Kindle Price: $21.99

Save $2.00 (8%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the author

Stefan Ekman
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Here Be Dragons: Exploring Fantasy Maps and Settings Kindle Edition

by Stefan Ekman (Author), Stefar Ekman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 7 ratings
See all formats and editions

First in-depth study of the use of landscape in fantasy literature

Winner of the Mythopoeic Scholarship Award for Myth and Fantasy Studies (2016)

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.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    292 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Wesleyan University Press
  5. Publication date
    February 19, 2013
  6. File size
    6659 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. See all details
Next page

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This excellent and innovative work draws on theoretical ideas from inside and outside of fantasy scholarship, and combines an impressively broad survey of texts with thoughtful reading of key examples. Ekman convincingly shows how much of fantasy’s significance comes from its representation of settings.” (Brian Attebery)

“What do maps and mapping have to tell us about the construction of fantasy worlds? What is the role of landscape in the creation of the myth-scape of fantasy? Here Be Dragons considers the role of boundaries and ‘polders’ in constructing the dynamics of fantasy and asks how the mythological relations of humans to their world are shaped.” (Farah Mendlesohn, author of Rhetorics of Fantasy) --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Review

Fantastic and surreal landscapes are one of the unique charms of the fantasy genre. Yet, scholarship on fantasy has tended to focus on character and lot over setting. In Here Be Dragons, Stefan Ekman aims to fill this lacuna of fantasy scholarship by providing a critical vocabulary that explores the unique role maps and settings paly. Here Be Dragons is a valuable contribution to fantasy studies. Jason M. Calabrese Baidenmann, SFRA Review"

"Here Be Dragons...provide[s] a starting point for future scholarship on the topic. It will be a useful grounding reference for scholars who intend to explore these themes in greater analytical depth." --Stentor Danielson, Historical Geography

"Here Be Dragons ... provide[s] a starting point for future scholarship on the topic. It will be a useful grounding reference for scholars who intend to explore these themes in greater analytical depth."--Stentor Danielson "Historical Geography" (12/1/2016 12:00:00 AM)

"This volume will be a welcome addition to libraries and personal collections, and the framework of topical study would make an excellent teaching tool and exemplar for students. This book is recommended not only for Ekman's clear and precise writing style, but also for the polishing interweaving of primary and secondary sources so that each illuminates the other purposefully ... Ekman's study has added much to the array of tools at critics' disposal in the discussion of fantasy texts."--Caitlin Herington "Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts" (1/1/2015 12:00:00 AM)

"Fantastic and surreal landscapes are one of the unique charms of the fantasy genre. Yet, scholarship on fantasy has tended to focus on character and lot over setting. In Here Be Dragons, Stefan Ekman aims to fill this lacuna of fantasy scholarship by providing a critical vocabulary that explores the unique role maps and settings play ... Here Be Dragons is a valuable contribution to fantasy studies."--Jason M. Calabrese Baidenmann "SFRA Review" (1/1/2014 12:00:00 AM) --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BPXGP72B
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wesleyan University Press (February 19, 2013)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 19, 2013
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 6659 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 292 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 7 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Stefan Ekman

Stefan Ekman

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
7 global ratings

Top review from the United States

JBaidenmann
5.0 out of 5 stars ... book is intended mainly for scholars of fantasy and fantastic literature, but fantasy enthusiasts
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2014
This book is intended mainly for scholars of fantasy and fantastic literature, but fantasy enthusiasts, and particularly Tolkien fans, will get a lot out of it. Ekman's analysis of the black-and-red inked maps in The Lord of the Rings provides some fascinating incite into Tolkien's creative process, breadth of knowledge, and the world of Middle-Earth. I found Ekman's use of concepts like 'paratexts', 'docemes', and 'polders' particularly useful in my own research and understanding of the fantasy genre.

For a more scholarly review of this book, check out my review in the Number 307-308 Winter/Spring 2014 SFRA Review: http://www.sfra.org/sfrareview
10 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Joedylan
5.0 out of 5 stars An intresting and systematic review
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
A well written and in-depth review of the topic of fantasy maps in novels. Ekman brings academic rigour and quality of writing together in an effective package and it should be read by academics and aspiring fantasy authors alike
Report
Dr Leah Phillips
3.0 out of 5 stars A comprehensive, useful book.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 23, 2017
Verified Purchase
Ekman's look at maps is comprehensive. It's a useful book. Though, it does tend towards repetition as it progresses - but, as he's attempting to define and catalogue a range of maps and their usage, some repetition is to be expected.
Report
Kindle Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars Could use some pictures.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 18, 2017
Verified Purchase
An interesting read, but the author's style is rather flat and a bit of a slog. It is a shame there are no pictures, which you'd think there would be for a book about maps. Maybe the publisher couldn't get the rights?
One person found this helpful
 Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report