The Cartographers - Peng Shepherd

I think I was about eight or nine years old when I discovered the road atlas at the library. As we often drove a distance to see relatives, I was excited to see a hard copy of our route through the many towns on the way there. That led to finding and marking off the places I'd been. And I have to admit, I am still fascinated by paper maps and all the small places on the way to somewhere.

Peng Shepherd's new book, The Cartographers called to me...

"What is the purpose of a map? "The answer to that question is much more complicated than just 'directions'. Nell Young discovers that a vintage road map is much more than it seems to be at first glance.  And there are many people who want to get their hands on it. Oh, the premise is wonderful, opening up so many roads this plot could take! (And it most certainly had me thinking about maps in a different way)

Nell is a wonderful lead - strong, driven and determined. But she's also experienced great loss in many ways. The supporting characters are just as well drawn. There are quite a few, but each has a role to play. (I really liked Felix)

The book unfolds through a past and present timeline. The listener is alongside Nell as she put the pieces together. There's lots of action and much food for thought in regards to a map's purpose.

Family, love, loss, grief, friendship, betrayal and sacrifice all come into play alongside the murders, mystery - and magic of The Cartographers.

The Cartographers is read with a cast of narrators which I always appreciate. It makes it very easy to know what character is speaking. It also makes listening more 'real', more immersive, if you will, bringing the listener into the story. The narrators featured Emily Woo Zeller, Nancy Wu, Karen Chilton, Ron Butler, Neil Hellegers, Jason Culp and Brittany Pressley. Some of these readers were familiar to me, others were new. But they all did a wonderful job bringing Shepherd's work to life. Their voices absolutely suited the characters they were reading, creating clear mental picture of everyone. The speaking was clear, easy to understand and pleasant to listen to. The tenor of the story is illustrated with their voices. Hear for yourself - listen to an audio excerpt of The Cartographers.

The World Gives Way - Marissa Levien

I am fascinated with the imaginings of what Earth might look like in the future. Marissa Levien has come up with her own spin on in her new novel, The World Gives Way.

"In fifty years, Myrra will be free." Myrra Dal was born into a 'contract', as were generations before her. But in fifty years, her servitude will be done and the Earth will have made it to a safe place. For you see, Earth has been recreated on a massive scale - as a ship. They've been travelling for over one hundred years already. The earth as we know it is just a memory, with some artifacts still around. (Interestingly wood is one of those artifacts. At today's Covid prices, we might be heading there!)

Levien's world building is quite beautiful, with every country having added their bit of the world, the ship. But it is built for the elite, the wealthy. Then, the unthinkable happens and everything changes for Myrra, and she grabs the unexpected opportunity. The reader is along for the journey as she runs from her current situation to what is hopefully a safe haven. 

I initially thought The World Gives Way would be more dystopian, more sci-fi. It is, but the human connections are what drives this book forward and take center stage. There are two main characters - Myrra and Tobias, the agent chasing her. Expectations and duty start to take a backseat to real human emotions, desires, wants, hopes and more. 

Levien is a beautiful writer. The descriptions of time and space are vivid and bring the world, the ship to life. But again, it is that exploration of what it is to be human, to feel and to just be that really drew me in. She captures the uncertainty and then the freedom of just living through her two leads. The ending? Not what I imagined, but exactly right. 

The World Gives Way is a slow burning, strong debut. See for yourself - read an excerpt of The World Gives Way.