An Embarrassment of Riches

Yarbro's long-running series featuring the millennia-old vampire Saint-Germain continues to mix rich historical detail and erudite eroticism, though the horror element has become nearly invisible. Known now as Rakoczy Ferancsi, Comes of Santu-Germaniu, Saint-Germain has been exiled from his ancient lands and now resides at the court of the melancholy Queen Kunigunde of Bohemia in 13th-century Prague. He is regarded with suspicion by the local church hierarchy and with intense personal interest by three ladies of the court: the scheming Rozsa of Borsod, the passionate teenager Imbolya of Heves (a particularly unlikely match for 3,200-year-old Saint-Germain), and the determined Iliska of Szousa. Though the intensity of the storytelling has lessened substantially over the course of the series, Yarbro's compelling prose and meticulously researched setting still combine effectively for a vivid historical tale that will please series fans. (Mar.)
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Count Saint-Germain is a vampire, though this is not the bloodthirsty vampire with which people are so familiar. Rather, the count does his best to live as humans do, and gets into as much, if not more, trouble than his mortal compatriots. This tale is set in the 1600s in Bohemia. The characters are richly described, and the way of life for the nobility and court are brought to life through the narration. Set in a location unfamiliar to most readers, the book's attention to details and development of characters make it a must-read. The fact that the main character is a vampire is really just a literary device to allow the author to explore a wide variety of time periods. Even if the reader has not enjoyed any other books in the Count Saint-Germain series, this one stands on its own merits, with very little to indicate that other stories of this character exist. For those who are interested in learning about times and periods outside of the typical English or French courts, this book will be a pleasure to read. --Rebecca Gerber