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33rd out of 284 books
—
347 voters
The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox #1-3)
Omnibus edition including the three novels in the series.
Hardcover, Omnibus, 652 pages
Published
by The Stars Our Destination Books
(first published January 1st 1996)
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This book is a set of three novels, so it's hefty. But it's a delight to read, set in a magical China of long ago. The Chronicals are presented in first person by Number Ten Ox, a large and self-deprecating accolyte of Master Li, who has a slight flaw in his character (Master Li is an inverterate drunk, murderer, and thief). Together they right wrongs, fight evil, poison, stab, and deviously sprint their way through many adventures. As humble as Number Ten Ox presents himself, he still seems to...more
Sep 13, 2011
Katharine Kimbriel
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Adventurous fantasy lovers, lovers of sly humor in fantasy
If you've never read the adventures of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, chronicled in the fantasy novels Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen, you've missed one of my favorite series of books in all of fantasy. They take place in "a China that never was," and Barry Hughart was inspired to write them when he discovered that some gods and goddesses of ancient China actually were born in stories.
Subterranean Press has released a new compilation of the three books, The Ch...more
Subterranean Press has released a new compilation of the three books, The Ch...more
The adventures of Master Li Kao and Number Ten Ox described here are absolute jewels that make you thirsty for more. As the whole thing, the stories as well as the pure fun that can be derived from reading them, exceeds our capacity (severely restricted by present-day boring stuff presented in the garb of 'fantasy') for either, bitter disappointments arise in our mind on three counts:
1. Thanks to the inept publishers in 1980-s, this series has come to an unfortunate halt, with only 3 'chronicles...more
1. Thanks to the inept publishers in 1980-s, this series has come to an unfortunate halt, with only 3 'chronicles...more
I loved these books so much that I published this one.
All three novels concern the same two primary characters, but can be read completely independently. Bridge of Birds, the first of the three, is such a just generally appealing and interesting novel that I sold it "satisfaction guaranteed" at my bookshop. You don't care for it? Bring it back for a full refund. In 16 years and over 1,500 copies of the paperback sold, I had two people take me up on it. (And one of them said he did kinda like it,...more
All three novels concern the same two primary characters, but can be read completely independently. Bridge of Birds, the first of the three, is such a just generally appealing and interesting novel that I sold it "satisfaction guaranteed" at my bookshop. You don't care for it? Bring it back for a full refund. In 16 years and over 1,500 copies of the paperback sold, I had two people take me up on it. (And one of them said he did kinda like it,...more
3 1/2 stars! This book was a wonderful adventure into Chinese myths and legend. Number Ten Ox and Master Li are great characters, if a little 2-D. You can't help but be charmed by Ox's innocence, lumbering stupidity, and luck with the ladies or Master Li's gift for manipulation and casual homicidal tendencies. The book consists of three stories, all funny, mysterious, and interesting. It's not exactly ancient chinese culture, but it's certainly close enough and lively enough for good reading. My...more
Chronicles is a monster of a book. It's really a trilogy: three relatively short novels, originally published separately but collected in this edition. And it probably should be read as three individual works. All of these works weave together Chinese literature, philosphy, and folktales in fascinating tales--even going back to the "aboriginal" inhabitants of China, and their forgotten religions. (I know little about Chinese mythology, so this may be fictitious). If all you know about Chinese my...more
The only complaint I have about this volume of Barry Hughart books is that Hughart never wrote any more.
I bought The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox from the Science Fiction Book club, largely because of the name. If you're into Princess Bride-style humor and dungeon crawls, these are the books for you.
I bought The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox from the Science Fiction Book club, largely because of the name. If you're into Princess Bride-style humor and dungeon crawls, these are the books for you.
I have finished the first book "The Bridge of Birds" and will come back to the next two in the collection later after I finish some other books I have started already. The Bridge of Birds was a fun easy read that had some pure moments of humor and I like that it is placed in China which for me is not an area I have read much fiction being placed in. I also liked the authors writing style and the pacing. The most enjoyable part of the book was the characters of Li Kao and Number Ten Ox. The plot...more
This is some really good stuff here. Barry Hughart's version of China is amusing, adventurous, entertaining, occasionally sexy, and often romantic (in the old sense, not in the kissy kissy love love style). I think of the three books, I'm most satisfied with Bridge of Birds, partially because it's the first and thus everything was fresh and new, but also because it just seemed to hang together better. Barry Hughart says he's not writing any more of these books because he was afraid they would fa...more
A collection of the novels Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was, The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen
It starts off very strong. Bridge of Birds is I think the best of the three books. It was then followed up by the weakest of the three. There were points in Story of Stone where I figured the reason you can only get an ebook version of Bridge in this collection is because there would be no other way to get people to purchase Stone and Gentlemen otherwise. Gen...more
It starts off very strong. Bridge of Birds is I think the best of the three books. It was then followed up by the weakest of the three. There were points in Story of Stone where I figured the reason you can only get an ebook version of Bridge in this collection is because there would be no other way to get people to purchase Stone and Gentlemen otherwise. Gen...more
This is going to be a really short and probably uninformative review because I have a 2 year old and I don't have time (or inclination)to do a better job.
A tiny bit of overview - this book is actual a collection of three books all centered on the characters Master Li and Number Ten Ox. The stories are set in an alternate history China, although I wouldn't really call these books alternate history novels, they are very much rooted in fantasy. The first book, Bridge of Birds was recommended as par...more
A tiny bit of overview - this book is actual a collection of three books all centered on the characters Master Li and Number Ten Ox. The stories are set in an alternate history China, although I wouldn't really call these books alternate history novels, they are very much rooted in fantasy. The first book, Bridge of Birds was recommended as par...more
I thought the first was the best, but all three were charming and memorable. The Bridge of Birds is based on a Chinese myth about the stars that is still celebrated. The character of Master Li is masterful and Number Ten Ox makes an excellent Watson to Li's Holmes. The story is a mystery within another mystery that combines a treasure hunt with the unmasking of a terrible monster.And it is laugh-out-loud funny. Do be aware, however, that they are set in a storyteller's China, not reality. Bridge...more
While Bridge of Birds definitely seems to be the strongest of the three novels, all of them were worth reading. Bridge of Birds is the best work I have read in a very long time, so when I say the others aren't quite as good, they are still very good works. Of all of them, I liked The Story of the Stone the least, I think because it deals the most with fantastical elements. Bridge of Birds and Eight Skilled Gentlemen both have elements of fantasy woven into the story, but these elements aren't so...more
I have both the Stars Our Destination and Subterranean Press versions of this omnibus (the latter one signed) and I just now snapped it up in Kindle format.
This is a masterpiece of imagination. I have no idea how much of what Hughart writes about Chinese lore is true and how much pure invention, and the beauty of it is that unless you're an expert on China there's no real way to tell.
This is a lot of reading to be sure, but I was never tempted to stop turning pages.
It's a shame Hughart stopped w...more
This is a masterpiece of imagination. I have no idea how much of what Hughart writes about Chinese lore is true and how much pure invention, and the beauty of it is that unless you're an expert on China there's no real way to tell.
This is a lot of reading to be sure, but I was never tempted to stop turning pages.
It's a shame Hughart stopped w...more
It is hard to say what made me read this trilogy (in one volume) every night way beyond the time I was sleepy. The books are hardly classic thriller page turners. The main characters don't immediately strike you as deep or well-developed, on the opposite: they appear almost as cartoon characters, exaggerated to a ridiculous degree. And if you've been bored to death by the singing and poetry in Tolkien J.R.R.'s books, well, you stumble across a lot of poems, songs and random side-notes in these s...more
This was an interesting reading experience. I only read the first story and while think I liked it I don't really feel compelled to read the other ones. I appreciate what the author does and there were moments where I felt really engrossed but for the majority of the time I felt academically detached. It reminded me of Candide which is not a bad thing. I think if I do get a chance to read the other stories I will enjoy them more as I will be more familiar with the style and characters but I'm no...more
This review is for the Bridge of Birds story only!
I can to read this book through the Sword and Laser podcast as the fantasy pick for the month. It was hard to get into the story at first, as I was approaching it as a regular fantasy book. As the story progressed, I realized that it was not a straight up fantasy story, but a fairy tale.
Once I made that connection, my whole outlook changed for the story. The characters, every one larger than life, suddenly made more sense. The events were fantast...more
I can to read this book through the Sword and Laser podcast as the fantasy pick for the month. It was hard to get into the story at first, as I was approaching it as a regular fantasy book. As the story progressed, I realized that it was not a straight up fantasy story, but a fairy tale.
Once I made that connection, my whole outlook changed for the story. The characters, every one larger than life, suddenly made more sense. The events were fantast...more
This very large book is comprised of 3 novellas. I managed to read only the first, Bridge of Birds. I enjoyed the world it was set in, liked many of the characters, hated (as we were meant to) some other characters, watched while some despicable characters changed, and wondered how it would all tie together. Well it did, and quite nicely. I felt this was a fairly innocent book (despite the gruesome tortures and murders, and the sexual escapades)and if I had to describe it in just a few words wou...more
Master Li and Number Ten Ox wander ancient China having adventures. Terms such as "rollicking" may apply.
I can see why people like this series, but it never quite clicked for me. Part of it may have been Ox's voice, which is fittingly stolid but doesn't quite convey excitement. Another part may have been the sheer implausibility of the adventures, which -- I mean, points for creativity, but suspension of disbelief was really difficult.
I can see why people like this series, but it never quite clicked for me. Part of it may have been Ox's voice, which is fittingly stolid but doesn't quite convey excitement. Another part may have been the sheer implausibility of the adventures, which -- I mean, points for creativity, but suspension of disbelief was really difficult.
To be honest, I felt that this series got worse as it went along, which makes it somewhat hard to rate the compilation. Bridge of Birds was fantastic, easily a five-star book. The Story of the Stone didn't come together quite as well, IMHO, but it still had many elements I enjoyed. And I found Eight Skilled Gentlemen generally uninteresting, other than the character of Hosteler Tu.
This book makes it hard to give 5 stars to many other books. Rarely, when I ask "Did I enjoy this book as much as The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox?" is the answer "Yes."
Sadly, the author insists that, were he to write any more*, he would "just be repeating [himself]".
For my part, this is one of the books that made me reluctant to start a new book, because I really wanted this one to keep going. So I would very much enjoy reading the same books over again with minor variations in se...more
Sadly, the author insists that, were he to write any more*, he would "just be repeating [himself]".
For my part, this is one of the books that made me reluctant to start a new book, because I really wanted this one to keep going. So I would very much enjoy reading the same books over again with minor variations in se...more
Entertaining historical fantasies set in a magical-realist 7th century China. Four stars for the first book, Bridge of the Birds, which introduces the great character of Master Li, a centenarian scholar with "a flaw in his character." The other two books in this anthology don't quite live up to the promise of the first, but overall it's quite diverting.
Mar 12, 2013
Sara
is currently reading it
Bridge of Birds - Three stars
I didn't really like BoB. Something about the tone and the pacing felt off. The story seemed too light for the serious elements, and too serious for the light elements. That is, quite a lot of people were killed pretty casually, and I was bothered by the fact that the characters (author?) weren't bothered by it. And then they escaped from scrapes using various means that should have killed them ten times over with nary a scratch. It didn't really...fit. But I perseve...more
I didn't really like BoB. Something about the tone and the pacing felt off. The story seemed too light for the serious elements, and too serious for the light elements. That is, quite a lot of people were killed pretty casually, and I was bothered by the fact that the characters (author?) weren't bothered by it. And then they escaped from scrapes using various means that should have killed them ten times over with nary a scratch. It didn't really...fit. But I perseve...more
I found this book to be very cleverly written. It reminds me of the style of classic folk tales, but also a bit of a Chinese Sherlock Holmes story. The only thing I disliked is the slightly macabre edge that it acquires at time, but the clever plot twists and amazing imagination are enough to compensate.
In an excellent faux Chinese style- faux because it is not written by someone who is from China yet comes across as if it was. this book entertains through the first story, drags a bit in the second and comes back in the third.
excellent
excellent
The first in this trilogy is a tour de force, giving the remaining two a hard opening act. They all hang together quite well as stories, as well as sideways introductions to Tang Dynasty Chinese culture. Sometimes there's a bit too much historical editorializing, and sometimes the characters say things that seem a little not-quite-themselves. But for every time that happens, there are two elaborate schemes, plot twists, or satisfying bits of prose.
In short, this book commits sins, but they're a...more
In short, this book commits sins, but they're a...more
A well tailored tail throughly thick with aliteration. In general, I dislike first person narratives, as it ensures the hero will survive. However, this is a charming book and a light quick read.
I think I missed the connection I needed to make with these novels somewhere in the beginning. I really wanted to like them, but I just couldn't get through them. I don't know why; I didn't feel all that attached to the characters and therefore I wasn't interested in what was going on. Maybe I'll come back to them someday when I'm in a different mood.
I also thought that the book would work well as an audiobook. The way it was written lent itself well to being read aloud.
I also thought that the book would work well as an audiobook. The way it was written lent itself well to being read aloud.
4.0/4.0
The perfect rating here is for the first novel of the three in this collection: Bridge of Birds
This is a fantasy must-read, folks. Your life isn't complete without it.
The perfect rating here is for the first novel of the three in this collection: Bridge of Birds
This is a fantasy must-read, folks. Your life isn't complete without it.
Awesomely fun read. Highly recommended. Mixes Dumas' 3 Musketeers (in terms of tone and style), Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser (early ones only), and the Three Kingdoms to great effect.
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Oct 07, 2012 05:34pm