2002 Nebula Awards Preliminary Ballot Nominee The world is shaped by two things — stories told and the memories they leave behind. The Compass Rose universe -- an ancient milieu where places have no names, cities spring forth like bouquets in the desert, gods and dreams walk the scorching sands in the South, ice floats like mirror shards upon the Northern sea, islands that do not exist are found in the East, death chases a thief on the rooftops of a Western city, immortal love spans time, and directions are intertwined into one road we all travel.... You come to this place when you wonder, and sometimes, only when you dream. What is the nature of evil? When a young warrior of a dark race finds himself bound in servitude to a beautiful cruel princess, his loyalty becomes entwined with something more horrifying and mysterious than endless night falling over the ancient desert. When a courageous young servant reveals her hidden wisdom to the madman conqueror of the world, her fate is joined to a nightmare suspended beyond death and outside the universe. Two souls from different times -- their destinies connected through hundreds of other lives and generations, through soft whispers of the wind, through ancient truths that lie buried in an island between worlds. Both souls enslaved through dream and desire in an endless conflict between truth and illusion. They can only be set free by the wonder of the Compass Rose. Keywords: Ancient world myth legend one thousand and one nights Arabian middle east eastern djinn warrior mystery compass rose origin gods goddess creation Scheherazade Armenian storyteller fairytale fairy tale magic wonder stories story oral tradition literary tales teller

What is the nature of evil? When a young warrior of a dark race finds himself bound in servitude to a beautiful cruel princess, his loyalty becomes entwined with something more horrifying and mysterious than endless night falling over the ancient desert.

In the year 2513, the only thing higher than the seas is what’s at stake for those who sail them. Rose was born facing due north, with an inherent perception of cardinal points flowing through her veins. Her uncanny sense of direction earns her a coveted place among the Archipelago Fleet elite, but it also attracts the attention of Admiral Comita, who sends her on a secret mission deep into pirate territory. Accompanied by a ragtag crew of mercenaries and under the command of Miranda, a captain as bloodthirsty as she is alluring, Rose discovers the hard way that even the best sense of direction won’t be enough to keep her alive if she can’t learn to navigate something far more dangerous than the turbulent seas. Aboard the mercenary ship, Man o’ War, Rose learns quickly that trusting the wrong person can get you killed—and Miranda’s crew have no intention of making things easy for her—especially Miranda’s trusted first mate, Orca, who is as stubborn as she is brutal.

A female warrior acquires magical powers—and a polyamorous family—as she defends her people in this fantasy romance series debut. The legends of the Godstruck were just that—legends. Until, in an attempt to defend her people, Captain Kallista Varyl called on the One for aid and was granted abilities such as no one had seen in centuries. Now Kallista is charged with a new destiny as one of the most powerful women in the land—but her power is useless if it cannot be controlled. Mastering her “Godstruck” abilities is the first step. But she will need help mastering the secrets of the Compass Rose and defeating her nation’s enemy. Drawn together into a polyamorous family of compatriots and former enemies, Kallista is called upon to stop a demon-possessed king.

A Providence Journal Best Book of the Year A Seattle Times Best Book of the Year John Casey follows up his National Book Award-winning novel Spartina with an extraordinary return to the marshes of Rhode Island’s South County. Elsie Buttrick, the prodigal daughter of Sawtooth Point, has just given birth to Rose, the child conceived during her passionate affair with Dick Pierce. At first she is wary of the discomfort her presence poses to Dick’s wife, May, and other inhabitants of their gossipy, insular community. But as Rose slowly becomes the unofficially adopted daughter and little sister of half the town, she magnetically steers everyone in her orbit toward unexpected—and unbreakable—relationships.

One woman's story of refusing to lose faith or settle for the wrong kind of love...and what a secret sorrow taught her. Geraldine Brown Giomblanco's unusually strong intuition is propelling her up the ranks in fashion, retail, and marketing, and she's matching up girlfriends one by one with the guys they will marry. She's smart, attractive, loving, and grounded. So, why is she still single? In this dazzling memoir, Brown Giomblanco brings to life the devotion to God she learns from her beloved grandma Rosaria and lessons she gains from a gigolo, a psychic, guardian angels and saints, a US president, and a string of unsuitable boyfriends. From the Garment District to Venice to a yacht off sun-splashed Montauk, she hangs on to hope as she searches for her own Mr. Right. Then, the incredible happens, and it utterly changes her life. Can spirits of the departed really speak to us on Earth? Geraldina and the Compass Rose is an uplifting and empowering story about faith and maintaining hope, because prayers do get answered and miraculous things do happen to ordinary people.

More than superhero story, this is a tale of finding your true self and realizing that good and evil often come in various shades ... An adventurous story that is much more about the emotions than ability to fly.