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A Baroque Fable
Deep in the Woebegone Wood, there lurks a rather pathetic dragon. She’s really not a dragon at all. But Princes are inclined to slay first, ask questions later…
243 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1986
17 people are currently reading
240 people want to read
About the author
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
259 books477 followersA professional writer for more than forty years, Yarbro has sold over eighty books, more than seventy works of short fiction, and more than three dozen essays, introductions, and reviews. She also composes serious music. Her first professional writing - in 1961-1962 - was as a playwright for a now long-defunct children's theater company. By the mid-60s she had switched to writing stories and hasn't stopped yet.
After leaving college in 1963 and until she became a full-time writer in 1970, she worked as a demographic cartographer, and still often drafts maps for her books, and occasionally for the books of other writers.
She has a large reference library with books on a wide range of subjects, everything from food and fashion to weapons and trade routes to religion and law. She is constantly adding to it as part of her on-going fascination with history and culture; she reads incessantly, searching for interesting people and places that might provide fodder for stories.
In 1997 the Transylvanian Society of Dracula bestowed a literary knighthood on Yarbro, and in 2003 the World Horror Association presented her with a Grand Master award. In 2006 the International Horror Guild enrolled her among their Living Legends, the first woman to be so honored; the Horror Writers Association gave her a Life Achievement Award in 2009. In 2014 she won a Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention.
A skeptical occultist for forty years, she has studied everything from alchemy to zoomancy, and in the late 1970s worked occasionally as a professional tarot card reader and palmist at the Magic Cellar in San Francisco.
She has two domestic accomplishments: she is a good cook and an experienced seamstress. The rest is catch-as-catch-can.
Divorced, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area - with two cats: the irrepressible Butterscotch and Crumpet, the Gang of Two. When not busy writing, she enjoys the symphony or opera.
Her Saint-Germain series is now the longest vampire series ever. The books range widely over time and place, and were not published in historical order. They are numbered in published order.
Known pseudonyms include Vanessa Pryor, Quinn Fawcett, T.C.F. Hopkins, Trystam Kith, Camille Gabor.
After leaving college in 1963 and until she became a full-time writer in 1970, she worked as a demographic cartographer, and still often drafts maps for her books, and occasionally for the books of other writers.
She has a large reference library with books on a wide range of subjects, everything from food and fashion to weapons and trade routes to religion and law. She is constantly adding to it as part of her on-going fascination with history and culture; she reads incessantly, searching for interesting people and places that might provide fodder for stories.
In 1997 the Transylvanian Society of Dracula bestowed a literary knighthood on Yarbro, and in 2003 the World Horror Association presented her with a Grand Master award. In 2006 the International Horror Guild enrolled her among their Living Legends, the first woman to be so honored; the Horror Writers Association gave her a Life Achievement Award in 2009. In 2014 she won a Life Achievement Award from the World Fantasy Convention.
A skeptical occultist for forty years, she has studied everything from alchemy to zoomancy, and in the late 1970s worked occasionally as a professional tarot card reader and palmist at the Magic Cellar in San Francisco.
She has two domestic accomplishments: she is a good cook and an experienced seamstress. The rest is catch-as-catch-can.
Divorced, she lives in the San Francisco Bay Area - with two cats: the irrepressible Butterscotch and Crumpet, the Gang of Two. When not busy writing, she enjoys the symphony or opera.
Her Saint-Germain series is now the longest vampire series ever. The books range widely over time and place, and were not published in historical order. They are numbered in published order.
Known pseudonyms include Vanessa Pryor, Quinn Fawcett, T.C.F. Hopkins, Trystam Kith, Camille Gabor.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
September 18, 2021
Yarbro (who turned 79 just two days ago, having been born on Sept. 15, 1942) is a versatile author of all types of speculative fiction, and a winner of the World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2014. She's best known for her series of novels/stories about a sympathetic and ethical vampire, Count Saint-Germain (of which I've only read one story in an anthology, "Cabin 33," but I found that one outstandimg!); I've also read her story "Disturb Not My Slumbering Fair" in the collection Young Monsters. Both stories are an example of her serious side (and the latter is grisly-gory horror). But this novel is an example of her humorous side. It was my first introduction to her work, and the only sample of her long fiction that I've read, though it actually occupies a fairly minor place in her corpus. Barb and I read the book together (she liked it too!) as a library check-out, so I don't have a copy in front of me; and the read was about 30 years ago. So there are admittedly proper names, aspects of the plot, etc that I've forgotten; but I do remember my general impressions, and a fair amount of specific plot detail, characterizations, dialogue and narration.
The tale is set mostly in a kingdom in a fantasy world (whether supposedly our own or not is immaterial, since it's not grounded in actual real-world history or geography) reminiscent in style of early 18th-century Europe. (That era is often thought of as the Age of the Baroque; hence the title.) But it also has high medieval features like armored knights; magic works, and dragons are part of the fauna. Narration is third-person omniscient, and in present tense; it was my first experience with present-tense narration, and Yarbro carries it off well, without a "gimmicky" feel, which made me more willing to try it again in subsequent reads. Like Patricia C. Wrede in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, the author spoofs and subverts traditional fantasy tropes (and a lot of them are employed), and both ladies excel at deadpan humor. Yarbro's, though, is drier, and her storytelling much more plot-centered, rather than character-centered. Some characters are really memorable, particularly court wizard Sigmund Snafflebrain (who's brilliant, but unfortunately has an attention span shorter than two sentences) and the tyrant ruler of the neighboring realm of Addlepate, Humgudgeon, who's built up an immunity to every poison under the sun and who's always portentiously threatening his hapless underlings with "the Consequences!" (you won't readily forget the latter's pet monster Chumley, a tiny-brained but big-bodied bruiser who wants to be steadily supplied with human "play toys," either). But none of the characterizations are very deep, and while the plot is consistently interesting (and sometimes sprung surprises I did not see coming --though Yarbro provided clues along the way!), there's no real sense of high stakes, or strong emotional involvement for the reader, and the romances don't inspire much sense of real passion, either. (In those respect's, Wrede's series is by far the stronger read of the two.)
Only one of my Goodreads friends has also read this; he gave it one star, and dismissed it with a single deprecatory sentence, which unfortunately didn't state why he disliked it so much. Overall reaction on Goodreads, though, is more positive; the average rating is 3.35. Of the 14 text reviews, almost half rate it at least at four stars (one at five). Three people gave it three stars (though at least one of those apparently confused Goodreads' scale with Amazon's), and most of the rest went with two; there were no other one-stars with any text, but the remaining reviewer who didn't formally rate it was totally dismissive in her comments. Judging from the reviews, IMO, what's operating at the negative end of the spectrum is more a mismatch between reader tastes and expectations and the kind of book this is than actual poor quality of craftsmanship; there was disappointment that it's shallow, and not at all serious, and the dry style of humor didn't appeal. But if you go into it expecting a purely tongue-in-cheek light entertainment with no deep literary value, and can appreciate humor on the dry side, you might enjoy it as a pleasant diversion.
The tale is set mostly in a kingdom in a fantasy world (whether supposedly our own or not is immaterial, since it's not grounded in actual real-world history or geography) reminiscent in style of early 18th-century Europe. (That era is often thought of as the Age of the Baroque; hence the title.) But it also has high medieval features like armored knights; magic works, and dragons are part of the fauna. Narration is third-person omniscient, and in present tense; it was my first experience with present-tense narration, and Yarbro carries it off well, without a "gimmicky" feel, which made me more willing to try it again in subsequent reads. Like Patricia C. Wrede in the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, the author spoofs and subverts traditional fantasy tropes (and a lot of them are employed), and both ladies excel at deadpan humor. Yarbro's, though, is drier, and her storytelling much more plot-centered, rather than character-centered. Some characters are really memorable, particularly court wizard Sigmund Snafflebrain (who's brilliant, but unfortunately has an attention span shorter than two sentences) and the tyrant ruler of the neighboring realm of Addlepate, Humgudgeon, who's built up an immunity to every poison under the sun and who's always portentiously threatening his hapless underlings with "the Consequences!" (you won't readily forget the latter's pet monster Chumley, a tiny-brained but big-bodied bruiser who wants to be steadily supplied with human "play toys," either). But none of the characterizations are very deep, and while the plot is consistently interesting (and sometimes sprung surprises I did not see coming --though Yarbro provided clues along the way!), there's no real sense of high stakes, or strong emotional involvement for the reader, and the romances don't inspire much sense of real passion, either. (In those respect's, Wrede's series is by far the stronger read of the two.)
Only one of my Goodreads friends has also read this; he gave it one star, and dismissed it with a single deprecatory sentence, which unfortunately didn't state why he disliked it so much. Overall reaction on Goodreads, though, is more positive; the average rating is 3.35. Of the 14 text reviews, almost half rate it at least at four stars (one at five). Three people gave it three stars (though at least one of those apparently confused Goodreads' scale with Amazon's), and most of the rest went with two; there were no other one-stars with any text, but the remaining reviewer who didn't formally rate it was totally dismissive in her comments. Judging from the reviews, IMO, what's operating at the negative end of the spectrum is more a mismatch between reader tastes and expectations and the kind of book this is than actual poor quality of craftsmanship; there was disappointment that it's shallow, and not at all serious, and the dry style of humor didn't appeal. But if you go into it expecting a purely tongue-in-cheek light entertainment with no deep literary value, and can appreciate humor on the dry side, you might enjoy it as a pleasant diversion.
May 11, 2023
A light, humorous fantasy. Not particularly good, not particularly bad. I needed something chill, and this got the job done.
A genius wizard that can’t finish a single thought, an ennui-suffering princess, an anxious queen, a knitting king, a meek dragon—that’s the vibe of A Baroque Fable.
A genius wizard that can’t finish a single thought, an ennui-suffering princess, an anxious queen, a knitting king, a meek dragon—that’s the vibe of A Baroque Fable.
November 1, 2011
Far-off places, (somewhat) daring sword fights and a prince (and a bored princess) in disguise?! I'm a fan of Yarbro's Saint-Germain works and was excited to pick up this vampire-less novel of hers. It was a delight to read and, I think, would be great for anyone who loves fairytales and has a sense of humor about it.[return][return] Yarbro's prose is dexterous yet whimsical and the curious cast of characters is wonderfully entertaining.
May 31, 2020
So tropey. I feel like it’s been done before, a fairy tale with tongue in cheek. I rolled my eyes far too often. None of the characters were particularly interesting. A bored princess? An egotistical prince? An overly endearing queen and an emotionally distant king? This author has written some really good pieces so this could only be a disappointment.
May 29, 2018
I enjoyed this when I was 12... tried to read it today and found the voice unreadable. It’s a sort of a stylized narrative voice that has a rhythm. Big swings at humor that failed to land for me.
December 30, 2018
За Челси Куин Ярбро човек научава обикновено много случайно, докато се опитва да си намери някое интересно четиво от непознат автор, което да съчетава в себе си добра фентъзийна история, много чувство за хумор и прилежно използвани стилистични похвати, за които да гарантира някоя и друга награда, като да речем Световните фентъзи награди или Брам Стокър. И попадайки на тази странна иконописна корица, сякаш съставена от ръчицата на невнятен монах франсисканец, във вас се загнездва чувството, че тука май има нещо дето си заслужава четенето. И когато бивате посрещнати от млада вещица в начален стадий на горещи вълни, почитатели на шумното караоке орки – каменоломци, и красива девойка, превърната набързо в малокалибрен дракон с един метър мигла, защото си е позволила да изчисти вещерска бърлога – обичайната реакция е бързо мигане с клепки и леко ускоряване на пулса в стил – това май ще е нещо добро.
Върху невинния читател се изсипва паноптикум от клиширани образи на средновековни приказни герои, получили обаче осъзнаващата си чаша чай, която ги прави напълно наясно с тесните граници на пожелателната реалност, и естествено не им пречи никак да се кудошат със същата. Злият цар – защото такъв винаги има, е всъщност префинен джендър ориентиран садист, първи братовчед на Дьо Сад от лошата страна на фамилията му и на Мортиша Адамс от добрата, с огромна страст към тестване на различни отрови и държане на дебелишко огре в мазето, което много обича да си играе с разни хуманоидни мекотленни играчки, ама все ги чупи. Добрият цар е внимателно стараещ се да избягва абсолютно всяко прегрешение на властта любител на плетките и дантелите, който се опитва да балансира между много амбициозния си инквизитор, съчетаващ Игнациус Лойола и Леонардо да Винчи; живеещия в няколко времеви нишки изкуфял Гандалф-оплескания-с-каша и един изключителен шпионин – работохолик, на който това с излизането от роля му е най-голямата мерзост в живота, и се опитва да се върне в клишето, преобразявайки се дори на гълъб, глухарче или ушна кал, ако се наложи.
Принцът е вечно търсещият доказателства за принцованост у бедните, принцесата е отегчена пък от нивото на принцованост в богатите, и въобще всички в двора са поети, кулинари или моделиери, най-вече защото поста на обслужващ персонал варира между един страж и шепа отегчени рицари, на които се пада по една хубавица на рота за ухажване. А това малко съсипва обстановката откъм героичност, романс и епопея. Докато не се тръгва на лов за дракони, освобождаване на царства, залавяне на чудовища и общо взето пълния сет от приключения на тъмните векове, само малко обърнати с хастара навън и напудрени с Уди Алънски цинизъм. Мда, ако накрая си кажете откровено – Какво беше туй чудо, дето го четох, няма да сгрешите. Но пък и няма да съжалявате.
Върху невинния читател се изсипва паноптикум от клиширани образи на средновековни приказни герои, получили обаче осъзнаващата си чаша чай, която ги прави напълно наясно с тесните граници на пожелателната реалност, и естествено не им пречи никак да се кудошат със същата. Злият цар – защото такъв винаги има, е всъщност префинен джендър ориентиран садист, първи братовчед на Дьо Сад от лошата страна на фамилията му и на Мортиша Адамс от добрата, с огромна страст към тестване на различни отрови и държане на дебелишко огре в мазето, което много обича да си играе с разни хуманоидни мекотленни играчки, ама все ги чупи. Добрият цар е внимателно стараещ се да избягва абсолютно всяко прегрешение на властта любител на плетките и дантелите, който се опитва да балансира между много амбициозния си инквизитор, съчетаващ Игнациус Лойола и Леонардо да Винчи; живеещия в няколко времеви нишки изкуфял Гандалф-оплескания-с-каша и един изключителен шпионин – работохолик, на който това с излизането от роля му е най-голямата мерзост в живота, и се опитва да се върне в клишето, преобразявайки се дори на гълъб, глухарче или ушна кал, ако се наложи.
Принцът е вечно търсещият доказателства за принцованост у бедните, принцесата е отегчена пък от нивото на принцованост в богатите, и въобще всички в двора са поети, кулинари или моделиери, най-вече защото поста на обслужващ персонал варира между един страж и шепа отегчени рицари, на които се пада по една хубавица на рота за ухажване. А това малко съсипва обстановката откъм героичност, романс и епопея. Докато не се тръгва на лов за дракони, освобождаване на царства, залавяне на чудовища и общо взето пълния сет от приключения на тъмните векове, само малко обърнати с хастара навън и напудрени с Уди Алънски цинизъм. Мда, ако накрая си кажете откровено – Какво беше туй чудо, дето го четох, няма да сгрешите. Но пък и няма да съжалявате.
August 30, 2018
This book is a delightful romp through the land Once Upon a Time. There's a witch, and a dragon, and a prince and a princess, a king and queen, a sorcerer and an astrologer, an evil ruler and his Chumley, a spy and a crumpet baker; and not a one of them is anything like what you might expect. Their stories intertwine in a plot more than a little remniscent of one of Shakespeare's early comedies, complete with slapstick (well, a little) and mistaken identities (a few, anyway).
The characters lack the dreary realism too many writers of fairy-stories try to impart these days, and instead are (slightly wonky) caricatures of something other, as I said than what you might expect.
Oh. And they sing occasionally. There's even music to the songs in the back of the book. Indeed, it apparently started life as a musical, and Yarbro made a book of it, for which I am truly pleased.
It's out of print, but available, and there's a Kindle edition; so you can get it one way or another.
Do.
The characters lack the dreary realism too many writers of fairy-stories try to impart these days, and instead are (slightly wonky) caricatures of something other, as I said than what you might expect.
Oh. And they sing occasionally. There's even music to the songs in the back of the book. Indeed, it apparently started life as a musical, and Yarbro made a book of it, for which I am truly pleased.
It's out of print, but available, and there's a Kindle edition; so you can get it one way or another.
Do.
September 26, 2021
This book would be much better if everything wasn’t said in the most convoluted way possible.
A character gets tossed to death circa Hulk’s ‘puny God’ scene in the Avengers (and maybe eaten) and it is described as:
“Had Humgudgeon taken a little less wine, or spent a longer time in exercise, there might have been a chance for him, but since his habits preclude an heroic battle or even ignominious flight, he is victim to a fate he has meted out to others, coming as close as possible to gaining some sort of poetic justice.”
A character gets tossed to death circa Hulk’s ‘puny God’ scene in the Avengers (and maybe eaten) and it is described as:
“Had Humgudgeon taken a little less wine, or spent a longer time in exercise, there might have been a chance for him, but since his habits preclude an heroic battle or even ignominious flight, he is victim to a fate he has meted out to others, coming as close as possible to gaining some sort of poetic justice.”
May 31, 2025
Let me start by saying I love Ms. Yarbro's Saint Germain novels, so I thought I would try this. At first I was thinking this is pretty stupid and was not going to finish it, but if you can get past the first couple chapters, you realize how funny this story is and want to finish it just to see what happens.
July 7, 2025
Nonsensical but sometimes funny. Disappointed it didn't explain the meaning behind the enchantments at the end. A silly distraction but I'm not likely to recommend due to everyone bursting into song suddenly at times.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2018
Cute little story in the vein of Princess Bride
Nice story with a lot of humor that makes a good quick read. Perfect for kids and adults alike. Try it out.
Nice story with a lot of humor that makes a good quick read. Perfect for kids and adults alike. Try it out.
December 31, 2015
SO GOOD. It was hilarious, fun, and quirky. And it had songs! Good stuff!
Sure, it needed a better editor and there were times the book went over the top even for me, but all-in-all, this was a novel to be enjoyed and not to be taken seriously... at all.
The archetypes and tropes were present, but Yarbro had them dance for her. I adored each and every character (although, Princess Felicia stole my heart!).
I recommend this to anyone with a good sense of humor who has a love for fantasy.
Sure, it needed a better editor and there were times the book went over the top even for me, but all-in-all, this was a novel to be enjoyed and not to be taken seriously... at all.
The archetypes and tropes were present, but Yarbro had them dance for her. I adored each and every character (although, Princess Felicia stole my heart!).
I recommend this to anyone with a good sense of humor who has a love for fantasy.
August 20, 2012
The printing was pathetic because I sat with a pencil bluelining my copy but the story was cute and refreshing. It would have been more enjoyable had there been a talented copy editor on hand at the publisher.
January 8, 2013
This has been on my TBR shelf/pile for years. I have no memory of buying it or where I got it or why I got it. It was ok, kinda strange and confusing at times and the ending was about as contrived as you can get, but I did finish it!
January 2, 2008
read 10.03.86
September 14, 2010
Pretty silly. I skimmed through the last half.
November 4, 2009
Awful - avoid at all costs!
March 18, 2011
Early CQY, shows the signs of her fabulous St. Germain books to come. Fairy tale w/echoes of Terry Pratchett.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews