While references to the Comte de Saint-Germain as an historical person can be found, his claims of occult power and longevity have been dismissed by most historians as charlatanism and fraud. Generally credited with authorship of Le Très Sainte Trinosophie (The Most Holy Triple Philosophy.) Saint-Germain's contemporaries included Horace Walpole, Cagliostro and Casanova. Walpole wrote in one of his letters the rumours circulating at the time as to who Saint-Germain really was: "He is called an Italian, a Spaniard, a Pole, a somebody who married a great fortune in Mexico and ran away with her jewels to Constantinople, a priest, a fiddler, a vast nobleman." It is theorised that he was the natural son of the widow of Charles II of Spain or the son of Francis Racoczi II, prince of Transylvania. But his numerous pseudonyms (including Count Surmont, Count Welldone, Count Soltikoff, Count Tzarogy, Marquise di Aymar, Prince Rakoczy, or Ahasverus) do little to pinpoint the real man. Much of this information covers the period from 1743 to his supposed death in Schleswig between 1780 and 1785. Saint-Germain dressed in black and white almost exclusively, at a time when other men were dressing in colours that would shame a rainbow. He was known to speak and read nearly a dozen languages and claimed to speak over thirty. An accomplished composer and musician, Saint-Germain's music was collected by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. His ambidexterity was well documented as was his passion for diamonds and other gems. Cover Art by Donna Baspaly & Patricia Peacock Used by permission of Transylvania Press In 1972, taking the idea that Saint-Germain's claims of being nearly four thousand years old were true, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro wrote the novel Hotel Transylvania. Originally rejected, the novel finally saw print in 1978. From there Yarbro has expanded on the history of Saint-Germain to craft one of the most cohesive and historically accurate series of vampire novels ever. Focusing primarily on the Count the cycle consists of: (In order of publication) Hotel Transylvania 1743 Paris The Palace 1490-1498 Florence Blood Games 65-71 Rome Path of the Eclipse 1182-1220 Mongolia to India Tempting Fate 1917-1928 Russia & Germany The Saint Germain Chronicles collection of short stories   Out of the House of Life 1495 -523 BCE/1825-1828 CE Egypt Better in the Dark 937-938 Leosan, Saxony   Darker Jewels 1583-1585 Russia   The Complete Vampire Stories of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro collection of all the short stories Mansions of Darkness 1639-1668 Peru   Writ in Blood 1910-1912 Russia, England, Germany Blood Roses c.1350 Provence Communion Blood c.1690 Rome Come Twilight c.720 Catalonia A Feast in Exile c.1400 India Night Blooming c.800 C.E. Tours, France Midnight Harvest c.1936-8 Napa Valley, USA Dark of the Sun c.535-536 C.E. China States of Grace 1530-1533 C.E. Western Europe Roman Dusk 219-224 C.E. Rome   Borne in Blood 1816-1818 C.E. Eastern Europe St. Germain: Memoirs Various   A Dangerous Climate 1704-1706 C.E. St. Petersburg, Russia Burning Shadows 430 C.E. Romania   The Short Stories: Spider Glass: A tale of a family heirloom mirror. Timeframe: c. 1610 and 1901 Renewal: Still a war journalist, James Tree sets out for one of Madelaine's chateau after a jeep accident, only to discover that much, including himself, is not as it seems. Timeframe: 1943 Art Songs: A concert by a brilliant artist, and a meeting of old friends. Timeframe: 1953. Seat Partner: A young woman returning from a Romanian vacation meets a man she seeks. c.1969. Cabin 33: When another vampire seems unable to control his urges Saint-Germain must intervene c. 1977 Fruits of Love "Women of Darkness 2" A Question of Patronage: Saint-Germain helps an aspiring actor to reach for his dream. c.1871 Intercession: A series of letters penned by Roderigo (Roger) during a time when his master Saint-Germain is imprisoned. 1647-1666 Advocates: Saint-Germain represents Weyland in the future when vampires now rule. There is an additional series centred around Olivia Clemens, who first appeared in Blood Games: A Flame in Byzantium 545-551 Constantinople Crusader's Torch 1189-1193 Tyre, Kingdom of Jerusalem A Candle for d'Artagnan 1637-1673 Paris and surrounds   Additionally there is another Madelaine story that has only recently been published in book form. It was originally only available in e-book format via hidden-knowledge.com but has finally be published by BenBella Books. Titled In the Face of Death this story re-visits Madelaine de Montalia, beginning in the year 1845. She has travelled into the wilds of North America to discover what she can of the Native American peoples before their cultures are diluted beyond recognition by missionaries, or destroyed outright by the press of white settlers reshaping the country, ever hungry for more land. Madelaine's travels take her into danger as she finds herself trapped in the South with war brewing around her. A controversial book, In the Face of Death looks into the lives of both those of the free North and slave-holding South, as well as offering a glimpse into the role the Native Americans played in the civil war which raged out of control in a country which until recently had been theirs alone. Unfortunately many of these works are out of print which makes obtaining copies for your own reading pleasure difficult – but not impossible. After all, half the fun of the hunt is the chase. Try here. TimeWarner Books republished the first three of the Saint-Germain novels before CQY went back to TOR. Stealth Press also reprinted 1, 2 and 5 recently. So they are around it's just a matter of finding them. An official Chronology of the events in the "life" of Saint-Germain.   Recurring Characters Within the cycle are several characters who regularly reappear from time to time: Atta Olivia Clemens Vampire. Came into her Unlife during Roman Emperor Vespasian's reign (c.72). Died in an explosion at her home near Rome in 1658. Madelaine de Montalia Vampire. Born into the Unlife in 1743 in Paris. Has gone on to pursue a love of Antiquities and Archaeology. Now a Professor. Roger (Rogerian) Ghoul. Former bondsman from Gades (Cádiz, Spain). Resurrected by Sanct' Germain in ancient Rome (c71). Serves as Saint-Germain's valet there after. Aumtehoutep Ghoul. Former novice of Thoth during the reign of Rameses II. Resurrected by Sanct' Germain. Died in the Flavian Circus of Rome 71 AD Niklos Aulirios Ghoul. Former Greek slave. Resurrected by Sanct' Germain in 312 AD in Rome and served as bondsman to Olivia Clemens until her death in 1673. Executed by firing squad in 1825 after stopping French soldiers from defacing ancient Egyptian inscriptions near the Coptic monastery of Saint Pontius Pilate where he was living at Edfu. Vampires Atta Olivia Clemens Csimenae Demetrice Volandrai Herchambaut Heugenet de Brabant James Tree Javotte Kosrozd Lorpicar Madelaine De Montalia Nicoris Ragoczy Sanct' Germain Franciscus Rowena Saxon Sigfroit de Plessien(suspected) Physically, Yarbro's vampires have many characteristics consistent with traditional descriptions of vampires. They drink only blood, and are affected by both sunlight and running water, although neither of those will cause the true death for her characters. Native earth also plays an important role for her characters, nourishing them and giving them strength. They can survive without it, but it makes for a more comfortable existence. In keeping with the whole ambiguity of religion they are not affected by religious artefacts such as crosses or holy water. They have the power to control animals such as wolves as seen briefly in Hotel Transylvania, and in more detail in Tempting Fate The main difference between Yarbro's vampires and other vampires lies in their strong beliefs in justice, honour, and the dignity of the individual. Rather than seducing an innocent into a life of darkness, Yarbro's vampires serve as a voice of integrity and sanity in a mortal world filled with death, corruption and dishonesty. In short, they are often the opposite of the dark creature of the night. Ghouls Aumtehoutep Niklos Aulirios Rogerian Sbratius (mention only) Yolande 3 others (mentioned in passing but no names given) Ghouls are possibly even rarer than vampires. They must be resurected using specific compounds and treatments. This secret is known only to very few and Saint-Germain learned it in ancient Egypt while at the Temple of Imhotep. Ghouls appear to be immortal in much the same way as a vampire. Their bodies do not age nor do they succumb to the ravages of disease. Their hardiness has not been overly explored. While they do not posses the supernatural strength and endurance of vampires, they are also free of their supernatural limitations. A Ghoul's nourishment must come from raw meat, the fresher the better. It need not be live food but freshly killed food is more potent. In this way they share yet another similarity with their vampire cousins only the ghouls appears to be the more human of the two. Another fine method of staying in touch with CQ Yarbro's literary proceedings is via Lindig Hall Harris' biannual Yarbro newsletter, Yclept Yarbro. Be warned, it doesn't come cheaply, but if you are as spellbound by Yarbro's work as I am, it is well worth the trouble and expense. If you're interested in subscription rates contact lindig@charter.net. There's also an Official Yahoo Group which includes fan's like myself as well as CQY's Internet Publicist.