The Cartographers: A Novel

Finalist for the LA Times Book Prize

From the critically acclaimed author of The Book of M, a highly imaginative thriller about a young woman who discovers that a strange map in her deceased father’s belongings holds an incredible, deadly secret—one that will lead her on an extraordinary adventure & to the truth about her family’s dark history.

What is the purpose of a map? 

Nell Young’s whole life & greatest passion is cartography. Her father, Dr. Daniel Young, is a legend in the field & Nell’s personal hero. But she hasn’t seen or spoken to him ever since he cruelly fired her & destroyed her reputation after an argument over an old, cheap gas station highway map.

But when Dr. Young is found dead in his office at the New York Public Library, with the very same seemingly worthless map hidden in his desk, Nell can’t resist investigating. To her surprise, she soon discovers that the map is incredibly valuable & exceedingly rare. In fact, she may now have the only copy left in existence...because a mysterious collector has been hunting down & destroying every last one—along with anyone who gets in the way.

But why?

To answer that question, Nell embarks on a dangerous journey to reveal a dark family secret & discovers the true power that lies in maps...

Perfect for fans of Joe Hill & V. E. Schwab, The Cartographers is an ode to art & science, history & magic—a spectacularly imaginative, modern story about an ancient craft & places still undiscovered.

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Peng Shepherd’s debut, The Book of M, won the 2019 Neukom Institute for Literary Arts Award for Debut Speculative Fiction, & was chosen as a best book of the year by Amazon, Elle, Refinery29, & The Verge, as well as a best book of the summer by the Today show & NPR’s On Point.