There is a lot going on in this book, much of it below the surface. Simple, clean, clear – that is how the plot of Bridge of Birds portrays itself. They identify a potential cure to the plague, a rare root of power, and go on a multi-stage quest to find it. There, he locates the venerable Master Li who agrees to assist him. In order to heal this malady, Ox goes to a nearby city to find a wise man. However, under the seemingly shallow exterior of this tale lies a deep and complex story that is just waiting to be discovered.Īs mentioned, the plot of Bridge of Birds is ostensibly a simple one: the young Number Ten Ox lives in a small village that falls victim to a plague. The book is told in style reminiscent of a traditional fable and jumps between many small stories with clear morals that seem loosely connected. On the surface, it is a simple and elegant alternative history story set inChina, describing the journey of Master Li and Number Ten Ox in dealing with a mysterious disease. Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart, is an underappreciated fantasy gem from the 80’s that I feel more people should know about. In the last of these, Li Kao and Number Ten Ox would die facing the Great White Serpent (a conflict alluded to in Bridge of Birds)." (from Wikipedia).The pun in my title would work a lot better if this book had been bad, but alas, it was amazing. No further books followed, although Hughart had planned a series of seven novels. It was followed in 1988 by The Story of the Stone and in 1990 by Eight Skilled Gentlemen. The first book Bridge of Birds was published in 1984, the title derived from "The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl" myth.
The series blends Chinese mythology authentic and imagined, from several eras with detective fiction and a gentle, ironic humour. "The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox is a series of three books about Li Kao, an ancient sage and scholar with "a slight flaw in his character", and his client, later assistant, the immensely strong peasant Number Ten Ox, who narrates the story. The book and its contents are in clean, bright condition. This book is in Near Fine condition and has a Near Fine dust jacket.
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