Bridge of Birds (1984)

"It's yours for a song," said Master Li. "In this case a song means a large purse of fake gold coins, two elegant suits of clothes, the temporary use of a palatial palanquin and suitably attired bearers, a cart of garbage, and a goat."
One-Eyed Wong did some mental addition.
"No goat."

And to think I had never even heard of this book until a couple of weeks ago! Such a wonderful book as this is a true joy to find. Bridge of Birds is simultaneously wry, wise, earthy, hilarious, subversive, and full of human warmth; it would have been on my favorites list for ages had I known to read it years ago. Fantasy, fable, folk tale, ripping yarn, or what have you: it's all these and a bit more. If anything, I was struck by the acts and thoughts of kindness throughout. It is, in a way, about working to find joy, after all.

Read it if you can. ( )

So I read this a long time ago, and I mostly didn't remember it. I finally found a copy, and on a re-read, I found an amazing book set in a fictional China. When all the children in Number Ten Ox's Village end up in a deep sleep, the village elders task him with finding a master scholar who can help, Unfortunately (or fortunately), Ten Ox finds Li Kao, a Master with a slight flaw. What the flaw is.... I'll leave it up to you to figure out.

Where the story really shines is the way mythology and common sense/trickery are merged together, into something that's half con-job story, half fairy tale.The fairy tale is weaved in gracefully, and I'm not entirely sure its a common tale in China, or if the author took it from a European story.

The story is incredibly well written, and is always solidly grounded. When magic does happen its surprising, but adds to the mystique of this world. ( )

I enjoyed the book and I think any fans of Terry Pratchett will also enjoy it. The two main character's are funny and interesting, Number Ten Ox the narrator of the story and Li Kao a drunken wiseman and ancient scholar with a "slight flaw in his character" try to save the children of Ten Ox's village from a strange plague that has befallen them. They must travel all over China in search of a cure and defeat all manner of puzzles and monsters. ( )

(see copy 2) ( )

(see copy 2) ( )