I know that there is this issue where Worcestershire and Leicester are pronounced as "Wustersher" and "Lester", so I wonder how Brichester is pronounced.
Also, is there any special rule which could help in getting the pronunciation right or is it just a thing you have to learn by heart?
It is indeed pronounced with the first syllable of Bristol and the second syllable of Gloucester.
Just try as hard as you can to get it down to one syllable, while at the same time paying no attention to the fact that i and e certainly look like different vowels, and you'll be on the right path. You'll find it helpful to avoid actually opening your mouth.
I recently interviewed Ramsey and he pronounces it Bri-(as in Bristol) and chester, (as in the place Chester). I suppose it might be easier to think of it as said like this: brit-chester.
Since Brichester seems to be a portmanteau word, created by Ramsey Campbell, I assume that it should be pronounced with the first syllable of Bristol and the second syllable of Gloucester.
Brichester is a fictional place by horror writer Ramsey Campbell, so you can pronounce it however you want.
My first guesses are Brickstur, Bristur and Brichstur, but the ch in -chester names are usually pronounced (like Chichester, Manchester, Dorchester, Chester), unlike the hard k sound in -caster names (Lancaster, Doncaster, Tadcaster) and the s sound in -cester names (Leicester, Cirencester, Bicester).
Someone on RPGnet says it's pronounced:
Brychester - with the "i" pronounced "eye" like in "eyeballs turn to mush as you look at the thing from beyond reality"
So either that or Brichestur (a bit like Bridge-chestur).
Alternatively, you could find an interview with the author and see what he says. He's English, from Liverpool, and the place is set somewhere in Gloucestershire (which, incidentally, is pronounced something like Glosturshur).
