The Cartographers
#11483.62 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 2022 Reading commitment Low Peng Shepherd Last reviewed 2026-11-01
Overview
The Cartographers is a standalone contemporary fantasy novel by Peng Shepherd, published by William Morrow in 2022. Nell Young, a map historian who lost her place at the New York Public Library's Map Division after a break with her father, investigates his death and a worthless-looking 1930s gas station map. Her search draws in a secret group called the Cartographers, a mapping company whose virtual maps can predict events, and Agloe, a town that exists because mapmakers invented it. The novel blends a mystery with magical realism, and maps are shown to shape both places and how people see them. It does not share a world with the author's other novels, and no sequel is listed.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Cartographers Peng Shepherd
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Cartographers | 2022 | 1 | core | 3.62 (83,682 ratings) |
A standalone novel about a map historian, a secret society and a hidden town that exists only on maps.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Cartographers? The Cartographers's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Cartographers finished? Complete (2022).
- How much reading does The Cartographers take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book).
- How is The Cartographers ranked? #1148 in this site's official ranking, based on 83,682 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #1148?
Ranked #1148 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.62 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (83,682 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #1147, Greyhawk (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Modestly rated · 1 book · Complete · 84k ratings · Ranks #1148 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment urban fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.62 across 83,682 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 27 universes; 5 candidates ruled out; older open items closed accepted 2026-11-01
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Kirkus Reviews Tier 2
- Locus Magazine review Tier 2
- Tor.com review Tier 2
- Peng Shepherd (Wikipedia) Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-01
Rule: Core Canon = The Cartographers (2022).