- Paperback: 312 pages
- Publisher: Betancourt & Company (September 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1596873930
- ISBN-13: 978-1930997851
- ASIN: 193099785X
- Product Dimensions: 22.4 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 481 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #2,467,253 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Readers who don't balk at the hefty price will find this first fantasy novel a clever concoction of vignettes and short stories knitted into a morality tale about the temptation of illusion and the price of truth. In an exotic setting reminiscent of Tanith Lee's Flat Earth series, Nazarian introduces a cast of characters all in search of something. Learra quests for the legendary island of Amarantea, "where the soul flies in search of wonder, when sleep takes you by the eyelashes," only to turn her back on it in the end. Cruel Lord Cireive executes Ailsan, Queen of Risei, the last of her people, only to find that her death gives her the power to defeat him. A king determined to find the "true End of the World" sends off teams of explorers, only to reject their discovery and suffer the consequences. Storyteller Annaelit insults the god of Things Left Over and finds herself at odds with her own counsel: "the world is shaped by two things stories told and the memories they leave behind." At the core of this sprawling saga is Nadir, "lowest of the low," whose only chance at redemption lies in saving the soul of a heartless wizard's daughter from the Lord of Illusion. The author's sumptuous language will resonate with Lord Dunsany and Clark Ashton Smith fans, even if it's not to most modern tastes. Despite a tendency to belabor the obvious, as when a wise servant tells her foolish master, "in the end only the truth will save us," Nazarian's vital themes and engaging characters are sure to entertain.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
Nazarian's story cycle treads the borderline between the episodic novel and the short-story collection, recalling the work of contemporary fantasist Charles de Lint, early-twentieth-century fantasist Lord Dunsany, and even, reaching way back, The Thousand and One Nights. The book's underlying theme is the convergence of souls through the operations of the Compass Rose, located in the island realm of Amarantea and employing warriors and princesses, servants and conquerors, and, above all, storytellers. Nazarian's characterizations are sometimes uncertain, but her imagery is rich, vivid, and memorable, not to mention being remarkable because she realizes it not in her native language, Russian, but in English. She honors another tradition of the fantasy story cycle--slow pacing--but makes sure that the book can be read in snippets with no loss of pleasure or appreciation. Indeed, this is a singularly appealing book by a new voice in fantasy. Roland Green
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dreams of the Compass Rose,
By
This review is from: Dreams of the Compass Rose (Hardcover)
While all of the chapters can stand as stories on their own, together they build a complete, unique, and fascinating world with an unusually rich mythology and civilization. This is a fascinating read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Unusual and Engaging Fantasy,
By
This review is from: Dreams of the Compass Rose (Hardcover)
This book is different than a lot of fantasy I've read. Some of the stories read like folk tales with the author's grand, old world style. I loved the imagery and vastness of the world of the Compass Rose. I was a little overwhelmed at times, but the author's choice to tell the story through separate yet intertwined tales made the book very accessible for me. Like buying a very rich, giant-size chocolate bar and being able to breaking off tiny scored bites or a huge section. Very enjoyable book! I'm glad I bought it.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good First Try,
By A Customer
This review is from: Dreams of the Compass Rose (Hardcover)
All over the Internet long-time fantasy readers complain about novels that are cookie-cutter product, each the same as the last, with the same elements, told in the same bland style.Well, here at last in a new writer who is experimenting with a different style, and with different material. Nazarian describes DREAMS OF THE COMPASS ROSE as a collage novel; what it really is is a series of short stories, with some of the same characters wandering through. Her style sometimes falters, as if reaching for an effect her skills haven't quite defined, but that's a minor flaw when you compare it to the rich vivid detail of her imagery, the humor, the pathos, the faint trace-elements from mythologies outside the same old Western venue. There is strong potential here; the sequence from the storyteller's point of view shows evidence of brilliance. Readers who like something strange and new should take a risk on this book, and support an emerging writer who is trying to break the mold. Go on, take a chance, I dare you to foretell just where this tale is going. If you shrug and pass, you cannot blame publishers for squashing new voices and putting out yet more bland by-the-numbers product: vote with your wallet.
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