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Dark Of The Sun (A Novel Of Saint-Germaine) by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
01/10/2005 . Source: Joules Taylor 
pub: TOR. 460 page hardback. Price: $27.95 (US). $38.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-765-31102-X. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.tor.com and www.chelseaquinnyarbro.com
I have to state right at the outset that I fell in love with Yarbro's St Germaine stories many, many years ago. When I first picked up 'Hotel Transylvania', set in Louis XV's France, and read right through the night, I've yet to find one that disappoints. I will, however, attempt to be as objective as possible here!
One of the key ingredients of the success the novels, for me, is the immense amount of research and accuracy that the author puts into her books. 'Dark Of The Sun' is set in CE534-6, when a global catastrophe cast a darkness over the world. The period was called the Year of Yellow Snow, or the Year of the Dark Sun and was caused, it would appear, by an eruption of Krakatoa far more violent than the one in CE1883. This ancient eruption split Sumatra from Java and its dust blocked out a significant amount of sunlight for over a year. Where snow fell in China, it was coloured yellow with sulphur, watercourses were poisoned. Global crop failures led to famine and starvation, the death of animals and people everywhere as all living things struggled to survive in a seemingly never-ending winter.
The story of how Ragoczy Fransiscus Sanct' Germaine, a merchant at this time, travels with his long-term servant Rojeh from Yang Chau in China to his ancestral home in the Carpathian Mountains makes up the bulk of the book, but as ever with Yarbro, the fascination is in the details. From the political and religious rigours of the times, to the language, traditions and customs, weaponry, dress, food and drink, all are used to add realism to the story. I have learned more history from these books than ever I did at school and yes, where possible I've checked the facts for myself, though I don't have the author's access to the many learned people who have advised her.
I haven't yet said that St Germaine is a vampire, have I? At this stage, he's already two and half thousand years old, his ancient savagery gentled to a grave nobility and possessed of a somewhat world-weary acceptance of the ever-changing times, considerable intellect and skill in many spheres including alchemy and medicine. He is able to walk in daylight by filling the soles of his footwear with his native earth and gains strength by resting over a chest of the same. He can be killed with difficulty and can certainly be hurt. He is attractive and compelling, honourable and only uses his supernatural strengths when his life is threatened. A thoroughly admirable, intriguing character.
On the slightly less positive side, I found the prose style of 'Dark Of The Sun' a little stilted, although in the context of the formal, mannered culture of the Asia in which much of the story takes place it's fitting, I think. There are a few places where characters are made to look at objects or ask questions in order to enable an explanation that seems a little forced. The fact that nothing of any obvious significance happens, the major political and cultural events of the time are referenced obliquely, as is usual in a St Germaine book, in the letters and messages that preface or end the chapters may leave some readers unsatisfied. This is not an action-packed story, although a lot does happen within it, quietly, subtly and not-so-subtly when it comes to dealing with the way human populations handle catastrophe.
The true appeal of the book is something else. Its extraordinary strength lies in the masterful way the author manages, seemingly without effort, to express the sheer, awful loneliness of immortality, of the inevitability of death for everyone except St Germaine. It's chilling, literally, leaving the reader with a cold feeling of temporal dislocation and a shiver up the spine.
This is not a book for the first-time St Germaine reader. One of the earlier novels would make a far better introduction. It is, however, an indispensable part of any St Germaine collection, fascinating and absorbing. Highly recommended for the discerning reader of vampire fiction who enjoys an intricate, thought-provoking tale.
Joules Taylor
http://www.wordwrights.co.uk
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