Sailing to Sarantium (Sarantine Mosaic Book 1)

Guy Gavriel Kay is a Canadian fantasy author who is probably best known for his Fionavr Tapestry trilogy, which I read a few years ago. That series is a relatively conventional entry in the genre which follows a group of five friends who move back and forth between our Earth and a parallel world where magic and other common fantasy tropes exist. However, most of his work is in a particular sub-genre which can best be described as "historical fantasy"; he sets his novels in fictionalized versions of actual historical periods populated by characters who are adopted from world-famous people of extreme significance such as the 8th Century Tang Dynasty in China, medieval Italy and medieval Spain.The Sarantine Mosaic is the name given to his diptych of novels Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors. They are based in a world where the "Lord of Emperors" Valerius II and his beautiful empress Alixana rule in a fabled city called Sarantium where the populace is completely obsessed with chariot races and there are multiple competing religious beliefs, with worship of the Sun God Jad being the most prominent. This is a thinly veiled fictionalization of the 6th century Byzantine period in which Justinian II ruled with his queen Theodora in Constantinople as part of the Eastern edge of the Roman empire.The main character we follow is Caius Crispus (who is better known as Crispin), a mosaicist who has recently lost his wife and child to the plague. His aging mentor is summoned to the capital of Trakesia (Sarantium) to create a mosaic for the Emperor but they agree to have Crispin go in his place, since he has nothing really tying him to his hometown of Varena, in the land of Batiara. The first book, Sailing to Sarantium, is primarily about his eventful journey from Batiara to Trakesia, but then it gets even more interesting when Crispin arrives in Sarantium and is immersed into the complex politics of the palace and the capital city. Another key aspect of the books is Kay's portrayal of the chariot races in the Hippodrome as well as the obsessive enthusiasm the city has for the two rival factions: the Blues and the Greens.One of the strongest features of Kay's writing is his ability to incorporate many details and intricate backstory to construct and communicate a very clear picture of the culture of the fascinating time and place he sets his books. In fact, some would argue that he devotes so much of his text towards the atmospherics in The Sarantine Mosaic that the plot and story development suffers. There's no question that events sloooowly unfold, but the atmosphere generally hooks you so completely that even though I kept on putting the books down to read other more rapidly plotted books (such as Jack McDevitt's Alex Benedict novels), I repeatedly returned to Kay's work because I cared about Crispin and I wanted to return to Sarantium to find out what happened to him. It literally took me around 6 months to finish both books but I am glad that I did. I very rarely read more than one book at a time, but somehow I was able to do this with the The Sarantine Mosaic, which is a testament to Kay's clarity of exposition that even after returning to the books after a long break one can immediately be re-engrossed.In the second book Lord of Emperors (which resumes right where the first book ends) story takes a central role as Kay starts deploying all the characters he has introduced to produce a gripping series of events which surprises and emotionally impacts the reader. Crispis is the main character, but there are at least four women in his orbit who are all extremely important in Sarantium: Alixana, the Empress of Sarantium; Gisele, the exiled Queen who escaped an assassination attempt back in their common hometown of Batiara and is now relatively powerless in her country's longtime enemy's capital city; Shirin, the daughter of Crispin's mentor who has become the most desired woman in Sarantium as the primary dancer aligned with the Greens (one of the city's two rival chariot racing cohorts); and Styliane, the blonde, beautiful wife of the commander of the Sarantine Army who is also daughter of the previous Emperor and is widely considered the second most important woman in the capital city, a sort of Empress-in-waiting. The ways in which the lives and stories of these women (and the men who love them) intersect and develop is quite affecting.In fact, after I finished the books I really think that The Sarantine Mosaic is ripe for a filmic adaptation. I'm not sure it would work well as a television series (there's not enough plot for that) but as either a major motion picture or a "short" miniseries of 6-8 hours I think it would work very well; there's a lot of sex, politics, romance, betrayal and beauty which would be compelling to most viewers.Title: Sailing to Sarantium.Author: Guy Gavriel Kay.Paperback: 560 pages.Publisher: Harper Voyager.Date: January 5, 2000.OVERALL GRADE: A- (3.67/4.0).PLOT: A-.IMAGERY: A-.IMPACT: A-.WRITING: A-.Title: Lord of Emperors.Author: Guy Gavriel Kay.Paperback: 576 pages.Publisher: Harper Voyager.Date: February 6, 2001.OVERALL GRADE: A/A- (3.83/4.0).PLOT: A.IMAGERY: A-.IMPACT: A.WRITING: A-.

In “Sailing to Sarantium,” Guy Gavriel Kay brings a fictional version of 6th-century Byzantium to life in the first book of his two-volume masterpiece, “The Sarantine Mosaic.” The story begins during the reign of Valerius II, who is determined to build the Sanctuary of Jad’s Holy Wisdom (the Hagia Sophia), and he wants the most famous mosaicist in Rhodias (Rome) to decorate this remarkable architectural achievement. The artist who answers the summons is Crispin, a quick-tempered but brilliant artisan with a flair for swearing that rivals his mastery with mosaics. His journey involves the book’s most magical elements, including a mechanical talking bird and an encounter with a terrifying pagan god. But things become even more dangerous once he arrives in Sarantium, a city known for its plots, murders, and assassinations. Much of the book is set up for the events in book two when the story goes from very good to astonishingly great. But “Sailing to Sarantium” is a worthy beginning to this fantastic tale.

Good book, but it felt like mostly buildup. That's ok since there's another book after this, but rating this book by itself it's hard to go with five stars.

I seem to be an unusual Kay reader in that I found his Fionavar Tapestry novels pastichey and not particularly engaging (I've certainly read my share of high fantasy, and more). But I loved Tigana and enjoyed A Song for Arbonne, and I was pleased by the Sarantium duology. If you're expecting more Fionavar, don't bother with this; you'll be disappointed. If you're expecting battles and fast-paced action, you'll be bored. Likewise, if you're a history buff and are likely to be annoyed by Kay's history-through-a-fantasy-lens focus, avoid.As for me, I love the approach. I don't need every detail analogous and correct in my fictional retellings of history, as long as it's a ripping good story, and this one is. (I am also fond of Susan Howatch's fictional 20th-century treatment of the Plantagenets, The Wheel of Fortune, as well as Colleen McCullough's fictional Masters of Rome series.) And Kay's prose is just a joy to read. I very much enjoy the multiple viewpoints of major and minor characters, and I love seeing how these people's lives are woven together in unexpected ways.I could wish for stronger female characters, true. The women in this series often use their sexual appeal blatantly to get what they want, and seem quite restricted by the expectations of feminine behavior. On the other hand, since this IS a fictional retelling of history, I think I would find a modern attitude quite jarring, and I doubt I'd spoil any plot points by mentioning that sometimes they do get what they want and are more important to the flow of events than I'd have imagined.I'm not sure why this series was released in two parts; I'd have combined it into a (massive) single novel. I'm reviewing it as such, in any case. A lovely read that will stay with me for a long time, I think.

it has a reasonable basis in history - all the events that take place could quite easily occur in ancient Rome or Constantinople. The characters are solidly based and very believable and live ordinary everyday lives. Some of the descriptions are excellent - the creating of mosaics for example, and in particular the horse races in the Hippodrome with the various teams that took part and the intense rivalry between them.The story concerns Crispin a mosaicist who is summoned to Sarantium by his Emperor to decorate the greatest dome in the ancient world built in honour of their God of Gods Jad the God of the Sun. Along with Crispin's world you have Court intrigue, political skulduggery and the rivalry between the racing teams. There are many twists and turns along the way that all add up to a memorable read that I wouldn't hesitate in recommending to anyone that likes a story with a difference. This is not the end of the story, however, the sequel being Lord of Emperors which I will review under that name.

I am quite new to fantasy fiction, having picked up Kay's "Under Heaven" in a charity shop. I enjoyed this immensely, so when i checked on Amazon to see what I could get further from this, to me anyway, brilliant author, I chose the Sarantine Mosaic novels and Tigana. I have just finished reading Sailing to Sarantium and it left me craving to start the second book, "Lord of Emperors". I love his style of writing, and the way he broadens the story out by bringing in a different angle from some of the other characters. It doesn't matter to me that Sarantium and Rhodias are, presumably, Constantinople and Rome in a different world, if I can see in my mind's eye what is being described in the novel, then I am content to go along with it.

Read most of GGK's books in paperback (all still in my library room and read so many times they're falling to bits) and was thrilled to find most of them in e-books. Please put the Fionavar Tapestry on e-books, one of my family's favourites.The Mosaic books, Sailing to Sarantium book 1, was my first GGK book and took me into a new world looking at mosaics in a different way, the writing is still the best I've ever read. I fell in love with the hero and was happy and hurt when he was. Recommend all GGK's books.

Well written on Justinianus' time but with V effect: the Christian religion is stripped to its essence, e.g.Regrettable though, that GGK inserted a few mysticist elements into the plot, too.In fact, Sailing to Sarantium turned out to be a Hero's challenge and journey. Kay partly wrote it in aquite smooth manner, partly like a wooden construction. Four stars, I think, matches that.

I very much enjoyed this story, I think it's exceptionally well written and conceived. The fantasy aspect of the story adds greatly to its depth and scope, and the author takes advantage of that. It must have been a great temptation to really let rip with the spiritual aspects of the tale, but the author shows admirable restraint. I think there are lessons here for other authors. I highly recommend this book, and will move quickly onto the next one.