Rating: 
Summary: A very different fantasy novel
Review: The main character in "Sailing to Sarantium" is an artist, and that alone makes it almost unique, considering how many fantasy authors seem to be obsessed with wizards and warriors. Crispin, a mosaicist, receives an offer to work on a sanctuary in the Imperial capitol of Sarantium. Initially, he doesn't want to go, but a sequence of events outside his control forces him to make the journey. Crispin is a wonderfully complex and believable character. He's haunted by memories of his lost family, and decides to immerse himself in his art in an attempt to escape from the world, although that proves to be difficult. There are no stock characters or stereotypes in this novel; even the minor characters are carefully drawn. Kay often spends five or ten pages explaining the background of a secondary character before returning to the main plotline. While some people might find this annoying, I thought that it helped draw me into the world that the author had created.Plotwise, this is not your typical 'swords and sorcery' epic. Instead, Kay uses the story of Crispin and the events that he gets drawn into to show how his fantasy world was shaped by a variety of forces. The setting of "Sailing to Sarantium" is a fantasy world with parallels to the early Byzantine Empire. Although there are battle scenes and fights, they tend to be short. Instead, Kay focuses a lot on the interactions between characters, and on how the religious and political conflicts within the Empire affect them. Some of the best scenes, such as a dramatic chariot race in Sarantium, are written mainly to show the reader what life was like during this historical period, although they are always blended into the main plotline. There are moments of quiet introspection, where Crispin and others have a chance to relax and reflect on what's happening to them. The ending, in my opinion, was the best part of the book, since it provides a touching and meaningful finish while also paving the way for the sequel. Overall, I highly recommend this novel for its originality and excellent writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Screw the sequel! I've had enough!
Review: I read The Lions of Al-Rassan, so I thought I'd see what this was like. Don't make the same mistake! Three-quarters of the thing is Crispin and his servant walking to Sarantium. On the way they pick up a frightened sissy-girl and meet a big bull-god, which they obsess over for the rest of the trip. Once they reach Sarantium, the book is almost finished--there's just enough time to introduce the characters and describe them deeply in preperation for Book Two. There's political intrigue, but frankly... I can't even remember what was at stake. The only good things about this book are Linon the toy bird (who is quickly snatched away from us) and the chariot racing scenes. The conversations run for pages and pages and are dragged down by all the clever observations and nuances that Kay thinks we care about. I think he's gotten conceited, thinking he's a literary genius or something. I'm not going to read the sequel, for obvious reasons. I'll admit Sailing to Sarantium wasn't all bad, but...
Rating: 
Summary: disappointing
Review: kay ensared me with his work from fionavar to arbonne and the lost country of tigana--but i found this work sadly lacking. after two false starts, i finally made it all the way through; and while the court scenes in sarantium are excellent and fascinating, i'm forced to wonder _how_ i made it all the way through. crispin is clever and witty and funny--but i feel no empathy for him, despite his tragic loss. he's obsessed with glass, for crying out loud, lacking the depth of characters like blaise of gorhaut or pwyll twiceborn or prince diarmuid. couple that--ooh, bad pun--with an utterly inappropriate and uncharacteristic love scene and women who, while fascinating--particularly aliana, aren't nearly as cool as ariane of carenzu or kim ford. all in all--worth the read, i guess, after you've exhausted fionavar, arbonne, or tigana--but wait until then to give it a go.
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.
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