Bride of the Rat God

Rating:
Summary: A different premise, to say the least
Review: Hollywood, 1923. A small town on the verge of greatness, filled with silent film stars, directors, producers, and an ancient Chinese Rat God hell-bent on taking his bride!! His intended is Chrysanda Flamande, aka Christine Blackstone, one of the new up-and-coming stars of the silent film era. She lives the good life with her widowed sister-in-law Norah and her Pekingese dogs in the hills of Los Angeles. With her big-time producer boyfriend, she is the toast of the town, while her dowdier sister-in-law tries to keep her from getting into too much trouble and helps her to get to work on time. This idyllic existence is interrupted by the arrival of a myserious Chinese gentleman, who tries to warn her that the Rat God is coming for her, because of the old Chinese necklace she wore in her last film. She pays him little attention until people around her begin to die or disappear and strange things start happening around her home. Suddenly Christine, Norah, and their friends are thrust into a whirlwind of danger and magic that threatens their very souls. And the only thing standing between her and a "hellish" marriage is the old Chinese man, who happens to be a wizard. But can they muster the strength of body and mind to overcome such an ancient evil?

This is another good book by Hambley. Again she dazzles us with her precise, vivid writing and heartfelt characters. She makes you worry about what will happen to them. The reader will also learn a bit about what Hollywood was like 80 years ago, before all the glitz and glamour (although Hollywood 1923 at times sounds like Hollywood today). Seeing Norah finally climb out of her pit of despair from her husbands untimely death in World War I and find love again uplifts the heart. Glimpsing the vulnerability of Christine and seeing past her confident facade makes one wonder about the stars of today and the price of fame. The story itself is a bit rough around the edges, but generally this is an enjoyable book that readers of all ages and genres should enjoy. Another great addition to anyone's library. Really, this book rates 3.5 stars, not 3.

Rating:
Summary: A different premise, to say the least
Review: Hollywood, 1923. A small town on the verge of greatness, filled with silent film stars, directors, producers, and an ancient Chinese Rat God hell-bent on taking his bride!! His intended is Chrysanda Flamande, aka Christine Blackstone, one of the new up-and-coming stars of the silent film era. She lives the good life with her widowed sister-in-law Norah and her Pekingese dogs in the hills of Los Angeles. With her big-time producer boyfriend, she is the toast of the town, while her dowdier sister-in-law tries to keep her from getting into too much trouble and helps her to get to work on time. This idyllic existence is interrupted by the arrival of a myserious Chinese gentleman, who tries to warn her that the Rat God is coming for her, because of the old Chinese necklace she wore in her last film. She pays him little attention until people around her begin to die or disappear and strange things start happening around her home. Suddenly Christine, Norah, and their friends are thrust into a whirlwind of danger and magic that threatens their very souls. And the only thing standing between her and a "hellish" marriage is the old Chinese man, who happens to be a wizard. But can they muster the strength of body and mind to overcome such an ancient evil?

This is another good book by Hambley. Again she dazzles us with her precise, vivid writing and heartfelt characters. She makes you worry about what will happen to them. The reader will also learn a bit about what Hollywood was like 80 years ago, before all the glitz and glamour (although Hollywood 1923 at times sounds like Hollywood today). Seeing Norah finally climb out of her pit of despair from her husbands untimely death in World War I and find love again uplifts the heart. Glimpsing the vulnerability of Christine and seeing past her confident facade makes one wonder about the stars of today and the price of fame. The story itself is a bit rough around the edges, but generally this is an enjoyable book that readers of all ages and genres should enjoy. Another great addition to anyone's library. Really, this book rates 3.5 stars, not 3.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!!
Review: I wish there were more like this one! Barbara Hambly creates such vivid three-dimentional pictures of a by-gone era. This book evokes the images of great black and white adventure movies with heroines slinking through in elegant floor length gowns and no gentleman went out with out a hat. Even though the story is from her superb imagination, she has taken incredible pains with the accuracy of the setting. Living in the great megalopolis of Los Angeles/Orange County, we often forget that once there were tremendous open spaces, that we wouldn't be living here if not for the film industry. How skillfully Ms. Hambly gives us a history lesson about what is under our very feet and enthralls us with a great story at the same time. As always, I look forward to her next endeavor.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful!!
Review: I wish there were more like this one! Barbara Hambly creates such vivid three-dimentional pictures of a by-gone era. This book evokes the images of great black and white adventure movies with heroines slinking through in elegant floor length gowns and no gentleman went out with out a hat. Even though the story is from her superb imagination, she has taken incredible pains with the accuracy of the setting. Living in the great megalopolis of Los Angeles/Orange County, we often forget that once there were tremendous open spaces, that we wouldn't be living here if not for the film industry. How skillfully Ms. Hambly gives us a history lesson about what is under our very feet and enthralls us with a great story at the same time. As always, I look forward to her next endeavor.

Rating:
Summary: Very Clever: No -- Really, I Mean It
Review: If the name Barbara Hambly isn't enough to make you expect something well above what the title might imply, let me try to convince you. The title sounds like something out of a bad scifi movie, and it's got lots of the elements of just that genre of film: an ancient cursed necklace, a demon (the Rat God itself), explosions, cryptic omens, people who refuse to die even when their skulls are cracked open, and mysterious Chinese gentlemen.

But it's also got a wealth of finely-drawn characters: the `bad' actress who's having an affair with the studio owner, the widowed sister-in-law she rescued from companion status in England, the brave photographer, the above-mentioned Chinese gentleman, a trio of charming and essential Pekingese, and a bevy of side characters equally memorable.

And also finely-detailed is the setting: Los Angeles at the height of the silent film era, when everyone worked long hours, and used a lot of illegal drugs (including alcohol). A Los Angeles just beginning to grow, still full of woods, orchards, oil derricks, Hollywood, Chinatown, bootleggers, and dockside piers with carnivals. So while our intrepid heroes are waiting for the right time to confront the Rat God and contain it so they can live on in peace, you get to meet some new friends and see an intriguing view of Hollywood during prohibition.

I've read this book at least four times. Each time I've thought: do I really want to keep this in my library? And then set it aside to decide that question later. Well, this time I've decided -- it's being kept for the next time I want something light, clever and textured. It's out of print, but worth looking for.

Rating:
Summary: Very Clever: No -- Really, I Mean It
Review: If the name Barbara Hambly isn't enough to make you expect something well above what the title might imply, let me try to convince you. The title sounds like something out of a bad scifi movie, and it's got lots of the elements of just that genre of film: an ancient cursed necklace, a demon (the Rat God itself), explosions, cryptic omens, people who refuse to die even when their skulls are cracked open, and mysterious Chinese gentlemen.

But it's also got a wealth of finely-drawn characters: the 'bad' actress who's having an affair with the studio owner, the widowed sister-in-law she rescued from companion status in England, the brave photographer, the above-mentioned Chinese gentleman, a trio of charming and essential Pekingese, and a bevy of side characters equally memorable.

And also finely-detailed is the setting: Los Angeles at the height of the silent film era, when everyone worked long hours, and used a lot of illegal drugs (including alcohol). A Los Angeles just beginning to grow, still full of woods, orchards, oil derricks, Hollywood, Chinatown, bootleggers, and dockside piers with carnivals. So while our intrepid heroes are waiting for the right time to confront the Rat God and contain it so they can live on in peace, you get to meet some new friends and see an intriguing view of Hollywood during prohibition.

I've read this book at least four times. Each time I've thought: do I really want to keep this in my library? And then set it aside to decide that question later. Well, this time I've decided -- it's being kept for the next time I want something light, clever and textured. It's out of print, but worth looking for.

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly immaginative saga of good vs. evil
Review: Ms. Hambly portrays early Hollywood so well, you find yourself surprised to look up from the book and see the 1990's. Nora Blackstone is the person telling the story, a practical down-to-earth sort of woman, the widow of Jim, brother of silent film actress Chrysanda Flamande. Jim was killed in WWI, barely a few years after he and Nora were married, and much of the book is driven by Nora's recovery from mourning and her concern for her sister-in-law, who has been inadvertantly promised to (you guessed it) the Rat God. It is an action-packed book, with wonderfully presented and believable characters, and a joy to read. The only drawback is the cover of the book. If I hadn't already been aquainted with the author and how good she is from her vampire books (Those Who Hunt the Night, and Traveling with the Dead), that cover would've put me off for sure.

Rating:
Summary: This is a can't-put-it-down kind of book.
Review: Ms. Hambly portrays early Hollywood so well, you find yourself surprised to look up from the book and see the 1990's. Nora Blackstone is the person telling the story, a practical down-to-earth sort of woman, the widow of Jim, brother of silent film actress Chrysanda Flamande. Jim was killed in WWI, barely a few years after he and Nora were married, and much of the book is driven by Nora's recovery from mourning and her concern for her sister-in-law, who has been inadvertantly promised to (you guessed it) the Rat God. It is an action-packed book, with wonderfully presented and believable characters, and a joy to read. The only drawback is the cover of the book. If I hadn't already been aquainted with the author and how good she is from her vampire books (Those Who Hunt the Night, and Traveling with the Dead), that cover would've put me off for sure.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, intelligent book!
Review: The only thing wrong with Bride of the Rat God is cover illustration. It seems that the artist only read the squib on the back cover.

Christine Blackstone, aka Chrysanda Flamande, is one of the biggest stars of the silent film era. She lives with her widowed sister-in-law, Norah, and her Pekingese dogs, in the hills of Los Angeles. After wearing an ancient Chinese necklace in one of her movie costumes, she is cursed to be killed by the Rat God.

Sounds just like a pulp thriller, right? Fortunately this particular book was written by Barbara Hambly, so what you get instead is an intelligent, well researched, somewhat spoof of Hollywood in the 1920's. The characters are well rounded, the plot is interesting but not overly complicated, and the writing is superb. Now if there was only some way to get rid of that terrible cover....

Rating:
Summary: Incredibly immaginative saga of good vs. evil
Review: This book had the wonderful combination of keeping me turning the pages to find out what was happening next and laughing hysterically. While very unlike Barbara Hambly's other books, each one of which I have loved, this book shines out as a more lighthearted version of the same gripping plot, deep characters, cohesive world view, and some creeping horror that must be fought, if only they can figure out how in time. I bought extra copies of this book and sent them to three friends who were having a hard time right then with their life. All three reported that 'Bride of the Rat God' brought immediate relief from depression!