Customer Reviews

The Compass Rose

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I'll tell you the truth. At first I was very hesitant to start this book. I was slightly intimidated by what I had heard from some of the other reviews listed at Amazon. Luckily I was never one to follow the so called "crowd" and I picked up this fabulous book!

I will say that this book is not for everyone. If you like only romance I would not read this book, if you like only sci-fi/fantasy I would not read this book. However, if you are like me and enjoy a skillful melding of both then I highly recommend this book.

The world building is fabulous! Gail Dayton builds a world that is unique and without flaw. The only thing that keeps this book from a full 5 stars is that some problems were resolved too quickly. Dramatic tension was not allowed time to build and turn into those full-blown awkward and near-impossible situations that allow readers to stay on the edge of their seat as the hero (or in this case heroine) just nearly escape with the expected bumps and bruises and either piece of mind or a new understanding of themselves.

Otherwise though, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading the sequel. :)

This was a new writer with a new world...Arikon is the land of peace and Tibre is the land of evil. A naitan (say magician, witch, what have you) discovers she has even more power than has ever been thought possible. Kallista's power is there to conquer evil...except she will need more power to do what she is destined to do. The One (the supreme power) sends companions to Kallista. Each one does not have magic until they meet Kallista. She ignites their powers, tying all six members of the band together with devotion, power and sex. They must then set out to find and destroy the demon that is holding power over Tibre.

I especially liked...

Gail Dayton eagerly allowed a female dominant society to flower. The intertwining of family and power was depicted nicely.

I didn't like...

This land was two dimensional. Good was good, evil was evil. Shades of grey were few and far between. This is her first work for Luna. I'm hoping that new depth to characters and plots will develop in the future.

I would read a sequel, and the final chapter clearly sets up the next adventure.

I'll recommend this Book because...

A new twist in the Sci-Fi world. A story clearly aimed at the female audience, with its focus on family and relationships. I enjoyed that part of it.

I really enjoyed this book. I won't go into a synopsis of the story here because others have already done a pretty good job of that. I will say, however, that this is a writer who knows what she is doing. Her prose is well-crafted, her point-of-view work excellent, and her worldbuilding very well thought out. At no point in the story did she leave me in any doubt that I was in the hands of an expert. Her take on magic is interesting, and while somewhat similar to other magic systems, has enough little quirks and tweaks that give it its own unique flair. Her portrayal of two opposing cultures with their similarities and differences is intriguing and fun, since we get to view it through the eyes of one or more members of each culture. We also get to watch people from both of the opposing cultures come together in growing harmony, which is refreshing in and of itself as it shows that things are not always as simple as "us" against "them".

She has a gift for showing (not merely telling) the subtle nuances of relationships. I love the fact that she was not only willing to explore the polygamy and polyamoury angle, but she did it extremely well. Adara sounds like a very sensible place to live and love. The relationships between Kallista, her husbands and sister-wife are very well done and you see them grow and change over the course of the story even while they're on a dangerous mission to destroy a warmongering demon who has taken over the King of Tibre. Bravo! I look forward to additional books in the series, and may I just say...thank you, Ms. Dayton. It's about time someone wrote a fantasy with this sort of background and did it this well!

This book was concieved as the first of a trilogy, and as such falls prey to a lot of the pitfalls of "part one." Most of the book is devoted to world and character building with all the action left for the last couple of chapters. Tolkein, Robert Jordan, and RA Salvatore all have the same fault, so I wouldn't judge too harsly on that point.

It's a fun story and a quick read, not an epic masterpiece.

A lot of the holes commented on by other reviewers are being, I would presume, left for the other books.
And yes, this is Gail Dayton's first Sci-Fi/Fantasy book, she primarily writes romance, so it's got more sex than your average Fantasy book.

I wondered why such incredible poor reviews, so after reading this book, I scanned back to the reviews to recall what the big deal was and realized immediately why. If you are looking for a dramatic novel with ubber writing style than you will not be interested in this novel. As far as being erotica or soft porn, all I got to say to that is HA!! These people have NO CLUE. Try reading some of Llaurel K. Hamilton's latest novels and then talk about porn and poor writing skills.

I thought it was a light romance with action. It kept me entertained and reading for two straight days until I finished it. Granted, there was dialogue that made me frown and laugh out loud at the corniness. Still, it was entertainment and it's what most people read books for.

As an avid science fiction and fantasy fan, The Compass Rose does not disappoint. From the very first page the reader is drawn into a well-written and conceived fantasy world. Kallista Varyl is a strong-willed, powerful naitan (mage), who harbors the powers of the north. When a desperate plea to the gods to save her people results in her gaining unexpected powers, she must find her other godmarked companions and battle the demons controlling the monarch of a ruling country.

Ms. Dayton's prose pulled me into not only the story and world, but also the hearts and minds of these characters. I instantly identified with our heroine, Kallista, and her bodyguard Torchay. As the companions come together and the full extent of her magic is known, the interesting ways in which their magic manifests makes for intriguing reading.

One aspect of this novel that I especially enjoyed was the way it handled the sexual aspect of Kallista's ilian (partners - a polyamorous relationship) without delving into overtly sexual escapades. That's not to say I don't enjoy explicit sex. I do, as a reader, and a published author of such. But this novel reminded me of the expertness of Jaqueline Carey, blending fantasy, intrigue, a calling, and sex. Within this context, I found Torchay and Kallista's relationship touching, almost tear-jerking at times, as these two individuals struggled with their feelings.

I am so glad the next book comes out in only a couple of months, because I can't wait to get my hands on it. This is an excellent read, worthy of both romance fans and those who enjoy more straight-laced science fiction and fantasy. Kudos, Ms. Dayton. Kudos!

Usually when a book turns sour for me I still read it, still finish it, to see if the ending can save everything. I have read many books I didn't like but there are few books that I put down and can't pick up again. The Compass Rose is unfortunately one of those books.

It starts off great, promising everything that the back cover offered. Then somewhere around the middle more and more lovers start turning up and Kallista starts spending more time thinking about them than the enemy.

Don't get me wrong, I love romance. Some books drive me to keep reading and reading until that fateful chapter when the heroine finally sleeps with her man. The Compass Rose delivered that and then just wouldn't stop giving. I got so fed up with the "romance" in this book that not even the curiosity about the main enemy could keep me going. I gave up out of frustration and haven't regretted it since.

I've given very few books 1 star, but unfortunately I felt this one was deserving. Please take this for what it's worth: one person's opinion. I'm a 28-32 year-old man who enjoys fantasy and literary fiction. Fantasy authors I admire include Guy Gavriel Kay, George Martin, Robin Hobb, Steven Brust and Patricia McKillip. I offer this for the benefit of those with similar tastes.

I simply could not finish this book (and have already donated it to my public library). It begins adequately and has decent world-building, but about halfway in (once the strong-yet-unremarkable protagonist, Kallista, and company start toward the capital city) it sinks into a nauseating quagmire of romantic pseudo-plots and issues. The scenes are poorly paced, and for no apparent reason (other than weak attempts at creating tension), chapters begin and end in the middle of the same scene. Most glaringly, the writing is at best pedestrian and, at its worst, contains some of the most awful sentences I can recall.

An example from p. 220: "[His] hips bucked, his tip just nudging her entrance, and they both hissed with the feel of it." (Note that neither character being described is a snake-person. Also, how could neither the author nor editor chuckle whenever an agent of the 'bad' sect, The Order of the Barbed Rose, refers to his boss as the 'Master Barb'?)

If you enjoy romances and don't mind fantastical elements, then this may be a decent library loan or airplane book. However, if you're looking for a fantasy adventure, a good character-driven story, or something well-written, then I strongly recommend avoiding it.

One regretful star.

The start and end of this book showed promise, it's just too bad that the middle is what is supposed to be good in a book. The protagonist started the book out showing leardership potential but as the story progressed everything I had admired her character for slowly disappeared until only her flaws were put on display continueously by the author. The love that was so apparent and important in the beginning of the novel slowly disintegrated into a haze of confusion and lust that was completely unncessary for the plot progression. Only towards the very end of the novel after Gail had played the desperate card used for wayward female protagonists -preganacy- did the story some-what improve, as the protagonist began to regain lost ground and again show admirable qualities.

If you can't take a book that you have to wait out in order to get to the good stuff, don't get this one. It's okay but not anything more than average, even if it does have the potential for a great book.

I have been reading several of the books released under the new LUNA logo. The only thing I don't particularly like is that they all have sequels, either 3,4,5, or 6 to complete the story. However, some are so good you are more than willing to wait. They also end at a good point. This one started out good, but as the story moves slowly and surely to a point where it can be left for a sequel you are quite tired, and I was disappointed. The family structure of 6 to 12 people per marriage just didn't do a thing for me. I'm afraid I am old fashioned enough to want a one on one marriage or love affair.

Kallista Varyl is a natian with north magic. She can throw lightening. When her country is invaded and they are overrun she seeks help from the One. She is filled with great power. Then she finds she has to connect with several other people who are filled by the One. Togather they must face a demon who is the king of the invading country.

Some of this is good reading and you hope she and Torchay will get togather, he is her bodyguard. He has guarded her for 9 years. He has been in love with her for quite a while. It is against their laws for he and she to become close. I just thought that with all the great possibilities it was kind of a let down the way things worked out. It may be different for male readers but I think female readers will be alittle put off. I know I was.