The Cartographers

The Cartographers

Some places you won’t find on any maps. Others are only on maps.

Nell Young hasn’t spoken to her father, the world-respected cartographer Dr. Daniel Young, in years – but this morning he was found dead in his office at the New York Public Library.

When they last met, Dr. Young fired Nell after an argument over a seemingly worthless mass-produced highway map. Now every copy of this map is being found and destroyed.

To find out why, Nell will embark on a dangerous journey into the heart of a conspiracy beyond belief, discovering her family’s darkest secrets and the true power that lies in maps . . .

“Deeply satisfying… brilliant.”

Washington Post

Review by 1000 Libraries

The Cartographers is a captivating novel that masterfully blends mystery, fantasy, and a profound exploration of what defines reality. It’s the kind of book that will ensure readers look at every map with a new perspective, wondering if there’s more to its lines than meets the eye.

“Maps were love letters written to times and places their makers had explored.”

The story begins with a compelling mystery that draws the protagonist, a cartographer herself, into a hidden world connected to her estranged family and a seemingly ordinary map. Thereby begins Peng Shepherd’s process of unveiling an imaginative concept that is both intellectually fascinating and wonderfully magical, hinting at cartographic abilities far beyond what we understand.

With its meticulous and evocative writing, The Cartographers guides readers through an aptly-paced intricate narrative with an utterly seamless grace. While layers of secrets are progressively unfolded, there’s never a loss of emotional depth, ensuring the story’s rich resonance.

A triumph of inventive storytelling, The Cartographers is a journey into a world where maps don’t just show you where you are, but perhaps, where you could be. This masterpiece from Peng Shepherd is highly recommended for anyone seeking a unique, thought-provoking read that challenges the boundaries of imagination.

“An engrossing tale involving maps, murders, and rooms that are not there. Readers will be hooked and find their imaginations sparking as they turn the pages. A shimmering delight, full of wonder, danger, and marvel.”

“Shepherd's convincing blend of magic from old maps with the modern online world both delights and thrills.”

“With an elaborately realized plot, fanatic cartographers, maps with surreal powers generated by phantom settlements (intentional errors), and many-faceted suspense, Shepherd contrasts science and art, obsession and love in a bedazzling metaphysical tale of lost and found.”

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