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Saint-Germain #14
A Feast in Exile
A Feast in Exile draws readers back to the time when the Mongol hordes of Timur (known in the West as Tamerlane) swept across fourteenth-century India and Asia. Delhi's civilized veneer crumbles along with its walls. Foreigners, which the vampire Saint-Germain-here called Sanat Ji Mani-surely is, lose their positions, homes, wealth, and sometimes their lives, if they cannot escape the falling city.
Before he can flee Delhi, Sanat Ji Mani must ensure the safety of Avasa Dani, his beautiful ward, who has been abandoned by her husband. Sanat Ji Mani's love has awakened Avasa Dani's every sense; even she will become a vampire upon her death, but she finds no terror in this fate.
Avasa Dani and Rojire, Sanat Ji Mani's servant, successfully make their way out of Delhi, but Sanat Ji Mani himself is trapped. His life is bought by his skills with medicine, but, at Timur's command, he must travel-by day, and exposed to the sun-with the conqueror's army. Crippled and unable to escape, he knows that his vampire nature will soon be revealed, and then...
Avasa Dani, with a worried Rojire at her side, considers her options as a woman without a visible male protector in a land and time ruled by men. While one of Sanat Ji Mani's allies searches desperately for the missing vampire, Saint-Germain and a young acrobat, with whom he has escaped from Timur's forces, make their slow and painful way to freedom. The journey changes them both forever.
Before he can flee Delhi, Sanat Ji Mani must ensure the safety of Avasa Dani, his beautiful ward, who has been abandoned by her husband. Sanat Ji Mani's love has awakened Avasa Dani's every sense; even she will become a vampire upon her death, but she finds no terror in this fate.
Avasa Dani and Rojire, Sanat Ji Mani's servant, successfully make their way out of Delhi, but Sanat Ji Mani himself is trapped. His life is bought by his skills with medicine, but, at Timur's command, he must travel-by day, and exposed to the sun-with the conqueror's army. Crippled and unable to escape, he knows that his vampire nature will soon be revealed, and then...
Avasa Dani, with a worried Rojire at her side, considers her options as a woman without a visible male protector in a land and time ruled by men. While one of Sanat Ji Mani's allies searches desperately for the missing vampire, Saint-Germain and a young acrobat, with whom he has escaped from Timur's forces, make their slow and painful way to freedom. The journey changes them both forever.
496 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
6 people are currently reading
311 people want to read
About the author
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
262 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 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 4, 2010
Another book about the immortal Count Saint-Germain, this one set in 14th century India. Yet again Saint-Germain has established himself as a wealthy foreigner in a luxurious house with a splendid wardrobe and a houseful of cagey servants. He conducts business, he helps the sick and downtrodden, and he bribes the authorities to leave him in peace.
When the city is attacked by marauding warriors, Saint-Germain manages to send his lover and his eternal bodyservant Roger to safety, but he himself is captured and forced to accompany the marauding army - in the summer sunlight, crippled, and without his usual resources.
The story wasn't bad, but this isn't one of my favorite books about the count. I didn't find the historical setting very interesting. The books are also becoming repetitive. In every book Saint-Germain has the same conversations with Roger and the same conversations with his lovers. And in all his travels, he seems to encounter only three kinds of people: those who are a) suspicious; b) hostile and suspicious; and c) greedy, hostile and suspicious. This requires more repeated conversations as Saint-Germain constantly responds to threats and defends his good intentions.
Olivia's letters are bright spots. She writes to Roger complaining about how inconsiderate it is for Saint-Germain to get into trouble and cause his friends such worry. I think I'll read another of the books about Olivia next.
When the city is attacked by marauding warriors, Saint-Germain manages to send his lover and his eternal bodyservant Roger to safety, but he himself is captured and forced to accompany the marauding army - in the summer sunlight, crippled, and without his usual resources.
The story wasn't bad, but this isn't one of my favorite books about the count. I didn't find the historical setting very interesting. The books are also becoming repetitive. In every book Saint-Germain has the same conversations with Roger and the same conversations with his lovers. And in all his travels, he seems to encounter only three kinds of people: those who are a) suspicious; b) hostile and suspicious; and c) greedy, hostile and suspicious. This requires more repeated conversations as Saint-Germain constantly responds to threats and defends his good intentions.
Olivia's letters are bright spots. She writes to Roger complaining about how inconsiderate it is for Saint-Germain to get into trouble and cause his friends such worry. I think I'll read another of the books about Olivia next.
March 3, 2021
A Feast in Exile - As always Chelsea Quinn Yarbro has created another feast for this r
As always when I sit down with one of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s Books about Saint Germain’s life I feel like I’ve stepped into a window of history. But with so many more details in the way people actually lived.I’m immersed into the period of time with details of customs,dress ,laws ....and I am always made aware & grateful to be a woman living in America today. Knowing how precarious life has always been throughout history and continues to be in many parts of the world today.Especially for women.
Over the decades I have given much thought to immortality and it’s costs. Often inspired while savoring one your novels.
Anyone who has ever loved and lost, traveled and observed,has a compassionate nature ,can’t help but dream of a visit somewhere,sometime from our dear Count.
As always when I sit down with one of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s Books about Saint Germain’s life I feel like I’ve stepped into a window of history. But with so many more details in the way people actually lived.I’m immersed into the period of time with details of customs,dress ,laws ....and I am always made aware & grateful to be a woman living in America today. Knowing how precarious life has always been throughout history and continues to be in many parts of the world today.Especially for women.
Over the decades I have given much thought to immortality and it’s costs. Often inspired while savoring one your novels.
Anyone who has ever loved and lost, traveled and observed,has a compassionate nature ,can’t help but dream of a visit somewhere,sometime from our dear Count.
May 21, 2016
I can understand why other readers abandoned this Saint-Germain book or called it boring. It was certainly not one of the most exciting selections in the series. Still, it had its moments and it had some memorable characters, specifically Djerat, Rustam Iniattir, Timur-i and... Tulsi Kil, the acrobat/companion that keeps Saint-Germain sane and safe throughout Part II & III is simply a gem! I am going to miss looking forward to reading more of her conversations with Saint-Germain. Her unique and comical approach to language & life, and her openness to accept him for what he was simply won me over. I might just go back and read some of those scenes with her one more time.
:)
:)
December 18, 2015
I liked the historical research in this book and the premise of writing a whole bunch of books about one vampire who lives for centuries. Other books are other times in his life. This one was about Tamerlane which is named Timir-Lenk or something in this story. The story was not all that engaging however, and one was not sure what the point was, but, I also think it would be cleared if I had started with the first book in the series and worked my way through. That is the advice I would give anyone wanting to try this series, start at the beginning, there are quite a lot of books to work through.
June 1, 2013
Same comment as before: lThree things happen in this book. St. Germaine argues with 4 people: 1 who wants to become a vampire, one who doesn't, one who hates him for the wrong reasons, who who admires him for the wrong reasons. Grindingly slow. If this were a movie I'd have walked out 15 times. But I love CQY and could not believe she wrote something that was altogether pointless. I was wrong.
January 11, 2011
This book was so boring I couldn't even finish it. Got about 100 pages in and quit.
Read
September 1, 2013St. Germain (India, 1398-1401) Book 15
May 17, 2022
The worst one so far not much plot.And i didn't really like the setting.And I thought the relationship with Tulsi Kil felt a bit forced as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
August 8, 2008WANTED,Saint Germain #14
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews