Rating: 
Summary: Is there anyone better than Kay?
Review: I can't say enough about Kay's writing. I have read all of his books and they are simply the best. No one does characterization as well as he does. You are drawn into the book and the characters become your dearest friends, lovers, enemies....In Sailing to Sarantium, Kay takes us on another mystical journey to a history/fantasy that is as real as if you were living there. There is a sense of time and the intricate plots of a decadent world. The mosaic is a contrast between the emerging west and the intricacies of the east...a sense of maturity even more so than his other books.
Rating:
Summary: I love everything this guy has ever written, so...
Review: ...this should come as no surprise, but this book is wonderful. From the best fantasy writer I've run across, it's impossible to put down. I've read it at least three times so far. Intelligent, complicated, suspenseful, fun, and written with incomparable artistry. Read this book, and all his others, while you're at it!
Rating:
Summary: Byzantine Bliss
Review: Guy Gavriel Kay's prose is astonishing. He has based this novel on the politics and imperialism of ancient Byzantium - but we know this is a fantasy setting, because there are two moons. In a way, the moons themselves represent different aspects of the civilisation we encounter in this novel. The white moon illuminates the nocturnal political intrigues of the Sarantine court, with its emperor who is said never to sleep, but walks the corridors of the palace at night dictating to somnambulent secretaries. The blue moon seems connected with the ancient pagan rituals of lands lately come under Sarantine control, evoking dark sacrifices to ancient gods from a time before the sun-god was the only deity permitted worship.
Lately widowed by the plague, which also cost the lives of his two daughters, Crispin the mosaicist finds himself unwillingly obliged to make the journey to Sarantium and work on the dome of the new Sanctuary, intended by the Emperor as a lasting monument to himself and his empire's god.
On the way he encounters an alchemist with a disturbing magical secret, a slave girl used as a prostitute in a wayside inn but intended for an even darker fate, and an ancient god. These events alter his outlook on his own existence and on the nature of the natural and supernatural worlds.
Sarantium is a dangerous place for those who live and work within its walls, but far more so for those involved in the machinations and intrigues of the emperor's court. Crispin, a plain-speaking and highly perceptive man who is not given to concealing his opinions, finds himself drawn into complex plots which will affect the fate of his friends, his colleagues and his native land. He is out of his depth, but he is also ideally suited to the life that has been forced upon him, being gifted with unusual powers of observation and adept at putting the pieces together to make sense of a puzzle.
An unlikely and wonderfully likeable hero, our mosaicist has flaws in abundance but is possessed of a soul that transcends them all.
But the real hero of this work is the author himself. He has a sly, wry, sardonic, intriguing, teasing and exceptionally witty style that makes you want to suck the book slowly and let it melt in your mouth. From the sublimest description of a candlelit mosaic to the veiled, calculating intelligence of a dancer turned empress, to a soldier's most inventive and foulmouthed tirade, Kay handles a variety of characters and storylines with versatility and seamless grace. There are some very funny passages in this book; there is also much that is heartbreaking. One of the novel's major themes is dealing with bereavement, and Kay treats this with sensitivity, subtlety and a good dose of common sense.
Despite the fact that the hero is male, the book is worth reading for the female characters alone: they are wonderful - awe-inspiring, intelligent, alluring, powerful, tragic. Kay is a romantic, but he's also a realist, and the two make a powerful combination.
This is great literature of the kind you feel honoured to have read. Instructive, entertaining and - just delicious.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining and (dare I say it) educational
Review: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is different enough from typical fantasy to be interesting and memorable, although it doesn't lose the magical flavor of fantasy. I love that the book is firmly rooted in real history without actually being an alternative-history style novel. Kay uses his knowledge of Byzantine history to weave an elaborate but believable tale (and, incidentally to teach us all a little cultural history as he goes).
Rating:
Summary: Anoter alternative history novel by kay
Review: I always liked Kay's work. This one is another exelent example of kay's talent. In this novel kay is trying to show how the world was whille the powerful Byzantine Empire was rulling. He still uses the same writting style and all those changes from character to character are still very intringing. But i have to admit that this novel is definitly not the best of Kay's work.
Rating: 
Summary: Gets off to a slow start
Review: I'm a longtime fan of Kay's work, and I went into this book expecting a lot. I almost put the book down after the first thirty-five pages: the extended scene-setting at the beginning turns out to be important in later chapters, (and in the sequel) but it moves at a glacial pace. Keep reading! The scenes in the Aldwood are among Kay's best work, and the end of this volume is outstanding. Have the sequel handy when you're through.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful characters make the book's flaws easy to overlook.
Review: Some reviewers complain that this novel "drags" a bit more than Kay's other novels. Since I have not read any of his other works--yet--I can't support or refute that claim. But I have noticed the afore-mentioned sluggishness that appears at times. I find myself skimming a five-page description of a city scene. Most of the time, though, it behooves the reader to have a very detailed picture of the surroundings, as the minor details can sometimes contribute to the plot or character development. And indeed, Crispin views the world in this way, and the style is suggestive of the "mosaic" theme of the series. Any sloggishness that may hinder progress through the book cannot, however, detract from the wonderful characters and intricate workings of an empire and its citizens' lives. The romance between Petrus and Aliana, although it is not in the foreground during most of the story, is beautiful to behold. Crispin is a refreshingly human and yet intensely likable character. The supporting characters are quite well-developed, yet the author does not diverge too much from the main storyline for the sake of their development. An almost constant and very dry sense of humor makes the book's frequent tragedies easier to bear. I suppose I have rambled overmuch for a review. Needless to say I love this book, in spite of its minor flaws. I have already purchased its sequal, as well as _A Song for Arbonne_ and look forward to devouring them as well.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't believe it
Review: This is the first book by Guy Gavriel Kay I've ever read, but believe me, it won't be the last. All the characters are extremely realistic: the foul-mouthed Rhodian mosaicist Caius Crispus, the devious pair, Valerius II and Alixana, the ice queen Styliane; pious Leontes; Carullus, the soldier who loves the sound of his own voice; Stromous, the master chef; all of them, even that idiot Pronobius Tilliticus.
The parallel between GGK's world and our History is incredible. After I finished the book I went to and encyclopedia and was stunned to see how close it is. A baboon can identify it: Justinian=Valerius II, Alixana=Theodora, Leontes=Belisarius, Pertennius=Procopius, Rhodias=Rome, Sarantium=Byzantium, Bassania=Persia, Batiara=Italy, Sauradia=Germany, Trakesia=Greece, Antae=Visigoth, Moskav=Moscovia, Jaddites=Christians, Kindath=Jews, etc. There is even a very small reference to the expansion of Islam (look closely at the death of Tilliticus, some 50 years after the time the plot takes place).
My recommendation is that you don't check the story of Byzantium before reading this book, otherwise you will find it dull, because you'll know to much about the plot beforehand. If you follow this advise I'm sure you'll enjoy the best book you've read so far.
Rating:
Summary: Such potential...
Review: Kay is a magnificent writer - he can portray and evoke emotions like none other. His plots are intricately woven and exciting, intrigue gains another meaning after reading his works. If only Sailing to Sarantium had been less annoying. Don't get me wrong, I thotoughly enjoyed the book, although I've come to expect more from Kay. However, his works seem to be getting more ponderous - scenes that should be dealt with in two pages seem to take twenty. Now, I admire Kay for taking time with his plot and scenes, but he does tend to go a little overboard in the Sarantine Mosaic. He continually shifts perspective from one character to another, seeing the same scene from many angles. On the positive side, the story runs deep and thickly; Kay paints a tale of the lost and the gained in exquisite detail. He pains to portray the Byzantine Empire and succeeds magnificently. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys historical-style fantasy and enjoys deep characterisation. If you're after Hack'n'slash Fantasy, go elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: Bittersweet story of love and loss
Review: One of the many strengths of Guy Gavriel Kay is his ability to take a period of history, whether factual or mythical and transform it into a pathway for understanding deeper truths. His research is always impeccable and he brings to life, in Sailing To Sarantium, what one might initially think a boring story of an anonymous mosaicist who dreams of artistic immortality into a stirring melodrama of pain, sacrifice and inspiration. It touches that sacred secret place within us and evokes that same longing to leave such a mark on the world as well. The artisan, Crispin, is a tortured soul whose life has been destroyed when his wife and children were killed by the plague that swept through his world. His pain is palpable and he is a walking dead man inside his shell of grief. His ordered, predictable life is turned upside down by events that send him on a long journey to Sarantium to work on the Emperor's new religious citadel. During his journey while escaping death at the hands of pagan worshipers his concept of god is challenged when he meets two different gods under deeply mystical circumstances. His mind and heart are torn in conflict by the first experience in the Aldwood where he survives meeting the zubir/bull of pagan worship on the day of the dead. Extremely vulnerable to mystical forces he is again overwhelmed when, not long after, he views the eastern Jad as a dark and forbidding representation of their god on the ceiling of a sanctuary which is in direct contrast to his western vision of Jad as a blonde, blue eyed being. These events become the nexus of his spiritual journey to find himself amidst the unknown and unwanted that await him. He is deeply shaken by his own fear and struggles with his notions of faith and how to represent it in the work he has come to Sarantium to do. At times you can feel his anguish as his loyalty, intellect, artistry and vision is challenged on every level when he is tossed into the melting pot of politics, intrigue and betrayal in the court of the Emperor Valerius II and his wily Empress. Escaping ambush and assassination by his enemies, the firy tempered, red haired Crispin is a loyal, devoted and deeply sympathetic man with great heart and an unyielding determination to surmount all obstacles in the way of realizing his artistic passion. Kay places each piece of glass and tesserae in this colorful fantasy about that era's (Byzantine) history and art as if he were Crispin himself. His exciting description of the chariot races bring to life, in vivid pulse pounding reality their actuality so much so it seems as if the reader is sitting, sweating and screaming under the broiling sun in the grandstands of the hippodrome. He can really get the blood zinging in the veins. The bittersweet characters are haunting, especially Linon whose soul was secretly captured by Zoticus the alchemist and placed in a bird construct for his own purposes at the moment of her sacrifice to the pagan god by their priests. Many years later, when Linon is freed by Crispin, Zoticus realizes his terrible error in capturing these souls, and he returns to the Aldwood to free them and to sacrifice himself in penance. There is so much pain and sorrow in this story, yet in Kay's hands one may also be rewarded with insight about the eternality of human striving while continuing to make the same mistakes again and again. Yet, there is also a promise of success in life for the journey is forever filled with hope.
|
