Barry Hughart
Books: Fantasy
Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was (1984), The Story of the Stone (1988), Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1990)
Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was (1984)
I have a weakness for fantasy novels set in Asia–especially those set in ancient China. So when I saw Bridge of Birds on the shelf I immediately snatched it up.
Set in the Middle Kingdom of China, Year of the Tiger 3337 (AD 639)
All the children in the village between the ages of eight and thirteen have fall victim to an unknown illness, and all the silkworms have died, so Number Ten Ox is sent to the city to find a wise man who can cure the children.
Number Ten Ox comes back with Master Li.
"My surname is Li and my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight flaw in my character."
This is one of those books where the story itself is secondary to the storytelling. The bits idly dropped here and there throughout the tale.
(T)he abbot of our monastery always said that fable has strong shoulders that carry far more truth than fact can.
"In my humble village," Master Li said sweetly, "we grow men so big that their upper lips lick the stars, while their lower lips nuzzle the earth."
The thug thought about it. "And where are their bodies?"
"They are like you," said Master Li. "All mouth."
"Error can point the way to truth, while empty-headedness can only lead to more empty-headedness or to a career in politics.
(S)he jumps into whatever clothes are lying around and leaps out the door— or window, it doesn't matter— to see what wonders the new day will bring, and since she views the world with the delighted eyes of a child, the day is bound to be marvelous."
I think that last bit is probably the best reminder–if you look for delight your day is more likely to be marvelous.
As one who loves folk tales, I found this story almost irresistible. It was filled with characters and scenarios that felt exactly like those found in folk tales and old stories. There is also humor ranging from the subtle to the outrageous (some of the subtle humor reminded me of parts of Steven Brust's Phoenix Guards while the outrageous humor was just… silly.)
The story ranges all over the land, and Yu Lu and Li Kao meet many fantastic and amazing characters, including the miser, the scholar, and the beautiful woman.
This book is written like a folk tale, and like many folk tales in their original form, are not necessarily suitable for young children. There is sex and death and trickery and heroism. It also wanders about the land, just like Yu Lu and Li Kao, sometimes stopping to take detours and point out strange landmarks and people.
But mostly, the story is a fun romp in the style of a folk tale, that on many levels rings true to many different kinds of folktales.
It looks as though this was originally a trilogy, and is now being re-released. I look forward to seeing the next two books in publication.
Publisher: Subterranean Press
- October 2007 | Rating: 9/10
- October 2011 | Rating: 9/10
- February 2018 | Rating: 8.5/10
The Story of the Stone (1988)
Master Li has taken Number Ten Ox on as his assistant.
The Abbot of the monastery of the Valley of Sorrows comes to Master Li asking for help resolving the unexpected death of his librarian, and the strange dead spots in the Valley. Along the way they meet the Grief of Dawn and Moon Boy, who may be able to help them solve the mystery.
First, there are plenty of passages that make me laugh, such as the vendors selling worms to the fishermen.
"Worms!" cried the vendors. "Take pity upon poor helpless worms, most unfairly condemned to death upon hooks!"
Second, there is the description of Hell.
I've been a fan of Liz Williams‘ Detective Inspector Chen series for quite awhile. This is the first time I've come across a similar Hell (though there are many differences between the two). And I love the following description.
The world is a cube measuring 233,575 paces across. The center of the cube is occupied by the Kingdom of Hell, and it is the judging place for all mortals, saint and sinner alike. That is why people on the wrong sides of the cube don't fall off: We are all drawn toward our ultimate destination so no matter where one stands, Hell is always "down" and Heaven is always "up," and that's all there is to it.
Now I have just the third and final book in the series to read. Alas.
Published by Subterranean Press
- November 2011 | Rating: 8/10
- July 2020 | Rating: 8.5/10
Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1990)
This is the third and final book in the Master Li and Number Ten Ox trilogy. I'm a little sad to see it end, but it was quite enjoyable.
Oddly, the passages that caught my attention in this book weren't the funny ones, but the ones that related to other recent discussions.
"Both the I-ching and the Huai-nan-tzu assert that natural disasters are not caused by heaven, but allowed by Heaven. If men wllfully disrupt the natural order of things,the gods will refuse to intervene while nature purges itself of the toxin, usually violently, and if the innocent suffer along with the guilty–well the only way men learn anything is to have it smashed into their heads with an ax."
Feels more like something from Martin Luther than from China.
And then there is this:
Old P'i-pao-ku, "Leatherbag Bone," was Mrs. Wu's grandmother, and she was waiting at the confectioner's to get hard sugar decorations of the five poisonous insects (centipede, scorpion, lizard, toad, snake) to spread over top of her wu tu po po cake, which she would purposely make as inedible as possible without being actually deadly. Every family member eats a slice on the fifth day of the fifth moon, and sickness demons stare at people capable of eating stuff like that and go elsewhere.
Well. That explains some things.
Was this as good as The Bridge of Birds? Maybe not. But it was still good, and quite fun, and I highly recommend the series.
Published by Subterranean Press
- November 2011 | Rating: 8/10
- October 2020 | Rating: 7/10