Commuting to Another World: Spaces of Transport and Transport Maps in Urban Fantasy

Abstract

In fantasy and science fiction more than any other genres of fiction, mapping is an essential supplement, and often a precursor, to the standard creative process of character development and plotting. This chapter examines a particular kind of mapping, the particular kinds of spaces it maps, and the peculiar imaginary surrounding it: the urban transport system and its relationship to the contemporary sub-genre of urban fantasy with which it has emerged. The chapter considers a range of texts by writers including China Miéville, Neil Gaiman, Laurence Leonard, Michael de Larrabeiti, Neal Shusterman, Suzanne Collins, and Lauren Beukes. It concludes with a brief analysis of Michael Moorcock’s Mother London (1988) and Thomas Pynchon’s Against the Day (2006).