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Re: [silk] Sailing to Sarantium

<x-flowed>At 10:38 AM 3/14/01, you wrote: 
> >Badri Natarajan wrote: [ on 03:34 AM 3/13/01 +0530 ]
>You seem to have read everything I
> have already, but perhaps the latest Guy Gavriel Kay Sarantium books

So you've read "Lord of Emperors"? I saw it in Hardcover, and decided it was
too expensive. On the other hand, I really would like to know how the story
turns out. What did you think of the book?

Yes. I'm something of a Guy Gavriel Kay freak - I have all his books, including Lord of Emperors in hardcover. However my ego took a battering when I only got 50% on the Fionavar Tapestry quiz at www.brightweavings.com (Very good site on GGK, BTW. It's a fan site, but "supported" by GGK. Some good reviews and thoughts. There's even a photo set+ essay on the places in Toronto mentioned in the Fionavar books. :-))

I enjoyed Lord of Emperors quite a bit. Its (of course) much more about what happens in Court and in Sarantium itself, as opposed to the first book which is mostly the journey (Sailing to..). I don't think its GGK's best work - (I guess I have sentimental attachment to the books I read first - Fionavar, Al Rassan,etc), but its certainly the most realistic and richly detailed historically, with the typical GGK style - I always thought he's among the best fantasy writers I've read in describing emotions and the complexities of interaction with people.

Do you really want me to tell you how it turns out? :-) One thing I like (and this trait is growing stronger in each succeeding Kay book) is that he's sticking closer and closer to history with each book. Arbonne is based on the Languedoc region of southern France, and very loosely based on the invasion by the North for heresy. Al Rassan is rather more closely based on the historical events surrounding the last Muslim kingdom in Spain - Grenada, and its downfall. Sarantium is strictly based on 6th century Byzantium (Constantinople), and the reign of Justinian and Theodora (Valerius II and Alixana), not just in the background but also in how the books plot actually follows history. (With one crucial exception in the 2nd book, but I think I'll just leave you hanging with that...)

Badri





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