Sailing to Sarantium (The Sarantine Mosaic, #1)

by Guy Gavriel Kay

A magnificent epic fantasy from an author who appeals to the readers of J.R.R. Tolkien and THE NAME OF THE ROSE. The empire of Sarantium is beset to east and west. To the east the Asharites, star-worshippers, encroach ever closer to the imperial city itself; to the west barbarian tribes are becoming more dangerous year by year. But Valerius II wishes to take back the western lands which gave birth to the empire he now rules. Into his melting pot came Caius Crispus, a master mosaicist who is called upon to play a role in building a magnificent new sanctuary - but his final role wil be far wider and more deadly, both to himself and the empire. In this magnificent, colourful novel, first of a two-book series, Guy Gavriel Kay continues his long-running tapestry of tales from the world of TIGANA and A SONG FOR ARBONNE. This is his greatest triumph yet.

• ISBN10: 0684851695
• ISBN13: 9780684851693
• Publish Date: 9 December 1998 (first published 1 October 1998)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 12 September 2003
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 448
• Language: English

Reviews

[ross91]

Wow this was boring!
I finished it only because the writing was beautiful and I wanted to know if things would go somewhere but... basically nothing really happens in this book and it made me sad, 'cause I expected a lot more.
All the characters are very unlikable and I couldn't care less about any of them (except maybe Alixana, who I randomly liked but wasn't there for the majority of this book).
All women are whores and/or throws themself at the main protagonist, who is a very unlikable and irascible man... why he's so popular with the female population is truly unknown.
Lastly, it seems GGK is very interested in horse races: we get a looong (stress on LOOOOOONG) chapter almost entirely about a chariot race, recounted in minute detail.
The same happened in A Brightness Long Ago (a truly beautiful book) where the author took his time describing what is basically a reenactment of the "Palio di Siena".
But while in this second book the moment was vital to the story and I felt all the pressure of the moment and the urgency of what was at stake, in this one the race seamed very disjointed from the actual plot and I was confused (and bored) by it.
Sadly, 2* and I don't think I'll ever read the second book