Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay's Lord of Emperors was published in 2000 and received incredibly positive reviews when it was released. In their review of the novel, Kirkus Review called the novel "essential reading for all Kay fans." The novel, which is the second in Kay's duology that began with Sailing to Sarantium, picks up where Sailing to Sarantium left off and details what happened to Crispin after he landed in Sarantium.
Crispin has been asked to cover the interior of a dome of a church in Sarantium with a beautiful mosaic. Crispin, in turn, obliges the request and begins to work. While he works on the mosaic, however, Crispin continues other duties. For instance, he is the friend and confidant of empress Alixana, as well as the exiled Queen Gisel. These political machinations confound Crispin, who struggles to balance his work on the mosaic with his other duties.
Separately, the novel follows Rustem of Kerakek, a man and physician who travels from a faraway city that has found himself embroiled in political controversy and intrigue. Like Crispin, Rustem must navigate the complex city while remaining safe.
