A Dangerous Climate
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Tor, Oct 2008, $27.95
ISBN: 9780765319814
In 1704 vampire Count Saint-Germain is in Saint Petersburg, which is being built by Russian laborers under the direction of elite European specialists. Saint-Germain directs the construction of machinery to drain the marshes so that building can commence. He is to observe and report all that is going on in the city to the King of Poland.
Saint-Germain is pretending to be the missing Arpad Arco-Tolvay. Zozia, who is the real Arpad’s wife, pretends to be a married to Saint-Germain so as a couple they can fit in easier with the horde of other foreign nationals flooding the construction site. She has her own orders from Poland’s king to carry out. They are there less than a week when Saint-Germain is attacked and left for dead. A second assault affirms what he already knew that someone wants him dead, but he has no idea as to who or why as he has not been around long enough to have made enemies. More troubles follow when Lajos Rogoczi arrives insisting that Saint-Germain is dead and as such he owns the properties in Russia. Saint-Germain has to prove Lajos is a lying imposter without giving away his identity.
Reading about Saint Petersburg being built on top of a swamp is fascinating as politicians and their retinue arrives allegedly as a display of diplomatic support to the Tsar, but in actuality to spy on the Russians and one another. Saint-Germain is his usual urbane self even when he allows Zozia to order him around. A DANGEROUS CLIMATE is Chelsea Quinn Yarbro at her outstanding best as the thirty-seven hundred years old vampire, star of a zillion novels, is caught in quite a conundrum.
Harriet Klausner
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