8/10 Sailing to Sarantium- Before Sailing: The Prologue

[Chris]

The prologue to Sailing to Sarantium gives us a great introduction to the world of Kay's work and some history that's important to the main story. At fifty pages, it's quite the introduction!

What are your first impressions based on this prologue? Was it too lengthy, just right, or did you want more?

What are your initial feelings on the characters introduced at this point? How did you feel about Petrus and Aliana? How about the chariot racer Scortius? Feel free to discuss other characters too, as this area covers much of the book's backstory.

Also, how did you like the intrigue involved in the succession to the throne? Were you surprised?

[Ellen]

The prologue gave me a sense of what was in store for Crispin when he arrived in Sarantium - the world he was journeying to. It foreshadowed the level of intrigue and ruthlessness and strategic intelligence that the players in the “game of thrones” would bring to the game. Yep, I liked it (awful though it was for the victims of the sarantine fire)! And while it focused mostly on the players who would rule Sarantium, it also gave us a peek at those who would be the “rulers” of the Hippodrome.

The section on Fotius and Pappio I liked because it narrowed down the focus on the “little people” and their experience of the outcomes of these high-stakes games and how, in this case, they were masterfully manipulated to influence the intended results. I enjoy and appreciate how Kay nimbly moves back and forth between the seismic events put into motion by powerful others and the rippling effects on the average joe.

Kay brings so much nuance to his descriptions of the interactions of his characters that, when I first read this 10 years ago, I wasn’t able to connect all the information about the motives and behaviors of the characters in the prologue to subsequent events. Plus, I admit, I was focused on reading for the joy of that sense of “what happened next.” But this time, I was able to bring a level of awareness (remembering some of what was going to happen later in the story) that permitted me to luxuriate in the nuances and to comprehend at once more of the story’s layers.

[Chris]

Awesome post, Ellen.

Yes, I agree that a highlight was the preview of the chariot racers in the Hippodrome.

It's also tied to your other point that you brought up, one that I'm glad you touched on. I meant to, but didn't. That of the Greens and Blues. The two factions have a pretty heated rivalry and this prologue gives us not only a glimpse of that, but sets it up for the later story. With all the concentration on the political intrigue of the players in the "game", it's cool to see the common people represented in the overall picture. Their affiliation with these groups show us that.

[Sandra]

I feel like I need to reread it after reading your posts. I was, frankly, lost and found it hard to remember who was who in the many difficult names. I was relieved when it settled down to Crispin.

However, I found later that it did give me a sense of what he was getting into and of the intrigue and vast pressures of power in that society.

[Lisa]

I can't say how it foreshadowed anything yet, since I am only a few chapters past this, but the prologue was really hard for me to read.

There were way too many characters to follow, and it was especially hard with the author's style throughout the prologue of having two characters in a conversation without identifying who they were. I also spent much of the prologue flipping back and forth to see if the names were the same as the characters I had already read about!

I have really been enjoying the book since it actually started though, and the number of characters settled down.

I hope to see further evidence of how the prologue relates to the rest of the story, but since I haven't finished yet... I guess I'll have to wait and see. :-)

[Ron]

I disagree. The prologue was a unnecessary diversion. Yes, I've read the whole series and know what it foreshadows, but the whole hippodrome sub-plot(s) was too much IMHO.

[Jon]

Hmmm ... by hippodrome sub-plot are you referring to all the chariot racing? Personally, the chariot racing chapters were some of the most riveting reading I've done recently, especially in the second book.

The Prologue does get a bit of closure, IIRC, in the second book as well. Was there an Epilogue in Lord of Emperors? (I can't remember and already turned that book back in to the library).

[Sandra]

Jon wrote: "Hmmm ... by hippodrome sub-plot are you referring to all the chariot racing? Personally, the chariot racing chapters were some of the most riveting reading I've done recently, especially in the se..."

I don't think so, Jon. Nope. I just checked.

I thought the Hippodrome was a huge part of the story - all the interesting characters, the chariot race, the culture, all of it.

Ron, there are only two books in this series.

[Ellen]

Jon, there wasn't an epilogue to start LoE. It started in the "present" time and introduced us to several more characters and their journeys to Sarantium.

About the prologue in StS, one does feel a bit lost at first with all the new names and no context to connect them to yet. I don't mind that feeling though, so long as the plot draws me forward and the author continues to pull back the curtain on the context so that I feel like I'm building an understanding of this new world.

I'm willing to concede that the prologue may have been an unnecessary diversion, Ron, but it enriched my understanding of the world Kay built and I enjoyed it!

[Jon]

@Ellen: I meant an Epilogue at the end of LoE. I like it when a series (or a book) is 'book-ended' with a prologue and an epilogue. It's not necessary, but sure makes my Libra-tendencies stay balanced. :)

The only 'shocking' or 'disappointing' piece of the prologue was the fact we skipped an entire generation or reign of the first Valerius. Was it that boring that we could just move right on to Valerius II? :)

[Chris]

That's why I'm like I am! I'm a Libra too.

[Sandra]

I was also a little disoriented that they skipped the rule of the emperor discussed in the prologue.

Believe me, Libras aren't the only ones needing balance, lol.

[Ellen]

Ohhhhh yeah. You meant EPIlogue. =)
Yup, there is one. Balance there be!

[Elena]

I am glad to hear I was not the only one confused with the strange names on the prologue. It took some effort to get through it and was also relieved when it settle down to Crispin.

I really don't know what is that about the greens and the blues. They are all citizens of Sarantium, aren't they? Do they represent different regions? And there are more colors later and I have no idea what they represent.

[Ellen]

Elena, I liken the greens and the blues to those football (soccer) fans (fanatics) around the world for whom very little is as of as much emotional importance as the matches and rivalries in which their team engages.

Here in the state where I live, the SEC college football rivalry between Auburn University and the University of Alabama is a modern-day equivalent. Serious fans socialize their children early to love one team and the celebrities and symbols that are attached to it, which necessarily requires hating the other team and the things attache to it.

In Sarantium's Hippodrome, the Blues and the Greens are the "big leagues" while the Reds and the Whites are like the baseball minor league "feeder" teams. The Reds and Whites have relatively little standing apart from their respective big league team.

Hope that helps!

[Elena]

Thanks Ellen. It sure helps. I wasn't sure they represented just chariot teams.

[Tracy]

I thought the prologue was a good introduction to the story. We get an understanding of Petrus and Alixana, especially learning how Petrus has planned things so closely to get his uncle(and ultimately, himself) the crown. It helps define the culture of the city - the importance of the Hippodrome in racing and beyond and the cutthroat nature of the politics and how the two can interact as a force of change.