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5.0 out of 5 stars
Ninth in the Saint-Germain series., Feb 21 2003
Or tenth, if you count "Out of the House of Life", which is primarily a spinoff novel about Madeline de Montalia, but which does include some of Saint-Germain's early history.Or thirteenth, if you count "A Flame In Byzantium", "Crusader's Torch", and "A Candle for d'Artagnan", the spinoff series about Olivia Atta Clemens. This book, set in 17th century Peru and Mexico, details what was happening to Saint-Germain while Olivia was experiencing the events in "A Candle for d'Artagnan". It is one of the best of a very good series; as usual, Yarbro's historical research is excellent, and her characters (with the exception of Roger, who seems somewhat lacking in the personality department; what does this guy do for fun? Thirteen books and counting, and I have no idea) come alive, even if I did find Saint-Germain's willingness to turn the other cheek after Dona Azul had Oaxetli poisoned somewhat out of character. For those unfamiliar with the series, the Saint-Germain series is a series of historical horror novels in which the hero (and he IS a hero, not a villain or even an antihero as is so common in vampire fiction) is a 4000 year old vampire. The vampiric aspects are very subdued; he needs blood to maintain his strength, which is formidable, and is susceptible to running water and sunlight, but both of these weaknesses are significantly less pronounced than in much vampiric fiction. As long as he is wearing shoes with some of his native earth in the heels and soles, he can mostly ignore them; even without, he hardly bursts into flame when exposed to sunlight; in this book, he is crucified for two days in the Mexican summer, and while seriously injured, he survives (no spoiler, considering that several of the previously written books are set in later time periods). Basically, without his protective shoes, he sunburns extremely easily and extremely severely. The books are well-written, and even the worst of them so far have been well worth the read.
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