The Last Mapmaker

By: Christina Soontornvat

Narrated by: Sura Siu

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

"Sura Siu captivates as she narrates this breathtaking seafaring adventure."
—Audiofile Magazine

"[A] tale full of both excitement and heart."
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From Christina Soontornvat, the visionary and versatile author of two 2021 Newbery Honor Books, comes a high-seas adventure set in a Thai-inspired fantasy world.

In a fantasy adventure every bit as compelling and confident in its world building as her Newbery Honor Book A Wish in the Dark, Christina Soontornvat explores a young woman’s struggle to unburden herself of the past and chart her own destiny in a world of secrets. As assistant to Mangkon’s most celebrated mapmaker, twelve-year-old Sai plays the part of a well-bred young lady with a glittering future. In reality, her father is a conman—and in a kingdom where the status of one’s ancestors dictates their social position, the truth could ruin her. Sai seizes the chance to join an expedition to chart the southern seas, but she isn’t the only one aboard with secrets. When Sai learns that the ship might be heading for the fabled Sunderlands—a land of dragons, dangers, and riches beyond imagining—she must weigh the cost of her dreams. Vivid, suspenseful, and thought-provoking, this tale of identity and integrity is as beautiful and intricate as the maps of old.

©2022 Christina Soontornvat (P)2022 Spotify Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"*[An] imaginative Thai-inspired fantasy." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"With action that moves faster than a ship under full sail, The Last Mapmaker is a Thai-inspired fantasy brimming with adventure, surprises and betrayal." --Bookpage

"[A] swashbuckling, seafaring potboiler." —The New York Times Book Review

Adventurous Story

Good storytelling with real life experiences woven in. Fun read. Liked the audiobook would recommend.

Fantastic voyage.

Loved the first 7/8 of the book. Would have liked the same attention to detail in the end of the book as was in the beginning. The end took 10 minutes. Over all I enjoyed the book.

Amazing Adventure fiction

Love this voyage set to create maps for new lands in fabled dragon infested waters!

Very entertaining

great characters, setting and story. enjoyed it. I took a star off because the plot was rushed in a few places. several times I missed big transitions or events.

Read the story

It was amazing. It was great. It had a lot of meaning to it. It was adventurous and very fun. It had everything like scariness happiness, sometimes drama funny it was amazing overall.

Good story for the whole family

We listened to this as a family and were so invested in the story! My husband was even excited to listen, which is not typical.

Amazing

It was one of the best books ever it’s amazing I love it so much

Get ready for a get away boat.

This book will take you on a roller coaster of emotions as you follow Sai on a trip to understand how you can't escape the past.

Marvelously well-written, beautifully narrated

An extremely well-written and narrated story of a 12 year old girl who is determined to succeed, fighting the odds, and who is not perfect but earnestly tries to do better. The book is marvelously plotted, although I would have enjoyed a much longer resolution...I had to re-read the last few short chapters as I thought I missed something. That is the only flaw. I will say, I was shocked by the villain...the author really surprised me. The complexities of the plot and every single character were so well-rendered. I know this is technically a middle-school or young adult novel, but it is completely engrossing to any thoughtful adult. The social commentary on class, colonization, abuse/respect of other creatures, and other themes is well-treated, but not at all with a sledge hammer. The writing is excellent. The narration is excellent. The book moves along very fast, engrossing throughout. I would have enjoyed it twice as long!

Excellent story

When I was young I loved Stevenson’s Kidnapped, This book is in that genre, excellently crafted and the narrator was perfect.