Hôtel Transylvania

The lush, detailed historical world pulled me in. It's not a masterpiece for me (although I fully recognize that it was part of the current genre's inception). But I still enjoyed it and can see why the author won the awards she did. I love Madelaine's character and am delighted there are two books focused on her! The end turned gruesome but that made the ultimate destruction of the antagonists even more satisfying.

Finding a copy of the first book in Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain series that wasn't extravagantly priced or only available as an import took me an age, but I finally managed to swap for a paperback edition. The only trouble is that my vampire fetish seems to be on the wane now, so I wasn't particularly enthused, however, I do like Miss Yarbro's writing style - very Victorian, and with nary an anachronism - and the vampire himself, Saint-Germain, is wickedly debonair and heroic. I found him to be very much in imitation of Stoker's Dracula, but in the best possible way - a way with words (and the ladies), very learned and cynical, as befits a man who has lived for thousands of years, and a suitably macabre dress sense show more (Saint-Germain dresses all in black, bar a ruby pin at his throat). Also, he is ambidextrous and can dash off two letters at the same time, which makes him possibly the first photocopier too.

The first novel - and the sequels are actually more a series of stand-alone stories, I think, so there was really no need to hunt down the titles in order - is set in eighteenth century Paris, which also piqued my interest. Saint-Germain buys a hotel in the city and converts the building into a sort of pleasure palace, but his real motive lies in the ancient chapels and tunnels below. He also meets Madeleine, the beautiful and spirited daughter of a man who was once involved with a devil-worshipping cult of ridiculous noblemen, lead by Saint-Sebastien. As with Dracula and Lucy Westenra in Stoker's novel, Saint-Germain is drawn to Madeleine, only their union is slightly more consensual. The two Saints - the similar names can get very confusing - do battle for possession of Madeleine's body and soul, while the heroine is relegated to a Victorian damsel in distress. I don't normally complain about passive women in historical fiction, but Madeleine is fairly hopeless, I must confess.

For all the laughable melodrama of the villain and the climax, I did enjoy the formal language and beautiful descriptions of dress and decor. Saint-Germain might prefer basic black, but the other men strut their stuff in jewelled pastel silks like foppish peacocks, and Miss Yarbro does not neglect a single ensemble when painting a picture for the reader. I shall definitely hunt down more of these novels, when I am in a more suitable mood to enjoy the theme. show less

I wanted to like this book. However, the characterization...

The misunderstood Saint-Germaine is too perfectly urbane, witty, and smug.

Sebastien the Satanist is simply too hissably evil for belief. The malignant drivel that passed for dialogue which spewed from his mouth made my eyes roll at an alarming rate. Why, oh why would anyone hang around with - or even work for - someone as evil as Sebastien? Oh, right. No one would because he's a condescending prick that just might break your kneecaps for no good reason whatsoever. Bleh.

Madeleine, for the era when the story takes place, begins as a relatively strong female character but that falls by the wayside come the denouement.

The rest of the characters are boringly rendered caricatures. show more Gervaise was especially irritating given his nonsensical behavior.

Needless to say, I won't be continuing the series. show less

Heartbreakingly, I must put this one down only 2/3 done. A somewhat enjoyable, but overall terrible gothic romance. I'm so disappointed—It's garbage, but it's not even fun garbage! If you're looking for a stiff bodice ripper with every character getting a paragraph explaining what they're wearing each time they enter a room, this one's for you...

Having grown up in the country, young Madelaine de Montalia arrives in 18th-century Paris to be introduced to society while living in her aunt's opulent household. She is immediately whisked from event to lavish event, all the while catching the attentions of numerous eligible men, including some with potentially sinister intentions. She finds she is inexplicably drawn to the charming, kind Comte de Saint Germain, who seems vastly different in some way from all of the others.

I'd never heard of this title (or series) before picking up this book, and yet I can't imagine it wouldn't have been at least somewhat popular when it was published in 1978. It has it all: intrigue, deception, romance, violence, treachery, forbidden fruits, show more elegance. And vampires -- not the sparkly, beautiful, tormented vampires of contemporary literature, but a vampire who is, other than being sophisticated and wealthy, just trying to get through the live(s) fate has dealt him, in reality an incredibly lonely existence. show less

The horrors created by man always eclipse those deriving from the supernatural. A marvelous romance story. A good-guy vampire, a cabal of satanists, what's not to love? Yarbro is in love with history, and pads her novels out with letters and notes focusing on the events of the times her books are set in. She seems to hope you will love history as well, and certainly puts it into a palatable format with this series. Saint-Germain's growth of personality over time, and his ability to adapt to his surroundings are a welcome change from the usual angst-filled vampires of late.

One of the earliest published Saint-Germain books, along with The Palace (although not the first chronologically). Set in Ancien Regime France, Saint Germain is involved with a coven of Satanists and rescues an aristocratic young lady who later becomes a vampire. (She features in later works in her own right.) I enjoyed the earlier works in the series more than the later - they've become rather formulaic over the years. Each book is a stand-alone set in a different historical period. Saint Germain is based on the historical Comte de Saint Germain, and this book is set about 20 years after Saint Germain's first appearance on the European scene.