Have I mentioned that I like vampires?

[bibliogramma]

Saint-Germain: Memoirs – Tales of the Vampire Saint Germain by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Saint-Germain: Memoirs is a collection of shorter fiction – two short stories, two novelettes and a novella – presenting incidents in the long life of Yarbro’s immortal hero-vampire. Like her first short story collection of featuring the vampire, The Saint-Germain Chronicles, the stories here cover a wide span of years, from ancient Greece to modern times. In fact, it is only in these two collections – at least so far – that we have any glimpse of how a 4,000 year old vampire copes in the present day, which is one of the things that make these collections particularly enjoyable. At least to me, seeing Saint-Germain in modern times brings the vampire closer to the reader and opens up the sense of wonder, the possibility of great mysteries hiding in the mundane world we all think we know.

My favourite pieces are the two short stories – both deal with encounters between Saint-Germain and women who stand up for themselves. While most of the Saint-Germain narratives involve complex relationships with interesting women, the stories that interest me the most are those in which Saint-Germain becomes involved with women who began from a position of inner strength, regardless of their circumstances and whatever situations bring them into the vampire’s path. In the first story of this collection, Saint-Germain’s path briefly crosses that of one of the most well-known “shrews” of ancient history, Xanthippe, wife of Socrates. And in the final tale, Saint-Germain matches wits with an ambitious reporter in modern-day Vancouver.

The remaining three pieces in the collection are interesting as well, giving the reader glimpses into three different times and places – one already familiar from one of the novels – in the unlife of Saint-Germain

All in all, a pleasant visit with my favourite vampire.