North Arrow Press is thrilled to share that The Compass Room by Mark James has earned a stellar review from BookLife, the indie review arm of Publishers Weekly.
News
North Arrow Press Announces Audiobook Release of Friendship Games
North Arrow Press is pleased to announce
that Friendship Games: A 21st Century
Geopolitical Thriller is now
available worldwide as an audiobook.
Narrated by voice artist Sean Walpole, the audiobook brings the first installment of the gripping Wartmann Series into an immersive audio format. The release comes at a time when the book's themes—terrorism, geopolitical crisis, and the dangers of 21st Century warfare—are more relevant than ever.
Friendship Games presents a modern take on the USS Maine incident that kicked off the Spanish-American War in 1898. This time, a U.S. aircraft carrier sinks in the Persian Gulf amid escalating tensions with Iran. The novel earned a coveted Kirkus Star and was named one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of the Year.
The release marks the beginning of a major audiobook expansion for North Arrow Press. Production is already underway for the series' second thriller, The Compass Room, as well as the standalone prequel, Alter Road. Both audiobooks are tentatively scheduled for release in September.
Availability and Review Copies
Friendship Games is available now for download on Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books.
- Listen Now on Audiobook
- Narrator Profile: To learn more about the voice behind the project, visit the Sean Walpole Instagram Profile.
Listeners and readers are highly encouraged to leave an honest review on Amazon, Audible, or Apple Books, as reader feedback is vital to independent publishing.
About North Arrow Press:
North Arrow Press publishes informed high-stakes political and military
fiction. Friendship Games is the definitive starting point for readers
new to The Wartmann Series.
Media Contact:
Mark James, Author
The Compass Room with Mark
James
Alter Road is where the Wartmann Universe began. Originally published in 2020, this debut novel by Mark James returns in a newly revised Second Edition — sharper, faster, and more deeply connected to the world introduced in Friendship Games and The Compass Room.
Kirkus' review of The Compass Room has dropped! Kirkus Reviews is notorious for not holding back - they tell it like they see it. That's what makes them the industry standard. So awaiting their verdict is always accompanied with trepidation.
Friendship Games Earns Kirkus Star
10/10/2025
Okay, this isn't entirely new, but it is for North Arrow Press! The prestigious Kirkus Star is permanent and stays with the author. And with Friendship Games now under North Arrow Press, North Arrow Press is officially the home of a Kirkus Starred author and book.
Tenure, by Blaine L. Pardoe and Mike Baron
09/26/2025
What a ride! Tenure by Blaine Pardoe and Mike Baron was a lot of fun. It's a revenge fantasy – Death Wish in the Age of Wokeness. Braxton Knox, a not-yet-tenured university professor of history is fired and cancelled after a female student accuses him of bigotry and homophobia after he had used the wrong pronoun, calling her "Miss." She...
North Arrow Press proudly presents The Wartmann Series, a pair of timely, high-stakes geopolitical thrillers by Kirkus-starred author Mark James.
North Arrow Press is thrilled to announce the release of The Compass Room, the highly anticipated sequel to the Kirkus-starred Friendship Games, by Mark James.
North Arrow Press is proud to announce the release of the Kirkus-starred Friendship Games!
A Most Uncivil War, by Blaine Pardoe
09/12/2025
It's been over two years since I wrote a review of Blaine Pardoe's Blue Dawn. My apologies to Mr. Pardoe for taking so long to get around to reading book 2 in the Blue Dawn series, A Most Uncivil War. It was on my reading list, but in preparation for my own follow up to a book, Friendship Games...
Imminent, by Luis Elizondo: A Review
09/12/2025
If you follow my social media posts or read my blog, even if on occasion, then you know that I am a sucker for aliens: UFOs, UAPs, and the Big Question of "Are We Alone?"