Jacob Kosslrer Kosslrer itibaren 15040 Bozzole AL, İtalya itibaren 15040 Bozzole AL, İtalya

I continue to be entertained by these books, even if they all have a very similar plot superimposed on a variety of historical settings, and even if Yarbro's dialogue is ridiculously stilted. The rest of her prose flows smoothly enough, but as soon as any character opens his or her mouth, we get something that sounds like clumsy ad-libbing for the benefit of suspected eavesdroppers. People state the obvious and repeat themselves, especially Saint-Germain and Roger, who have the same conversations in every book. The setting is interesting: Asia during the 6th century, when the eruption of the volcano Krakatoa has caused unusual weather patterns leading to trade disruptions, crop failures and famine. Distressed by the calamity, which is outside of his vast experience, Saint-Germain and his eternal manservant travel slowly westwards towards Saint-Germain's homeland, constantly beset by hunger and the hostility of desperate people. Actually, the natives aren't much more hostile than usual. In his travels Saint-Germain routinely encounters the most horribly suspicious, greedy, and duplicitous people, as if the author is anxious to emphasize her protagonist's relative humanity. I continue to be frustrated by Saint-Germain's passivity, as neither vicious attack nor heinous betrayal provokes anything more than sadness and resignation on his part. There is a nice scene where Roger expresses a similar frustration, though.