One reason I became intrigued by the fantasy genre when I was younger was the maps. It was easy to get lost in books and be swept up into other places and times, but something about the addition of a map made it more immersive. I still like to bookmark the map and flip back and forth to it as I read and trace the journeys of the characters. The maps draw me in, and I like that even when they’re made for different stories and worlds, fantasy maps tend to have the same look. It’s reassuring. So, when I saw modern cities drawn in the style of those fantasy maps, I flipped. I can pretend Los Angeles is sparsely populated city in a land where people use words like “Ser?” Yes, please.

The maps are made and sold by geographer Stentor Danielson in his Etsy shop Mapsburgh. He started designing the art a few years ago and has envisioned cities such as Pittsburgh, New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland (pictured above), and more as though they were part of epic tales a la A Song of Ice and Fire. Once Danielson has completed a map for a given city, he lists it as a print at Etsy. Most of the prints are 8.5 by 11 inches and a handful are in color.

Los Angeles:

New York:

Neat, right? These maps would make a great gifts for the people in your life who have strong feelings about fantasy books.

Is your city more like Mordor or the Shire? Let us know in the comments.

HT: Boing Boing