Lord of Emperors

Wonderful Listen

Guy Gavriel Kay's Lord of Emperor series is an interesting, thoughtful, well laid out story. I enjoy the way he develops his characters and you can never quite guess how a storyline will turn out. He richly develops his settings and the series is a great read. I thought the narrator expressed the characters' emotions and delivered the story in an interesting manner. I enjoyed this audible book and recommend it highly.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Mosaic - part 2

A mosaicist goes to the big city, the most magnificent city in the world, the capital of the neighboring country which is incidentally intent on invading his war-torn homeland. Here he discovers or should it be rediscovers life, with all its intrigues.
He says all he wants to do is practice his craft, his art, but he is pulled into so much more by the beautiful empress the former dancing girl, her sworn enemy the gorgeous noble woman and of course there is the queen of his own about-to-be-invaded country. It is not a love triangle by any means, for these are powerful and inhumanly intelligent women, but let???s just say that Guy Gavriel Kay does not by any means shy away from describing them as lovely.
These books are more than the story of one man that goes to the city though, we are introduced and follow other people as well, and unlike many other books where the viewpoints shifts around from person to person we never really lose sight of what it is all about. For like any event in history it is all made out of different bits, many people with many different stories come together in a city in one place in time and together their stories and lives are placed next to each other like pieces of glass or stone a ceiling. It is only when we as the reader see it all from a distance that we see the mosaic it has become. Funny that.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

More melodrama

Originally posted at FanLit.
Lord of Emperors is the second (and final) novel in Guy Gavriel Kay’s THE SARANTINE MOSAIC duology. The story, set in a pseudo-Byzantine Empire, mostly centers on Crispin, a mosaicist from a neighboring kingdom who’s been commissioned to decorate the ceiling of a new chapel the emperor is building. Against his wishes, Crispin has been drawn into the Sarantine court’s political intrigue. In this second installment, the political turmoil finally comes to a head and Crispin’s life is, once again, drastically altered by events he can’t control. Not only are his and his friends’ lives in danger, but the changing political climate has major consequences for his art.

While reading Sailing to Sarantium, the first book in the THE SARANTINE MOSAIC, I had a hard time believing in the characters and the drama — I thought the plot lacked the world-shaking significance that the characters seemed to be overwhelmed by at every moment. I felt manipulated — like Kay was showing me murder, lust, adultery, shocking brutality, witty repartee, and titillating suggestions to make me feel like there was more going on than there really was. While I liked Kay’s characters, it felt like a big soap opera to me and I was impatient with the story.

The first part of Lord of Emperors is more of the slow drama and introspection that occurred in Sailing to Sarantium — every character analyzing what everyone else says, scrutinizing each gesture, contemplating every look, even reporting how they would think about this word or that gesture when they looked back on it sometime in the future. We’re reminded over and over how subtle and dangerous everybody is:

"The room seemed laden and layered with intricacies of past and present and what was to come. Nuances coiling and spreading like incense, subtle and insistent."

There are several sweet and touching scenes, but most of Lord of Emperors is more of the melodrama of Sailing to Sarantium. Finally, about 2/3 of the way through, there is a major upheaval followed by a slow unwinding of its tragic consequences. There are some real heartbreaking scenes in the last third of the novel, and the story ends on a beautifully bittersweet note. It just takes a really long time to get there.

Guy Gavriel Kay’s strength is making his characters come alive. Thus, when the big events finally occur, they really are painful and tragic and we worry about these people’s futures. I cared about Crispin, his queen, the charioteers, and the cook and his apprentice. However, I didn’t feel the need to be privy to every thought they had along the way — how many times do I need to be told that Crispin is thinking that only two women in the world wear a particular perfume? THE SARANTINE MOSAIC should have been trimmed down to just one book — I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

I also think I would have felt more appreciation for THE SARANTINE MOSAIC if I had read it earlier in my acquaintance with Guy Gavriel Kay’s work. His world and characters are so full of life, there’s so much drama and passion, and I admire the character development. At this point in my reading history, however, I can’t help but notice that Kay’s intrusive style, which I’ve always thought of as almost over-the-top, never changes. Now that I’ve read ten of his novels, what I once admired — the type of story, the deep characterization, that particular distinctive prose — starts to become tiresome. If you’re new to Kay, or if you can’t get enough of his style, you’ll have a better experience with THE SARANTINE MOSAIC than I did.

Again I listened to Audible Frontier’s audio production which was narrated by Berny Clark. Dialogue is his strength — I thought it was perfect. His narration is a little too slow (I had to speed him up) and I think some listeners will think it’s also a little bland, but I liked how his reading didn’t elevate Kay’s drama even further.

6 of 10 people found this review helpful

The Sarantine Mosaic is truly exceptional fantasy.

I've read innumerable fantasy and fiction novels, but the Sarantine Mosaic duology stands alone in evoking a startlingly inscrutable and utterly unique emotional landscape. As of now, having just finished Lord of Emperors, I'll be one of Guy Gavriel Kay's most fervent apostles.

Love this author and performance!!!

The first book in this series was a little slow and tedious. Not too much though. I still liked it. This second book made up for the first ones set up. I loved it. The performance was awesome. I am so amazed at the ability to individualize the various characters to this degree. Well done!!! And the story was able to take you to a different place and time SO well. Outstanding!!!

Spectacular

A dance of words and light, a story of resonance to remain in my heart. One of my best reads this year. Dive in, fall in, emerge anew.

The most beautiful, wonderful book!

I was swept away in the first paragraph and even as I write this, with the last paragraph floating in my mind I am still somewhere in Verena, Sarantium or far to the west, on the frontier.

Guy Gavriel Kay is unmatched in his art and his books take me far away and keep me there ling after the closing words. This sequel to Sailing to Sarantium was so much more than I could have imagined! Don't miss it!

A deep and powerful reimagining of Byzantium

I have always been a fan of Guy Gavriel Kay’s beautiful prose. He takes the listener(reader) on a journey through a rainbow of emotion. He brings sweeping history down to personal experience and gives personal experiences a grandeur. He helped put together the Silmarillion.with Christopher Tolkien and I am certain it inspired him and I am grateful that he found his voice in writing for he has given me great joy and helped me to express my sorrow when needed. Thank you for another beautiful story and memory! #ChosenOnes #Inspiring #Byzantium #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

As usual, Magnificent Kay.

Second part of a magnificent story, and a great examination of human loss and achievements.
Berny Clark does a very good job, although I admit to preferring Simon Vance as per other titles from this author. If you read or listen to one of Guy Gavriel Kay's superb offerings, you will end up with all of them sooner than you think. (And eagerly awaiting new publications)

The unexpected

After the heights of the first book in this twosome, you might expect less of the follower. Ah, no indeed, the color, the taste of the eastern kingdom keeps you turning pages until the truly unexpected ending. Satisfactory in every way. A truly gifted author.