The Mapmaker's War: Keeper of Tales Trilogy: Book One: 1 (The Keeper of Tales Trilogy) - Hardcover

Domingue, Ronlyn

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1451688881 ISBN 13: 9781451688887

Publisher: Atria Books, 2013

Synopsis

Long ago, a girl named Aoife is allowed a rare apprenticeship to become her kingdom's mapmaker, tasked with charting the entire land. Years later, she finds a secretive people beyond its borders who live in peace and among great wealth. After her kingdom learns of their existence and perceives them as a threat, she attempts to warn the people of imminent danger. Aoife is exiled for treason, leaving behind her infant twins and her kingdom at war.

She finds refuge in a distant village among the very people who had been declared her enemy. With them, she begins a new life surrounded by kindness, equality, and cooperation. But within herself, Aoife has no peace. She cannot share her true feelings of the home and children she left behind. She cannot bear the scars of the man she comes to love, who was traumatized by the war she thinks she caused. The Mapmaker's Waris Aoife's tale in her own words, an account of the lies, betrayal, hope, and love that made her who she is. It is a legend in the making.

About this title

Review

“Journey to the heart of a fairy-tale land with doomed queens, epic quests, and enemy kingdoms in The Mapmaker’s War. Ronlyn Domingue’s jewel of a book has a big canvas, memorable characters, and intimate storytelling. You will be swept away by this otherworldly tale that charts the all-too-human territory between heartbreak and hope.” (Deborah Harkness, New York Times bestselling author of A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night)

“A map can make sense out of the seen world. But it can also evoke greed. And what of a map of the heart? Legend, allegory, fantasy—this second novel by Domingue entwines genres to cast a spell upon its reader.... A curious, thought-provoking story about how the heart’s terrain bears charting, too.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Beautifully capturing the tone and voice of a classically told tale, Ronlyn Domingue crafts a deeply intelligent, richly enhanced tale of magic, power, greed, and the infinite resilience of the human heart.” (New York Journal of Books)

“The book is reminiscent of some Edwardian novels in its emphasis on class and women’s issues. Its mysticism and naturalism also recall the classic Green Mansions, published during that period. If you give Domingue’s book a chance, it’ll entrance you.” (The Advocate)

“Domingue follows up this success with The Mapmaker's War, another bold and innovative tale of a woman fighting for her place, told by second-person narrative.” (Monroe News Star)

“A fun read for fantasy lovers.” (Publishers Weekly)

“Domingue deftly explores themes of motherhood, gender equality, and the powerful ties that bind us to our roots, while at the same time mesmerizing the reader with the story of a mythical land struggling to protect itself from the greed and jealousy of the slowly encroaching outside world.” (Booklist)

“What a stunning, original book this is—restrained and sensual, cerebral and lush, always blazingly intelligent, epic and expansive, yet filled with the most precisely and lovingly observed details. This is one of the best books I've read in years. Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's best work and yet wholly its own, The Mapmaker’s War evokes one of its heroine’s fantastic, world-defining maps: giving lines to human landscapes as old as myth, seemingly for the first time. You won’t be able to put this book down, and it will take you somewhere you've never been, leaving you transformed.” (Carolyn Turgeon, author of Mermaid and The Fairest of Them All)

“The Mapmaker's War is an extraordinary tale of a woman's courage in an ancient Utopian world. Domingue has taken on the herculean task of inventing a new legend, and the result is a remarkable novel at once absorbing and heart wrenching, but above all mesmerizing!” (M.J. Rose, internationally bestselling author of Seduction)

“The Mapmaker's War evokes not mere fantasy, but the real magic I found as a child, reading by flashlight under a blanket. As then, the story takes me by the hand to exotic lands and noble people. As it proceeds, I'm reminded of myself as a teen-age girl, chafing under the restrictions of an established order. Further on, I'm lead into adulthood. The story keeps me under its spell, but it fills with adult contradictions, with experiences of betrayal and regret, with sex and self-knowledge, with the reality of evil, and all the while, yes, the same old magic. But the magic has matured, now, redeemed by love and wisdom.” (Ava Leavell Haymon, author of Why the House Is Made of Gingerbread: Poems, Winner of the MIAL 2011 Prize for Poetry)

About the Author

Ronlyn Domingue was a finalist for the 2005 Borders Original Voices Award. Her work has appeared in New England Review, Clackamas Literary Review, New Delta Review, and The Independent (UK). She lives in Louisiana with her partner, Todd, and their cats. Visit her website at www.ronlyndomingue.com

About this edition

• Publisher: Atria Books
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1451688881
• ISBN 13: 9781451688887
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 240