Some books/stories defy categorization and in the first impression, Compass is certainly hard to describe and pin down. There's a snarky and skeptical tone that has a lot of potential to make for a fun and funny telling of a protagonist who has essentially made a living as a fraud as he embarks on an adventure worthy of the explorers he brings to life as a storyteller. Some of the language and descriptions are rich and vivid and I'm certainly intrigued to see where this story will go. This is a great change of pace from so many other novels that seem cut from the same cloth.