Games

Okay, this is going to be a bit of a non-review because you probably already know if you are going to be getting this or not. Basically, it's a collection of full-colour maps of Westeros and Essos, the two continents which form the setting for the Song of Ice and Fire novels by George R.R. Martin. Either you're going to go, "Hey, awesome! I'm all in!" or be running away screaming for fear of being infected with Nerditis. The map collection comes in a smart but somewhat non-durable folder. Don't put anything on top of it for long, as it really cannot support much in the way of weight. There's a single pull-out piece of paper with marketing speak on it (more or less the same as the blurb on the back ) and that's it for any kind of textual accompaniment. Those familiar with John Howe's excellent Tolkien maps, or the maps accompanying Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, will likely find this disappointing as those maps were accompanied by small bo...

The Lands of Ice and Fire , a companion volume to A Song of Ice and Fire comprising a dozen large poster maps, is now available in the USA. Its official UK release date is 8 November, but don't be surprised to see some early copies slipping onto shelves before that date. Qarth and the Jade Gates, featuring the hitherto-unmentioned island of Great Moraq. The forested region just to the east is the kingdom of Yi Ti. The map collection features the first canon-for-the-books maps of eastern Essos, including the Jade Sea region. These maps introduce a whole host of new locations to the world of Westeros and Essos, some of which may be referenced in future books.

The Lands of Ice and Fire - a collection of poster maps depicting the world of A Song of Ice and Fire - will be published next week. io9 have released some more sneak peeks of the collection, including our first-ever canon glimpse of Asshai and the Shadow Lands: Readers of the books know that Asshai is a highly mysterious city located in the far south-eastern corner of the explored world, on the eastern shores of the Jade Sea, five thousand or more miles from Westeros. Beyond Asshai lies the even more enigmatic 'Shadow Lands', the home of mysterious people who always go masked in public (such as Daenerys's sometimes-ally Quaithe). Asshai was first mentioned in A Game of Thrones (published in 1996), but this is the first time it's been officially depicted visually in any form.

The Lands of Ice and Fire - a tie-in map book for A Song of Ice and Fire - arrives at the end of October and the final cover art for the book has been unveiled: Nothing too surprising, with a map of Westeros and some heraldic symbols forming the front cover to the book (though clearly the Tyrells and Martells annoyed someone).

Bantam have unveiled the final cover art for The Lands of Ice and Fire , the forthcoming map book accessory for the Song of Ice and Fire novels. The final cover has a familiar view, that of the lands beyond the Wall. The cartographer for the book has also been announced, Jonathan Roberts of the Fantastic Maps blog, which is well worth a look. The book will be released on 30 October 2012.

Bantam have released some more info about the forthcoming Lands of Ice and Fire map project. Images removed at creator's request. The cover and maps shown above are mock-ups. The actual images don't appear to be from A Song of Ice and Fire and are probably placeholders. Actually, it looks like a map from Neil Gower (the excellent cartographer best-known for his maps for The Malazan Book of the Fallen ), which should not be taken to mean that Gower is the artist for the map set (the artist has not yet been announced). The Lands of Ice and Fire is a boxed collection of twelve maps. Whilst we don't know the full list, we currently have the following maps listed: A 'known world' map stretching from Westeros to Asshai (a brand new map). A full map of Westeros, combining the North and the South. A detailed map of the lands Beyond the Wall (likely the same as the map in the books). A map of the Free Cities region (likely the same as the map from A Dance with Dragons )....