Lord of Emperors - Guy Gavriel Kay

The first half of the second book left me no more impressed than the first book did (that sentence made me dizzy). It isn't until the middle of the book that you start seeing some of the typical Guy Gavriel Kay qualities; the example that illustrates a detailed analysis of a situation that you can apply to your own life which he just slips in as if it's nothing. Brilliant!

Toward the end of the book it is also finally explained why there was so much detail in the prologue-like bit: it finally becomes relevant, if you can remember it 1,000 pages later.

I have to say that part of the enjoyment of The Sarantine Mosaic comes from the knowledge of the world in 'Lions' and the little comments that link the two together. I am torn between recommending that readers pick up 'Lions' first so that they can enjoy these and recommending that they build up to 'Lions' so that the other books don't disappoint.

I admit that I got part of what I came for with this book: I enjoyed the strong female characters and the heart-rending illustration of a true love-match. The plot was complex enough to not be too predictable. However, I felt some of the failings of the Fionavar Tapestry and Ysabel too, the distance from many of the characters, the unconvincing love match at the end. There are a few gems to be pulled out, moments crafted to perfection, but they were too few for my taste. Give me Lions, any day.

I plan on re-reading these within the next year. I'm convinced that several of my opinions will change on a second reading, now that I have a better grip on the characters.