Book recommendation / Preporuka knjige: Sailing to Sarantium, Guy Gavriel Kay

Today I have a book recommendation for you. It is a novel Sailing to Sarantium by Canadian writer Guy Gavriel Kay, the first novel is Sarantine Mosaic duology. This was my third novel by this author, previously I had read Tigana and A Song for Arbonne. Gay Gavriel Kay often creates his fantasy worlds having in mind a specific historical period.  This novel, being set in a historical world very much akin to 6th century Mediterranean world, is no exception. Many of its characters are based on real historical figures, for example emperor Justinian I (known as a man who never sleeps) becomes Valerious II in this novel and his empress Theodora (a former courtesan turned great ruler and queen) appears under name Aliana. Sarantium, the embodiment of culture and art in this novel, is based on Constantinople during the reign of Justinian I. 

This novel has a lot to offer. I'm sure that historical lovers will enjoy parallels with the actual historical period and places that appear in this book. Likewise, art lovers and artists will surely love all those meditative passages about the nature of art. Moreover, there is depth to this novel.  This novel opens with artisan Crispin, who having lost all of his family in a plague, has almost nothing to life for. His love for his craft ( he creates mosaics, a form of art in that time) is probably the only thing keeping him alive. His craft is a bit more than just any craft, actually. It is a form of art. Crispin is a genuine artist and he shall be sailing to Sarantium, the centre of culture and art.

“In all the lands ruled by that City, with its domes and its bronze and golden doors, its palaces and gardens and statues, forums and theatres and colonnades, bathhouses and shops and guildhalls, taverns and whorehouses and sanctuaries and the great Hippodrome, its triple landward walls that had never yet been breached, and its deep, sheltered harbour and the guarded and guarding seas, there was a timeworn phrase that had the same meaning in every tongue and every dialect. To say of a man that he was sailing to Sarantium was to say that his life was on the cusp of change: poised for emergent greatness, brilliance, fortune – or else at the very precipice of a final and absolute fall as he met something to vast for his capacity.” Quoted from Saling to Sarantium.

 

Danas za vas imam preporuku knjige, a radi se o romanu Odjedriti u Sarant kanadskoga pisaca Guy Gavriel Kaya. Ovo je moj treći roman ovoga autora, do sada sam pročitala Tiganu i Pjesmu za Arbonnu. Guy često stvara svoje svjetove fantastike imajući u umu određeni povijesno razdoblje, a ovaj roman čija se radnja događa u svijetu veoma sličnom Mediteranu šestoga stoljeća, nije nikakva iznimka. Mnogi likovi u ovom romanu su utemeljeni na stvarnim povijesnim likovima, npr.  car Justijan I Veliki (poznat kao čovjek koji nikad nije spavao) postaje Valerije II u ovom romanu, a njegova carica Teodora ( bivša kurtizana koja je postala velika vladarica) pojavljuje se se pod imenom Aliana. Sarant, oličenje kulture i umjetnosti u ovom romanu je utemeljen na Konstantipolu tijekom vladavile Justijana I. 

Ovaj roman ima puno za ponuditi. Ljubitelji povijesti će uživati paralele sa stvarnim povijesnim razdobljem i mjestima koja se pojavljuju u knjizi. Ljubitelji umjetnosti i umjetnici će sigurno uživati u meditativnim dijelovima o prirodi umjetnosti. Osim toga, u ovom romanu ima dubine. Ovaj roman započinje pričom o Krispinu, koji nakon što je izgubio obitelj zbog kuge, više nema za što živjeti. Na životu ga vjerovatno drži samo njegova ljubav prema zanatu koji je u zapravo vid umjetnost (on naime pravi mozaike, ali ne u današnjom smislu riječju već u povijesnom, tako da je on zapravo umjetnik, nikako ne samo zanatlija). 

So, when Crispin’s elderly mentor asks him to travel to Sarantium in his place to work on a royal commission, Crispin accepts knowing that this journey will surely change his life. That’s the opening of the story and I assure you, it is a very enjoyable and well told story. 

Within this book there is a metaphor that I quite liked. This metaphor happens to be the title of this book. Sailing to Sarantium is a metaphor used brilliantly during the course of the novel. It means that somebody has taken a change, braved to do something, changed his life in a drastic way. 

The metaphor does make sense because a man that is sailing to capital may be changing his life. Especially when that capital happens to be the centre of power and the place of many wonders. 

I can't say that I was sailing to Sarantium when I decided to read this novel, because I've already read and enjoyed two novels by Kay. I wasn’t exactly taking a chance. On the contrary, I was pretty sure I will like this novel and that was certainly the case. I enjoyed sailing to Sarantium, sailing to this wonderful fantasy world.

Dakle, kada Crispina njegov stariji mentor zamoli da otputuje u Sarantium umjesto njega kako bi radio na kraljevskoj narudžbi, Crispin prihvaća znajući da će mu to putovanje sigurno promijeniti život. To je početak priče i uvjeravam vas, to je vrlo ugodna i dobro ispričana priča.

U ovoj knjizi postoji metafora koja mi se jako svidjela. Ta metafora je zapravo i naslov knjige. Plovidba do Sarantiuma je metafora koja je briljantno korištena tijekom romana. To znači da je netko napravio promjenu, hrabro učinio nešto, drastično promijenio svoj život.

Metafora ima smisla jer čovjek koji plovi prema glavnom gradu možda mijenja svoj život. Pogotovo kada se taj glavni grad slučajno pokaže središtem moći i mjestom mnogih čuda.

Ne mogu reći da sam plovila prema Sarantiumu kada sam odlučio pročitati ovaj roman, jer sam već pročitala i uživala u dva romana ovog pisca. Nisam baš riskirala. Naprotiv, bio sam prilično sigurna da će mi se ovaj roman svidjeti i to je svakako bio slučaj. Uživala sam ploveći do Sarantija, ploveći u ovaj prekrasni svijet mašte.

Sarantium is based on historical Constantinople. If you know your history, you know how important Constantinople was as a centre of culture and art. One way or another, this city is where all the prominent characters want to be, whether they realize it or not. This city draws them in with its beauty and culture. It also happens to be the place where interesting things happen, being the centre of power and politics. 

Is this a good choice for art, history and fantasy lovers? I would say yes. As I said, historical lovers will enjoy parallels with the actual historical period and places that appear in this book. Art lovers and artists will love all those passages about the nature of art and what it means to be an artist. The art lovers and artists will surely enjoy reading about that timeless struggle of artist to achieve something extraordinary in this faulty world. 

Fantasy lovers will admire the care and detail that were put into creation of this fantasy world. They will also enjoy the characters and the plot. Any flaws that this novel might have are minor. This novel is wonderfully crafted and it is a very enjoyable read. It is not a short novel (fantasy novels usually aren’t), but I’ve read it fairly quickly, in the course of two days.

 Is this novel a page turner? Yes, I would dare to say so. The protagonist of this novel, the mosaicist Crispin is very likeable and you can’t but feel for him. In addition, all the other characters presented feel like they belong there and the way they life stories get interwoven in this novel is simply ingenious.

Sarantium  se temelji na povijesnom Carigradu. Ako poznajete svoju povijest, znate koliko je Carigrad bio važan kao središte kulture i umjetnosti. Na ovaj ili onaj način, ovaj grad je mjesto gdje svi istaknuti likovi u romanu žele biti, bili oni toga svjesni ili ne. Ovaj grad ih privlači svojom ljepotom i kulturom. Također je mjesto gdje se događaju zanimljive stvari, budući da je središte moći i politike.

Je li ovo dobar izbor za ljubitelje umjetnosti, povijesti i fantastike? Rekla bih da jest. Kao što rekoh,  ljubitelji povijesti uživat će u paralelama sa stvarnim povijesnim razdobljem i mjestima koja se pojavljuju u ovoj knjizi. Ljubitelji umjetnosti i umjetnici voljet će sve one odlomke o prirodi umjetnosti i što znači biti umjetnik. Ljubitelji umjetnosti i umjetnici sigurno će uživati ​​u čitanju o toj bezvremenskoj borbi umjetnika da postigne nešto izvanredno u ovom nesavršenom svijetu.

Ljubitelji fantastike divit će se pažnji i detaljima koji su uloženi u stvaranje ovog svijeta fantastike. Također će uživati ​​u likovima i radnji. Sve mane koje ovaj roman može imati su male i skoro pa nebitne u kontekstu vidljivog truda koji je uložen u njega. Ovaj roman je prekrasno napisan, osmišljen i vrlo je ugodno štivo. Nije kratki roman (romani fantastike obično nisu kratki), ali pročitah ga prilično brzo, u dva dana.

Je li ovaj roman napet i zanimljiv? Da, usudila bih se reći. Glavni junak ovog romana, mozaičar Crispin, vrlo je simpatičan i ne možete ne suosjećati s njim tijekom njegovih avantura. On je u osnovi dobra osoba, iskreni umjetnik, a uz to je puno propatio. Osim toga, svi ostali predstavljeni likovi djeluju kao da pripadaju tamo, a način na koji se njihove životne priče isprepliću u ovom romanu jednostavno je genijalan.

There is a depth to this novel that I didn’t notice in other novels by Kay that I’ve read so far. It may have been that I wasn’t paying attention, but I don’t remember those two as having as many interesting moral paradoxes, philosophical passages and theological debates.

 I liked the way the writer made religion an integral part of this book. Religion can play many roles, both positive and negative ones. The link between politics and religion is something that is well handled in this novel. I’m not surprised that the author managed to show the connection between religion and the society because he obviously invested time and effort into developing this fantasy world. 

What did surprise me was the finesse with which the spiritual experiences occurring to characters in this novel were handled. I believe that Kay actually managed to show the way religion can influence the individual, both for the good and the bad. Some use religion for the good and some for evil.

The central religion of the Empire, based on worship of Jad, is obviously based on Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Paganism also plays an interesting role and it is the base of the only mystical experience describes in this book, an experience that has a profound effect on our protagonist. 

This was the part of the novel that stayed with me the most. It might be because I did not expect it. I loved that the protagonist undergoes a mystical experience that shakes him to the core, changing his beliefs and perception of the world. I felt like it really added riches to both the protagonist and his portrayal, and the novel as a whole. It is always great to see actual character development!

Ima dubinu u ovom romanu koju ne primjetih u drugim romanima Guy Gavriela Kaya koje do sada pročitah. Možda ne obraćah pažnju, ali ne sjećam se da su ta dva romana koje pročitah prije imala toliko zanimljivih moralnih paradoksa, filozofskih odlomaka i teoloških rasprava.

Svidio mi se način na koji je pisac religiju učinio sastavnim dijelom ove knjige. Religija može igrati brojne uloge i strane, a jao što ovaj roman pokazaše one mogu biti  i pozitivne i negativne. Veza između politike i religije nešto je što je dobro obrađeno u ovom romanu. Ne čudi me što je autor uspio pokazati vezu između religije i društva jer je očito uložio vrijeme i trud u razvoj ovog svijeta mašte.

Ono što me iznenadilo bila je finoća kojom su obrađena duhovna iskustva koja se događaju likovima u ovom romanu. Vjerujem da je Kay zapravo uspio pokazati kako religija može utjecati na pojedinca i na dobar i na loš način. Zapravo sve je na nama i na našem pristupu. Neki koriste religiju za dobro, neki za zlo. 

Središnja religija Carstva, temeljena na štovanju Jada, očito se temelji na judaizmu, kršćanstvu i islamu. Poganstvo također igra zanimljivu ulogu i osnova je jedinog mističnog iskustva opisanog u ovoj knjizi, iskustva koje ostavlja trajni dojam i ima dubok utjecaj na našeg protagonista.

Ovo je dio romana koji mi je najviše ostao u sjećanju. Možda zato što to nisam očekivala. Svidjelo mi se što protagonist prolazi kroz mistično iskustvo koje ga potresa do srži, mijenjajući njegova uvjerenja i percepciju svijeta. Smatram da je to doista obogatilo i protagonista i njegov portret te roman u cjelini. Uvijek je sjajno vidjeti stvarni razvoj likova!

“But Crispin had had three souls in Jad's creation to live with and love, and all three were gone. Was the knowledge of other losses to assuage his own? Sometimes, half asleep at night in the house, a wine flask empty by his bed, he would lie in the dark and think he heard breathing, a voice, one of the girls crying aloud in her dreams in the next room.”

Another thing I like about our the protagonist Crispin of is how he Sailing to Sarantium reverses genre trophies and expectations. Crispin has no magical powers. He is not the chosen one. He is a maker of mosaics. He lays down bright tiles to form works of art. He is a nice guy. He travels to the capital and has to navigate its political intrigues. No magic. No battles with magical creatures or dragons. That is it. A story of an artist finding his way on a medieval Byzantine inspired court. It is a really good story, too. Proving that you don't like to follow genre stereotypes and tropes to create a great fantasy novel. I don't think some people realize how ahead of its time Guy Gavriel Kay was in some ways. He wrote political and historical fantasy fiction at a time when not many writers did it. Kay formed his own brand of fantasy writing, he sought not to imitate anyone. Having been one of the editor for Tolkien's latter works (published posthumously), Kay purposely went the other way. When I look at Tolkien's and Kay's writing, it is almost radically different, yet both are amazing in their own right. 

Još jedna stvar koja mi se sviđa kod našeg protagonista u romanu Plovidba za Sarantium je kako on preokreće žanrovske stereotipe i očekivanja. Crispin nema magične moći. Nije odabrani. On je stvaratelj mozaika. Postavlja svijetle pločice kako bi stvorio umjetnička djela. On je jednostavno dobar čovjek bez posebnih moći. Putuje u glavni grad i mora se snalaziti u njegovim političkim intrigama. Nema magije. Nema bitaka s magičnim stvorenjima ili zmajevima. To je to. Priča o umjetniku koji pronalazi svoj put na srednjovjekovnom dvoru inspiriranom Bizantom. To je također stvarno dobra priča. Dokazuje da ne morate slijediti žanrovske stereotipe kako biste stvorili sjajan roman fantastike. Mislim da neki ljudi ne shvaćaju koliko je Guy Gavriel Kay bio ispred svog vremena u nekim aspektima. Pisao je političku i povijesnu fantastiku vrijeme kada to nije radilo puno pisaca. Kay je formirao vlastiti stil fantastičnog pisanja, nastojeći ne oponašati nikoga. Budući da je bio jedan od urednika Tolkienovih kasnijih djela (objavljenih posthumno), Kay je namjerno krenuo drugim putem. Kad pogledam Tolkienovo i Kayino pisanje, gotovo je radikalno drugačije, no oboje je nevjerojatno na svoj način.

Are there negatives? Well, yes. Even though there are not numerous, I’d also like to say something about the downsides of this novel. One of them is no so much a downside, as a logical consequence of Sailing to Sarantium being a duology. Yes, it feels unfinished, but there is a good reason. This novel has a sequel, and  it is meant to be read with its sequel (it is a duology).

So, the fact that this book doesn't have a proper ending is not really a downside, but just something to be taken into an account before you go in. It can still be a downside to those who do not like duology or trilogies but there is that. I can forgive Sailing to Sarantium feeling unfinished for I'm assuming it is because has to be read with the sequel. 

Now, when it comes to female characters, my thoughts are a bit divided. I liked that there are strong female characters in this one. In addition, female characters are a bit one dimensional despite being portrayed as intelligent. You will notice that spiritual experiences in this novel mostly happen to men and that ladies are more focused on this material world. 

Perhaps it is just because these spiritual experience do not happen often. Afterall, this is not a book on theme of spirituality, but a historical fantasy novel with mystical elements.  This mystical side to this novel is as it is to be expected not overpowering. It is a small, but crucial part of the writing, though.

If we are going to be talk about Kay's portrait of women, he really knows how to write powerful female characters. The queen in this novel is a fantastically portrayed characters, strong but also kind. I really loved her character.

Still, I would have loved to see a more spiritual side to female characters. There are female characters in this novel that are spirits or ghosts of sorts, but we never really get to know them. Basically, we learn that souls of some young women are captured in mechanical birds. This is one of those mystical moments I talked about. I would have loved it if those spirits somehow talked to us as a reader or something like that. I would have liked to meet them, to learn more of them and their experience of the world. However, even without that, this  was still a fine novel. I'm sure that fantasy, art and history geeks will find much to love in this one. 

Sada, nešto o nedostacima romana. Roman zapravo i nema pravi kraj, ali to je zato što bi se i trebao čitati s nastavkom (radi se o duologiji). 

Uz to, ženski likovi su malo jednodimenzionalni, čak i ako su inteligentni. Kay obično piše snažne i inteligente ženske likove, ali ovdje nekako nisu došli toliko do izražaja, osim lika carice. Primijetiti ćete da se duhovna iskustva u ovom romanu događaju muškarcima, a da su dame više usmjerene na ovaj materijalni svijet. 

Mislim da je to stoga jer tih duhovnih i mističnih iskustava u romanu i nema puno. Naravno ovo je roman fantastike smješten u izmišljeno povijesno vrijeme, a ne knjiga na temu duhovnosti te taj duhovni dio nije u centru. Svejedno, taj mistični dio obogaćuje roman. Voljela bih da su i ženski likovi nekako bili dio toga. Zanimljivo u ovom romanu pojavljuju se ženski likovi koji su zapravo duhovi neke vrste. Duše mladih djevojaka uhvaćene su u mehaničkim pticama. Voljela bih da smo mogli kao čitatelji upoznati se sa njima bolje. 

Ipak, radi se o sjajnom romanu. Sigurna sam da će se svidjeti ljubiteljima fantastike, povijesti i umjetnosti.  Knjigu sam također čitala u originalu na engleskom, ali naravno morala sam potražiti kako izgleda hrvatsko izdanje jer jako volim naše ilustratore. Možda jedom pročitam i na hrvatskom pa utvrdim znanje. 

 

Another small thing that annoyed me a bit is how there is a constant emphasis on how 'clever' the characters and the conversation at the court are, but we don't really get to see it. We are told they are intelligent, but we are not shown. I enjoyed learning about the intelligence of certain characters, as it makes sense in the context of the story. However, I didn't see a direct testimony or proof of  that high or at least 'over the average' intelligence. 

That all being said, I would say that this is a first class fantasy book. As far as worldbuilding goes, it is  wonderful. The characters are likeable and easy to relate to. Plus, there is a profound side to this novel, shown in philosophical discussions on the nature of art and spirituality. It may just be the best novel by Kay that I have read so far. I can't wait to read the sequel.

That's about it from me on the topic of Sailing to Sarantium. I'll share some of my favourite clothes from Sailing to Sarantium and we can wrap this book review.

Još jedna sitnica koja me malo živcirala jest stalni naglasak na tome koliko su likovi i razgovori na dvoru 'pametni', ali mi to zapravo ne vidimo. Kažu nam da su inteligentni, ali nam se to ne prikazuje. Uživala sam u učenju o inteligenciji određenih likova, jer to ima smisla u kontekstu priče. Međutim, nisam vidjela izravno svjedočanstvo ili dokaz te visoke ili barem 'iznadprosječne' inteligencije.

Uz sve to rečeno, rekla bih da je ovo prvoklasna fantasy knjiga. Što se tiče izgradnje svijeta, predivna je. Likovi su simpatični i lako se s njima povezati. Osim toga, postoji duboka strana ovog romana, prikazana u filozofskim raspravama o prirodi umjetnosti i duhovnosti. Možda je to jednostavno najbolji Kayin roman koji sam do sada pročitala. Jedva čekam pročitati nastavak.

To je otprilike to od mene na temu romana Plovidba u Sarantium. Podijelit ću neke od svojih omiljenih odjevnih predmeta iz Plovidba u Sarantium i možemo završiti ovu recenziju knjige.

I like this quote because it gives us into insight in the thoughts of the female character. 

"She had spent the morning in this small room. Had thought to have her meal sent up, reflecting on....

wondering what girl, beaten and afraid, was going to appear with a tray for the lady.

The lady with the soldiers.... She was that lady. "

I'm picking another 'female' quote to share because it shows us that Kay favours intelligent female characters.

“Her mother used to call her erimitsu, "clever one" in their own dialect... Kasia had a reputation already that made her almost unmarriageable at home. Too clever by half, and too thin by more than that in a tribe where women were valued for full hips and soft figures -- promise of comfort in the long cold and children easily birthed.”

This quote really puts forward what art means to our protagonist Caius Crispus. It really stayed with me because like the protagonist, I strive to create art. What to I strive for when I make art? Exactly the same thing Caius Crispus strives for. To create something of surpassing beauty that would last and that would perhaps prove that I, Ivana, have lived and tried to understand something of the nature of this world and the souls that dwell in it. Guy Gavriel Kay said is so poetically that I simply must quote it: 

 

“He wanted to achieve something of surpassing beauty that would last. A creation that would mean that he--the mosaic worker Caius Crispus of Varena--had been born, and lived a life, and had come to understand a portion of the nature of the world, of what ran through and beneath the deeds of women and men in their souls and in the beauty and the pain of their short living beneath the sun.” 

 

Do you know realize what I meant when I said this novel was more profound that I expected. It speaks of the spiritual and the philosophical, a of a man that " had come to understand a portion of the nature of the world, of what ran through and beneath the deeds of women and men in their souls and in the beauty and the pain of their short living beneath the sun.” 

This is another quote that shows us the spiritual side of Gay Gavriel Kay's writing. This question about the presence of one power not denying another speaks of pagan religion existing side by side with a monotheistic religion. I think it implies that there is much that we don't know, that we need to stay humble before divine powers. We don't really have direct insight into the mind of God. Saints and mystics get a feel of it, but they don't know it. Most people are clueless when it comes to deeper questions. So, being open minded is paramount. Our protagonist witnesses a pagan power. Does it mean that the monotheistic God does not exist. It does not. Afterall, Christians believe that Lord Jesus is also a God. So, God has many forms. It is this invitation to openness that I really appreciate. I think this kind of thinking is more closer to God than thinking of religions that try to define what God is as strictly as possible. If we look at God at a supreme being that is so powerful and vast we cannot comprehend him, why are religions about forcing certain beliefs (we cannot be sure of) onto others:  “We worship…the powers that speak to our souls, if it seems they do. We do so knowing there is more to the world, and the half-world, and perhaps worlds beyond, than we can grasp. We always knew that. We can’t even stop children from dying, how would we presume to understand the truth of things? Behind things? Does the presence of one power deny another?" 

However, the philosophical and spiritual is not defined in a rigid way in this novel. This quote  implies that we cannot find all the answers in philosophy or religion. Some answers to how to be a better human are born of being a better human. We don't need to rationalize and explain everything.

“Philosophy could be a consolation, an attempt to explain and understand the place of man in the gods' creation. It couldn't always succeed, though. There were times when comfort could only be found in a woman's laughter, a friend's known face and voice, shared rumours about the Antae court, even something so simple as a steaming bowl of pea soup at a table with others. Sometimes, when the shadows of the half-world pressed too near, one needed the world.”

....

Finally, here is another quote that could be described as a spiritual confession of our protagonist:

“If this was the world as the god-or gods-had made it, then mortal man, this mortal man, could acknowledge that and honour the power and infinite majesty that lay within it, but he would not say it was right, or bow down as if he were only dust or a brittle leaf blown from an autumn tree, helpless in the wind.
He might be, all men and women might be as helpless as that leaf, but he would not admit it, and he would do something here on the dome that said-or aspired to say-these things, and more.
He had journeyed here to do this. Had done his sailing and was still sailing, perhaps, and would put into mosaics of the Sanctuary as much of the living journey and what lay within it and behind is as his craft and desire could encompass.”

Sailing to Sarantium

A loss so great it was almost unimaginable.....

Post update: In 2025, I published three more review of Gay Gavriel Kay's novel, so I'll leave the links below if you want to read them. 

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2025/07/ysabel-by-guy-gavriel-kay-book-review.html

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2025/07/a-song-for-arbonne-by-guy-gavriel-kay.html

https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2025/09/a-blue-review-of-tigana-fantasy-novel.html

If you want to read more of my book reviews, feel free to browse my blog for it is full of book reviews and recommendations. If you are new here, hello! My name is Ivana, and I'm a language teacher. 

Thank you for reading!