(Click on the cover image to embiggen)
The first title published by Candlemark & Gleam was the remarkable sui generis fantasy Erekos by A. M. Tuomala, an original secondary world with absorbing characters (some of whom are gods). Subsequently, our press also published Tuomala’s Drakon, aptly described as “Tolstoy with dragons”—as immersive and vividly drawn as Erekos and with equally unforgettable characters (some of whom are dragons). Both novels received starred reviews and Year’s-Best status in the fantasy category from Publishers Weekly and Booklist.
Candlemark is thrilled to have been entrusted with The Map and the Territory, A. M. Tuomala’s third foray of inspired imagination. A riveting, sui generis apocalyptic picareque fantasy in a richly imagined, fully inhabited world, the novel is equal parts Station Eleven and Emberverse, a unique retelling of the consequences of hubris—of the refusal of those with power to reconsider careless stewardship. Not surprisingly, it also received a starred review from Publishers Weekly (“Gripping, vivid, and magical”). Here’s the appetite-whetting synopsis:
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.
Such a riveting work calls for a cover artist of equally potent talent. Today I get to share the stunning, evocative cover of The Map and the Territory, created by H. Won, which distills the content of the work and brings its protagonists brilliantly to life.
The Map and the Territory, first in the projected series Spell and Sextant, will launch on December 12. Until then, keep your scientific and magical instruments sharp!
