The Map of All Things is a great second instalment to the Terra Incognita series. Unlike The Edge of the World, The Map of All Things does not leap forward in time, indicating that we have reached the narrative’s key time frame and that central characters such as Anjine, Mateo, Criston, Aldo, Adrea and Saan have established themselves in their most crucial positions. Saan and Criston are leading separate voyages to Terra Vita and Joron; Adrea, as first wife to Soldan-Shah Omra has toppled the Sakiras of the Urecari church, Anjine is Queen following the tragic and sudden deaths of both her father and brother; Aldo is a respected navigator aboard Criston’s ship the Dyscovera and Mateo is a well established and respected soldier, devoted to his Queen and country. It appears that they are all primed and awaiting the resolutions of their tales in the third book The Key to Creation as, I must say, am I.
More so than the last, this book really throws itself into the mythology of its world, with Myths, gods and fantastical creatures all becoming realised. Though The Edge of the World had its share of sea monsters and stories, The Map of All Things encounters the wife, daughter and decaying corpse of Ondun, the Atlantis-like lost continent of the Saedrans and the mer-saedrans that inhabit the sunken world and the serpent that encompasses the world.
The figure of the Teacher is also a fantastic creation. The shadowy figure that brutally trains and commands the ra’virs (captured Tierran children brainwashed and sent back to Tierra as ruthless killers) is a terrifying and intriguing image. Yet, I found the revolution of the Teacher’s true identity something of an anticlimax.
Overall, I enjoyed reading The Map of All Things, it certainly kept me up late reading.
Next book Myths of the Norsemen by Roger Lancelyn Green
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