Burning Shadows by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Tor, 2009
ISBN: 0765319829
Available: New, used and multi format digital

With Burning Shadows, Yarbro takes on a similar situation as she did with her previous Saint Germain book, A Dangerous Climate. This time it’s the time of the Huns, not the building of St. Petersburg. But the claustrophobic, desperate scene is the same. Trapped in a monastery with hundreds of refugees simply trying to survive the destructive nature of humanity (in this tale, that’s the role played by Attila the Hun as he rises to power) Saint Germain must balance his vampire nature with his desire to help others, while not drawing the suspicion of people who can’t even trust each other.

Yarbro’s style of telling a story not by directly showing the story, but instead by setting a series of highly detailed, soulful scenes will charm some readers and infuriate those who prefer faster-paced paranormal tales that don’t share the passion with which Yarbro treats history. One can’t deny the time and effort and craft Yarbro puts into her characters and settings, bringing history and humanity alive like few others do. Recommended for libraries, especially those looking for different kinds of horror or who might be in less horror-friendly areas.

Contains: mild language, alluded violence and gore