I work in a bookstore. Here's a book gripe:

To any fantasy authors out there, if you think you are going to write a novel about an imaginary place and NOT include a frickin' map, and expect me to read it, you are sadly mistaken.

I'm sure all of my friends know that I have a serious love of maps. I think maps are cool. And when you are dealing with a fantastic story, set in a place that does not exist in reality, a map of the setting is an important visual tool for the reader to help them imagine the setting.

Also, creating maps for fantasy settings can be quite fun. I just don't understand why any fantasy author wouldn't include one.