If you’ve never flipped to the front of a book to check the map and the locations the characters are talking about, are you even a fantasy reader?

It doesn’t matter if you don’t fully understand (or pronounce) most of those places. You’re not meant to know just yet. But the moment your eyes land on those jagged coastlines and mountain ranges, and mysterious forests, a promise is made.

This isn’t just a story.

This is a world.

And as adult dark fantasy readers, that’s exactly what we crave.

We don’t just want to read the events and the characters and the battles. We want to experience them. Maps in dark fantasy aren’t just decorations. They’re magical tools that snatch us from our couches and transport us to all those fascinating worlds.

The Map of Chinderia, a Kingdom Built on Slave Trade

The first time I sat down on Inkarnate to create the map of Chinderia, I just had one look at the canvas and bolted. Learning a new tool can be a bit overwhelming and sometimes it’s just hard to start.

But as I was editing Beast of Zarall, I really needed to sit down and sort this map out. After the initial hour or two of “Ugh I hate this” suddenly something just clicked and I started enjoying it.

Turns out, map making is so therapeutic.

And not just that, it also makes my creative juices flowing. I’m looking at these forests and mountain ranges and canyons, and stories about those places are brewing in my head.

Inkarnate is a pretty intuitive tool and once you wrap your head around it, you can make worlds full of stories. I now truly understand Lion’s obsession with maps.

A map is a promise of freedom.

Looking at a map and not dreaming of going to all those magical places, not wanting to adventure in those locations, is impossible. 

And maybe that’s the real reason why adult dark fantasy readers are so drawn to maps. Because when we see a map, we don’t just want to read about the world.

We want to walk on it.