Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful parallel history.
Review: Few writers understand history and how to use it as a base for fantasy as well as Guy Kay -- and here, as always, he does not opt for the too-usual pseudo-medieval world. This time, he uses Byzantium, and his Sarantium almost lives up to the dangerous, convoluted, fascinating original. But (isn't there always a "but"?) the book is VERY leisurely. It contains some wondrous things, intelligent characters (Kay's specialty), imagery to stop the heart, but one does ask, what's the story? Do I care enough to read the next volume? Maybe not ... It'll have to be really compelling.
Rating: 
Summary: A new offering from the greatest author alive today
Review: Guy Gavriel Kay's latest offering is, as usual, wonderfully compelling and cumpulsively readable. While this is possibly not his best book (perhaps my expectations are higher) this is still the kind of story that stays with you when you are no longer reading it. I found myself driving along wondering what Crispin was going to do next - ponderng his emotional state and generally thinking about all the characters as if they were true aquaintances. Kay's habit of taking four years to write a book may be frustrating for his fans, but the detail that he provides when the book emerges is always worth the wait. This book portrays an alternative Roman Empire with many details from the real one. However, the detail is not really what makes Kay's books great - his characters and the way they link up with each other combine with an amazing writing style to capture the reader imagination the way that few authors can. Kay's books are alive with an inimitable richness and beauty. Read it!
Rating: 
Summary: Kay's best yet!
Review: Fascinating characters involved in fascinating circumstances! Another in Kay's line of involving 'parallel histories', this time taking the reader to the Byzantine Empire under Justinian I and his infamous consort, Theodora. It can't really be described as 'fantasy'...perhaps Kay will create his own genre? Best of all, we only have to wait out two volumes (unlike the interminable "Wheel of Time")!
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Summary: Sailing to Sarantium, in stores now!
Review: A wonder to read, Sailing to Sarantium is a wonderful continuation in the world of "The Lion's of Alrassan", A glorious book from a brillant author.
Rating:
Summary: A great new story from a superb storyteller!
Review: <Excerpt from Digger's Dog Pound>Finally, another offering by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay. Easily one of Digger's favourites, Kay has failed to disappoint in the past. In fact, each new book by Kay only gets better and better. Sailing to Sarantium is the story of a once glorious nation now ravaged by plague, a present empire, reknowned for its power and aristicrosity, and of one man's travels to a fabled city. Caius Crispus, or Crispin, a mosacist, is summoned to Sarantium under a false identity. Head strong, recently widowed, and naive in the ways of the fabled court of Sarantium, Crispin unintentionally causes a course of events that irrevocably changes his life and the lives of those around him. Once again, Kay is brilliant in weaving a tale of grand scale, immense vision, subtle humour and intriguing politics. Sailing to Sarantium is both dark and humourous at the same time. Kay interlaces the bureaucratic struggles of a city and empire with the grand delight of magestic chariot races in the tradition of the ancient romans. The Sarantine Mosaic promises to be a great epic and a story not to be missed by Guy Gavriel Kay's many fans.
Rating:
Summary: Loved it, can't wait to read the next one
Review: This is the third novel I've read by Kay. The first two were "Tigana" and "A Song for Arbonne" (which was one of the better books I've read in a long time, in any genre, not just fantasy). "Sailing to Sarantium" gave me no reason to doubt the impression I received from reading those two books, which is that Kay is a great novelist, not just a great writer technically. His characters are psychologically deep, his worlds politically complex; he does not shy away from such topics as a culture's religious philosophy and tolerance; his history is obviously well-researched, even if the reader is not familiar with the historical period or place. He makes his readers think. And the way in which he infuses his novels with his widsom about life makes him a rarity in today's literary world. One of the things I liked best about this novel was Kay's theme of the artist wanting to have his name remembered in history in some way; though this is only one of several themes in the book. I also admired his knowledge of the visual artist's perception of the physical world; how he must learn to be conscious about seeing and observing everything. Kay's breathtaking depiction of a chariot race (the writing of which can't be an easy task) made me reflect on how little the gambling and gaming nature of man has changed over the centuries (yesterday chariots; today, the Daytona 500!). The unique idea of Zoticus's birds is a beautiful one; their characters provide some of the book's most poignant moments. And one other quality I admired, which seems to be a Kay trait, is the way he presents different view points of a single event through several characters' eyes. It is akin to the way a film camera revolves around an object to give an audience a 360 degree view of it, not just a straight-on, linear one. A very effective way to develop character. (The only concern I have about this technique is that it could potentially fragment a story too much.) One other minor criticsm is the way in which Kay seems to overuse, a bit, a device of saying such things as, "later, so-and-so would realize that had things happened differently..." to create, perhaps, a sense of mystery and try to intrigue the reader into further interest. It is sometimes effective in that way, and in the sense that it proves Kay has the characters' futures, and the plot, mapped out, but was generally used too often, in my opinion. I also found myself wondering, in the final pages, what happened to the characters Carullus and Kasia. Was their absence deliberate, or just a loose thread? By no means let these small flaws (if I may be so bold) stop you from immersing yourself in this detailed, beautifully-written historical fantasy. Kay is fast becoming a favorite of mine, and has already rated two places in my "favorite books" bookcase. I can't wait to read Lord of Emperors; it seems Kay just gets better with each book.
Rating:
Summary: A great new story from a superb storyteller!
Review: Finally, another offering by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay. Easily one of Digger's favourites, Kay has failed to disappoint in the past. In fact, each new book by Kay only gets better and better. Sailing to Sarantium is the story of a once glorious nation now ravaged by plague, a present empire, reknowned for its power and aristicrosity, and of one man's travels to a fabled city. Caius Crispus, or Crispin, a mosacist, is summoned to Sarantium under a false identity. Head strong, recently widowed, and naive in the ways of the fabled court of Sarantium, Crispin unintentionally causes a course of events that irrevocably changes his life and the lives of those around him. Once again, Kay is brilliant in weaving a tale of grand scale, immense vision, subtle humour and intriguing politics. Sailing to Sarantium is both dark and humourous at the same time. Kay interlaces the bureaucratic struggles of a city and empire with the grand delight of magestic chariot races in the tradition of the ancient romans. The Sarantine Mosaic promises to be a great epic and a story not to be missed by Guy Gavriel Kay's many fans.
Rating:
Summary: Later, he would remember nothing to dislike about the book.
Review: This is the first book I read by this author. It was not what I had expected, considering he had worked on Tolkien's extremely boring Silmarillion. He had his own voice and style, with shortened sentences that captured his characters' train of thought, putting the reader directly into the story as it happened, without having to rely on verbosity or descriptive skill the way Tolkien did (and others unwisely copied).
Like any story in the fantasy genre, there were gods and magic, swords and warfare. But the similarities end there. This is fantasy for adults, in the new tradition that this author and others, such as George R. R. Martin, have exemplified. Fully drawn-out, three-dimensional characters instead of plastic heroes; realistic and appropriate dialogue instead of stilted formality and pointless anachronisms; the moral ambiguity of real life instead of simplistic and cartoonish Good vs. Evil that you see in so many fantasy books.
This author, however, somehow manages to keep the melodramatic tone of High Fantasy intact without all that baggage. The resulting experience? The mature reader can more easily suspend disbelief, while still getting that magical feeling you remember from reading fantasy books as a child. Such a literary feat takes not only talent but hard work -- the author's efforts definitely show through in a novel like this. To say nothing of the research involved in recreating an entire era of world history, as this author has done! (This book takes place in an "alternate universe" Byzantine Empire after the fall of Rome.)
The story is called the Sarantine Mosaic for a reason, it seems. The characters, primary and secondary, all get to have their "moment", the same way every piece of a mosaic has its place in the grand whole. They each have something you can learn, something you can remember when you put down this book, a valuable experience that gives you something to think about... I believe it was nothing short of brilliant.
Rating:
Summary: Saratine Mosaic, real or imagined?
Review: If your type of fantasy is filled with swords and sorcery, non-stop action, and vivacious babes in see-through nighties, Sarantine mosaic is NOT for you. (Although there are a number of beautiful women in varying stages of undress.) Both Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors are more "literary" than your typical fantasy novel. Kay gives his characters well-formed personalities and doesn't shy away from moral or philosophical dilemmas they find themselves in. The Sarantine Mosaic reads more like Historical Fiction than fantasy. Kay's world is an imaginative alternative to the Eastern Roman Empire. It works well by replacing actual history with similar fantasy constructs. However, these constructs are usually different enough to avoid confusion. I disagree with the editorial review that claims this is a small story. It is a huge story. It is the story of Emperors and Kings and how history hinges on minor events and characters. Don't let the seemingly minor importance of the characters fool you, this is a big story. I would recommend Kay's books to any intelligent fantasy reader. They may not be non-stop action, but the pacing is quick and the suspense draws ever further into the mosaic Kay has created.
Rating:
Summary: Read the sequel-- it will enhance your appreciation
Review: I was lucky enough to receive both Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors at once, so I could immediately continue reading, and I think it definitely helped my opinion of the book. So much of what we see and feel on Crispin's journey to Sarantium comes back to haunt us in Lord of Emperors. These are two books that should really have been one volume, except it would of course be far too thick. However, I recently reread Sailing to Sarantium without its sequel, so I was forced to look at is as just one book, and I think that it works, albeit imperfectly. To be sure, this is VERY far from the usual fantasy fare, but that's an excellent thing. Kay has a way of making his readers think, and not just about whether or not the hero will defeat the bad guy. There is no bad guy in the Sarantine Mosaic-- these are real people, with real motives and complications behind their actions. How often can an author make you cry at the death of a character who has killed someone you have come to admire and even love? Kay's characterisation is, as ever, absolutely brilliant, and although on first reading you might find Sailing to Sarantium a bit slow, if you take the time to appreciate the underlying themes and messages within, you will be richly rewarded. And then, when you read Lord of Emperors, all of what you have experienced while Crispin makes his journey will come together and greatly enhance the more action-filled second volume. On a final note, one of the most powerful scenes I have ever read occurs in this book, when Crispin enters a small chapel with a mosaic of Jad, the god, overhead. It is utterly impossible not to feel the intensity of Crispin's emotion as he sees that image on the dome. Every time I read it I just shiver.
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