From the Bookshelf of The Alternative Worlds

Bridge of Birds
by
Start date
January 1, 2010
Finish date
January 31, 2010

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What Members Thought

Kara Babcock
Second review: November 2017

Gosh, has it really been 7 years—nearly 8?—since I read this? Feels like no time at all.

Anyway, after not enjoying Who Fears Death, I was struck with a sudden … craving (?) for this book. Just an urge to re-read it. I can’t explain why. I just knew it would help.

And it definitely did. I have little to add about the book itself in this second review—my first review stands. I’ll say that I picked up on a lot more of the … uh … sexual stuff this time around. 20-year-old
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Sandi
Aug 31, 2008 rated it liked it
Shelves: 2009, fantasy
I was really torn between 3 & 4 stars for "Bridge of Birds". I enjoyed the story and thought that the setting (ancient China) and characters were quite unique for fantasy. I loved that it was a done-in-one fantasy. I thought the prose was beautifully lyrical. It was funny in places. However, the story fell a little bit flat because it was told in the style of a myth or fable. The characters were more like caricatures than three-dimensional people. I didn't sense any great urgency to their obviou ...more
Nicky
Bridge of Birds makes a nice change from the standard Western fantasy. Barry Hughart is a Western writer, of course, but he's drawing on non-typical settings and sources -- although, of course, a lot of the stories and lore in this book is made up for the purposes of the story, there are also things I recognise from the little I've read of Monkey (Journey to the West). It's different enough to be refreshing. Some of the stories it includes are lovely -- particularly the one that turns out to be ...more
Rob
Jan 28, 2010 rated it it was amazing
First I need to explain that because my library held the latter two books in this series and not this one, I came to Bridge of Birds already familiar with Number Ten Ox and Master Li. I was also used to a less 'heavy' storyline, as the latter two books have less cosmic plotlines.

BoB is an epic set in Hughart's 'China that never was' and a powerful one. If, like me, you read the other two books first, then you owe it to yourself to read this, too. Expect a little less whimsy and detective work an
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Lori
Jun 04, 2008 rated it liked it
A fantastic and fantastical adventure. Light but deep hearted, funny, this was a great read.
Terence
May 19, 2008 rated it really liked it
Lee
Aug 15, 2008 marked it as to-read
Shelves: china, fantasy, soon-soon
Carolyn
Dec 30, 2008 marked it as browse-to-read-someday
Brad
Apr 12, 2009 marked it as to-read
Jaimie
Jan 19, 2010 marked it as own-to-read
Eric
Mar 29, 2010 marked it as to-read
Julie S.
Aug 27, 2010 marked it as to-read
Thermopyle
Oct 20, 2010 marked it as to-read
Suz
Apr 01, 2011 marked it as tbr
Terry
Sep 28, 2011 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fantasy
Meran
Jul 18, 2012 rated it it was amazing
Kevin Xu
Aug 03, 2020 rated it really liked it
Andy
Sep 29, 2012 marked it as to-read
Gianni
Jan 16, 2013 marked it as to-read
Dharmakirti
Jan 30, 2013 rated it really liked it
Khoragos
Apr 17, 2013 rated it it was amazing
Mikael Lindberg
May 29, 2013 marked it as to-read
Camille
Sep 02, 2013 rated it really liked it
Shelves: sci-fi-fantasy
Figgy
Jan 18, 2014 marked it as to-read
Joan
Jan 21, 2014 rated it it was amazing
Maria
Jul 28, 2014 marked it as to-read
Joelle
Aug 08, 2014 marked it as to-read
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