Every good fantasy book needs a map, and From the Valley of Orchids has five.

Throughout the nine books in The Legend of Saru, you’ll explore all fifteen provinces of Yamato, from the sweltering Osumi in the south of Kyushu to the frozen northern plains of Ezo where the White City of Niseko looms:

The scrolls of the island names reference landmarks from the stories. In Ezo, you’ll see the swamp plants from the Rubythroat Fens and the Stone Pillars of Shakotan. East Honshu features Mount Kazan and the petrified tree from the Adachi Wastes. In West Honshu, there’s Ihara’s Cave, Mount Ogawa and the Kraken of the Deep. Meanwhile, Shikoku features the whirlpools of the Naruto Strait with Mount Ishizuchi beyond. Finally, Kyushu includes the staggering peak of Mount Shouza with the Europan style turrets of Shouza College.

Designing these maps drove me to several nervous breakdowns (just ask my wife!), so I hope you’ll enjoy them and find them helpful. They were made using elements from K.M. Alexander’s Ishikawa Set, Map Effects Fantasy Map Builder and Japan Map by Vemaps.com.

A version of the whole of Yamato is available here.

The ebook of From the Valley of Orchids (book one in The Legend of Saru) releases on May 22nd. The paperbacks and hardbacks are out now.