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Guy Gavriel Kay is quickly becoming one of my favourite fantasy authors. The Sarantine Mosaic, a two-book series of which this is the first instalment, is set in a world clearly based on mediaeval Constantinople (Byzantium), where various cultures clash, sometimes violently so. Its protagonist is Crispin, a master mosaicist commissioned to decorate the greatest church in the empire. His journey to Sarantium is fraught with danger, and life in Sarantium itself proves no less exciting. Many dealings with illustrious personages ensue, as do interesting observations on art and religion. As always, Kay has done his homework; his evocation of Byzantine life (chariot races, partisan crowds) is superb and by all accounts quite historically accurate (except for a few fantasy elements thrown in here and there). The first few chapters are a bit too episodic and action-packed for my taste, but the second half of the book is excellent, and the sequel is even better.