Described by the author as 'an offshoot rather than a continuation' of A FAVOURITE OF THE GODS, A COMPASS ERROR is set in under two summer months in a year in the late 1920s. What was the 'Error' of the title which suggests that at some key junctureFlavia made a mistake that blew her life off course? Does it refer to her sudden striding into a sexual orientation? Hardly; though that comes into it. The matter is left unclear.