Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly is a fabulous fantasy. It evokes early Hollywood with a sureness of touch that pulls you in and the characters live and breathe and make you care. The “Moon of Rats”, an ancient Chinese necklace, begins all the problems–like a demon intent on claiming human sacrifice–but the novel is more than a fantastical adventure. Early Hollywood emerged after the First World War, and the heroine, Norah, is still dealing with its tragedy.

The story simply charms me, and I highly recommend it. And if you’re a writer or creative artist you’ll understand the following observation taken from the novel:

“Filming motion pictures, she had learned in her first week as Christine’s dog minder and lady-in-waiting, was rather like writing a book: it took a great deal of time to produce something that was all over in an hour and a half.”

But the hour and a half gloriously proves the worth of Hambly’s effort.