A Flame in Byzantium

By Chelsea Quinn Yarbro

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312930267
• ISBN13: 9780312930264
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 566 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Olivia Clemens and Belisarius, noble heroes in a corrupt world

I think this is a marvelous historical novel one of the rare kind of novels that give you the FEEL of the era. Olivia Clemens is a vampire, abnd also a very humane, sympathetic character. Vampires are felt as dangerous, nothing is more dangerous that the nest of snakes that's the byzantine court. Insidious plots intertwine, and meanness, greed, jealousy and bigotry characterize such a society, beginning with the Emperor itself. But a character who sparles here is Belisarius, noble, honest, brave, and loyal even in the direst situations to an Emperor who doesn't deserve the loyalty of such a man. The Belisarius of CQY stand the paragon with the Belisarius of Robert Graves. CQY, strangely, alters a bit the historical reality, for antonina survived Belisarius, albeit by few years. Anyway, a great novel!

Not Free SF Reader

Being a vampire, Olivia is an unmarried woman. This attracts the attention of powerful men, because she is wealthy.When Belisarius is no longer able to shelter her from such attention, she has to run.This is set in ancient Rome, around the time of the destruction ofthe library at Alexandria, so the historical setting is quiteinteresting and detailed, making it more interesting to people that arenot just straight romance fans.

Excellent

If you are looking for a good strong heroine Olivia is your woman. And unlike most "historical" books you might read. Yarbro did her homework well. the description of costumes and culture are right on. this is absolutely one of my favorite books, and it is the one that got my hooked on yarbro.

Olivia, vampire heroine, is a spin-off of St. Germain series

Those who already know that they like vampire novels, anything at all that features a vampire, can skip this review, and likewise, those who hate the whole idea of vampires can skip it. But for those trying to decide whether or not to read more of this genre, or whether the one vampire novel you've already read was a fluke, it may help if we have some ways to categorize these novels. Thus: BunRab's Standard Vampire Elements. First, most authors of vampire novels approach from one of the main genres of genre fiction; thus their background may be primarily in romance, or in science fiction/fantasy, or in murder mysteries, or in horror. Second, many vampire novels come in series; knowing whether this is one of a series, and where in the series it falls, may be helpful. Then we have some particular characteristics: - Is the vampire character (or characters) a "good guy" or a "bad guy"? Or are there some of each? - Are there continuing characters besides the vampire, through the series? - Are there other types of supernatural beings besides vampires? - Can the vampire stand daylight under some circumstances, or not stand daylight at all? - Does the vampire have a few other supernatural characteristics, many other supernatural characteristics, or none other than just being a vampire? (E.g., super strength, change into an animal, turn invisible) - Does the vampire have a regular job and place in society, or is being a vampire his or her entire raison d'etre? - Does the vampire literally drink blood, or is there some other (perhaps metaphorical) method of feeding? - Is sex a major plot element, a minor plot element, or nonexistent? - Is the entire vampire feeding act a metaphor for sex, part of a standard sex act, or unrelated to sex? - Is the story set in one historical period, more than one historical period, or entirely in the present day? - Does the story have elements of humor, or is it strictly serious? - Is the writing style good, or is the writing just there to manage to hold together the plot and characters?Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's series about the vampire St. Germain starts from the historical romance genre, and is a continuing series. Olivia, the heroine of this book, is a woman of ancient Rome whom St. Germain has turned into a vampire; this book is one of several written about her rather than about St. Germain. St. Germain and Olivia are definitely good guys, using the knowledge they've gained in hundreds of years of living to help others. There are a few characters that continue from book to book besides these two. Ghouls are the only other supernatural characters who appear in these books. Olivia can stand daylight with the right preparations. She has unusual strength, but not limitless, and unusual wisdom, but there are no other overt magic powers. Olivia has an occupation of being an aristocrat and landowner, insofar as that was a full-time occupation through most of history. Yarbro's vampires do not literally drink blood; they feed on