Customer Reviews

Sailing to Sarantium (Sarantine Mosaic, Book 1)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If the only fiction writing you can enjoy is a Tolkien knock-off, then don't buy this book. On the other hand, if you love a little intrigue, brilliant and witty conversations, fully developed characters with complex motivations, and if you have any interest in history and the royal courts of the past, then this is the book/series for you.

I love the way his characters grow and develop over the course of the book. I love the fact that there isn't a single stock-character to be found. I adored the main characters. I thrilled at every brilliant plot-twist.

Oh, and if you loved the charriot scene in the movie Ben Hur, you will be totally blown away by the race he describes here. I'll say no more. This is one of the fantastic moments in the book that simply can not be given away.

Guy Gavriel Kay has done a fantastic job of creating a whole new genre of fictional writing. His unique blend of actual historical elements, magic, gods, and fantasy along with his intricate plots and fascinating characters are a refreshing change from the formulaic fantasy novels and poor writing skills that clog our bookstore shelves these days.

This book is worth every penny. It is a treasure to be read and re-read.

This is a lovely book to curl up with on a long weekend...the plot is wonderfully intricate, the people full fleshed and believable. My only regret is that it is too short. Of course, that leads you to the next book in the series but oh! what delight. I highly recommend this to anyone who wants an elegant, hugely delightful read.

I find with each book Kay writes, he becomes even more brilliant. While the Sarantine Mosaic Duology may not be for everyone, it is for those who enjoy beautifully developed characterization and cleverly woven storylines. Sailing to Sarantium is a wonderful beginning to the tale; I would suggest buying it and Lord of Emperors together, so the anticipation of the second book will not eat away at you while you wait for it ship.

I was really disappointed with this duology. The first books I read from Guy Gavriel Kay were the 3 books from the Fionavar Tapestry and I found them wounderful as they were a little Tolkien-like. However, the Sarantine Mosaic is completely different, being mostly if not solely based on political intrigue.

A simple mosaicist is at the center of things, helping Queen, Emperor and Empress against his will. I didn't find his adventures to reach the capital and the interaction between the characters very entertaining. The two books are full of descriptions, which can be interesting to a certain point as it tells the reader more about the byzantine empire, but it becomes annoying after a while. The action is very slow-paced.

If you want to read this book because you liked the Fionavar Tapestry, DON'T! If you like political intrigue or want to learn more about the byzantine empire, then GO AHEAD, but I don't guarantee that you'll like it.

This book was recomended to me by someone who said that it was better than George R.R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" books. They could not have been more wrong. This book takes forever to get going, and when it does, it ends, forcing you to read the second book even if you don't want to. It has virtually no fighting, or battles, and is mostly political intrigue. But even if thats the kind of book you like, it falls short there too.

On the plus side, the book gives you an interesting and one would hope, well researched looked into the Byzantine empire. But aside from that, this book did not impress me. I'm only glad I didn't pay full price for it. Don't waste your time getting into this series, you'll regret it.