Out of the House of Life: A Novel of the Count Saint-Germain (St. Germain) [Paperback]

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 1994 | Series: St. Germain

More than a third of Saint-Germain's long, long life was spent in the shadow of the Pyramids, in service to the temples of Egypt--but the tale of those years has never been told before.

In Out of the House of Life, readers of Yarbro's series can at last discover how a bloodthirsty demon, captured and enslaved by the high priests of the temple of Imhotep, was transformed into priest and physician and then, finally, into an immortal being of great power and greater wisdom.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Learned, lustrous-haired Madelaine de Montalia, dead over a century but reborn to the vampire life, joins an expedition of French antiquarians to excavate Egyptian ruins at Thebes, 1825-1828, in this ponderous novel, the seventh featuring the Count of Saint-Germain, the immortal vampire ( Hotel Transylvania ). From offstage, the Count sends letters to his adored Madelaine, recalling his thousand-year stint in ancient Egypt when he labored first as a captive demon (chained in Judea and given to Queen Hatshepsut) in the House of Life--a hospital/mortuary--then as slave, servant, physician and, finally, as "Sanh Zhrman," high priest of Imhotep. Madelaine imbibes the fluids of men she visits in dreams as well as (discreetly and in the flesh) those of her lover, the blue-eyed German Dr. Falke. Meanwhile she is besieged by lecherous misogynists and by the bribery of local officials, the theft and sale of choice treasures, the blatant plagiarisms that are all part of the game of archeology. Unfortunately, these promising story materials founder in a plotless narrative, talkily expressed in pseudo-Victorian style.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Yarbro is best known for a series of historical novels about the Comte de Saint-Germain ( Blood Games, LJ 2/1/80; Hotel Transylvania, LJ 1/15/78), a scholarly, humane, and centuries-old vampire. Here she alternates the story of his early life in Pharaonic Egypt with that of Madelaine, a 19th-century French beauty, herself a vampire, and lover of the count. Madelaine joins an archaeological expedition in the hope of discovering the ancient site of the House of Life where Saint-Germain toiled for 800 years. Usually Yarbro easily evokes a sense of time and place. Unfortunately in this novel, the rich history of Egypt never comes to life. Worse, the Muslim characters who populate the modern period are little more than caricatures. A disappointing book from a writer who has done so much better.
- Patricia Altner, U.S. Dept. of Defense Lib., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Orb Books (November 15, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312890265
• ISBN-13: 978-0312890261
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #742,112 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My favorite St. Germaine novel..., December 17, 1999

By 

Julia Walter (Cobleskill, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out of the House of Life: A Novel of the Count Saint-Germain (St. Germain) (Paperback)

I have read all the St. Germaine ( and Olivia) novels (well, not the brand new _Communion Blood_)and the collection of short stories too. This is my favorite for St. Germaine's recollections in the form of long letters to Madeline about when he first lived in Egypt. It is in this book that we find out details about what made him become a *good* vampire who values life.

This is contrasted with Madeline's struggle to be accepted as an Egyptologist.

I recommend it very highly. (And unlike some series of books there is no correct order to read these books in. Just read them as they come to you, but read them if you are interested in historical fiction with a _very_ long view. These books are much more about that than traditional horror novels.)Julia Walter

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love and transformation in ancient Egypt, January 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Out of the House of Life: A Novel of the Count Saint-Germain (St. Germain) (Paperback)

This book takes us back and forth, by means of St. Germain's letters to Madeline de Montalia, between his life in ancient Egypt and Madeline's archeological digs in the 19th century. I found St. Germain's recollections fascinating as he sometimes painfully recounts his transformation from a imprisoned "demon" in Babylon to the high priest in "The House of Life" (an ancient "hospital" for the dying.) St. Germain vividly recalls memorable patients and how his interactions with them slowly changed him from an uncaring bitter slave to a compassionate healer/priest with a strong sense of responsibility for the weaker humans around him. Madeline's story is more conventional as she tries to gain more understanding of her great love St. Germain through his letters and participating in an archeological dig at the ancient House of Life. Madeline is handicapped by her very youthful appearance and the fact that she is pursuing a man's career in a male-dominated culture. She finds love and great danger in Egypt. This book is a must to understand St. Germain's character and background.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Historically Fascinating, Yarbro Shines With This Book!, December 21, 2002

By 

Leah DosSantos (University Of Maryland, (USA)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out of the House of Life (Hardcover)

Ever since the publication of the first Saint-Germain book, I have been hooked on Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's books. I have often wondered how she remained a relatively obscure author, given the popularity that Anne Rice has enjoyed with her vampire series. While Rice is a great author, she lacks the historical research that goes into Yarbro's books... perhaps that's a liability for some romance readers who want instant gratification, without savoring a well crafted book, for this is what Out Of The House Of Life truly is! As another reviewer remarked, I, too,have learned more of history through this remarkable lady than anywhere else, College education included! This book goes back 6,000 years, and traces the roots of St. Germaine's history- the ignoble savage, slowly, over centuries, becoming the strong, sexy, and secure vampire with a heart of gold. I especially liked learning so much about Egyptian history in this novel, and found it refreshing. Unlike her earliest novels, I recently found that Yarbro's later books have become all too predictable-- poor misunderstood vampire stands up for the underdog, and becomes persecuted once again. Same scenes, same predicable outcomes. This novel shines out from the most recent, in that, it has more to say than that. The action doesn't get bogged down for lack of a plot this time. Too bad Yarbro didn't learn from this one, and stay on this track.. I can't say the same for books about St. Germaine published right after this one, and certainly not for the ones just before it, either.