Customer Reviews

Burning Shadows: A Novel of the Count Saint-Germain (St. Germain)

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Chelsea Quinn Yarbro has scored another triumph with "Burning Shadows".

Sanctu-Germainios, now a Roman official in charge of Appulum Inferior, in the Dacia Superior, faces the deadly threat of Attila and his Huns head on. Retreating to the monastery of Sanctu-Eustacios, the Hermit, he and several hundred citizens and soldiers eke out an existence while waiting for the Huns to appear. Once they do, a deadly onslaught begins that leaves hundreds dead, and Germain fearing for his undead life.

Taking in refugees from the Huns is both charitable, and dangerous. Amidst a group from Tsapoulos is a silver haired young woman who takes Germains' heart and with her own secret, endangers him.

Between the Hun-Gaul-Goth threat, the interpersonal relationships between monks, soldiers, citizens, and Germain is difficult. I highly enjoyed a 'real' look at what a Hun invasion might look like and how it affected the brave, and not quite so. This is terror, from a 439AD perspective.

Would you choose death? Or switch allegiances to save your life? Would you take your own life to save your soul, or pledge allegiance to a bloodthirsty leader?

Yarbro gives us another masterful look at a time period we are not familiar with. You either walk away going 'wow', or wish you could write as well as she can. She clearly is deserving of all of her creditations and awards. I am in awe of her skill.

In 438 C.E., Dom Feranescus Rakoczy Sanctu-Germainios is part of the Regional Guard of Apulum Inferior as the Huns flood Europe. His lover Atta Olivia Clemens flees the Carpathians for the relative safety of Constantinople, but though she begged him to accompany her, he felt an obligation to lead the fleeing villagers to a safer place.

On the way to the isolated Sanctu-Eustachios monastery that prefers no visitors, Rakoczy meets Nicoris, who is also on the run from the Huns' horde too. They are attracted to one another from the onset. As the pair and hundreds of frightened peasants take refuge at the monastery, Rakoczy conceals his vampiric nature, but his lover learns of his True Nature. With the Huns closing in on them, Rakoczy fails to realize the biggest danger may come from within as she too has a dark secret might lead to his True Death inside these holy walls.

This is a terrific entry that works on two fronts: a strong insightful look at those fearing the Huns horde and a romance between Saint Germain and his true love Nicoris. The story line brings to life villagers and Roman legionnaires who expect death and worse once the invincible army arrives. Adding to that profound look at the fifth century are the reclusive monks who believe god's predetermination means life and death has been doggedly resolved by the Maker so why worry about defense. Although the ending could have used more flesh on it so as to fully bring out the blood and guts of the final twist, fans will relish Saint Germain's latest bittersweet historical adventure.

Harriet Klausner

This Count Saint Germaine novel finds the Count helping refugees at a monastery preparing for the Hun invasion. I was a bit put off at first by the large amount of history and geography the author dumps on your head in the Author's Note, and by the unfamiliar Roman names. After I was into the book, however, I realized ...the depth of history and geography presented are not that pertinent to the story, and tried not to worry about the names.

This would be a good Count St. Germain novel to start with, as it covers a bit of his history and the vampire mythology. It's not overly tragic, and is filled with characters doing their best in a difficult time, instead of some of the really venal and cruel villains you find in the other novels.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro keeps me interested with her ever-so-carefully researched historical settings and the wonderful Saint-Germain. She paints a wonderfully clear picture of the times he "lives" in and it has been delightful to have so many fine stories over the years. It is amazing to me how her references to a time in the past, of which she had not yet written, later turn out to fit so cleverly in the engaging tapestry of her work. My favorite vampire. None of the "new" can touch him!

Burning Shadows - a great read.

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro did it again. The other reviewers have pretty much covered my major points, so I'll keep it simple. I have read all of Yarbro's Saint Germain novels. This latest is simply one of the finest in the series. For those of us who love the Saint Germain novels, "Burning Shadows" is not to be missed. For anyone who loves rich historical fiction, "Burning Shadows" is filled with the historical detail coupled with rich characters and a compelling story. If you have never read one of Yarbro's novels of the Count Saint Germain, this novel would make a fine beginning. If you are already a fan, you are in for a treat.

Twenty-third if you don't count the novels that center around Atta Olivia Clemens and Madeline de Montalia, Saint-Germain's two long-term lovers and fellow-vampires.

The Saint-Germain series is a series of "historical romances" set at various different times, in various different settings, featuring a main character who is functionally immortal. He is officially a vampire, although if you prefer your vampires to be traditionally super-powered, you may find this series somewhat disappointing; other than his longevity and a bit more strength, speed, and durability than a normal human would have, there is very little to distinguish Saint-Germain from a fabulously wealthy, urbane, elegant, handsome and educated man. Also, there is nothing of the anti-hero about him; by the standards of most fictional vampires, he is practically a boy scout. He is most definitely a traditional, clear-cut hero, unless you object to your heroes having sex lives.

This is one of the stronger offerings in the series; there is enough action in it to satisfy those of us who had grown a bit bored with the bland, political manuevering that had characterized most of the more recent books in the series, as contrasted to many of the early books, in which Saint-Germain had the opportunity to be a romantic action hero.It is set in the fifth century, as the Roman Empire was crumbling and the Huns were invading Western Europe, certainly a setting ripe for action. Also, there were fewer failures of proofreading in it than there have been in many of Yarbro's books; apparently, she has found a proofreader/editor who is actually competent. I hope this trend continues; a few of her books are almost unreadable for the sloppy proofing.

With Burning Shadows Yarbro takes on a similar situation as she did with her last Saint Germain book. This time it's the time of the Huns, not the building of St. Petersburg. But the claustrophobic, desperate scene is the same. Trapped in a monastery with hundreds of refugees simply trying to survive the destructive nature of humanity (in this tale that's the role played by Attila the Hun as he rises to power) Saint Germain must balance his vampire nature with his desire to help others, while not drawing the suspicion of people who can't even trust each other.
Yarbro's style of telling a story not by directly showing the story, but instead by setting a series of highly detailed, soulful scenes will charm some readers and infuriate others used to the more common paranormal tales that show sex and violence with the same passion as Yarbro treats history. One can't deny the time and effort and craft Yarbro puts into her characters and settings, bringing history and humanity alive like few others do. Recommended for libraries, especially those looking for different kinds of horror or who might be in less horror-friendly areas.

Contains: mild language, alluded violence and gore

Have read most of these CSG novels, but after ordering two recently and trying to work my way through the historical details, I find that the novels no longer hold my interest.