Which are your favorite maps in fantasy fiction?

[vgunn]

I can still remember looking at the map from the Lord of Rings as I read the books for the first time. I've always had an affinity for maps, especially in fantasy fiction. In fact, I have struggled to make it through some books which have left them out.

As to my question, which maps from fantasy novels are your favorites?

Very simple, but I really liked the maps from the Shannara series. Feist's Midkemia had a good one as well. More recently, Kick Caldwell drew the maps for Greg Keyes' Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone trilogy and I think he did a great job.

Here is Caldwell's map:

[AslanC]

The maps in the Belgariad were the ones that always worked best for me.

They really took me there and made it more real for me.

Man I should reread that series again

[vgunn]

The maps in the Belgariad were the ones that always worked best for me.

Wasn't a fan of the books, but did enjoy those maps as well.

Here is a map for Midkemia from Feist's novels:

[Gandwarf]

Harry Potter

No, the maps I guess I am most fond of are Tolkien's. They ooze atmosphere...

[ravells]

I guess I really like the one from 'The Steel Remains'....but then I would !

Seriously though I'd go for the one in 'The Hobbit'.

[Steel General]

I'd have to say the Hobbit/LoTR maps are my all time favorites. I also like the ones in the Song of Ice & Fire novels and the Erikson novels as well.

...oh and certainly can't forget Ravs map in 'The Steel Remains'

[Ascension]

My all time fave was the cloth map from Ultima IV on the Commodore 64 back in 1984 (I think). Shelly Shapiro's maps in the Eddings books back in high school are also up there. Never read The Hobbit so I never saw that map (until the movies came out and there are maps everywhere) but by then I was starting down my own road of map-making so they don't do anything for me now. I'm also keen on amusement park maps You are here --> O

[Redstar]

Hmm, its a hard call. How about top five, in no particular order?

1. Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past - mmm, psuedo-isometric goodness
2. Cloth map form Ultima Online - just good stuff
3. Hobbit - I agree with what others said, I studied that map to no end
4. Can't remember the name - but it was this insane city map from Warhammer RPG some industrial city by the river. It was posted around here once. Mind blowing the amount of detail and scale.
5. The Freeport map - brilliantly done.

[Worldswalker]

Back around 1980 I bought J.B. Post's The Atlas of Fantasy, and that really kicked off my life-long love for these sorts of maps. My list of favorites is way too lengthy, but it includes all of Shapiro's maps for Eddings' works, the Tolkien maps, the Pern map, and the Haff and Martin Oz maps.

Top of my list, however, would probably have to be Geoffrey Mandel's Star Trek atlas and Karen Wynn Fonstad's atlases; I've got Pern and Middle Earth, both of which are great, and I'd like to get her Forgotten Realms and The Land books.

[Coyotemax]

I've noticed a lot of people mentioning tolkien's maps..

As much as I'm not one for following the crowd, I have to admit that I got my inspiration from there way back when. My first ever map was a hex grid interpretation of Middle Earth (i mentioned the stoy behind that somewhere in the forum here, it involved hand-drawing all 24 sheets of hex paper by hand, lol)

After reading the Hobbit, I got *totally* interested in maps, and while I stopped creating them about 20 years ago (life changes, boo/yay) that's what still inspires me, and i've come full circle...