Rating: 
Summary: Excellent new novel from one of fantasy's major talents
Review: Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite fantasy authors, because he is able to portray some of the most believable characters I've ever read. After a string of fabulous single-volume novels, he has now published the duology "The Sarantine Mosaic". This story appears to be set in the same world as "The Lions of Al-Rassan", but in a different country and time. Still, there are references to Esperana, Trakesia and other countries in both novels. And once again this is a historical novel disguised as a fantasy novel. Magic doesn't play a very strong part, and anyone with some basic notions of history can draw easy parallels between this novel's characters and settings, and their real-world counterparts. Still, the novel will be enjoyable even if you are not familiar with the historical period. When someone says they are "sailing to Sarantium" (an obvious reference to "Sailing to Byzantium" by W. B. Yeats), it means they are going through a time of change, even upheaval, in their lives. Likewise, the major characters in this novel are experiencing change. The mosaicist Crispin, the guard Vargos and the former slave Kasia arrive in the city of Sarantium. This is the story of how they arrive there, and how the city influences them, and vice versa. I can't urge you enough to buy this novel, and any others by Guy Gavriel Kay you can find.
Rating: 
Summary: Uneven Compared To Tigana, Arbonne, And Lions of Al-Rassan
Review: I would have liked to have given this work higher praise, and based solely upon the prologue and second section of the work could have. However, part one of the narrative remains for me very uneven, in large part burdened by a journey that appears to accomplish little, other than bringing together several companions of the adventure and muddying the tale with religious and magical elements that at the book's conclusion remain attenuated and for the most part unexplained as to their relationship within the larger context of the story. Granted, these unresolved and only partially substantiated elements may find resolution in the second volume, but to date they remain incompletely integrated into the narrative, and only tenuous and apparently dangling story threads, and in the manner they have been introduced and followed here, I question that any further development will entirely be successful in fully incorporating them into the later volume. I hope I am proven wrong. However, for the moment this work seems to lack the tight plotting that was a strength in Tigana, Song for Arbonne, and The Lions of Al-Rassan, and seems in part a return to the often extraneous and wandering plot development present in The Fionavar Trilogy.Nonetheless, in comparison to many works of fantasy currently available, this book remains far better than most, and the prologue is almost worth the price of admission in and of itself. I will await the release of the second and concluding volume--though I will wait until it's out in paperback--in the hope that its pages will do much to repair and restore the stumble that appears to occur in the early portion of the story. Despite my hesitation to fully applaud this effort, Kay remains among the handful of authors representing the best in fantasy fiction. Finally, for those who express difficulty in Kay's historical antecedents, I believe in part you are misinterpreting his intentions. I don't believe there is any desire to hide or disguise his historical references. Further, I can think of no fantasy written to date that does not contain its fair share of borrowings, including the works of Tolkein. These arguments to a large degree seem mute, and consideration should instead be directed to whether or not these elements have been successfully incorporated into the narrative, and whether the storytelling itself has captured the imagination.
Rating: 
Summary: A solid start.
Review: I had some mixed feelings when I found that GGK's newest book was set in a Byzantine-parallel world. While I have often felt that Byzantium would be a great model for a fantasy setting, I was disappointed that Kay has continued to draw so heavily from history. While he has done his homework on the matter, his parallels have become a little TOO parallel. Christians=Jaddites; Christ=Heladikos; Jews=Kindath; Rhodias=Rome; Varena=Ravenna; the schism between the Rhodian and Sarantine Jaddite churches; Moskav=Moskva; Leontes=Belasarius; Alixana=Theodora. This reliance upon historical sources has been growing ever since Tigana and has reached it's peak with StS. I would prefer to see more imagination and less invention. That said, GGK does a good job with it. Some have written that the book drags, but I appreciate the effort at laying the groundwork for future book(s?). The pace picks up midway through, with a beautifully descibed chariot race followed by Crispin's introduction to the Imperial Court. From here on it is an absorbing work with alot of stress upon political/social intrigue and powerplays behind the throne. Aside from the over-reliance upon actual Byzantine history, the only flaw was the weakness of the characters (relative to those in Tigana). While they are interesting and likable, they are curiously stoic. Crispin's family dies from the plague before the book begins and Kasia narrowly avoids becoming a human sacrifice, but I found these traumatic events unmoving to me as the reader, but also to the characters themselves. It was like the tragedy was part of the scenery. Perhaps if he had revealed the impact of Crispin's loss through the eyes of his wife or another minor character it would have been more powerful. In any case, I have already ordered the next book and am anxiously waiting to see what twists and turns the story takes. While it is unclear as to whether there are to be more than two books in the Sarantine Mosaic, I am hoping that there are. I for one would love to see Sarantium become a character in it's own right, explored by a whole series of books written from the point of view of different and entirely unrelated characters. How about the adventures of a stone-cutter in the Imperial; capitol....
Rating:
Summary: A strong beginning
Review: I found this book to be exceptional, because of what it was, and was not destracted by what it wasn't. Guy Gavriel Kay in Sailing to Sarantium creates a captivating story of an artist, without it flowing quietly into the depths of cliche. The characters are multifaceted, and he captivates you with the beauty, love, and power that flow from his writing. He takes a story that in most author's hands would have come across very boring, and the fact that Kay pulls it off is a testament to his ability. He even managed a rather frustrating cliffhanger at the end of the book, what a place to pause the story. It almost made me wish that I had waited until all the volumes were out, before I started reading them. In STS Kay's court intrigue is so complex that at times the monarchs seem almost psychic with their ability to reason out what is going on in the shadows of their palace. In most cases this would have made the story seem unrealistic. Guy Gavriel Kay manages it very well and to astonishing effect.Instead of a feeling of unreality, I was struck wondering how long Crispin could exist in such a hostile and duplicitous environment. This book is recommend to fans of Kay's past work. If you are new to Kay, however, start at the beginning with The Fionavar Tapestry, and work your way to the present.
Rating:
Summary: Better than most authors, worse than most GGK
Review: I had the impression that this book is some one-volume introduction. It seems only to bring all people in, introduce them to the reader and telling in small epidodes who they are. Sailing is the first book of two, and so I think thats ok. It mainly tells of Crispins journey to Sarantium, the great golden city that resembles Byzantium of our world. The words "Sailing to Sarantium" are some sort of old saying and don't seem to make much sense at the beginning, because no one is sailing anywhere. Only later it is explaned. It means the changing of a person and the world around that person. Something of the sort. And thats exactly what this book is. It tells of a changing. While Crispin travels his way of looking at the world changes. He has not arrived at whatever he will become at the end. I can't wait for the next book. Lord of Emperors, that is.
Rating:
Summary: A promising start
Review: I've been a huge fan of GGK since the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy (which has the distinction of being the only fantasy series I ever give as a gift) and have followed his career with much interest. Sailing to Sarantium is a very good first book in what looks like a promising new series. I can understand the disappointment of some of his fans because it just doesn't have the sadness or grandeur that the Fionvar books achieved, but then again, this is only the first book. I'll be waiting (impatiently) for the second.
Rating:
Summary: Almost poetry
Review: I'm already a Kay fan, but I can't praise this book enough. My first copy was soft-cover, but I later bought a hard cover and ordered the next in the series 2 weeks before it was available. He turns phrases the grand old masters would have wanted to use - if they thought of it. Of course he's good! He's Canadian.
Rating:
Summary: Better than most authors, but worse than most GGK
Review: GGK's previous works have set the bar so high that this book was disappointing even though it was better than most everything else that's for sale on the fantasy bookshelves. I know that this is the first book of a trilogy, that there's lots of set-up, that he's developing characters, etc. Whatever excuses you make, this book still wasn't very good. I cared less about Crispin, Kasia, Vargos, Valerian, etc. than I did about any other set of characters that Kay has created. Also, the dialogue just wasn't as witty as in previous books. Oh well, I'll see what Lord of Emperors is like.....
Rating:
Summary: Sailing to Sarantium
Review: Once again Kay regals the reader with his amazing storytelling abilities. The characters are outstanding and the plot is entertaining. A most enjoyable read!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: It's wonderful to see Kay concentrate what was always the strongest aspect of his writing: character development. Even in the earlier and less well thought-out "Fionavar" books, he managed to create characters who were human, had depth and were genuinely likeable. This gentle tale of an artist's journey toward rebirth and fulfillment displays very well the subtle intricacy of his characterization. Crispin is believable in all his aspects: hurt, bitter,sardonic, intelligent, funny and kind, human in all his good traits and flaws. I especially liked the smaller threads of the storyline, as viewed by minor characters who may or may not have a more pronounced role later in the story. Although some people have complained of this as being distracting, I think it only adds to the richness and depth of a finely-wrought, engaging and moving story. Moreover, potential fantasy stock situations are set up, but the cliched outcomes are avoided with flair, leaving me to wonder how the political intrigue will play out. It's a pleasure to see Kay live up to his earlier promise and equal the achievements of authors like Katharine Kerr and George Martin. I can't wait for the next one.
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