Blood Games

Rating:
Summary: A must read for historical fiction fans
Review: After having been alive for two thousand years, Sanct' Germain finds himself in Rome, at the time of Emperor Nero. In the 7 years that follow, during political and social turmoil, Sanct' Germain meets Atta Olivia Clemens, who is suffering unspeakable torture at the hands of her husband. Together, they save each other through their shared love.

Truly, this book was incredibly well researched. Every detail of life in Rome at that time was impeccable - from the vivid descriptions of arena games, to the imperial plots and political backstabbing, it felt as if I was actually there. I also very much enjoyed the way Yarbro portrayed vampires in her novel. Sanct' Germain was different. He was able to go out in sunlight and cross running water, as long as he took some precautions beforehand. It was also interesting to discover the way he made other vampires... it wasn't what I was expecting. I was fascinated by the way each chapter began with a letter. It gave me a lot more insight into Roman culture than I otherwise could have obtained from just reading the chapters themselves. At times, I found that I looked forward to the letter to come more than the chapter itself!

The writing style flowed beautifully. I was especially amazed by how the dialogue sounded so true. Each time a character spoke it made me feel as if I was listening to a Roman citizen speaking. The story line was fascinating. I found the book an incredible page-turner, and the plot progressed smoothly throughout the novel. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next.

As far as characters go, I really liked Olivia. She had to endure so much at the hands of her husband, and I was in awe of how she was able to handle it as well as she did. She took strength from Sanct' Germain, and managed to continue on, no matter how hard it was for her. I admired the way she lived for those stolen moments, when it could have been so easy for her to give in and perhaps take her own life. I also really liked Sanct' Germain. He was so compassionate, and caring, and strong... admirable qualities in any century. Tishtry was another character I admired. She was very confident in her abilities, and herself. Even though she was a slave, she had a self-respect few people have. Justus, Olivia's husband, was a character I loved to hate. My breathing came just a little faster each time a chapter focused on him. I didn't know what to expect. It's been a long time since I've felt such complete loathing for a literary character.

I found myself thinking about the memorable themes in this novel: mainly, the cruelties of men in the name of power and entertainment. Betrayal, and the way people can mask their evil nature were also major themes. The "unnatural creature" turned out to be much kinder and compassionate than a highly regarded Roman Senator.

Overall, a definite must-read for any historical fiction, or vampire fan.

Rating:
Summary: Third of the Saint-Germain series.
Review: Strictly speaking, a prequel to a prequel, this is the third book in the series. The first, "Hotel Transylvania", took place in mid-1700s France; the second, "The Palace", in late 1400s Italy. This one takes place in the first century of the common era, in imperial Rome during the time of Nero and a bit later. There are something over a dozen books in the series all told, plus a few spinoffs of books about Olivia Clemens and Madeline, two of Saint Germain's lovers who become vampires themselves.

The series so far has been quite good; I continue to feel somewhat guilty for not rating the books higher than I do. But there is the continuing stylistic affectation of placing a piece of correspondence after every chapter, which I continue to find minorly distracting, and there is a scene in this book that seems to be simply out of character as it has been so far defined for the main character. We have been given to understand that many of the traditional legends of the weaknesses of vampires, such as the inability to cross running water and the inability to withstand sunlight, are conditionally true in the world of Saint Germain; that is to say, they are true, but can be overcome so long as he stands upon his "native soil", so he has learned to wear special shoes that are hollow and filled with soil from the land of his birth. Yet in this story, when deprived of his special shoes and forced to fight giant crocodiles at midday during a blisteringly hot Roman summer day in the arena, (in water) while constantly commenting on how ill and unwell this makes him feel, he's still able to function well enough to slay several crocs and survive. (It's not giving away critical plot points to reveal his survival, considering that he exists in the previous two books of the series, both of which occur historically later than this one). He doesn't, as near as I can tell, even get a sunburn. This is just so far out of line that I feel the need to dock the book a star just for this one scene; otherwise, the book is quite well written.

If you are a fan of traditional vampire fiction, you may possibly find yourself disappointed with this series; there are many elements generally found in the vampire genre that are missing from these books. But if you like historical romance, or even historical fiction in general, and don't object to the concept of a heroic vampire protagonist, you should find this book, and probably most of this series, quite enjoyable.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent alternative to the Anne Rice books
Review: Though this is not the first in the series, this is a good introduction to Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's great creation, the Comte de Saint-Germain, a noble, a man of righteousness, and - oh, yes - a vampire who has lived, at the time of this tale, for several thousand years.

I had not read any of Yarbro's tales of Saint-Germain for quite a while and it is a pleasure to come back to them. These stories are a worthy alternative to Anne Rice's tales of Lestat, Louis, Armand, and all the other denizens of her dark world. The world of Saint-Germain is much lighter by comparison, and also contains far more action and intrigue than any of Rice's works (with the possible exception of "The Queen of the Damned"). This does not mean I dislike Rice's books. Quite the contrary, in fact - but Yarbro paints a far less shadowy world than Rice does.

Here we meet one of the great loves of Saint-Germain's long life - Atta Olivia Clemens. She has been horribly abused by her husband, a Senator of the Roman Empire around the time of Nero. To call him a pervert is to make light of his atrocities; in addition he has political ambitions that are almost as sickening as his sexual ones. It is this man, Cornelius Justus Silius, who is Saint-Germain's adversary in this novel, although the two of them do not actually do battle in any true sense of the word - and it is their actions against each other, and events related to those actions, which make up the core of this book.

Along the way Yarbro has much to teach us about vampire lore. There is no mention of the use of a cross - but then again, this novel takes place at the time of Nero, and the Christians were just beginning to make themselves noticed at this time. If Yarbro is correct, vampires are apparently more resilient than both Anne Rice and Bela Lugosi would have us believe. They can live in sunlight, provided they are insulated in some manner by their native earth. In the same manner, they can cross running water - something I did not know affected vampires until I read it here. And they can create others of their kind, but not just in the way that Rice describes (I leave it to you to read this book to discover how).

At various points in this story there is also mention of Saint-Germain's past. Some are just vague (but intriguing) hints; others are more explicit. There is also some mention of his birthplace, and I would definitely like to know more about that particular part of the Comte de Saint-Germain. He is such a fascinating individual that I will definitely be buying more of Yarbro's tales, to learn more about this worthy vampire and the worlds (plural intended) he lives in.