The Sarantine Mosaic

An Historical Fantasy duology by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay, consisting of:


 * Sailing to Sarantium (1998)
 * Lord of Emperors (2000)

Set in the same world as Kay's earlier novel The Lions of Al Rassan and his later The Last Light of the Sun (and thus, by extension, in the same universe as The Fionavar Tapestry and Ysabel), but in a different time and place, "The Sarantine Mosaic" is the story of (or at least, the story surrounding) one Caius Crispus, a mosaicist dwelling in Varena, Batiara (which is in no way Ravenna, Italy). Dispirited by a plague that killed his wife and daughters, Crispin soon finds himself accepting a commission meant for another man that will take him to Byzantium Sarantium, as well as being given a secret mission by the imperilled queen of Batiaria meant only for the ears of Emperor Valerius II. Crispin's adventures overland will involve gods, armies, an incredible array of potential Femme Fatales, and lots of chariot-racing.

The duology is based on the history of the reign of the great Byzantine Emperor Justinian I and his wife Theodora.

Tropes featured include:

 * Chariot Race: A major subplot revolves around racers.
 * The Chessmaster: Many characters play at this, Valerius II most of all.
 * Cruel Mercy
 * Demoted to Extra: Some characters who were fairly prominent in the first book don't get much play in the second.
 * Fantasy Counterpart Culture:
 * Sarantium = Byzantium
 * Bassania = Sassanid Persia
 * Batiara = Ostrogoth Italy
 * Femme Fatale: Styliane.
 * Grey and Gray Morality: Some characters are less likeable than others, but it's hard to say that any of the major factions are totally in the wrong.
 * Historical Fantasy
 * Laser Guided Karma: Invoked by
 * Loads and Loads of Characters: The cast is pretty big in the first book, and balloons even more in the second.
 * Low Fantasy
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Where to begin?
 * Valerius I = Justin I
 * Valerius II = Justinian I
 * Aliana/Alixana = Theodora
 * Leontes = Belisarius (with a bit of Heraclius for good measure)
 * Styliane = Antonina
 * Shirvan = Khosrow II Parvez
 * Pertennius = Procopius
 * Ashar ibn Ashar = The Prophet Mohammed
 * Not His Sled: Readers familiar with the history of the reign of Justinian I will note that things diverge markedly from the historical record about when ).
 * Psycho for Hire: Valerius II's former chief tax collector, the most efficient man to ever occupy the post, so long as you overlook his sadistic private activities.
 * Rescue Romance: Teased but averted.
 * Rewarded As a Traitor Deserves
 * Second Love: The duology could be described as Crispin sorting through the numerous candidates for this status.
 * Serious Business: Chariot racing. Truth in Television, from the historical record.
 * Shown Their Work: Guy Gavriel Kay clearly spent a lot of time reading up on mosaics and chariot racing.
 * Spanner in The Works:
 * Supporting Protagonist: Crispin is the closest thing to a main character, but he's often more an observer than anything else.
 * Unwitting Pawn: is supposed to be this for
 * Wacky Wayside Tribe: The chariot racing, arguably.
 * Xanatos Speed Chess
 * Xanatos Speed Chess