Sailing to Sarantium

Book One of the Sarantine Mosaic

By: Guy Gavriel Kay

Narrated by: Berny Clark

Crispin is a mosaicist, a layer of bright tiles. Still grieving for the family he lost to the plaque, he lives only for his arcane craft. But an imperial summons from Valerius the Trakesian to Sarantium, the most magnificent place in the world, is difficult to resist.

In a world half-wild and tangled with magic, a journey to Sarantium means a walk into destiny. Bearing with him a deadly secret and a Queen's seductive promise, guarded only by his own wits and a talisman from an alchemist's treasury, Crispin sets out for the fabled city. Along the way he will encounter a great beast from the mythic past, and in robbing the zubir of its prize, he wins a woman's devotion and a man's loyalty - and loses a gift he didn't know he had until it was gone.

Once in this city ruled by intrigue and violence, he must find his own source of power. Struggling to deal with the dangers and seductive lures of the men and woman around him, Crispin does discover it, in a most unusual place - high on the scaffolding of the greatest work of art ever imagined....

©1998 Guy Gavriel Kay (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Great story, annoying narrator

I do not agree with others that the voice actor Berny Clark was good. There was no pause whatsoever between one section and another, making the transitions very confusing at times. His way of voicing women was to make their voices so faint as to be imperceptible, which is no fun when one is listening in the car on the way to work. Most of the narration was fine, but these were glaring problems that would make me want to skip his narration in future.

The story is wonderful, the characters well flushed out and the plot full of twists. This is only my second Guy Gavriell Kay book, but I am very excited to keep reading!

Wonderful

This is my third Kay title to consume and I've become a fan for life. Here is another adventure worked with masterful prose and produced with fantastic narration. 5 stars.

A very good start

I was not expectiong anything special from this book. Well I was wrong, this is a fast moving, well written book. I look foreword's to the rest of the series.

Amazing!

Guy Gavriel Kay does it again delivering a beautiful story filled with nuance, intellect, the historical vibe, etc. the narrator is also excellent with the array of voices and each voice fits the character. Solid 8/10.

Read the 2nd book too. Excellent story and Narrat

Beautifully written of course, engaging characters all meeting up together in book 2 Lord of the Emperors, Crafty quest idea, creative plots, full of emotion, political intrigue, deep love and devotion, a bit of magic, smartly devised choices given crossroads as developed. 5 star read...Guy's best IMO. Read book 2 also...........narration is perfect!