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In his long and sometimes overwhelmingly lonely life, Ragoczy has lived through France's 14th-century Black Plague (Blood Roses), Ivan the Terrible's bloody reign (Darker Jewels), and the First World War (Writ in Blood). In Communion Blood, Count Saint-Germain travels from Transylvania to Rome to help out a distressed friend. It is the 17th century, a time when the pope had absolute power, and his "Little House," (The Inquisition), was a law unto itself. A vampire would be viewed as the ultimate heretic, but Saint-Germain puts his own fears aside as he offers legal advice and support to his good friend and fellow undead Niklos Aulirios, who is involved in a bitter legal dispute.
For over 1,300 years, Niklos was the faithful manservant of Olivia Clemens, until she died the True Death. Although she bequeathed everything to Niklos in her will, a young German, Ahrent Julius Rothofen, has challenged the will. He claims to be a relative of Olivia's late husband, but the vampires know this "husband" was purely fictitious. Rothofen also happens to be part of Archbishop Siegfried Walmund's entourage, a powerful allegiance of men who use the church to further their political ambitions and personal wealth. These are not men to vex, particularly if one happens to be a vampire.
As she has done so well throughout her series, Yarbro weaves Saint-Germain's personal dramas into a larger historical picture. We learn much about the complicated politics and religious divisions of 17th-century Europe, and we are treated to a fascinating snapshot of the music, arts, and fashions of the era. This is all laced with enough horror, supernatural intrigue, and erotic vampire sex to remind us that Saint-Germain, despite his humanity, is really not of the natural world. --Naomi Gesinger --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
To the Abbe of Sanct' Parasceva, in Transylvania, the greetings of Niklos Aulirios in Roma, in the hope that the worst of the fighting now going on in the Carpathians that we hear reported here in Roma has passed you by; Read the first page
Concordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Twelfth in the Saint-Germain series.,
By
This review is from: Communion Blood: A Novel of the Count Saint-Germain (Paperback)
Or thirteenth, if you count "Out of the House of Life", which is primarily a spinoff novel about Madeline de Montalia (former lover and vampiric "childe" of Saint-Germain), but which does include some flashback scenes to some of Saint-Germain's early history.Or sixteenth, if you also count "A Flame in Byzantium", "Crusader's Torch", and "A Candle For d'Artagnan", the spinoff series about Atta Olivia Clemens, an earlier vampiric "childe". This book is, after a fashion, a sequel to "A Candle for d'Artagnan". The book is set in seventeenth century Rome, 30 years after Olivia's death, and somewhat more than that after "Mansions of Darkness". The plot and historical settings were interesting enough, if not Yarbro's best; the love interest, for a change, was neither traumatized, killed, nor psychotic, and even the secondary female character, who WAS traumatized and a bit difficult, was at least not completely psychotic. It was interesting to see, for a change, that the diligence of the church investigators actually worked to Saint-Germain's advantage. The only real problem with this book was that the writing was inexcusably sloppy. I've long since accepted the fact that there are going to be errors in any mass-market paperback, and in spite of the fact that we pay "quality paperback" prices for the current run of Saint-Germain books, they are basically mass-market paperbacks in Sunday-Go-To-Meeting clothes. And Yarbro has always tended to be a tad on the sloppy side about her proofreading, but I can accept a typo or three per book without getting all worked up over it. But if there aren't two dozen sloppy errors in this book (including one in which she misspells her own main character's name, as "Saint-German") (bottom line of page 363) I'll be astonished. Errors that an author of Ms. Yarbro's reputation shouldn't be making; things like "The courts have long preferred the claims of relatives over that of servants..." and "The worker have left for the night" and "there had been stalls for nearly a hundred horses here, and was thought a smallish enterprise" and "Now there were stall for twenty" (those last two being back-to-back) and "A few worldly slights such as mine must be seem more amusing than dangerous". This is far from a comprehensive list; these were all before page 75, and the frequency did NOT lessen as the book progressed. Get this woman an editor who isn't willing to rubber-stamp everything she writes because of her reputation. Someone capable of attention to detail.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.9 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews) 12 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another winner starring everyone's favorite vampire,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Communion Blood (Hardcover)
In the seventeenth century Rome, Atta Olivia Clemens death leaves her vast estate to her loyal servant Niklos Aurilios. However, Ahrent Julius Rothofen challenges the will by claiming he is the son of Olivia's spouse. By virtual of that relationship, he inherits the estate. Niklos turns to Olivia's long term friend Count Saint-Germain for help. The Count knows that his cherished Olivia had no husband. However, Ahrent is part of Archbishop Walmund's retinue, which means he has powerful connections. That threat fails to deter the honorable vampire who alienates the Archbishop further when he helps a young lady escape from marrying the brother of the holy man. Though he knows he needs to show more caution, Saint-Germain continues to do what he feels is right in spite of the danger posed by the Church. The latest entry in the long running Saint-Germain novels continues the excellence of its predecessors. The story line remains fresh due to the emphasis on the characters and the era rather than just another vampire tale. The myriad of tidbits woven into the plot adds a historical feel rarely seen in a novel. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro keeps her lead protagonist from becoming stale almost as if this is his first appearance, but he still retains his basic charming traits. Ms. Yarbro continues her tradition of providing the best of the "vampiric" tales because she understands it's not the gore or a bushel of victims. It's the authenticity that counts. Harriet Klausner 6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Power spirals out of St-Germain's hands,
By M. D. Moore - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Communion Blood (Hardcover)
As always, I enjoyed the integration of history and story line in Ms. Yarbro's work. This book continues a wonderful new trend in the St-Germain chronicles. Events sometimes spiral out of the protaganists' hands and he does not know all of the forces that are in play against him. Therefore, some friends will not be saved; in some cases, he must make compromises that he does not like. This book also continues the examination of the lack of power of women over their own lives throughout history. 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
must read for any yarbro fan!,
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Communion Blood (Hardcover)
Great read, will not be dissappointed by Sanct Germain's latest adventure
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