The Sarantine Mosaic

POTENTIAL SPOILER WARNING

 

I finally found the time to get around to these books!!! (YAY!)

The Sarantine Mosaic series by Guy Gavriel Kay has got to be the best series I have ever read! It seems odd to say, I know, especially since I have been a HUGE fan of The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and The Wheel of Time for so many years.* And all of these are such epic, amazing fantasy series from some of the greatest authors. But never has a book or a series left me feeling so complete as this when it was done.

So where do I start? I guess we start with the storyline (which to prevent confusion, I will extremely simplify).

The Sarantine Empire is a fantasy land based very precisely in the history of the Byzantine Empire. The Emperor and Empress are based on Justinian and Theodora. (I will not go into more detail on the history.) Caius Crispus is a mosaicist from Rhodias (the equivalent of Rome). His friend is summoned to work on the Emperor's new sanctuary, but sends Crispin (as he prefers to be called) in his place. Along the way he hires a servant to protect him, and saves a slave girl from becoming a sacrifice. Through a supernatural experience in the woods, these three become close and inseparable. At last they make it to the city where Crispin becomes wrapped up in the politics. He begins to get caught in a love polygon (no, I really don't want to figure out how many lines there are to it...maybe "web" would have been a better word). Eventually, a doctor from Bassania (Middle East) joins the plot (along with many other characters I haven't mentioned at the moment). In the end, the family of one of the past emperors, the Dalenoi, create a plot against the current emperor, after which many murders and political games occur. In the end, Crispin's work is torn down before it has even been completed because the new emperor considers it a heresy. Crispin returns home to create his own masterpieces. After a year, the old empress arrives and the two confess their love for each other and move on in their life together.

I am telling you now that my summary does not do it justice, but I also do not want to spoil anything more than was necessary. If you have read the books, you will understand.

I would love to tell you so much about all of the characters, but I simply do not believe that I could keep your attention. So let me sum it up: they are so real. None of them are one-sided. Everyone has their own complications with love, revenge, insecurity, power; you can find that you both love and hate most of these characters. Even those you are supposed to support, thought you do love them, have their own quips, or things that are not perfect about them. Oh if only I had the time to tell you more.

Crispin is not a perfect man, he is prone to fits of rage, but he is changed by his experiences in Sarantium. He is passionate about his work, but at times it also causes him great stress. He is a more of an unexpected, anti-hero. He comes from a lower class family, being an artisan, though his father was a soldier. He is loyal to his country, but is unable to decline the invitation of the Sarantine Emperor. He becomes a much more meek person, when he realizes that his manners are not so accepted in court, but also when he discovers that he has become a tool within the court. He also has a habit of falling for most beautiful women that he meets, and lucky for him, they all return his feelings.

Kasia is not just a meek slave girl, though she is one of the only women who is not completely manipulative. She has had a terrible past and it makes her very meek. However, Crispin is the first person to make her feel loved, and he provides her not only with a feeling of security, but with a safe and happy life. She has always been internally stubborn, but her journey teaches her to be strong. She is very reasonable. The one thing that upset me about her story was that she married the soldier Carallus rather than Crispin. The two, to me, had one of the more genuine bonds, and it was clear right to the end that they still loved each other. If things had been different, I believe that the two of them may have gotten married instead.

Alixana appears to be the brains behind the empire, and in a way she is, but she has a big heart. She is constantly putting on a play, after all she is an actress. She never really lets anyone see who she truly is. Even her husband is sometimes fooled by her deception. She does not always agree with him, but she knows that he is the leader and that he is stubborn, and so she allows him to rule his way. She suffers in her marriage for her inability to have kids, but it is clear that this does not change her genuine love for her husband. Her final scene with Crispin is, to me, the most true side of her that she ever showed, although some of that side of her came out when the two went to the island prison.

Vargos is loyal almost to a fault. He is quiet and strong, but he uses his strength to protect those that he loves. His part is small, but nonetheless significant.

Styliane is a confusing combination of emotions and secrets, who can be perceived as both troubled and vengeful. She seems to be in a troubled marriage. She is allowed to cheat, but at the same time it still upsets her husband and herself to some degree. She falls for Crispin, but she also commits herself to the fact that she will eventually hurt him and lose him. Styliane is often angry and manipulative, but Crispin sees her cry. I do not completely understand what was happening with her, but her motives for revenge ruled her life.

Shirin was a very modest, honest, wonderful young dancer. I had expected from the nature of their relationship that when Kasia got married, Crispin and Shirin would end up together. She may be an actress, but she hides a lot less than Alixana does. She is as innocent as a dancer can be, and does not always appreciate being in the limelight. Of course, she is not complete without her mechanical bird from her father, Zoticus, who is her main source of communication with Crispin.

I could go on.

One of the elements of this series that makes it so amazing is GGK's brilliant use of symbolism. Even if you're not sure what the symbol means, you just have this sense that there is a deeper meaning to the whole text. The mechanical birds in the king's palace represent his people. The birds from Zoticus the alchemist represent both the souls of the dead (and who they were based on what bird they are captured in), and the qualities of peace and innocence. The concept of the Ninth Driver on the 8-lane race track is representative of the constant risk of death. The use of fall and the road represent the changes that the characters are going through on their journey, and later winter is used as the season of death. The golden rose is a representation of both the fragility and dangers of beauty, specifically Alixana's. And there are so many more. If only you knew!

Please, please, if you love history, fantasy, or just good old reading, pick up these books and read them! 

 

*side note: I have not read The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings since I was about 12, so this is based on my remembrance of them - one day I will read them again and perhaps this statement will change.