Speaking of humor, the book is hilarious. It is a cleverly crafted, and intensely planned, novel that will lure you in with its great humor and fun antics, and pull the rug out from under you. There are three or four stories beautifully intertwined in the book, and the deeper you go, the more you will realize that the book has a lot more going on than simple morals.
There is a lot going on in this book, much of it below the surface. Simple, clean, clear – that is how the plot of Bridge of Birds portrays itself. They identify a potential cure to the plague, a rare root of power, and go on a multi-stage quest to find it. There, he locates the venerable Master Li who agrees to assist him. In order to heal this malady, Ox goes to a nearby city to find a wise man. However, under the seemingly shallow exterior of this tale lies a deep and complex story that is just waiting to be discovered.Īs mentioned, the plot of Bridge of Birds is ostensibly a simple one: the young Number Ten Ox lives in a small village that falls victim to a plague. The book is told in style reminiscent of a traditional fable and jumps between many small stories with clear morals that seem loosely connected.
On the surface, it is a simple and elegant alternative history story set inChina, describing the journey of Master Li and Number Ten Ox in dealing with a mysterious disease. Bridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart, is an underappreciated fantasy gem from the 80’s that I feel more people should know about. The pun in my title would work a lot better if this book had been bad, but alas, it was amazing. The author claims that this is a novel of an ancient China that never was. Once read, its marvels and beauty will not easily fade from the mind. Simply and charmingly told, this is a wry tale, a sly tale, and a story of wisdom delightfully askew. And it involved them in an ancient crime that still perturbed the serenity of Heaven. The quest led them to a host of truly memorable characters, multiple wonders, incredible adventures-and strange coincidences which were really not coincidences at all. Together they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure.
He found master Li Kao, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character.
When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox sought a wiseman to save them. I recommend it unconditionally and I predict Barry Hughart has quite a future as a fantasy writer."-Anne McCaffrey Description "Li Kao may have a slight flaw in his character but the book has none.
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