Pierre-Alexis Ponson du Terrail (1829-1871), the author of the saga of Rocambole, a sprawling series of novels published between 1857 and 1870, began his career with La Baronne Trépassée [The Dead Baroness] (1852), a murky Ann Radcliffe-like tale of revenge in the macabre surroundings of 1700s Black Forest. With Rocambole, Ponson du Terrail meant to copy the success of Eugène Sue's best-selling Les Mystères de Paris (1842-43). Rocambole became a huge success, providing a constant and considerable source of revenue to Ponson du Terrail, who continued churning out his adventures. In August 1870, France lost its war against Germany. Ponson fled from Paris to his country estate near Orléans, where he began a guerilla-style warfare, not unlike Rocambole. Ponson was later forced to flee to Bordeaux after the Germans burned down his castle. He died at age 42, leaving the saga of Rocambole sadly uncompleted. novels: Rocambole (2006), The Vampire and the Devil's Son (2007) more on Ponson in: Shadowmen 1: Heroes and Villains of French Pulp Fiction (2003)