Adventures of the vampire Saint Germain in 10th century Germany, where he comes to the aid of people trying to defend their fortress against disease and marauders. It's hard to like the characters in this book, because the culture is superstitious, misogynistic, and brutal. (They execute one woman because her child was stillborn, and another because she was kidnapped and raped.) Every order given is reinforced with a threat; every request followed by a bribe. Life and death decisions are made on the basis of omens and the ravings of a half-mad priest who is trying to stamp out worship of the "old gods" in favor of the "White Christ".Saint Germain is always the most civilized, open-minded, kindhearted character in these books. I like him, but he's practically a boy scout; really quite unrealistically honest and generous, and a feminist to boot. He's sad and lonely without being given to brooding. He consistently falls in love with strong, intelligent women who are placed in impossible situations. Sometimes he's able to save them, and sometimes he isn't.This book explains the origin of the eclipse pectoral he wears prominently in at least one other book.
