friendly with each other (not negative, just different). Although thrown together by chance, Rukha and Eshu become close through their shared journey. Rukha especially is quick to put herself between those near her and a dangerous god. The relationships between characters are a bit flat and more outright stated than felt. I do like Rukha and Eshu's friendship, but I wanted it to feel more natural. I wasn’t personally interested in Eshu’s encounters with handsome men, but I can find appreciation in the unremarkable nature of his queerness. Rukha’s express lack of interest in romance is another part of that naturalness (although I wish it came up a little more), and there are several references to queer couples and androgynes. It's an enjoyable character-focused fantasy.
May 7, 2023
I don't read much fantasy, but this book caught my eye because one of the characters is a map-maker.
It was slightly difficult to track down - the title describes the story well, but is shared with a novel by the significantly famous Michel Houellebecq which of course gets all the hits on web search. It's set in a queernorm world, which I approve of, but only the map connection got me past the fact that it's a fantasy novel, labelled as a "Book 1", and has so many strange names you can't keep track of them unless you constantly refer to the Tolkienesque world map in the front (which I didn't do, because I was reading the ebook).
The characters are likeable; Fern the cartographer is a no-nonsense, tremendously practical woman who can keep herself from despair (about the catastrophe that opens the book) by focussing on immediate practical concerns. In this, she reminded me a lot of Ursula Vernon's Digger, only without the quips and funny swearing. The other main character, Eshu, is gay which is written well, though I was slightly disappointed that he turns out to be both effeminate AND a sub, which is a bit stereotypical - if he had been one and not the other, it would have been more interesting. Still, he achieves personal growth, and more than anything else it's his romantic life that made me feel invested in the story enough to continue. The first half of the book is all about the aftermath of the catastrophe, but as everything in the world is new to us, and they are constantly travelling, I found it hard to care as much about it as I was obviously supposed to. The characters care about their home towns, but although the details we get of those are charming and specific (and psychologically rang true), they were not enough to really get a feel for the places, I felt. They stay in one place for the second half of the novel, and that worked much better.
There was a lot about Fern's practical skills, but when she finally starts to try and make a map, she gives up within a few paragraphs. There was a really interesting premise there, but not really explored, at least in this instalment.
Ultimately we find out why the catastrophe has happened, but there's no hint of what can be done about it and no closure for the characters, presumably for book 2. I like the premise, the world and the characters enough that I will definitely be buying it if it ever appears. But I am hoping that if it does, Fern will turn out to have a character flaw or inner conflict or something - here's hoping that I'll like the sequel enough to give it 4 stars! I feel slightly guilty not to rate this one higher, as it's so much better than most of the fantasy I've ever read, but I'm judging it against literature in general and based on my own enjoyment.
It was slightly difficult to track down - the title describes the story well, but is shared with a novel by the significantly famous Michel Houellebecq which of course gets all the hits on web search. It's set in a queernorm world, which I approve of, but only the map connection got me past the fact that it's a fantasy novel, labelled as a "Book 1", and has so many strange names you can't keep track of them unless you constantly refer to the Tolkienesque world map in the front (which I didn't do, because I was reading the ebook).
The characters are likeable; Fern the cartographer is a no-nonsense, tremendously practical woman who can keep herself from despair (about the catastrophe that opens the book) by focussing on immediate practical concerns. In this, she reminded me a lot of Ursula Vernon's Digger, only without the quips and funny swearing. The other main character, Eshu, is gay which is written well, though I was slightly disappointed that he turns out to be both effeminate AND a sub, which is a bit stereotypical - if he had been one and not the other, it would have been more interesting. Still, he achieves personal growth, and more than anything else it's his romantic life that made me feel invested in the story enough to continue. The first half of the book is all about the aftermath of the catastrophe, but as everything in the world is new to us, and they are constantly travelling, I found it hard to care as much about it as I was obviously supposed to. The characters care about their home towns, but although the details we get of those are charming and specific (and psychologically rang true), they were not enough to really get a feel for the places, I felt. They stay in one place for the second half of the novel, and that worked much better.
There was a lot about Fern's practical skills, but when she finally starts to try and make a map, she gives up within a few paragraphs. There was a really interesting premise there, but not really explored, at least in this instalment.
Ultimately we find out why the catastrophe has happened, but there's no hint of what can be done about it and no closure for the characters, presumably for book 2. I like the premise, the world and the characters enough that I will definitely be buying it if it ever appears. But I am hoping that if it does, Fern will turn out to have a character flaw or inner conflict or something - here's hoping that I'll like the sequel enough to give it 4 stars! I feel slightly guilty not to rate this one higher, as it's so much better than most of the fantasy I've ever read, but I'm judging it against literature in general and based on my own enjoyment.
January 22, 2023
A cautionary tale told amidst a rich and detailed world
This is a fantasy novel of the old school, with a sprawling and fully-wrought world. It has a message in it, or rather, several. One is about how we live on the human scale, day to day, how we make choices about how we treat each other. One is sweeping, about how we view and treat - and misuse - the world we’re given, doing damage through carelessness and ignorance and greed, and how our summed choices carry consequences for everyone, whether they were part of the decisions or not. Ecology plays both a literal and a literary role here, deftly woven together. The work is so finely crafted, though, that the message never overwhelms the story, never distracts from the characters, but rather forms the nearly-unremarked landscape for the action.
There are finely-realized and realistic characters set in a finely-realized fantastical world. There’s a central driving mystery as well, and the author weaves the two together so masterfully that you are left anticipating the sequel the see the resolution of both the mystery and of the characters’ life paths.
All in all, it stands out as a tremendous work.
This is a fantasy novel of the old school, with a sprawling and fully-wrought world. It has a message in it, or rather, several. One is about how we live on the human scale, day to day, how we make choices about how we treat each other. One is sweeping, about how we view and treat - and misuse - the world we’re given, doing damage through carelessness and ignorance and greed, and how our summed choices carry consequences for everyone, whether they were part of the decisions or not. Ecology plays both a literal and a literary role here, deftly woven together. The work is so finely crafted, though, that the message never overwhelms the story, never distracts from the characters, but rather forms the nearly-unremarked landscape for the action.
There are finely-realized and realistic characters set in a finely-realized fantastical world. There’s a central driving mystery as well, and the author weaves the two together so masterfully that you are left anticipating the sequel the see the resolution of both the mystery and of the characters’ life paths.
All in all, it stands out as a tremendous work.
January 25, 2023
I couldn't resist this one, first, because of the title, and second, because one of Our Heroes is a cartographer. The other one is a wizard, yeah, whatever, but a cartographer! (I am entirely serious here.) It was a fun read, and I enjoyed it. I liked that the asexual cartographer ad the slutty (affectionate) gay wizard had such an easy friendship. But the plot was kind of a mess. Many things happened for the sake of the plot, and were not well motivated within the story. The author did a good job of making cartography and geographic knowledge useful in the adventure. I liked that.
July 30, 2023
Apocalyptic (technically post? But VERY recent post) 'road' trip fantasy in lovely prose & with well-drawn central characters (being an extremely horny gay wizard rendered without judgment, which is rarer than it should be, and a caring, loving aroace (also WAY rarer than it should be) cartographer, Queernorm done well, too.
Apparently the first in a series, and I'll eagerly read the next.
Apparently the first in a series, and I'll eagerly read the next.
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