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Madelaine de Montalia #2
In the Face of Death
This erotic and historical vampire novel is set in America in the years before and during the Civil War and features Madaleine de Montalia, sometime lover of Count Saint-Germain; General William Tecumseh Sherman; and, in a supporting role, Saint-Germain himself. Madaleine lives with and studies the native tribes of America, trying to document their culture and knowledge before they are changed unalterably by contact with the settlers new to North America, only to find herself in the middle of some of the most horrifying events of the war. The stubborn and highly disciplined Tecumseh wrestles with his conscience as he falls in love with Madelaine, while the strong-willed Madaleine is torn between her love for Tecumseh and the demands of her nature.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
3 people are currently reading
176 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 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 8, 2023
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro has written at least 30 books relating to an ancient vampire, Saint Germain who has wandered the Earth for over 3,000 years. His tales hop across continents and time starting in ancient Egypt to the Second World War.
The thing to know is while he holds the key to immortality and needs blood for sustenance (but only in small amounts), he is vulnerable. Decapitation, a servered spine, immersion in water, embalming can all kill him though he can roam freely in the daytime with no ill effects. He is also generally a good man gifted with keen intelligence and superhuman strength.
This vast series in pretty hit and miss with some tales very good to excellent while others, while well-written, tend to disappoint.
This particular volume is one of the series' spin-offs about the adventures of one of the two vampires Saint Germain created.
Her name is Madelaine de Montalia, a Frenchwoman Saint Germain turned in 1724 and whom he rescued from the Terror of the French Revolution seventy years later (but that is another story). She pops up in several of the Saint Germain tales but this one is all her own as she decides to visit the United States in the 1850's to study the Native Americans and write of their lives and cultures before they disappear. Though her mission is dangerous she manages to live with several Northern Plains Indians before arriving at San Francisco and meeting the love of her life (hint he goes on to become quite famous later). Returning across the southern tier of states and territories to complete her studies she finds herself trapped in the Deep South when the Civil War breaks out and her adventures begin afresh.
This is one of Yarbro's better efforts and didn't fail to keep my interest. While Saint Germain makes a few token appearances near the end of the tale this story is all Madelaine's and the historical research to capture that time and place in history feels accurate. One of the more interesting aspects of the story is how this 140 year-old woman who keeps the appearance of a beautiful young woman of 24 manages to live her life free of suspicion while keeping her fortune and position intact without a spouse; particularly in the Victorian Era. Vampires do age very slowly, maybe visibly a year in every 200 or something like that. She is strong, resourceful, intelligent, and wise beyond her years. Very likeable for a vampire!
The thing to know is while he holds the key to immortality and needs blood for sustenance (but only in small amounts), he is vulnerable. Decapitation, a servered spine, immersion in water, embalming can all kill him though he can roam freely in the daytime with no ill effects. He is also generally a good man gifted with keen intelligence and superhuman strength.
This vast series in pretty hit and miss with some tales very good to excellent while others, while well-written, tend to disappoint.
This particular volume is one of the series' spin-offs about the adventures of one of the two vampires Saint Germain created.
Her name is Madelaine de Montalia, a Frenchwoman Saint Germain turned in 1724 and whom he rescued from the Terror of the French Revolution seventy years later (but that is another story). She pops up in several of the Saint Germain tales but this one is all her own as she decides to visit the United States in the 1850's to study the Native Americans and write of their lives and cultures before they disappear. Though her mission is dangerous she manages to live with several Northern Plains Indians before arriving at San Francisco and meeting the love of her life (hint he goes on to become quite famous later). Returning across the southern tier of states and territories to complete her studies she finds herself trapped in the Deep South when the Civil War breaks out and her adventures begin afresh.
This is one of Yarbro's better efforts and didn't fail to keep my interest. While Saint Germain makes a few token appearances near the end of the tale this story is all Madelaine's and the historical research to capture that time and place in history feels accurate. One of the more interesting aspects of the story is how this 140 year-old woman who keeps the appearance of a beautiful young woman of 24 manages to live her life free of suspicion while keeping her fortune and position intact without a spouse; particularly in the Victorian Era. Vampires do age very slowly, maybe visibly a year in every 200 or something like that. She is strong, resourceful, intelligent, and wise beyond her years. Very likeable for a vampire!
June 10, 2020
I’m going to meh this one. It didn’t have enough meat to it.
April 30, 2021
Thank you, again, Chelsea... for Madelaine.
December 4, 2021
good vampire story
Historical, vampires and adventure. A good way to spend the day reading. And some St Germain on the side. Fun.
Historical, vampires and adventure. A good way to spend the day reading. And some St Germain on the side. Fun.
April 25, 2022
This one's especially good. It's got William Tecumseh Sherman in it. And I always liked Madelaine more than Olivia.
Sorry, Quinn!
Sorry, Quinn!
February 17, 2012
This book about Madelaine was better than the last one I read about her. SPOILER ALERT......
She was here in America during the Civil War and fell in love with General William T. Sherman that she met in San Fransico before the war as a Bank Manager. She crossed the US to study the Indians and while she was there the war broke out. She then met the General later after she left to study more of the Indians when she met up with him again. Here in Georgia from there she left to go back to Europe and years later met him one more time....
That is what I love about Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's books she gives you a history lesson as well as a good fictional story at the same time. I will always love her books. If you like romance and vampire stories you will like this series of Saint Germain and Madelaine alomg with her other books. I can't wait for the next ones to read. I hope she keeps Saint Germain going for as long as she can and bring him into the 21st century.
She was here in America during the Civil War and fell in love with General William T. Sherman that she met in San Fransico before the war as a Bank Manager. She crossed the US to study the Indians and while she was there the war broke out. She then met the General later after she left to study more of the Indians when she met up with him again. Here in Georgia from there she left to go back to Europe and years later met him one more time....
That is what I love about Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's books she gives you a history lesson as well as a good fictional story at the same time. I will always love her books. If you like romance and vampire stories you will like this series of Saint Germain and Madelaine alomg with her other books. I can't wait for the next ones to read. I hope she keeps Saint Germain going for as long as she can and bring him into the 21st century.
April 21, 2007
Though this book is listed as being a story of the Count Saint-Germain, that is inaccurate; he appears in this story only by way of letters between himself and the real protagonist, the love of his life, Madelaine.
It's a decent book, and the story of Madelaine's affair with an officer in the Confederate Army has its share of 'oh, no; now what are they going to do?' moments, but it isn't on the level of Yarbro's Saint-Germain novels. I don't know why, but her novels about the female vampires in Saint-Germain's life are just not as good as those about Saint-Germain himself.
It's a decent book, and the story of Madelaine's affair with an officer in the Confederate Army has its share of 'oh, no; now what are they going to do?' moments, but it isn't on the level of Yarbro's Saint-Germain novels. I don't know why, but her novels about the female vampires in Saint-Germain's life are just not as good as those about Saint-Germain himself.
August 17, 2016
Madelaine is not my favorite character, and I didn't like the shorter version of this that appeared in The Vampire Sexette all that much either. It's Yarbro so it is not a bad book, though I think the shorter version is actually a little better. If you are going to start the St. Germain series, pick a different one.
December 11, 2014
More Romance Novel
I did not expect a romance novel. The book cover suggested an historical novel. Because of these super naturaL aspects I suppose the reader can accept some of the believable passages.
I did not expect a romance novel. The book cover suggested an historical novel. Because of these super naturaL aspects I suppose the reader can accept some of the believable passages.
February 19, 2008
Madeleine de Montagne, immortal vampire born in 18th century France, in America before and during the Civil War. Not the most tightly plotted book by Yarbro.
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September 1, 2013Madelaine (1845-1860) Book 2
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews