|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Amazon
For whatever reason, Guy Gavriel Kay just insists on getting better and better. Sailing to Sarantium outshone the already excellent Lions of Al-Rassan, and now Lord of Emperors--the stunning second half of the Sarantine Mosaic--somehow surpasses even its predecessors.
Emperors picks up the story of the overwhelmed but still tenacious Crispin, now Imperial Mosaicist to Valerius II and thoroughly steeped in the machinations of Sarantium--not to mention being personally entangled in the lives of the emperor, the empress, and now his own queen, the exiled Gisel. Lord of Emperors also sends a new protagonist sailing into Sarantium, an unassuming country doctor who--like Caius--has found himself thrust into a position of great potential and peril, a victim of both circumstance and his own competence and moxie. The two struggle to stay afloat in Sarantium's swirling intrigues, as Valerius prepares for war in Crispin's homeland and unexplained, ghostly fires flicker around the city.
A touching, literate, and doggedly intelligent book, Lord of Emperors continues to prove Kay's mastery of historical fantasy (Sarantium being a well-researched analog to sixth-century Byzantium under Justinian and Theodora), as he gracefully spins a rich, convincing weave of legend and history. While other fantasy titles might have us imagine our lives as great heroes, Kay leaves a far more lasting impression by celebrating the heroics and passions of ordinary people who possess extraordinary character and spirit. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
The second volume of the Sarantine Mosaic continues the adventure of the provincial mosaic-maker Crispin in the imperial capital Sarantium, a fantasy-fiction version of Byzantine Constantinople. At center stage is Crispin's involvement with Rustem of Bassania and his family, who, after saving the Bassanian emperor's life, have been sent to Sarantium as spies. (This is a reward?) When Rustem enters the city, his bodyguard is killed, and he becomes part of the circle that includes Crispin, Crispin's rescued slave-girl mistress, the exiled queen of Antae, and a fine and authentically limned lot of soldiers, chariot racers, ordinary people, and members of the imperial household. Half the fun of the book is seeing how Kay turns the Byzantine reign of Justinian and Theodora to the uses of his own story, and a good part of the rest is exploring the early history of the same fantasy universe he used in The Lions of Al-Rassan (1995). Kay is fulfilling the promise of Sailing to Sarantium (1999) magnificently. Roland Green
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful conclusion to a great story,
By
This review is from: Sarantine Mosaic 2: Lord of Emperors (Paperback)
In another Kay fantasy, The Lions of al-Rassan, a character sombrely observes, "Even the sun goes down, my lady." All things come to an end, and this is true for emperors as it is for mosaicists. At times, this book ventures into the poetic, and the reader is drawn into what is, when push comes to shove, a love story. There are parts that I find a little dodgy - I find it hard to imagine the red-headed mosaicist cutting a swathe through all of Sarantine society and capturing so many hearts along the way, and Kay's meditations on how people receive great events runs a little awkward - but the good more than outweighs the bad. A deeply fascinating fantasy read.
5.0 out of 5 stars
just beautiful,
By A Customer
This review is from: Lord of Emperors: The Conclusion of the Sarantine Mosaic (Mass Market Paperback)
This manages to surpass even its wonderful predecessor, Sailing to Sarantium. I spent the last 200-odd pages in suspense [and tears], and keep recalling scenes at random since I finished this. I am truly thankful I picked up Sailing to Sarantium this month, because if I'd had to wait for Lord of Emperors to be published......it wouldn't have been pretty. I was completely caught up and swept along to the point of committing a sin I have avoided for years....reading under the covers! Even though it meant being exhausted the next day [and in trouble with my mother] I really couldn't have done anything else, I was so immersed.I cried for Valerius and Alixana, for Scortius and Thenais, for Styliane, and even Lecanus. Even for the demise of Crispin's mosiac! I loved his last mosaic of the court as well! A few minor quibbles: I was a little thrown by the last couple of pages - it seemed a bit random that she sought Crispin out and that they should just start planning their life ahead. I would have liked a little more lead-up and evidence of an attachment! I would also have liked to have had Lecanus' bird explained - was it one of Zoticus'? If so, how did Lecanus get it and why did it have a different voice? If not, who made it? I would have also liked to know how Shirin and Scortius ended up, as it was left as a bit of a loose end. Anyway, this was simply brilliant, intricate and enthralling, and if you haven't read Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors then you should, and if you have read Sailing to Sarantium, there is no need to recommend it as you will be desperate to read it [or should be, as surely as the world is round]!
5.0 out of 5 stars
WOW,
By
This review is from: Lord of Emperors: The Conclusion of the Sarantine Mosaic (Mass Market Paperback)
First all let me say that I am biased and prejudiced here in this review, in that Mr. Kay is one of my top 5 most favorite authors of all time. That being said, this book was wonderful and the other reviewers comments about a poor ending and their disappointment that this book wasn't up to Kay's standards, I have to say HooHah. If you love fantasy and history, and being highly entertained read this book. A simple artisan from an obscure place in the Roman realm or the equilavent of, is sent a message from the Emporeror of Byzantium requesting his assistance in creating a mosaic on a dome of a palace building. Kay has the ability to take a simple everyday kind of guy like most of us, and transport them into magical adventures where wonderful things occur and common courage conquers uncommon fears. I loved this book, it's prequel, and found it to be entertaining and educational. Kay follows history fairly closely while presenting an alternate form of it. If you're reading to critique, skip this one. If you're reading for fun and entertainment and wish to escape the mundane of everyday, read it and enjoy. You'll be disappointed though at the end, as was I. It's one of those books you never want to end.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
