Ellis Knox is a private fantasy author who needed a map depicting the general area and major features of the eastern Roman Empire for his altearth novel, Goblins at the Gates. The premise of the novel focuses on both Romans and members of extant “barbarian” tribes fighting to keep the goblin menace out of Roman provinces. My goal as a cartographer was to provide an overview of the region while evoking the style of an antique production. To accomplish this, I included only the necessary labels and features, and illustrated mountains in a vintage “hatchure” style. Toponyms also evoke an antique style with their Roman-era names.
“Zach Bodenner did excellent work for my fantasy map. I presented him with a special challenge: take an existing historical map, keep some of the elements, change others, and add new ones. Make it all look as if it were a single, original map. Since I am a historian by profession, I am rather particular in my map requirements. He met the challenge perfectly, giving my readers a convincing map that is easy to read yet contains all the details that are needed. He is easy to work with and was professional throughout the transaction. I recommend him to other authors without hesitation.”