Bride of the Rat God (Mass Market Paperback)

by Barbara Hambly (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Chrysanda Flamande was the sultriest vamp of the silver screen in Hollywood, California, in the year 1923. Then an elderly Chinese gentleman warned her that a trinket she'd worn in her last movie had marked her to be the bride of an ancient devil-god of Manchuria. Now the Rat God is stalking closer, and Chrysanda is discovering that there's no mousetrap big enough to keep her from being dragged unwilling to the altar!


From the Publisher
Even though I don't usually read fantasy, I read this book because of the interesting setting--Hollywood in the 1920s. A strange setting for magic, so I had to find out how Hambly could make it work. And she does. This is an enjoyable romp--and if you're an SF editor who reads Fantasy for fun on the subway, this book is just the ticket.

                                --Ellen Key Harris, Editor, Del Rey Books

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Del Rey (October 31, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345381017
• ISBN-13: 978-0345381019
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #465,870 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly immaginative saga of good vs. evil, September 4, 1998

By A Customer

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!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of her best books!, March 14, 1998

By A Customer

This is a great book! Set in 1923 in a nascent Hollywood, Hambly has presented the hectic life of early movie people, and mixed it all up with an ancient evil Manchurian Rat God, and Chinatown in Los Angelas. Her totally charming heroine, "Chrysande Flamande", with 3 little pekinese dogs, which are also Fu dogs, born to fight demons is at the center of this great story. But there is also the dignified, sholarly brown haired Norah, and her new love, Alec, the short and stocky cinematography. The only problem with the book is the truly awful cover, which completely misses the feeling of the book: nostalgia; kindliness; and ugly scuttling evil out there in the dark....

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A different premise, to say the least, June 30, 2003

By	Steven Sammons (Auburn University, AL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.