Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay

Reviewed by Lawrence D. P. Miller

Sequels generally attempt to meet two separate goals: to continue and expand on the story of the predecessor, and to shine as a work of fiction in its own right. Seldom does a sequel come along that meets both goals so completely as Guy Gavriel Kay's Lord of Emperors, the sequel to Sailing to Sarantium.

This is Kay's second novel in the two-novel series set in and around Sarantium, based not surprisingly on Earth's Byzantium and capital of Constantinople. History buffs will be entertained by the detail Kay uses to describe the environment, and especially the mosaics of protagonist Crispin. This is not, however, a strictly historical novel; Kay's use of fantasy interwoven with historical themes allows us to enjoy the historical elements without holding him to earthly reality.

Crispin, the artisan who answers a royal summons and travels to the capital city during the first book of the series, remains an actively developed player in this second novel. It is the cast of new characters, and characters who were merely window dressing in the previous book, who come alive to steal the show in Lord of Emperors, however. Heading up the new cast is Rustem, a physician who has travelled to Sarantium from neighboring Karakek with his own agenda, and possibly a few others as well. Scortius, the charioteer who served mostly as window dressing in the first novel, takes center stage here, much more than a Jungian archetype come to life.

While much of the action involves new and newly developed characters, Crispin, the hero of Sailing to Sarantium, is by no means forgotten. The creation of his grand mosaic echos the action of the story, as Crispin makes progress, falters, recovers, falters, and recovers again and again. He remains our popular everyman hero, alternating clandestine meetings with various royalty and details of a mosaic of staggering beauty in the making.

Kay built a world in Sailing to Sarantium, much of which remained blank and unexplored. In Lord of Emporers, he adds fullness and depth to the lands he has created, akin to Crispin's own detailed work on his own masterpiece.

Lord of Emperors by Guy Gavriel Kay HarperCollins Hardcover ISBN 0-061051-21-7

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