BURNING SHADOWS

BURNING SHADOWS : A NOVEL OF THE COUNT SAINT-GERMAIN
Author: Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Copyright: December 2009
Tor
Tom Doherty Associates
Hardcover ISBN:978-0-7653-1982-1
$27.99 352 pages
Horror/Historical Fiction

To a vampire, time seems endless. They don’t fear illness as ordinary mortals, but exist by building upon their wisdom of the ages and their wealth. Unlike the stereotypical vampires, these actually help humanity and are well-respected as they survive over time.

In the year, 438 C.E., the Huns lead by Attila are attempting to take over the region of the Carpathian Mountains. With the Roman Empire weakening, this is the perfect opportunity for their expanding dominance of the territory.

In BURNING SHADOWS the small communities in the Carpathian Mountains are fearful of the rumors of the approaching Huns As the rumors become more frequent and the feeling of impending doom approaches, Count Saint-Germain chooses to send his longtime lover Atta Olivia Clemens to Constantinople for her safety. As a lesser leader for the declining Roman Empire, Germain realizes that the people rely on his wisdom and leadership for their survival, he quickly moves this community to an isolated monastery.

The monastery enjoys its aloneness and even has many monks who survive as hermits in the nearby caves completely alone. Reluctantly, the monastery relies upon the few Roman soldiers and the village Watchmen for their protection. However, quickly the people become restless and many hope to journey closer to Rome for their safety.

The monastery harbors many hermits in nearby caves who are not welcoming to this invasion by their neighbors. Many frequently wonder if their families would not be safer if they traveled closer to the Roman territory. Many families flee, but it becomes apparent to those within the walled community that the Huns are obviously tracking and successfully butchering the commoners.

Saint Germain and his love, Nicoris both control their passionate love and desires of being a vampire. Their sense of responsibility to these commoners and to help them in any way, break the traditional stereotype of vampires with these showing compassion and responsibility to the community.

BURNING SHADOWS is listed as a horror story, but really belongs in the historical fiction category. Most of the novel involves life in this time period and life with the Huns slowly approaching and dominating the old Roman territory. The vampire life is continuous in this series but what is most evident is the story of real life during this time.

This series featuring Saint Germain has been in print for over two decades encompassing fantasy, horror, and history together. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is a resident of Berkeley, California and has been nominated for various awards and honors throughout her career of the stories for the vampire, Saint Germain.

Teri Davis December 20, 2009