The Compass Rose

Zine
Title:	The Compass Rose (also "The Queen's Own Compass Rose")
Publisher:	Queen's Own
Editor(s):	Herald-Mage Master Danya Winterborn, aka Linda A. Malcor, Co-President, Queen's Own
Date(s):	Summer 2000-Spring 2002
Frequency:	twice
Medium:	online
Fandom:	Mercedes Lackey, Valdemar
Language:	English
External Links:	The Compass Rose
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

The Compass Rose is "an online, nonfiction journal" with a focus on the works of Mercedes Lackey.

There are two "issues," each of which was posted when there were enough submissions received:

Named for the tavern that served as the favorite gathering place for the Blues and their instructors in Mercedes Lackey's The Mage Storms Trilogy, this nonfiction journal is sponsored by Queen's Own to provide a place for people to publish nonfiction material related to Mercedes Lackey's works. Mercedes Lackey greatly values the fact that Queen's Own encourages educational efforts among her fans. As part of this endeavor, Queen's Own has created The Compass Rose to promote all forms of nonfiction writing.

All issues of this journal are offered to Internet users free of charge under the following conditions: Internet users may maintain one electronic copy and one print copy of the file for use by members of the user's household. Permission to otherwise duplicate or "lend" any of these files without the credited author's written consent is expressly denied.

Frequency of publication is "when we get enough material to put together and issue" <g>. Watch the Queen's Own newsletter for release dates.

Submission Information

The journal accepts book reviews, commentaries, articles (such as those generated by the Herald-Mage Handout) and other nonfiction pieces. The main criterion for selection is that the piece must be something of interest to fans of Mercedes Lackey's works (that is, the piece should be about one or more of her books, report on QO-related events at a convention, discuss medieval history or costuming or evolution or physics or any of the fields she uses in the creation of her works, consider any of the topics on the various Helpful Handouts for creating personae, compare and contrast Misty's works to those of another author, detail some common trend within the books, or cover some similar issue).

This journal does not accept any stories, poetry, filk or other works of fiction. Please send these to the QO-approved fanzines. Be sure to send a release for each work of fiction to High Flight [addressed to] Mercedes Lackey.

Every time you write a story based on Misty's stories, you need to file a release form with High Flight:

Release Form (HTML version)

Print out the form, fill it out, and mail it to High Flight along with a copy of your story.

Zhai'helleva, Herald-Mage Adept Danya Winterborn

Issue 1

The Compass Rose 1 was published in summer 2000.

(A Letter from the Editor]:

This includes the fields of medieval studies, costuming, anthropology, sociology, folklore, religious studies, warfare, biology, chemistry, engineering, the care of horses and raptors, architecture, fandom, conventions, studies of fantasy fiction, and much more.

Our inaugral issue includes topics ranging from the evolution of early mammals to tips on how to put together a successful fanzine or newsletter. Along the way we visit a study of the Crusades and another of bisexuality. We also feature several reviews of books, CDs, movies and Renaissance Faires.

We hope you enjoy this excursion into some of the variety of nonfiction subjects of interest to Mercedes Lackey fans. And now, without further ado, I present The Compass Rose.

Zhai'helleva, Herald-Mage Master Danya Winterborn, aka Linda A. Malcor, Co-President, Queen's Own

Because the Internet was, at the time, a new frontier, there are very detailed instructions about how to "navigate" this issue:

[Instructions for Navigating this Issue]: There are a variety of ways that you can read The Compass Rose. If you like to page through as you would a magazine, start with the link below, which takes you to the first item in the Table of Contents. Articles are split into a file of text and a file of notes and references. Click on note numbers to be taken to the appropriate note or the citation to be taken to the correct entry in the References Cited list. The "Notes" link at the bottom of an article will take you to all the notes for that article, just as the "References" link will take you to the References Cited list. "Next" links will take you to the next item on the Table of Contents. The "Table of Contents" link brings you back to this page, and the "Return to Homepage" link takes you to the main index page for The Compass Rose. If at any time you wish to return to the page you have just left (perhaps after viewing a note), simply click on your "Back" button on your browser. If you have any questions about how to navigate the issue, please contact...

• From Reptile to Mammal: Evolution of Early Mammals by Katharine A. Knafelc, Ambridge, PA (Abstract: A study of the evolution of early mammals.)
• In the Name of God by Linda A. Malcor, Aliso Viejo, CA (Abstract: A survey of the Crusades from the Christian point of view, this essay was written as part of the requirements for the rank of Herald-Mage, Master, in Queen's Own, the Official Mercedes Lackey Fan Club.)
• Excerpts from Sink or Swim by Aurora Nelson, Pleasanton, California (Abstract: I've put this together in an attempt to increase the number of 'zines and newsletters that stay afloat.)
• Either Or by Kendra Renaud, Great Falls, Montanna (Abstract: A discussion of the concept of bisexuality. [Warning: Because of the nature of this topic, some of the material in this paper may be deemed unsuitable for children to read. Discretion is advised.])
• Renaissance Faires, Smaller Renaissance Faires (article)
• Reviews of:
  • Roundworm (CD)
  • Brightly Burning (fiction)
  • Gladiator (film)
  • Galaxy Quest (film)
  • Comic Book Culture (non-fiction)
  • Science Fiction of the 20th Century: An Illustrated History (non-fiction)

Issue 2

The Compass Rose 2 was published in spring 2002.

[Letter from the Editor]:

Heyla, Misty fans and other visitors!

I've heard it said that good things come to those who wait <g>. I apologize for being so late getting this issue of The Compass Rose online, but the births of my daughter, Kassandra Alys, in October 2000 and my son, John Alayn, in November 2001 interrupted my coding plans. As a result, there was only one issue in Volume 1. I'm going to try to return to the quarterly publishing schedule we intended. That said, here is a brief overview of the contents of this issue:

Laura Felton opens this issue with a fascinating discussion of music from medieval Ireland. Filk fans, take note! This is where a lot of those tunes we love came from originally.

I then take a trip down memory lane with the publication of the very first Arthurian paper I ever wrote. I am quite stunned at how many of my current ideas were already developing when I was fifteen years old. Yes, there are some points in this paper with which I no longer agree, but there are also a surprising number of assertions that I still hold to be true. Anyone who has been following the development of my ideas about the Arthurian tales will find this early piece particularly interesting.

Kendra Renaud shifts the conversation to the topic of banned books and censorship in our nation's libraries. She looks at the history of censorship and points out several disturbing incidents that happened not too long ago. This is a must-read for book lovers who enjoy making their own decisions about their reading material.

As usual, we have several reviews covering a range of interests in a variety of media. So pour yourself a drink, sit back in your chair, and prepare to enjoy some thought-provoking discussions worthy of the professors and students who gather at Misty's Compass Rose.

Zhai'helleva, Herald-Mage Master Danya Winterborn, aka Linda A. Malcor, Co-President, Queen's Own

• Sources of Information on Music in Medieval Ireland by Laura Felton (Abstract: The study of music in medieval Ireland is anything but straightforward. Direct sources are few and far between and what is known must be derived by using creative detective work. However, the exploration is extremely rewarding because there is so much material that can be tapped into.)
• The Arthurian Tales by Linda A. Malcor, Aliso Viejo, CA (Abstract: This paper is actually more of a historical artifact than anything else. It is the first research paper I ever wrote on the Arthurian legends. Penned May 19, 1977, when I was fifteen years old, the paper asked these questions: (1) What are the sources of the Arthurian tales? (2) What parts are true? (3) What parts were added later and by whom?)
• The Death of Diversity in our Nation's Libraries by Kendra Renaud, Great Falls, MT (Abstract: Although censorship exists in every form of media in today's society, censorship in our public and school libraries is particularly offensive. How does this kind of censorship sustain itself and how can its presence be explained? What is the history of this phenomenon? How did it evolve and become what it is now? What kind of countermovement or backlash has arisen to oppose censorship? These questions, as well as my own position on this issue will be discussed.)
• Reviews
  • Beyond World's End (fiction)
  • Dungeons and Dragons: The Movie (film)
  • The Grinch (film)
  • Restoration (film)
  • The Romans at Ribchester: Discovery and Excavations (nonfiction)