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Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Author of Hôtel Transylvania

147+ Works 8,772 Members 115 Reviews 32 Favorited

About the Author

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro was born in Berkeley, California on September 15, 1942. She graduated from San Francisco State College in 1963 and worked as a demographic cartographer until becoming a full-time writer in 1970. She writes horror, science fiction, and fantasy novels including Time of the Fourth show more Horseman, To the High Redoubt, Spider Glass, Arcane Wisdome, and The Saint-Germain Cycle series. She has received several awards including a Life Achievement Award from the Horror Writers Association in 2009 and a Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention in 2014. In 1997, the Transylvanian Society of Dracula bestowed a literary knighthood on her. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Photo by Charles Lucke

Series

Works by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Hôtel Transylvania (1978) 752 copies
The Palace (1978) 435 copies
Blood Games (1979) 399 copies
Path of the Eclipse (1981) 298 copies
A Flame in Byzantium (1987) 289 copies
The Saint-Germain Chronicles (1983) 254 copies
False Dawn (1978) 244 copies
Crusader's Torch (1988) 212 copies
A Baroque Fable (1986) 203 copies
Better in the Dark (1993) 202 copies
Tempting Fate (1981) 197 copies
Blood Roses (1998) 196 copies
Darker Jewels (1993) 190 copies
Night Blooming (2002) 189 copies
Out of the House of Life (1990) 181 copies
Come Twilight (2000) 175 copies
Ariosto (1980) 173 copies
Dead and Buried (1980) 173 copies
Writ in Blood (1997) 171 copies
A Feast in Exile (2001) 171 copies
Mansions of Darkness (1996) 168 copies
A Candle for d'Artagnan (1989) 164 copies
Dark of the Sun (2004) 161 copies
Midnight Harvest (2003) — Author — 159 copies
Communion Blood (1999) 159 copies
States of Grace (2005) 153 copies
Messages from Michael (1979) 131 copies
A Mortal Glamour (1985) 128 copies
Roman Dusk (2006) 127 copies
Time of the fourth horseman (1976) 125 copies
Cautionary Tales (1978) 122 copies
Borne in Blood (2007) 107 copies
The Angry Angel (1998) — Author — 102 copies
A Dangerous Climate (2008) 89 copies
To the High Redoubt (1985) 87 copies
In the Face of Death (2001) 85 copies
Burning Shadows (2009) 74 copies
Saint-Germain Memoirs (2007) 71 copies
An Embarrassment of Riches (2011) 65 copies
Crown of Empire (1994) 63 copies
The Soul of an Angel (1999) 59 copies
Bad Medicine (1976) 58 copies
Commedia della Morte (2012) 55 copies
False Notes (1979) 53 copies
The Godforsaken (1983) 53 copies
More Messages from Michael (1986) 48 copies
Beyond The Gate of Worlds (1991) — Author — 46 copies
Nomads (1984) 45 copies
Poison Fruit (1991) 39 copies
Signs and Portents (1984) 37 copies
Michael's People (1988) 36 copies
Cat's Claw (1992) 35 copies
Hyacinths (1983) 34 copies
Beastnights (1989) 34 copies
Firecode (1987) 34 copies
Sins of Omission (1980) 29 copies
Two views of wonder (1979) — Editor — 28 copies
The Merchant Prince Volume 2: Outrageous Fortune (2002) — Author — 27 copies
Four Horses for Tishtry (1985) 25 copies
Michael for the Millennium (1995) 21 copies
The Spider Glass (1991) 21 copies
Dark Light (1999) 21 copies
Napoleon Must Die (1993) 19 copies
Taji's Syndrome (1988) 17 copies
Monet's Ghost (1997) 16 copies
A Cold Summer Night (2004) 14 copies
Locadio's Apprentice (1984) 13 copies
Magnificat (1999) 12 copies
Alas, Poor Yorick (2002) 9 copies
Charity, Colorado (1993) 9 copies
Floating Illusions (1986) 8 copies
The Lost Prince (2007) 7 copies
The Law in Charity (1989) 6 copies
Arcane Wisdome (2014) 5 copies
A Bright Winter Sun (2004) 4 copies
Cabin 33 4 copies
Frog Pond 3 copies
Un Bel Di 3 copies
Tra gli orrori del 2000 — Author — 3 copies
Dead In Irons 3 copies
Lost Epiphany 3 copies
Discrete Madame (2019) 2 copies
Harpy 2 copies
Lapses 2 copies
Ogilvie, Tallant and Moon (2008) 2 copies
Fine Tuning Fiction (2014) 1 copy
Beastnights 1 copy
Baroque Fable 27fl (1986) 1 copy
Novena 1 copy
A Taste of Wine (1984) 1 copy
Salome 1 copy
Renewal 1 copy
The Arrows 1 copy
Advocates 1 copy
Genius Loci 1 copy
Sugar Skulls 1 copy

Associated Works

The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories (1987) — Contributor — 884 copies
Women of Wonder (1975) — Contributor — 332 copies
The Mammoth Book of Vampire Stories by Women (2001) — Contributor — 286 copies
Dark Delicacies (2005) — Contributor — 272 copies
A Whisper of Blood (1991) — Contributor — 256 copies
Vampire Sextette (2000) — Contributor — 234 copies
Gallery of Horror (1983) — Contributor — 223 copies
Don't Open This Book! (1998) — Contributor — 203 copies
Under the Fang (1991) — Contributor — 186 copies
The Ultimate Frankenstein (1991) — Contributor — 167 copies
Fear Itself: The Horror Fiction of Stephen King (1982) — Contributor — 165 copies
Dracula in London (2001) — Contributor — 163 copies
Counter Attack (1988) — Contributor — 162 copies
Of War and Honor (1991) — Author, some editions — 145 copies
The Ultimate Dragon (1995) — Contributor — 135 copies
Vampires: The Recent Undead (2011) — Contributor — 131 copies
Dragonwriter: A Tribute to Anne McCaffrey and Pern (2013) — Contributor — 130 copies
Cutting Edge (1985) — Contributor — 126 copies
Rage Against the Night (2011) — Contributor — 113 copies
The Bradbury Chronicles: Stories in Honor of Ray Bradbury (1991) — Contributor — 104 copies
Strangers in the Night [Anthology 3-in-1] (1995) — Contributor — 102 copies
Invitation to Camelot (1988) — Contributor — 96 copies
Metahorror (1988) — Contributor — 91 copies
Crisis (1991) — Contributor — 87 copies
Blood Thirst: 100 Years of Vampire Fiction (1997) — Contributor — 85 copies
Sisters in Crime 3 (1990) — Contributor — 79 copies
Shadows 3 (1980) — Contributor — 77 copies
Full Moon City (2010) — Contributor — 76 copies
Shadows 4 (1981) — Contributor — 75 copies
Blood Sisters: Vampire Stories by Women (2015) — Contributor — 75 copies
The Secret History of Vampires (2007) — Contributor — 73 copies
Blood and War (1993) — Contributor — 72 copies
Halloween (2011) — Contributor — 72 copies
The Ultimate Zombie (1993) — Contributor — 71 copies
Shadows 5 (1982) — Contributor — 67 copies
Nevermore! Tales of Murder, Mystery and the Macabre (2015) — Contributor — 67 copies
Greystone Bay (1985) — Contributor — 64 copies
Tales of the Dead (1981) — Contributor — 64 copies
Better Off Undead (2008) — Contributor — 60 copies
Shadows 8 (1985) — Contributor — 59 copies
Fears (1983) — Contributor — 57 copies
Virtuous Vampires (1996) — Contributor — 55 copies
Visitants (2010) — Contributor — 54 copies
The Mammoth Book of Angels and Demons (2013) — Contributor — 52 copies
Shadows 7 (1984) — Contributor — 50 copies
Blood Lines: Vampire Stories from New England (1997) — Contributor — 49 copies
Stagestruck Vampires: And Other Phantasms (2004) — Contributor — 47 copies
The Repentant (2003) — Contributor — 46 copies
Anthropology Through Science Fiction (1974) — Contributor — 46 copies
Halloween: Magic, Mystery, and the Macabre (2013) — Contributor — 45 copies
Psycho-Paths (1840) — Contributor — 44 copies
Nightmares (1979) — Contributor — 43 copies
Young Monsters (1985) — Contributor — 43 copies
Horrors (1866) — Contributor — 43 copies
Beyond Time (1976) — Contributor — 41 copies
Strange Bedfellows (1973) — Contributor — 40 copies
Chrysalis (1977) — Contributor — 37 copies
Terrors (1982) — Contributor — 37 copies
Generation: An Anthology of Speculative Fiction (1972) — Contributor — 32 copies
The Complete Masters of Darkness (1991) — Contributor — 31 copies
Chrysalis 3 (1978) — Contributor — 30 copies
In the Fog: The Final Chronicle of Greystone Bay (1993) — Contributor — 30 copies
Dark Passions (2007) — Contributor — 29 copies
Best of Shadows (1988) — Contributor — 28 copies
Poe's Lighthouse (2006) — Contributor — 28 copies
Chrysalis 4 (1979) — Contributor — 20 copies
Cassandra Rising (1978) — Contributor — 18 copies
Devil Worshipers (1990) — Contributor — 16 copies
Streets of Blood: Vampire Stories from New York City (1998) — Contributor — 12 copies
Tomorrow Today (Planet Series) (1975) — Contributor — 10 copies
Dark Sins, Dark Dreams: Crime in Science Fiction (1978) — Contributor — 9 copies
Brighton Shock (2010) — Contributor — 9 copies
Galaxy Science Fiction 1971 March, Vol. 31, No. 4 (1971) — Contributor — 8 copies
Interzone 216 (2008) — Contributor — 8 copies
From Twilight Till Dawn: Great Vampire Stories (2009) — Contributor — 5 copies
De sang et d'encre (1999) — Contributor — 4 copies
Midnight From Beyond the Stars (2021) — Contributor — 4 copies
Ghosttide: Tales of Horror, Dark Fantasy, Suspense (1992) — Contributor — 4 copies
Fear of the Unknown (2005) — Introduction — 3 copies
Best Detective Stories of the Year - 1974 (1974) — Contributor — 3 copies
Galaxies 2010 (2010) — Contributor — 2 copies

Tagged

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Common Knowledge

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Discussions

Vampire, Austria, pre-wwII in Name that Book (February 2018)
Humorous fantasy with songs in the back in Name that Book (July 2008)

Reviews

I tend not to re-read books. But this is one I read multiple times in HS and college. Sadly, I don't have a copy to re-read today. Yarbro does a masterful job juxtaposing the real-world life of the poet Ariosto against the imaginary, alt-history world of his imagination, the subject of his epic poems.
 
Flagged
Treebeard_404 | 4 other reviews | Jan 23, 2024 |
A little slower than her usual entries but still very enjoyable. Count Ragoczy is on a mission from Czar Nicholas to try to slow down the arms race before WWI by acting as an emissary to King George and the Kaiser. It brings him the enmity of con Wolgast, an unscrupulous arms manufacturer. A nice look at the upper crust of this time.
½
 
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bgknighton | Jul 30, 2023 |
The cover/packaging of this book make it look like a historical horror novel. But the blurb on the back accidentally gives note to what this really is when mentioning it's "a skillful blend of history and fiction, given added spice by the fact that its heroine happens to be a vampire..." Because that's the crux of it: the heroine just happens to be a vampire, but aside from that fact, the book is simply historical fiction.

You might be raising your eyebrow, wondering why I'd say this is just a historical fiction novel when at the same time admitting it's about a vampire. Before I'd read the book, I probably would have been doing the same thing. But it's the truth. The fact is, every bit of this book's plot/story could have remained the same if the heroine hadn't been a vampire. You'd take out the few references to her being five centuries old (they don't add anything but backstory, truly), change the few bits that seem to suggest her 'true death' wouldn't be the average person's death, and presto...it would simply be a historical fiction novel.

I'm really not sure what vampirism adds to the book, in all honesty. Perhaps it makes the heroine's confidence and awareness of the world slightly more believable(?), and her friendships more long-lasting, but all of the plotting and tension in the book comes from political and social affairs. I kept waiting for it to really matter that the heroine was a vampire--and perhaps some would argue that it did matter a bit in the end, just for that scene, though I'm not one of them--but as far as I can tell, Yarbro simply wanted to write historical fiction, and because she was known for horror, the book had to be given a horror spin. And 'vampires' mean 'horror'...right? Well, at least in this case, not so much. And all that's fine, but I wish the book didn't present itself as a historical horror, as I imagine it draws in plenty of readers who get knee-deep in it before realizing that it isn't nearly what they meant to sign up for.

If you want to read a historical fiction novel full of political intrigue in the time of the Byzantine Empire, around Year 545, by all means pick up this book. If you're looking for horror or vampires, however, I'd suggest steering clear.
… (more)
 
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whitewavedarling | 2 other reviews | Feb 22, 2023 |

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Associated Authors

Pamela Sargent Contributor
George Zebrowski Contributor
Joe Gores Contributor
Michael Kurland Contributor
R. Bretnor Contributor
Harlan Ellison Contributor
Tamsin Ashe Contributor
Ray Cluley Contributor
Henry Kuttner Contributor
E. F. Benson Contributor
T. A. Bradley Contributor
Bram Stoker Contributor
David Anderson Contributor
Phil Heffernan Cover artist
Joe Curcio Cover designer
Ingrid Tóth Translator
Sanjulian Cover artist
Miran Kim Cover artist
Elias Dominguez Cover artist
Radosław Kot Translator
Heiko Langhans Translator
Ned Glattauer Cover artist
Diane Dillon Cover artist
James Jr. Tiptree Introduction
Leo Dillon Cover artist
Jael Cover artist
Rowena Morrill Cover artist
Mati Klarwein Cover artist
Alan M. Clark Cover artist
Leni Sobez Translator
Eva Malsch Translator
Riccardo Valle Translator

Statistics

Works
147
Also by
96
Members
8,772
Popularity
#2,727
Rating
½ 3.6
Reviews
115
ISBNs
289
Languages
13
Favorited
32

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