The Angry Angel (Sisters of the Night)
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
359 pages
ISBN: 0380789841
Publisher: Avon Books
Pub. Date: April 1999

Synopsis:
A young girl's gift, visions from her angry angel, protect the family she loves. But with each new vision there is a price to be paid until she finds herself the ultimate sacrifice. The contrast between the worship of God and the corruption of evil was very interesting. The erotic seduction of the young girl was breath taking without being explicit. As usual the historic detail is excellent. - Paul @ Amazon.com

Synopsis: Here at last is a long-hinted-at chapter in the undead existence of the immortal Count Saint-Germain: the story of Ranegonda of Saxony, one of the three great loves of Saint-Germain's life.

Synopsis:
Blood Games is set in Nero's Rome, in the 817th Year of the City. (about 60 C.E.) The book is the third one written in the series; it is one of the earliest in terms of historical chronology. Despite being the third one written, it is a good one to start with if one is first starting the whole series, because this is the book in which St. Germain acquires his bondsman, Roger, who will be a continuing character in the series. The spectacles at the Circus Maximus form a large part of the book, along with the corruption of Roman politics. The book is well titled; there is a great deal of blood and violence both in and out of the arena. Atta Olivia Clemens is the wife of Senator Cornelius Justus Silius, one of the most corrupt and perverse of the Romans. St. Germain rescues her from his cruelties through bringing her "to his life," that is, turning her into a vampire also. Olivia will be a continuing character in the series for another millenium and a half. An epilogue set in the 855th Year of the City gives perspective, and establishes the pattern of letters between Olivia and St. Germain which is used in future books of the series to set the scene and bring us up to date.

Synopsis:
In 14th-century France, Saint-Germain is caught amidst the devastation of the Black Plague. Though he is unaffected by the disease, his resistance draws the suspicion of each new town he visits--even as he uses ancient Egyptian healing techniques to save lives. Yarbro's impressive novel offers the flavor of the late Middle Ages while flawlessly integrating the elements of horror and the supernatural that mark this eloquent series. One wonders, for example, if the letters and documents that Yarbro integrates into the text are embellishments of the real. But, as with all the Saint-Germain novels, the most satisfying aspect of the narrative is the author's complex rendering of her central character. With the exception of Anne Rice, few writers have as effectively captured the wearied soul of a being living through the great expanse of human history. --Patrick O'Kelley

Synopsis:
This third volume of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's chronicle of the tumultuous life of the vampire Olivia, the Count Saint-Germain's love for centuries, takes us to the court of Louis of France.

Synopsis:
Yarbro's latest tale of the vampire Saint-Germain is full, as usual, of more of his loves, adventures, and tragedies, and this time spans some five centuries of the history of the Iberian Peninsula. In the seventh century, Saint-Germain makes a vampire of Csimenae, a young noblewoman trying to save her infant son's inheritance. Despite his forbidding it, she creates other vampires. Thereafter, under the Moors and during the early years of the Reconquisita, "the demons of the mountains" are dreaded, and when Saint-Germain returns he is in personal danger of true death. Should he destroy Csimenae as a cautionary lesson? - Roland Green, Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved.

Synopsis:
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.

Synopsis:
Crusader's Torch is set in 1189 C.E., more than a millenium after Olivia has first entered the life of a vampire. The scenes include the Middle East during one of the Christian Crusades; the orders of the Knights Hospitaler and Knights Templar are major players in the story. The gist of the story is Olivia's struggle to get out of Tyre and back to Rome. Women are not held in high regard in this period, and Olivia's independence offends a highly placed Hospitaler; among the "good guys" are a Templar who gets thrown out of his order on suspician of leprosy. We catch a glimpse of an offshoot Christian sect, as we do in some of the other St. Germain novels, one based on absolute love and acceptance.

Synopsis:
Here, in 1586, Istvan Bathory, the Transylvanian King of Poland, disturbed by the threat of the Ottoman Turks to the south, sends an embassy to Czar Ivan (the Terrible) of Russia, with a view to exploring a possible alliance. The embassy will be led by Istvan's fellow-countryman Ferenc Rakoczy (Count Saint-Germain) and will include eight Catholic priests headed by the grim, suspicious Father Pogner. Rakoczy, thousands of years old and with many acquired skills, practices alchemy to create the dark gemstones that please the Czar--the latter unfortunately has gone mad with grief and guilt after he killed his eldest son in a fit of rage. As the Russian nobles plot against the Czar and each other, and attempt to subvert the Polish embassy, Rakoczy finds it increasingly difficult to conceal his true nature; yet, forced by the Czar's order to wed Xenia, a disgraced and traumatized Russian noblewoman, he expends infinite care and tenderness upon her. Finally, after Ivan dies and is succeeded by his half-witted son Feodor, Rakoczy is unable to prevent the triumph of his enemies. Excellent on intrigue and period detail, far less convincing on consequences and action. Overall: dense, intermittently absorbing, less than fully satisfying. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP.

Synopsis:
In the latest St. Germain romance, the vampire-hero, alias Sanat Ji Mani, lives in Delhi at the end of the fourteenth century. With him are his faithful servant Rojire and Avasa Dani, a young Indian woman abandoned by her husband; and enemies surround them. The relatives of the corrupt sultan are constantly demanding high taxes from him, and the brutal warlord Timur-i is approaching Delhi, intent on sacking the city. Rojire and Avasa Dani, the latter of whom Sanat Ji Mani has turned into a vampire, flee the city at his urgings. He plans to follow them shortly. But he isn't fast enough, and he is captured by Timur-i, who has heard of his talent as a healer. In captivity, Sanat Ji Mani meets Tulsi Kil, a bewitching slave girl, and the two escape together. The story takes a long time to get going, but hardened St. Germainians will be happy to see him back in action when the time comes. Kristine Huntley Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Synopsis:
This particular book is set in the Roman empire of Justinian, as run from Constantinople, or Byzantium, in 545 C.E. The major elements of conflict come from the tension between the remnants of Rome, the remnants of Greek civilization, and the influence of the Near East and even the Orient. Political treachery is the order of the day. Olivia's bondsman, Niklos, is a hero of major importance; it is thanks to Niklos' saving Olivia's life that we can look forward to the next book in the series. Because this is one of the later-written books in the series about St. Germain and Olivia, it might be helpful to a newcomer to read a couple of the others first.

Synopsis:
Madelaine de Montalia has arrived in Paris in 1743 to stay with her aunt, a countess. At a society ball she meets le comte de Saint-Germain. Saint-Germain is a mysterious man who always dresses in dark clothing, never eats or drinks in public, and has a considerable presence. He is also a vampire. Saint-Germain finds himself drawn to Madelaine, and she returns his affection. As Saint-Germain discovers Madelaine's life is endangered by a family enemy, he struggles to save the woman he loves without exposing his dark secret.

Synopsis:
Yarbro's best-known creation, the vampire count of Saint-Germain, here travels to mid-seventeenth-century Spanish America. As always, he is hoping (as always, in vain) for a refuge from those who pursue and persecute vampires, and he is curious about the indigenous civilization, rapidly vanishing under the onslaught of the Europeans. Inevitably, he must contend with stupidity, cupidity, and cruelty on the parts of ordinary Europeans and the all-powerful Inquisition. Yarbro delivers so much historical data that it slows the pace, and the plot really does not differ much from those of the last few Saint-Germain romances, for her vampire can only work justice, love mercy, and take no unwilling partners. In spite of these drawbacks, the comparatively unexplored setting and Yarbro's genuine historical gifts make this one livelier reading than most recent entries in the series.

Synopsis:
Out of the House of Life is the first book in Yarbro's Madelaine series. The book is unique in that it has two storylines. In the first storyline it is the 1820s, and Madelaine de Montalia is in Egypt on an archaelogical dig. This is highly unusual for a seemingly young person, not to mention a woman. What the other expedition workers do not know is that Madelaine is not as young as she looks: she is a vampire who rose from her grave in 1744 after meeting and falling in love with the mysterious Count Saint-Germain. While Madelaine is immersed with the history of Egypt, she is receiving letters from Count Saint-Germain. In this separate storyline, Saint-Germain is recounting his life in the temples of ancient Egypt, from when he was first brought to the House of Life as demon, till he transformed himself until the noble "man" known to many fans of Yarbro's Saint-Germain series.

Synopsis:
The Palace is set in Fiorenza (Florence) in the time of the Medicis, and with a Borgia Pope in Rome. So the characters include some of the most famous people of the Italian Renaissance. Although this is only the second book written in the series, Yarbro is clearly setting up more background on St. Germain, for future novels. In this historical period, it's easy to make the Roman Catholic church a villain; the infamous Savonarola is in Florence, setting up his Bonfire of the Vanities. Warning: some torture scenes. On the other hand, there is at least a partly happy ending. One disappointment to me is that St. Germain turns a woman into a vampire in this book, and yet, as far as I can tell, she never again appears in the series, unlike Olivia Clemens. Once someone is "of his blood" I would expect to see them turn up as a recurring character. We can also, after all the harm he causes, count it a happy ending when Savonarola is executed. The bit players in this novel include Leonardo da Vinci - that's the kind of period it was! Good read, gorgeous descriptions of art and architecture, a lot more fun than studying the Renaissance in your Western Civ class!

Synopsis:
Path of the Eclipse is really two separate novellas, with a bridge between them. St Germain starts out in China, in the first story. As China grows suspicious of foreigners, due to the incursions of the Mongols (it's the early 13th century), St. Germain finds it prudent to leave the city, and travel to an outpost. There, he is to help defend a fortress from the Mongols. The fortress is unusual in having a female Warlord. This section of the book is a good read for the plot, the strategy, and the unusualness of the setting. Where many of us are somewhat familiar with the historical setting of the series when they take place in Europe or the Americas, we tend to be far less familiar with the history of the Orient. There are fascinating details here. There is also a "side" story about some traveling Nestorian Christians, with hints of Yarbro's opinions as to how Christianity might alternatively have developed. After the fortress falls, finally, St. Germain escapes by way of Tibet, where along the journey he meets a child Master at a Buddhist lamasary. This is one of the very few occasions in the series where there is any hint of the supernatural other than the vampire characters and their ghoul servants. The second story in the book has St. Germain arriving in India. He is caught up in the machinations of a cult of Kali, goddess of destruction.

Synopsis:
Young and beautiful, Fenice Zucchar lives in opulent splendor on the world's richest island. The pampered daughter of a wealthy and powerful owner of ocean-going merchant vessels, Fenice's soul yearns for the freedom of the sea--for the adventures and breathtaking sights and sounds that await her far from Venice, her velvet prison. Determined to flee, she feigns an audacious kidnapping and stows away on one of her brother's ships on the very eve of her own arranged wedding. But her plans are dashed to bits when, upon discovery, her brother refuses to offer her safe quarter--and abandons the young noblewoman in the teeming port of Varna, just as panic is descending upon the city. For death has come to this place, spawning stories told in hushed, frightened whispers in the night--a being of strange, alluring power and dark sensuality who has chosen Fenice, offering her more freedom than she could know in a hundred lifetimes. Subjugation is the price this mesmirizing creature demands fro the exquisite renegade's eternal pleasure, as Fenice follows her Dark Lord to his mountain domain, where she is to live...and die. But another is waiting there already, lurking in the shadows of the imposing castle keep: a lovely and crazed consort already corrupted by Dracula's terrible passion...a once-mortal girl named Kelene, late of a distant realm called Greece who could prove to be Fenice's staunchest ally and sister, or her most fearsome adversary.Young and beautiful, Fenice Zucchar lives in opulent splendor on the world's richest island. The pampered daughter of a wealthy and powerful owner of ocean-going merchant vessels, Fenice's soul yearns for the freedom of the sea--for the adventures and breathtaking sights and sounds that await her far from Venice, her velvet prison. Determined to flee, she feigns an audacious kidnapping and stows away on one of her brother's ships on the very eve of her own arranged wedding.

Synopsis:
This story, which takes place from the end of World War I thru the rise of the Nazi's in the 1930's, is set a few years after the end of "Writ in Blood" and continues a few of the peripheral characters first mentioned in that book. St. Germain, fleeing imprisonment in post-Revolution Russia, finds an abandoned 7 year old girl and takes her with him to his castle in Bavaria. He becomes Aleisha's guardian, and has the first time ever experience of raising a child. We watch, with him, as she grows from a frightened child to a confident, loving and outspoken young lady. For someone who hasn't changed in 4000 years, the opportunity to see his beloved child grow out of clothes, learn to play the piano, and gain a growing knowledge of the world (including an acceptance of his true nature) is an unique experience. But Germany and the world around them is changing as well, and eventually tragedy strikes.

Synopsis:
The vampire Count Saint-Germain undoubtedly founded his creator's fortunes, and Yarbro is now an expert at giving the count's fans what they expect. By no means, however, is she writing the same book again and again. In this one, set in 1912, Saint-Germain is on an ultrasecret diplomatic mission to establish an arms agreement among Russia, England, and Germany. He encounters incredulous politicians, arms dealers, spies, counterspies, and just plain enemies (not all of them human). There is enough intrigue to fill a book half again as long--certainly enough to defeat Saint-Germain, despite his best efforts and the solaces of a young Englishwoman and a Russian countess. However often defeated, Saint-Germain yet slogs grimly on across the pages of history. As long as Yarbro's scholarship and craftsmanship are up to their usual standards, readers will follow. - Roland Green