The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Released March 15, 2022

The Cartographers is a book about finding out what is important. Nell Young was a respected member of the Cartography world when her father fired her from the New York Public Library’s map division. Seven years later he dies under suspicious circumstances, and Nell finds a map (the very map she was fired over) locked in a secret compartment in her father’s desk. This map contains a secret that shattered her parents’ lives when she was just a baby.

Peng Shepherd starts the book off slow, getting the feel of the characters. I loved this because it made me invested in Nell’s struggles and somewhat unsure of where Shepherd was going to take the story. The book picks up pace once the other Cartographers start to appear and tell their stories. This is because the book is sectioned into what I like to call the Hidden Settlements of the book. Each of the Cartographers gives Nell pieces of the story, and all try to warn her about the danger she is putting herself in. This structure let Shepherd hang onto the secret that was hidden in the map for a very long time, which, when revealed, was a huge payoff.

I honestly think that this book will be taught in Contemporary American Literature classes and will have a lasting impact on the speculative fiction genre.

Where to buy:

Amazon

BookShop.org