- Hardcover: 460 pages
- Publisher: St Martin's Press; First Edition edition (16 Nov 2004)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 076531102X
- ISBN-13: 978-0765311023
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.7 x 4.1 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,964,029 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
"Chelsea Quinn Yarbro has created the most remarkable and original vampire since Bram Stoker's Dracula."--"The Midwest Book Review"
"Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain novels are probably the best series of vampire novels ever written." --"The Hartford Courant"
"Quinn Yarbro is one of our finest writers and craftpersons, incapable of a slack paragraph, or a fuzzy thought. Everything is perfectly focused, everything is expertly accomplished. And the Count remains a vibrantly original character, one of the greatest contributions to the horror genre. --Peter Straub
"Any book by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is a keepsake; any new book by her is a must read."
--"West Coast Review of Books"
"Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's Saint-Germain novels are probably the best series of vampire novels ever written." --"The Hartford Courant"
"Quinn Yarbro is one of our finest writers and craftpersons, incapable of a slack paragraph, or a fuzzy thought. Everything is perfectly focused, everything is expertly accomplished. And the Count remains a vibrantly original character, one of the greatest contributions to the horror genre. --Peter Straub
"Any book by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is a keepsake; any new book by her is a must read."
--"West Coast Review of Books"
Product Description
The eruption/explosion of Krakatoa could be heard thousands of miles away. Islands were flooded, ships and seaports destroyed. The volcanic ash and dust thrown into the air caused crop failures and a bone-chilling winter. Throughout the world, people panicked, blaming gods or devils for their troubles. The vampire Saint-Germain, trading peacefully in Asia, is as threatened as anyone by the eruption. Starving humans cannot be tapped for their blood; women living in fear of the supernatural rarely welcome vampire lovers; and wealthy foreigners are easy targets. With hunger gnawing at his breast, Saint-Germain and his faithful manservant, accompanied by a female shaman and her nomadic tribe, make their way slowly toward Europe, hoping to find safety in the West.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
Text of a report from Captain Tieh Wei-Djieh of the merchant ship Golden Moon, sent from the southern port city of Kuang-Chou to his employer, the foreigner Zangi-Ragozh, at Yang-Chau on the Yellow Sea; sent two weeks before the Winter Solstice. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
Text of a report from Captain Tieh Wei-Djieh of the merchant ship Golden Moon, sent from the southern port city of Kuang-Chou to his employer, the foreigner Zangi-Ragozh, at Yang-Chau on the Yellow Sea; sent two weeks before the Winter Solstice. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
12 reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
fantastic Saint-Germain tale
27 Oct 2004
Format:Hardcover
Twenty-five hundred years old vampire Count Saint-Germain uses the name of Zangi-Ragozh in Yang Chou, China where he heads a shipping and trading business. With him is loyal ghoul five hundred years old Ro-Shei. Wen Emperor Yuan Bou-Ju summons Zangi-Ragozh and other merchants to come to Chong'en; none realize that half a world away Mount Krakatoa erupted and will change the world for several years afterward.
Zangi-Ragozh gets his first inkling of the change when the sun fails to rise above the volcanic ash that seems to be all over the atmosphere. Being out in daylight does not bother the Count as much, but along with this benefit comes the downside that travel to Chong'en is impossible. Crops fail and famine becomes the norm. Zangi-Ragozh returns to his place of birth by joining the caravan of the Desert Cats. He earns passage by bartering his medical skills, but is tossed out when the clan bans foreigners. They meet again in Tak-Kala where a magician who he trusts betrays him even as danger from the famished survivors mounts.
Never in the long running series has Saint-Germain come closer to the True Death than he does in this time of the DARK OF THE SUN. He has lost much of his native earth, willing donors are rare, and has a potentially lethal wound. The Krakatoa effect on the world adds depth and turns the novel in many ways in spite of a vampiric protagonist into more a historical than a supernatural tale. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro provides another fantastic reading experience for her fans.
Harriet Klausner
Zangi-Ragozh gets his first inkling of the change when the sun fails to rise above the volcanic ash that seems to be all over the atmosphere. Being out in daylight does not bother the Count as much, but along with this benefit comes the downside that travel to Chong'en is impossible. Crops fail and famine becomes the norm. Zangi-Ragozh returns to his place of birth by joining the caravan of the Desert Cats. He earns passage by bartering his medical skills, but is tossed out when the clan bans foreigners. They meet again in Tak-Kala where a magician who he trusts betrays him even as danger from the famished survivors mounts.
Never in the long running series has Saint-Germain come closer to the True Death than he does in this time of the DARK OF THE SUN. He has lost much of his native earth, willing donors are rare, and has a potentially lethal wound. The Krakatoa effect on the world adds depth and turns the novel in many ways in spite of a vampiric protagonist into more a historical than a supernatural tale. Chelsea Quinn Yarbro provides another fantastic reading experience for her fans.
Harriet Klausner
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
The Really Dark Ages
21 Sep 2005
Format:Hardcover
One of the most recent in the St. Germain series and also one of the most satisfying to read. Set in the early Sixth century (can you name one thing that happened in the Sixth Century?) with the cataclysmic eruption of Krakatoa, blotting out the sun for nearly two years. The effects on the entire world were profound, since nothing was able to grow. Like other books by Yarbro, I feel as though I had slipped through a small window into this world and could experience what was actually happening. Also, this was historically I period I had no knowledge of whatsoever, which added to the mysterious quality of the novel.
For me, the St. Germain series has always been a guilty pleasure, with an emphasis on the pleasure. There is something slightly old fashioned about the writing, but not stilted. It is true that much of the book is dialogue between St. Germain and his (eternal) companion. But I did not find that to be a problem. All in all, Dar of the Sun is a far better book than some of the other "historical" novels coming off the factory lines recently (you know what I mean).
For me, the St. Germain series has always been a guilty pleasure, with an emphasis on the pleasure. There is something slightly old fashioned about the writing, but not stilted. It is true that much of the book is dialogue between St. Germain and his (eternal) companion. But I did not find that to be a problem. All in all, Dar of the Sun is a far better book than some of the other "historical" novels coming off the factory lines recently (you know what I mean).
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Another great "buddy" book
22 Dec 2004
Format:Hardcover
This book is easily one of the best Saint-Germain books. Even though the last "documented" appearance of the Count is in the 1980s (Chronicles of Saint-Germain), I actually found myself worrying about whether or not he and Roger would make it to the end of the book. My favorite of the Saint-Germain books are always the ones where we get to see the friendship between Saint-Germain and Roger. Dark of the Sun has the eeriest feel to it: a constant, low-level worry that was nerve-wracking to read. It isn't often that Saint-Germain is at a loss to understand what's happening around him, and he was here--both with what was happening in the world around him and judging whether or not he could trust a friend. Yarbro always shows us the advantages, and disadvantages, of partial immortality, but she outdid herself with this book. It was great to learn more of Saint-Germain's mortal life. For those of you who normally skip the letters in these books, don't. There's a wonderful comic side-plot in the letters from about half-way thru the book to the end. It gives me hope for future Saint-Germain novels.
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