The first of a two-volume story continuing that of the world created in "Tigana". The empire of Sarantium is beset to east and west but Valerius II wishes to take back the western lands which gave birth to the empire he now rules. The master mosaicist, Caius Crispus, is called upon to play a role.
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Amazon Review
Guy Gavriel Kay's fantasy career began with "The Fionavar Tapestry", a popular trilogy mixing Arthurian and Tolkienian themes. He's since developed an original vein of alternative-historical fiction: richly suspenseful stories whose period settings have different country names and added magic. The Lions of Al-Rassan reinvented medieval Spain; Sailing to Sarantium lovingly reflects the intrigue and splendour of the Byzantine Empire and echoes W.B. Yeats's famous Byzantium poems. Magic exists: at least one old god is horribly real, and those artificial singing birds celebrated by Yeats take their life from an unexpected creepy source. Sarantium City is intensely imagined, with dynastic upheavals, riot and rebellion, a smashing chariot race, and knives glinting in every alley. There's sharp intelligence here, too. The hero, an outlander mosaic expert summoned to decorate Sarantium's newest and greatest dome, faces his worst test at the Emperor's court--where mechanical trickery lurks, conversation is double-edged and exile awaits the loser in a debate on mosaic techniques. There's also a Sherlockian challenge to deduce how the top charioteer pulled off a magical- seeming coup. Kay has laid fine groundwork for this new series "The Sarantine Mosaic", with more to follow. --David Langford
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Amazon's synopsis wrongly states that "Sailing to Sarantium" continues the world Kay created in "Tigana". In fact it expands and enriches the world of "The Lions of Al-Rassan", especially the Jaddite religion which is moving towards schism similar to the medieval Catholic-Orthodox schism.
This is a well-told story with vivid and engaging characters, but the sense of place and of the real world around them is not as strong as in some of Kay's other works, such as the unforgettable "The Lions of Al-Rassan". The details of life are there, especially the technicalities of the mosaicist's craft and the charioteer's challenge, but the splendours and wonders of Byzantium's golden age can only be glimpsed amidst the petty intrigues of the court.
Well worth reading, but hardly the tour de force of "Tigana" or "The Lions of Al-Rassan".
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By HLT
I have to disagree with the reviewer who felt this was an off-day for Guy Gavriel Kay; Sailing to Sarantium had me spell-bound as much as Tigana did.
I have no hesitation recommending this as an introduction to Guy Gavriel Kay, in fact I'd say it would be a far better starting point than the Fionavar Tapestry. The latter works were GGK's first, and I think he had matured enormously as a writer by the time he wrote Tigana and subsequent works.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
As one who has read and reread the Fionavar Tapestry, I was a little dubious of this 'historical fantasy' and couldn't actually finish the book on the first attempt. I have now tried again and read this book and its sequel with the same enjoyment (and speed) as I read the Fionavar trilogy.
The novel requires patience as Kay builds his characters and sets his scene and then steadily raises the suspense as the story progresses. Characters are wonderfully drawn, the plot is intriguing and there is a level of art, poetisism, spirituality and romance that are rarely found in 'fantasy' novels.
I loved these books and will no doubt reread these again and again in the years to come.
The novel requires patience as Kay builds his characters and sets his scene and then steadily raises the suspense as the story progresses. Characters are wonderfully drawn, the plot is intriguing and there is a level of art, poetisism, spirituality and romance that are rarely found in 'fantasy' novels.
I loved these books and will no doubt reread these again and again in the years to come.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
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.
... Read more ›1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
One of the things I loved about this book, as a mediaeval history student was the inclusion of quirky historical details such as the description of Sarantium (based on Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire)including the rising throne and the secret weapon of Sarantine fire, which are both described as wonders of Byzantium in contemporary sources. But this descriptive scene-setting based on historical fact is blended with the wonderful characterisation so typical of Kay, which is very much grounded in real experience - a feeling difficult to find in many fantasy works. Readers who liked the pure fantasy of the Fionavar Tapestry (The Summer Tree, The Wandering Fire, etc.) but who were not so keen on the sharper, more historically based recent works may like the spiritual element in this. Also of interest to anyone who has visited Istanbul of knows its history.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Kay does it again. I have always loved his books from his start with the Fionavar Tapestry (still my favourite). He has the ability to create characters who are fallible and uncertain but always intelligent and likeable. In Crispin, he has created another such. Unfortunatly he ends the book on a mystery, so I am wondering how long I'll have to wait for the sequel in paperback! Highly recommended.
Thi was the first book I read by Guy Gavriel Kay, so I can't compare it to other series. I thought the two books were absolutely wonderful. I was given Sarantium as a gift because of my interest in Byzantium, and found it absolutely compelling. I looked forward to the second book, and reread the first before it came out - they work individually and as a pair. I was hoping that there may be more books in the series as there are definitely characters with more potential.
Two of my favourite books ever
Two of my favourite books ever
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
interesting and absorbing
Having read the other reviews, I can see I am going to be slightly controversial here. I think that Crispin is an excellently depicted character who is very believable as well as... Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2001 by J A Dickson
2.0 out of 5 stars
SO even geniuses have off days
Guy Gavriel Kay is a staggeringly good author. He's lyrical, moving, ludicrously well researched. His plots always hang together and his characters are the kind of people you'll... Read more
Published on 5 Dec 2000
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not bad, but expected more
This isn't a bad offering from this master author, but in my opinion, he didn't make it gripping enough. It took me a couple of weeks to read, which is a lot longer than average. Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars
An unput-down-able novel by my favourite author
Another original and gripping novel from the master of the historical-based fantasy. While previous books have taken place amidst fantastic parallels of the chivalry and... Read more
Published on 26 Jan 2000 by tim.fowler@globalone.net
4.0 out of 5 stars
Vivid and intriguing characters - this will not disappoint!
This is a richly drawn and carefully plotted book. The action takes place in the same lands Kay previously referred to in a previous novel - The Lions of Al-Rassan - but the... Read more
Published on 29 Oct 1999 by Mrs Mac
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book
If you have read the other reviews you will know that the author is a master of his work. It is a very good read... Read more
Published on 22 Sep 1999
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