Book Series Review: Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart

Whenever someone asks me about my all-time favourite books, I invariable whinge about not being able to choose just one. But if I’m pressed further, Barry Hughart’s Bridge of Birds is amongst the first books I’ll mention.

The novel tells of the first adventure of Number Ten Ox (the villager who’s telling the story) as he’s trying to solve the mysterious sickness that afflicted the children of his village. He teams up with master Li Kao, a rather eccentric octoge...