A Buyer’s Guide to Maps of Antarctica, a fantasy short story by Catherynne M. Valente published in the May 2008 issue of the online science fiction and fantasy magazine Clarkesworld, tells the tale of two rival Argentine cartographers mapping the Antarctic, one of whom is mapping a rather strange version of reality. What makes this story interesting, however, is how it’s told: as a series of lots in an auction. The whole effect is redolent of Borges, which is a good thing if you ask me — but maybe I just think that because it’s set in Argentina. Then again, maybe the fact that it’s set in Argentina is deliberate. A nice piece.

Previously: Map Corsets; Another Word for Map Is Faith.