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Rating: 
Summary: Sixth in the Saint-Germain series.
Review: For those of you unfamiliar with the series, the Saint-Germain series is a series of "historical horror" fiction in which the title character and hero (yes, he is a proper hero, not an antihero as in so much vampire fiction) is a vampire who has "lived" for somewhere between 3500 and 4000 years. In the first five books of the series ("Hotel Transylvania", "The Palace", "Blood Games", "Path of the Eclipse", and "Tempting Fate") we have seen him in five novels in five different historical periods: pre-Revolutionary France, Renaissance Italy, Imperial Rome, 13th century China, India, and Persia, and Germany between the World Wars, respectively.This book is somewhat different; it is a collection of short stories (interspersed, as always, with dated correspondence to establish the time frame) ranging chronologically from 1889-1981. Thus, if your preference is for longer stories with an overarching plot, this book may not be for you; similarly, if one of the drawing cards for the series is the earlier historical settings, this might be disappointing. Still, the stories are interesting, and provide insight into the character. Further, two of the stories, "Renewal" and "Cabin 33" are excellent, must-read stories for those fond of the series; in "Renewal", we see the initiation into vampirism of James Emmerson Tree, who we met in the fifth book of the series as the American lover of the vampire Madeline de Montalia. In that book, he was told of her nature, and warned that as her long-time lover, he would become a vampire when he died, but her refused to believe any of it, being the pragmatic modern man that he was. In this story, he is forced to come to terms with the reality of the situation. In "Cabin 33", we have the pleasure of seeing Saint Germain deal with a villain who happens to be a fellow vampire, albeit a more traditionally-minded one than himself. (Imagine the humor inherent in seeing someone attempt to impress Saint Germain with their puissance by archly informing him that they "died in 1896". This in 1980, thus making them approximately 1/40th of Saint-Germain's age, a mere puppy by comparison.)
Rating: 
Summary: The Chronicles
Review: If I had started with this book I seriously doubt that I would have gone on to read the full series by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro on Saint Germain. Maybe it's just me because I'm not the biggest fan of short stories due to the lack of space for character development. But through out the book I felt that if I hadn't already gained some knowledge of St Germain's history I would have been left in the dark. I will say that I did find the book filled with good wit and amazing turns through out. My favorite story was "Renewal" mainly because of the depth the writer goes to to explain how a "baby" vampire has to learn all the tricks of the trade. "Cabin 33" was my least favorite story, I found it two dimensional and the characters very unbelievable. I would recommend this book to those who have already had the pleasure of reading the first two books in the series.
Rating:
Summary: The Chronicles
Review: If I had started with this book I seriously doubt that I would have gone on to read the full series by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro on Saint Germain. Maybe it's just me because I'm not the biggest fan of short stories due to the lack of space for character development. But through out the book I felt that if I hadn't already gained some knowledge of St Germain's history I would have been left in the dark. I will say that I did find the book filled with good wit and amazing turns through out. My favorite story was "Renewal" mainly because of the depth the writer goes to to explain how a "baby" vampire has to learn all the tricks of the trade. "Cabin 33" was my least favorite story, I found it two dimensional and the characters very unbelievable. I would recommend this book to those who have already had the pleasure of reading the first two books in the series.
Rating:
Summary: Like A Five Course Meal!
Review: One of the first Saint-Germain books I ever read and definately one of my favorites. Though the book is made up of five short stories that take place during different time periods, Yarbro does an amazing job of linking them together by cleverly alternating each one with a letter. By the time the reader gets to the very last letter, it's like having an after dinner mint..the perfect ending to a five course meal. I'm not sure if I prefer Saint-Germain in modern times or older time periods, but it's fun seeing him relate to our society. It really doesn't matter, though, because I'll take him in any century I can get him! Take the time to track this one down....it's well worth the effort.
Rating:
Summary: Short stories
Review: Some neat short stories form Chelsea Quin Yarbro about her favorite Comte. Not as much historical atmosphere, but good little plots. I like the modern one best, at the end.
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