false 15177 7 <I>Bridge of Birds</I> is a lyrical fantasy novel. Set in "an Ancient China that never was", it stands with <I>The Princess Bride</I> and <I>The Last Unicorn</I> as a fairy tale for all ages, by turns incredibly funny and deeply touching. It won the World Fantasy Award in 1985, and Hughart produced two sequels: <I>The Story of the Stone</I>, and <I>Eight Skilled Gentlemen</I>. All present the adventures of Master Kao Li, a scholar with "a slight flaw in [his] character", and Lu Yu, usually called Number Ten Ox, his sidekick and the story's narrator. Number Ten Ox is strong, trusting, and pure of heart; Master Li once sold an emperor shares in a mustard mine, because "I was trying to win a bet concerning the intelligence of emperors."<p> Number Ten Ox comes from a village in which the children have been struck by a mysterious illness. He recruits Master Li to find the cure and comes along to provide muscle. They seek a mysterious Great Root of Power, which may be a form of ginseng. Of course, nothing turns out to be as simple as it seems; great wrongs must be avenged and lovers separated must be reunited, from the most humble to the highest. And even in the midst of cosmic glory, Pawnbroker Fang and Ma the Grub are picking the pockets of their own lynch mob, who are frozen in awe and wonder. <I>--Nona Vero</I> 958087 book 1984 Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was total:696|5:420|4:186|3:72|2:14|1:4| 696 3092 1089 144 5 4 false false Wed Sep 26 20:31:32 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 29 07:58:18 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 3 false true Sat Mar 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 10 19:05:43 -0700 2008 Sun Mar 15 13:22:04 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 6 false false Tue Mar 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 31 21:17:14 -0700 2008 Tue Mar 10 21:12:17 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 2 true false Tue May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 12 10:24:52 -0700 2007 Thu Jul 12 11:47:59 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 2 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Fri Jun 15 16:41:51 -0700 2007 Fri Jun 15 16:41:51 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 1 false false Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Wed Sep 05 07:39:13 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 14 10:33:23 -0700 2007
It's a saga, fable and multitude of fairy tales all rolled into one. Yu Lu (aka Number Ten Ox), the narrator & protagonist, goes in ...more...]]> 4 1 false false Sun Aug 12 23:07:34 -0700 2007 Sun Aug 12 23:07:34 -0700 2007 Bridge of Birds bills itself as "a story of an ancient China that never was." I have no idea to what extent the China herein depicted resembles any historical China; I would be more surprised to discover any strong correspondence than not. The story unfolds and keeps on unfolding. It's a f...more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 1999 Wed Aug 01 14:43:36 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 01 14:43:53 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 1 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Mon Dec 22 01:32:32 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 03 03:02:53 -0800 2009
The mai...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sun Feb 01 08:39:22 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 01 08:48:07 -0800 2009 3 1 false false Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jan 22 09:11:06 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 22 09:31:22 -0800 2009 3 1 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 23 10:37:05 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 23 10:37:45 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Jan 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Thu Jul 23 13:35:09 -0700 2009 Thu Jul 23 13:35:09 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999 Sun Apr 12 07:18:14 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 14 06:24:33 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Oct 13 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 09:37:58 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 15 10:23:02 -0700 2009
My wife came home from the library with a copy of The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, and said she thou...more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Jul 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 19 08:50:37 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 19:21:57 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jul 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 12 14:31:13 -0700 2009 Tue Jul 14 06:28:18 -0700 2009
Bridge of Birds has an controling quest, but it is told in three parts, each part f...more...]]> 3 1 false false Sat Feb 28 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Dec 19 08:34:23 -0800 2008 Sun Mar 08 17:27:02 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 1 false false Sun May 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 15 16:17:54 -0700 2008 Sun May 18 22:03:28 -0700 2008 Still, it was entertaining. Kind of like Indiana Jones Part ...more...]]> 5 1 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Wed Jun 20 09:31:30 -0700 2007 Wed Jun 20 11:50:15 -0700 2007 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=15177