Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Magistrates of Hell (James Asher #4)

by Barbara Hambly (Goodreads Author)

3.59 of 5 stars 3.59 · rating details · 87 ratings · 18 reviews

James Asher finds himself once more in alliance with vampire Don Simon Ysidro, as their investigations takes them to far-off Peking . . . October, 1912. James Asher, his wife Lydia, and the old occultist and vampire-hunter Dr Solomon Karlebach have journeyed to the new-born Republic of China to investigate the rumour that the mindless Undead – the Others that even the vamp...more

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published July 1st 2012 by Severn House Publishers

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 240)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 19, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, horror, vampire, mystery

Review from Badelynge.
You wait 15 years for a new vampire laced James Asher book and then two come along almost at once with Magistrates of Hell following on neatly from last year's Blood Maidens. Retired spy James Asher sails to China in 1912 to investigate the discovery of a body very like the mutated vampires he encountered in St Petersberg. Accompanied by his wife and Dr Solomon Karlebach, Asher bases his investigation within the cosmopolitan confines of the Legation Quarter in Peking under...more

5 likes · like · see review

Jan 27, 2013 Shawn Spjut rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I stumbled upon Hambly much the same way I do a lot of my reading material; just plain dumb luck. Seriously! I haunt the library shelves until something catches my eye; if the jacket looks interesting (and everyone has their clothes still intact) I'll toss the book on a pile of other volumes which have caught my attention, lug them home, read and judge.

Why wait until I'm home before reading and making a decision whether it's a keeper you might ask? Because reading a book is a lot like trying on...more I stumbled upon Hambly much the same way I do a lot of my reading material; just plain dumb luck. Seriously! I haunt the library shelves until something catches my eye; if the jacket looks interesting (and everyone has their clothes still intact) I'll toss the book on a pile of other volumes which have caught my attention, lug them home, read and judge.

Why wait until I'm home before reading and making a decision whether it's a keeper you might ask? Because reading a book is a lot like trying on clothes: who in their right mind wants to try on clothes in a noisy, poorly lit, poorly concealed, dressing room, where the lighting and ambiance is so bad, no one ever looks good. That's how I feel about a book (especially by an author I've never read): to get the best feel for the authors work, I need to take the thing home, close out the world, and allow the writer and their characters to convince me that what they've written is worth investing the next two or three evenings of my life with.

The Magistrates of Hell was well worth the time I gave to it.

This is book number four in the James Asher-Vampire series (again, the predilection towards bad boys….I swear it’s a DNA thing), and since I share the authors fondness for European history, I'm thoroughly enjoying the read.

In this particular novel, Hambly uses the upheaval of early twentieth century China as a vehicle for exploring the notion that ancestral worship may have more serious implications than one might think: go to temple, worship granddad's statue or shrine...oh yea...his eye teeth tend to elongate after dark...he's a god and likes his meals @98.6 ̊...fresh off the vein.

And don't forget the slightly - chilled - 400 - year - old - family - friend - savior; he's a little long in the tooth as well.

Occasionally Hambly's writing bogs down as she pauses to fill in Asher's back story (information she uses to give credence to current situational responses), leaving the reader with a sense that maybe she ought to have begun the series one or two books prior to Those That Hunt the Night (first in the series). But since she doesn't belabor the point, the pause is brief and easily negotiated.

On the whole, this kind of fiction may not challenge the limbic system but it is well written, well-developed, and helps keep me from wasting forty-two hours a week channel surfing between 65 popular television stations.

Like mixing together a nice batch of cookies, Hambly does a wonderful job of measuring out just the right amount of suspense, vamperic mystery, history, evil, and just a smidgen of romance to make reading her novels a very pleasant way to spend the evening (or if you live in the PNW, rainy day).

On a scale of one to five I'm giving 'The Magistrates of Hell' four stars.(less)

like · see review

Apr 17, 2013 Jenny rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, fantasy, historical, mystery-crime

I have been reading Barbara Hambly's novels since they were first published and like other reviewers I was excited to see she had finally returned to James Asher and Don Simon Isidro. Her first novel in this series 'Those Who Hunt the Night' is one of the best vampire books I have read. It's sequel 'Travelling with the Dead' was not quite as good but still very enjoyable. Sadly, I was disappointed with 'Blood Maidens' and this made me hesitate in purchasing Magistrates of Hell when it was first...more

like · see review

Nov 08, 2012 S.collier rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: horror

I was torn between giving this 3 stars or 4. Basically, I like the main characters Ysidro the vampire, James Asher the retired spy, and his wife, Lydia. I like Barbara Hambly's style of writing, although in this book it seemed rushed and perhaps not her best. The whole precept of the book was, essentially, to force the 3 characters together. I'm fine with that, but the story got too convoluted to follow for a while. The murder mystery/political power struggle bit was unnecessary and, at the end,...more

like · see review

Oct 05, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller-goodies, sf-f-goodies

Yay!! a new James Asher/Don Simon Ysidro vampire mystery-adventure. The year is 1912 and James, accompanied by his old friend Rebbe Karlebach are in Peking to investigate very strange creatures. The Others are not vampires, but are formerly human and capable of infecting (and transforming) humans through blood exchange. They are mob creatures who lose their human intelligence and they have infested an abandoned coal mine outside Peking. The Others and the Magistrates of Hell(rumored to be the va...more

like · see review

Jul 25, 2012 Jacqie rated it 4 of 5 stars

I'm always happy to read anything by Barbara Hambly. I really like Ysidro, her 500 year old Spanish vampire. He didn't actually have too much to do in this book, though, except for giving some hints and helping rescue a damsel in distress at the very end. I would have liked to see more of him.

The book is mostly from the view of Asher, a bookish-looking former spy who has gone to Peking with an old vampire hunter/teacher because of disconcerting evidence that "Others" may be in China. I'm still n...more I'm always happy to read anything by Barbara Hambly. I really like Ysidro, her 500 year old Spanish vampire. He didn't actually have too much to do in this book, though, except for giving some hints and helping rescue a damsel in distress at the very end. I would have liked to see more of him.

The book is mostly from the view of Asher, a bookish-looking former spy who has gone to Peking with an old vampire hunter/teacher because of disconcerting evidence that "Others" may be in China. I'm still not quite clear on what Others are supposed to be. Are they a twist on zombies? Some unnamed undead? They have a hive mind and are hard to kill, but are faster than shambling zombies.

Lydia, Asher's wife, is also in this book. She is entangled with Ysidro, although she isn't sure exactly how much. I like how Hambly will occasionally draw back the curtain on vampire glamour and show a bit of Ysidro's true, spidery self. These vampires are no longer human in their needs or their thoughts, and yet their predatory ways still manage to be seductive. You're never quite sure if or how much Ysidro is playing our protagonists. I do wish Lydia would wear her glasses, since she's functionally blind without them. We miss out on some lovely description because of this, and it seems very strange for a woman who's otherwise so practical and unconventional to worry so about her appearance, especially only for strangers- she'll wear glasses in front of her husband and Ysidro only.

Peking did not seem inviting in this book- wintry, windy, dusty and smelly. The book was partially a murder mystery and partly a paranormal investigation, and while these threads ultimately did come together, the book felt fragmented because of the different directions of the book. The murder investigation never felt really urgent, but it took time to deal with. Since the book is quite short for most fantasies these days- less than 250 pages- it felt like the plot threads were both shortchanged a bit. (less)

1 like · like · see review

Aug 13, 2012 Julie H. rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampire-fiction

Magistrates of Hell is a decent period story that tells the tale of a former British spy's trip to China in 1912 to investigate reports of undead beings, referred to as the Others, who are feared even by vampires. Accompanied by his former mentor Professor K, the sixteenth-century Spanish vampire Don Simon Xavier Christian Marodo de la Cadena-Ysidro (a.k.a. Ysidro), and his clever wife Lydia and infant daughter, James Asher's investigation is compounded by fear of recognition by individuals he d...more Magistrates of Hell is a decent period story that tells the tale of a former British spy's trip to China in 1912 to investigate reports of undead beings, referred to as the Others, who are feared even by vampires. Accompanied by his former mentor Professor K, the sixteenth-century Spanish vampire Don Simon Xavier Christian Marodo de la Cadena-Ysidro (a.k.a. Ysidro), and his clever wife Lydia and infant daughter, James Asher's investigation is compounded by fear of recognition by individuals he dealt with disguised as someone else on a previous mission who--in concert with the Others--would like to see him perish. As is doubtless period-appropriate, the story is liberally sprinkled with decidedly ethnocentric comments regarding the citizens of their host nation. This takes a bit of getting used to, and serves as a healthy bit of characterization as the folks spouting the most hateful invective are often not the most upstanding individuals as the story unfolds.

Layers of political intrigue serve as backdrop during a period of tremendous sociopolitical change as China emerges as a newborn republic. Bits of architectural history are provided by an amusingly pushy Russian baronness. Taken in concert with assorted early twentieth-century sensibilities, Hambly's explanation of her choice of the Wade-Giles method of transcription from Chinese into English as the historically appropriate form her characters' speech would have assumed is an informative addition. The stakes are increased as Asher is caught up in trying to investigate the murder of a young British woman by her ne'er do well finance who is a British diplomat's drunkard son. All is not well within the assorted foreign delegations, and given the social and poltical upheaval, Asher falls afoul of a local organized crime family who may/may not also be involved in the initial matter that drew him to China (i.e., the Others). Thus, the stakes are particularly high.

This period story, quite promising in my estimation, is held back a bit by a few things. First, it is only in the last six pages that much of the story's details fall into place. While quite clever, they do appear a bit rushed. Second, to reduce Prof. Karlebach to little more than an obsessed Van Helsing was disappointing--particularly given his role as something of a surrogate father figure in Asher's own life. Moreover, James' seeming relief to be free of Ysidro's pull is inexplicably short-lived in the face of the peace he quickly finds in a dream-sequence revelation about the vampire's fate. Third, why were neither James nor Lydia--both of whom were duped, drugged, and/or framed by select members of the Peking diplomatic Legation--ever worried about the safety of their infant daughter Miranda? (Admittedly, she'll have plenty of opportunity to be ransomed in future installments in the series, but her parents' seeming complacency regarding her safety was something of a puzzle.) And finally, the cover art--admittedly, something for which an author cannot be held accountable. While quite intriguing--think BtVS' Spike in Victorian garb with blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth--it had absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with the events or characters contained in the book. (less)

like · see review

Apr 20, 2012 Erin (PT) rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Nilchance, Casey

Shelves: assassins-spies, historical, fantasy, mind-powers, series, vamps, poc, poly

I can't pretend to be at all rational about Barbara Hambly. When I read her books, it's not just about the pleasure of reading a really well-put-together story, it's the way that reading one of her books puts a hot iron to my own creative impulses. She writes not only worlds that I gladly get completely lost inside, but worlds that make me want to create ones of my own.

Though I should have known/remembered, it was a surprise to realize/remember that, though Hambly's vampire novels have been pub...more I can't pretend to be at all rational about Barbara Hambly. When I read her books, it's not just about the pleasure of reading a really well-put-together story, it's the way that reading one of her books puts a hot iron to my own creative impulses. She writes not only worlds that I gladly get completely lost inside, but worlds that make me want to create ones of my own.

Though I should have known/remembered, it was a surprise to realize/remember that, though Hambly's vampire novels have been published many, many years apart, internally, it's been less than a handful of years. Which is an observation that's really here nor there except that I really need to go back and reread the whole series from the start.

One thing I like best about Hambly's vampires is that, although they can be beautiful, seductive, and—as in the case of Ysidro—hero/protagonists, she never stints on the idea that they are, first and foremost, predators and that every beautiful, seductive thing that they do is for self-serving reasons, be it protection or food. And though the relationship—triangle—between Asher, Lydia and Ysidro is central to the entire series, it definitely comes at a gradually steeper price, both in responsibility (with great knowledge, blah blah…) and in danger.

This latest book takes place in Beijing (Peking) in the days of the early Republic of China. I've read Hambly's Benjamin January series and liked it greatly, both on its own merits and for a thoughtful representation of a non-Caucasian culture by a Caucasian author. Magistrates of Hell, unfortunately, is somewhat more problematic than the January series, if only because, unlike the January series, Magistrates is written from the point of view of the colonialists. And though James and Lydia are both greatly open-minded and non-partisan for any time period, let alone this one, they're still—by necessity—people of a certain place and time, looking at Chinese culture through foreign eyes and judging it accordingly. As well, the nature of the story and the motivations behind it mean that very little of ordinary Chinese society of the time is seen. Only that part of it that particularly panders to the colonials, either through politics or through the seedy commerce of drugs, prostitution, etc. I think that Hambly does go through great pains to present China, and the Chinese, sympathetically and with relatively non-judgmental equivalency…but I also don't think she always succeeds.

In particular, early in the book, Hambly sets up a comparison between the more obvious bigots of the diplomatic corps declaring that Chinese culture/thinking/being is unfathomable because "they're not like other people", versus a vampire hunter declaring similarly about vampires because they're not human. This, on the one hand, shows up the fulcrum of bigotry, creating Otherness where none necessarily exists. But on the other hand, it's basically equating being Chinese with being a bloodsucking monster. Ouch.

Though my uneasiness about this representation of (a particular part) of Chinese culture persisted throughout the book, it wasn't so great a deal-breaker that I didn't love the hell out of the book anyway.

Since Traveling With The Dead, Lydia's feelings for/about Ysidro (and vice versa) have been very apparent, but in Magistrates, I found myself a lot more conscious of Asher's part in the triangle and how, though much less overt, in that restrained English manner, his feelings for Ysidro are no less powerful than Lydia's and how, given that Asher is fully aware of Lydia's feelings about Ysidro and vice versa, he shares Lydia with Ysidro fairly equably, other than the natural concern that he and Lydia are entangled in something of a long con by a predator. That is, there is something very polyamorous about the relationship that, while not expressed in sexual terms, is no less strong for the lack. And no less fascinating, either.

And while the trappings with which Hambly brings together these three adventurers is, in and of itself, a romp worth having, it's the ongoing unanswered question of how this relationship will/does/can resolve that keeps bringing me back when other vampire stories have long been leaving me…cold. (less)

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 20, 2012 Jan rated it 1 of 5 stars

I looked forward to the latest in Hambly's Vampire series for a long time. Sadly I was really left disappointed. The first two books in the series were really cool but the third was just a half hearted attempt to get something out for the fans. This final book is a pretty cynical effort. The characters have been recycled as has the plot. The only difference is she has transported them to China and changed the names. This latest offering and first book" Those Who Hunt the Night"are carbon copies...more

like · see review

Jan 31, 2013 Julia Hendon rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantasy-sf-romance

Another enjoyable entry in the series but the basic conflict seemed very similar to the three earlier ones. The new setting, early 19th century Beijing was a nice change but yet again former agent James Ashur has to keep the power hungry governments of Europe and now Asia from trying to create a human weapon based on the blood borne disease that creates vampirism. Nevertheless, the main characters are appealing and worth spending time with.

like · see review

Dec 29, 2012 Jennie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, urban-fantasy, sci-fi-fantasy, set-in-the-19th-century-fiction

I was a little disappointed in this one: they're in China for a thin reason; there's almost no Ysidro, and Hambly has introduced zombie vampire things. I hoped for more of a murder mystery (since that's the way it started), but got a lot of confusing Chinese clans and Lydia running around digging up gossip. And Asher and Ysidro in jeopardy. Again. And Lydia having to be saved. Again. Meh.

like · see review

Nov 12, 2012 Lisa Keipp rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: stopped-reading

Normally, I like Barbara Hambly's work, so I picked it up on author's credentials alone. While the history is sound, this book is just too contrived for me - stiff characters, unhappy prose - just had to put it down. Sorry, Ms. Hambly, but I'm going to have to skip this one.

like · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Lynn Calvin rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-read

I like these because I love the married couple main characters. This is early 20th century (1912) and this one is set mostly in China. I also like that this isn't a romance where the romantic interest is with the vampire. Start with the first book though.

1 like · like · see review

Apr 26, 2013 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, vampires, fantasy-urban, early-20th-century

Asher, Lydia and the vampire Don Simon Ysidro visit Beijing just before WWI, tracking down rumors of monsters (something more monstrous than the vampires) in the countryside. The reader is rather plopped down into the political situation without much explanation, but honestly to describe the intricacies would have made this book something other than the supernatural thriller it was.

This is perhaps the weakest book of the series, but it’s richly written, and I very much like these characters. The...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 13, 2013 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hambly knows how to make vampires seductive.

Best if you've read the earlier 3 books.

like · see review

Jun 01, 2013 Catie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: vampires, historical, 20th-c, fantasy

The only vampire series worth reading. Correct me if I'm wrong...

like · see review

Oct 03, 2012 Jackie Throngard rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The best of the series.

1 like · like · see review

Nov 24, 2012 Claire rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, fantasy

Lots of sparkling scenes but they haven't quite coalesced into a whole for me on first read. Maybe not enough Lydia in this book? I shall re-read later and reassess.

like · see review

Jun 12, 2013 Ekaterina Filimonova marked it as to-read

Jun 12, 2013 Galen marked it as to-read

Shelves: ebooks

Jun 10, 2013 Byrd Tetzlaff marked it as to-read

Jun 05, 2013 Lynne Keepers marked it as to-read

Jun 05, 2013 Jd marked it as to-read

Jun 03, 2013 Danielle marked it as to-read

Jun 03, 2013 Sylvia Kelso rated it 4 of 5 stars

Jun 02, 2013 Katie Nelson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Jun 01, 2013 Forestofglory marked it as to-read

May 31, 2013 Melissa Crady marked it as to-read

May 21, 2013 Scatterbug marked it as to-read

May 16, 2013 Lorrie Gunde marked it as to-read

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (2)

Genres

Fantasy

9 users

Paranormal > Vampires

8 users

Horror

5 users

Mystery

5 users

Historical Fiction

3 users

Fantasy > Urban Fantasy

2 users

See top shelves...

About Barbara Hambly

aka Barbara Hamilton

Ranging from fantasy to historical fiction, Barbara Hambly has a masterful way of spinning a story. Her twisty plots involve memorable characters, lavish descriptions, scads of novel words, and interesting devices. Her work spans the Star Wars universe, antebellum New Orleans, and various fantasy worlds, sometimes linked with our own.

"I always wanted to be a writer but everyone...more

More about Barbara Hambly...

Books by Barbara Hambly

Those Who Hunt the Night (James Asher, #1)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Magistrates of Hell

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Magistrates of Hell
avg rating	preview: Magistrates of Hell Goodreads rating: 3.59 (87 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13227027-magistrates-of-hell?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344690428l/13227027.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13227027-magistrates-of-hell?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Magistrates of Hell by Barbara Hambly[/url]

Magistrates of Hell (James Asher #4)

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (2)

Genres

About Barbara Hambly

Books by Barbara Hambly

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Magistrates of Hell

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (2)