What do You think about Tempting Fate (1982)?
This was the first Saint-Germain book I had read since "The Palace" a few years ago. Frankly, I just didn't like "The Palace." It seemed to me that Yarbro was aiming her book squarely at the Renaissance Pleasure Fair crowd at the expense of plot and characterization. Every other chapter was swamped with detailed descriptions of clothing, to the point where I felt that 2/3 of the material could have been excised without any damage to the plot whatsoever. It was a maddening read because I have loved so much of this author's shorter work - in particular "Disturb Not My Slumbering Fare."And so now, twenty years after it was written, when we are awash with good vampires who don't drink human blood - I wonder if Saint-Germain glitters in the twilight? - I wasn't expecting much."Tempting Fate" was a terrific surprise/ I enjoyed every paragraph of this story, which I kind of imagined as Dr. Zhivago meets The Undead.This is a straightforward, serious novel examining the horrors of pre-world war Germany and the rise of the Nazis. Saint-Germain is the perfect viewpoint character because, through his eyes, this dark epoch is put into historical perspective and compared to similar historical events. I felt the writing style was perfect for the material, no wasted verbiage, no over-writing although Saint-Germaine himself is portrayed as a well-educated aristocrat and expresses himself accordingly. I won't ruin the plot by giving you a synopsis - but I will warn you to keep a box of Kleenex nearby. If you're a touch, macho kind of guy -- well, you may want to draw the blinds, or read it when you've got some time to yourself - away from the the wife and kids.Highly recommended.
—Chuck Briggs
