Spear-points in the Sarantine Mosaic

[kate_nepveu]

papersky talked about spear-points in writing, as a way of thinking about plot and story structure. In a comment, I wondered how the spear-point of Guy Gavriel Kay's Sarantine Mosaic (Sailing to Sarantium and Lord of Emperors), what I think of as that moment, affected people who didn't know anything about the historical events that Kay had taken as a starting point. tanac volunteered to share reactions, if I'd say what event I was referring to.

There will be positively enormous, book-destroying spoilers behind the cut tag.

That moment, of course, is the murder of Valerius. I found it incredibly shocking the first time I read the book: first, I just don't expect that central and vital a character to be killed off, and second, I knew that Justinian I, the obvious and very close model for Valerius, didn't die in this way.

And it's a spear-point with dimensions that don't become apparent until later, as well: because it should be clear, by the end, that it's this murder that allows war with Batiara to be avoided. Which is clearly a good thing, even if one doesn't know that the reconquest of Italy in our history was brutal and lengthy.

So there's the shock, which I think would be enhanced if one knew Justinian lived considerably past the analogous period of these books. There's sorrow at the death but pleasure at some of the results, which is probably a draw. And there's a third factor, the appreciation of how it all fits together, which I suspect is only available to people who know the history of our world.

(I should say that I have only a very basic knowledge of the corresponding historical events, gleaned from sites like this entry from "An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Emperors.")

Though imputing intent is always tricky, I think it a reasonable supposition that Kay set out to avert the invasion of Italy. And he managed to do so by changing just three things from our history:

1. Justinian's heir was his nephew. Valerius's nephews are feckless and banished.
2. Belisarius married Antonina, a favorite of Theodora. Leontes married Styliane.
3. Amalasuintha was regent for her son over the Goths in Italy. Gisel is queen in her own right.

So: Valerius is killed without a heir, allowing Leontes to step into the Emperor's robes. But because Styliane murdered Valerius, Leontes puts her aside and married Gisel: who, as queen in her own right, brings him Batiara peacefully. I appreciate the simple elegance of it and find it another layer of the spear-point: but I only recognize that elegance because I know what's different.

(Of course the changes are also lethally complex and nuanced, because this is Kay, and the changes lead to the multiply-pivotal Aliana-Styliane-Gisel triangle, so pivotal that they each get their own shadows, Shirin, Thenais, and Kasia, respectively. But that's a different post.)

Comments

[montoya.livejournal.com]

I didn't know the history (I'm shockingly ill-informed on classical history), and it was every bit as intense as Kay could possibly have hoped for. Normally, when characters die in a book, it's because they were done, because that death was the natural conclusion of their story. But Valerius was right in the middle of his plot -- he had all his balls up in the air, was manipulating an elaborate web of events, and out of nowhere... poof.

[kate_nepveu]

Does knowing more about the history now add to that at all? I can see if it wouldn't, because shock like that is often frozen in time. But I'm curious.

[montoya.livejournal.com]

I'm nodding along going, "Yeah, I could have felt differently about that," but the frozen thing is about right.

spearpoints

[dsgood.livejournal.com]

Much thanks for bringing Papersky on spearpoints to my attention! I needed it.

Your spoilers won't ruin anything for me, even though I haven't read these Kay books. I've looked at them, and decided I wasn't interested. Kay is expertly doing something I don't care about.

Re: spearpoints

[kate_nepveu]

Which is what?

I was thinking about this last night, and I think the Sarantine Mosaic is the most _structured_ of his books. So if that's of interest to you, it might be worth a look, depending on the other things that you aren't interested in.

Re: spearpoints

[robling-t.livejournal.com]

Kay is expertly doing something I don't care about.

Thank you for making me feel a smidgen less guilty about giving up on Sarantine Mosaic last week. :) Everyone's been recommending it so I thought I'd give it a try, but I got to a certain point about a hundred pages in where I realized that if I didn't care what was going on by now there wasn't any sense in slogging on with it. Ah, the joy of library books... {sigh}

[elmyra.livejournal.com]

Hm. Hmmmmmmmm... (found my way here through the GGK community, btw).

If I remember correctly, I read up on some of the history while I was reading the books. The death of Valerius was a shock, but not an unexpected one. The thing that does kind of prepare you for it (and make it more painful at the same time) are all the little flash-forwards that keep telling you, yes, we're getting to a point of huge change and this is the end of an era, but things will still be alright and life will go on.

And damn me for not noticing the shadow characters thing. I shall have to go and read the books again (I only re-read them about half a year ago... ;-)

[kate_nepveu]

I took the change-of-era things to be the coming rise of Islam, and felt very clever for noticing => , so I didn't catch hints in this direction at _all_.

(I have been fighting off the urge to re-read, because I just don't have time; I was proud of my willpower, that I managed to just check a couple of details last night and not re-read the entire ending. Besides, hey, new book really soon now!)

[elmyra.livejournal.com]

Yay, new book! Already pre-ordered from Amazon. (Certain Canadian online bookshops are already shipping, grrrrr...)

Anyway, the rise of Islam was somewhat later than that. And it is referred to, most notably when he talks about the statues of the charioteers only being torn down 700 years later. I'd really like him to follow up on that in a novel actually... :-)

I really want to re-read Tigana some time soon, and I've promised someone in this community a Lions fanfic piece for which I may have to re-read substantial parts of that. And I don't have the time. *sulks*

[elmyra.livejournal.com]

It's occurred to me that I should correct myself. Of course the rise of Islam, or the origin of Islam was at the time of Justinian and Theodora. I was very happy with myself when I did some research while reading the first book and figured that out and then it was promptly included in the second book.

What I was referring to in the above comment was the fall of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453 (I love Google... :-).

[texas-tiger.livejournal.com]

My goodness yes.

You think Valerius is going to die. Then you think he's going to live. Then he dies from a stab in the back from someone totally unexpected.

Kay's a master.

[kate_nepveu]

The more so because he doesn't cheapen it, or have it *only* be the means to an end.

Ugh, I think I'm talking myself into re-reading. No, no, no time!

[texas-tiger.livejournal.com]

*smile* The only thing that's keeping me from rereading it is that I gave away my paperbacks after my mom bought me two practically new matched hardbacks in almost mint condition for my birthday from a used bookstore.

She's got the only copies ATM. *grin*

(I can hear them calling me...three more months!)

[aryllian]

If you want another (very tardy) data point, I didn't know the history, and I was quite shocked by Valerius's death. Unfortunately, it has been long enough since I read them that I can't remember details, just that moment of realization, shock, denial...

However, I did decide later that I should have known because of the title of the book. Or is that too simplistic?

[kate_nepveu]

Time (not death or God) is the Lord of Emperors, we are explicitly told. So I guess I don't quite follow you.

[aryllian]

Very sorry. It has been, as I said, a while since I last read this, and I had it very firmly in my mind that Death was the Lord of Emperors. So firmly that it didn't even occur to me to wonder if I was wrong, and I'm usually very careful about such things.

Though actually (taking the quote from your review because I have no idea where it is in the book)

"And how many people would die in achieving all of this? Is it not vanity? To believe we can act like a god? We aren't. Time claims all of us."

"The Lord of Emperors? It does, but are there no ways to be remembered, doctor, to leave a mark, on stone, not on water? To have . . . been here?"

I can see exactly how I went wrong. "Time claims all of us" transforming in my mind to "We all die", which makes "Lord of Emperors" into "Death". And just given that quote, I'm not completely persuaded that Death is an impossible interpretation, because it still feels so natural an interpretation to me. Suboptimal, perhaps. Funny how the mind works.

It might be time to read it again. I'd been tempted by a certain scene in The Last Light of the Sun anyway...

[kate_nepveu]

Oh gosh, don't apologize! It's not an unreasonable interpretation, after all. Funny that I'd assumed it referred to God.

I haven't read _Last Light_ yet, but a few people have found it disappointing, so I'm going to dial my expectations down for it. What did you think?

[aryllian]

I wasn't precisely disappointed, but it didn't really stick at all. I loved it while reading it, but there's nothing that really hit home for me. I had assumed it was just me and my personal idiosyncrasies, akin to the way I'm a little less fond of The Fionavar Tapestry, which lots of people really love.

[niphredile.livejournal.com]

[Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com] ....I'm very curious about your 'shadows' theory concerning our main female characters. Care to elaborate?

[kate_nepveu]

I'm plagarizing myself from an old Usenet thread, with modifications.

Shirin and Aliana: how they begin, as dancers; the perfume; and Crispin.

Kasia and Gisel both are Antae come through to safety, unexpectedly, and in part through marriages motivated by other than love.

Styliane and Thenais are seething with suppressed passions that lead them to attempt murder and then to kill themselves. Note that when there are hints about Scortuis' lover in the first book, they're couched in a way that makes us think it of Styliane; and Thenais' inability bend instead of break (see the gold rose) foreshadows (or aftershadows, depending on when you realize) Styliane's plot thread.

[niphredile.livejournal.com]

I see. Interesting....