Feb 17, jenny reading envy rated it really liked it shelves. In pekings street of eyes, he hires the assistance of the ancient and unscrupulous sage li kao. I recommend it unconditionally and i predict barry hughart has quite a future as a fantasy. The other novels in the chronicles of master li and number ten ox include the story of the stone and eight skilled gentlemen. Bridge of birds with its chinese setting was cited again and again, and within two chapters i was thanking everyone who recommended it. Still, i am attempting to compile a list of all editions of his books, including uncorrected proofs. It is the first of three novels in the chronicles of master li and number ten ox series. The other novels in thechronicles of master li and number ten ox include the story of the stone and eight skilled gentlemen. A novel of an ancient china that never was the chronicles of master li and number ten ox by hughart, barry and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Despite the book winning the 1985 world fantasy award for best novel and the 1986. No spoilers just finished bridge of birds by barry hughart and i stopped by to say what a terrific novel it was.
There are two more books in this series, the story of stone and eight skilled gentlemen. Part of the truth revealed the eye seemed to be saying. He intended to write seven novels about the adventures of li kao and. Possibly the shortest bibliography on the web, as he has written only three books, and no short stories.
It is part of a short series of books relating the adventures of master li and number ten ox and are collected in a single volume on the kindle store. Bridge of birds by barry hughart reading recommendations. Though all of his books are marvelous, the bridge of birds is hugharts masterpiece. Bridge of birds doesnt have quite the density of fauxchinese aphorisms as kai lung, but hughart occasionally inserts an excellent one. See all books authored by barry hughart, including bridge of birds, and the story of the stone, and more on thriftbooks. Children in village struck down with strange plague, needs cure, call in the wise man to aide the strong, stupid, yet good intentioned guy. Bridge of birds by barry hughart this is, as the subtitle rightly states, a novel of an ancient china that never was. Barry hughart is a western writer, of course, but hes drawing on nontypical 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 ive read of monkey journey to the west. He intended to write seven novels about the adventures of li kao and number ten ox, but his writing career was cut short due to issues with his publishers.
The final two books in the master li trilogy are the story of the stone, and eight skilled gentlemen. Hughart has a true gift for storytelling, and it is a shame that only three master li mysteries have been published. Something like ten years, really, to when i was first playing around on this really cool bookstore site called amazon. Bridge of birds fantasy by the author barry hughart and 20. Barry hughart, bridge of birds the supernatural can be very. Jun 21, 2017 but readers are in for a treat, because bridge of birds has a frame made of pearls and precious jade. All present the adventures of master kao li, a scholar with a slight flaw in his character, and lu yu, usually called number ten ox, his sidekick. Barry hughart books list of books by author barry hughart. But readers are in for a treat, because bridge of birds has a frame made of pearls and precious jade.
Apr 01, 1984 bridge of birds makes a nice change from the standard western fantasy. 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. Jun 20, 2018 whenever someone asks me about my alltime favourite books, i invariable whinge about not being able to choose just one. A novel of an ancient china that never was the chronicles of master li and number ten ox 97803453281. He attended columbia university where he obtained a bachelors degree in 1956. I recommend it unconditionally and i predict barry hughart has quite a. I cant find the thread and dont remember who recommended it, but i want to thank you. The first installment, bridge of birds was cowinner with robert holdstocks mythago wood of the 1994 world fantasy award, and also won the 1986 mythopoeic award. The bridge of birds master li, book 1 by barry hughart.
In a rural village in the shadow of the tang dynasty, the parents are all weeping. I feel a little bit hesitant to say too much about this one for two reasons. With the authors tendency to grossly underplay certain story elements, it is simultaneously simplistic and confounding. When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious i. I reprint it at i first wrote it, so ill explain the. I suppose an optimist could look at these traits and say to himself, this is a book that works on manylevels. I first about barry hugharts bridge of birds some years ago, probably mentioned in passing on or somesuch. Bridge of birds by barry hughart is a modestly entertaining novel, by turns amusing and dull as a textbook. Like bridge of birds a novel of an ancient china that never was by barry hughart and a great selection of similar used new and collectible books available now at bridge of birds by barry hughart 9780712608626 available at book depository with free delivery worldwide.
My history with bridge of birds goes back a long, long way. They weep because their children lie dying from a mysterious illness. When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, number ten bridge of birds fantasy by the author barry hughart and 20 similar books. Hughart, and thank you for a truly wonderful creation. Barry hughart isa widely acclaimed writer whose first novel, bridge of birds, won the world fantasy award for best novel. Hughart was careful to leave a trail of clues throughout the book which leads to. Bridge of birds makes a nice change from the standard western fantasy. Upon his graduation from columbia, hughart joined the united states air force and served from 1956 to 1960 where he was involved in laying mines in the korean demilitarized zone. Bridge of birds project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. The other novels in thechronicles of master li and number ten ox includethe story of the stoneand eight skilled gentlemen. But if im pressed further, barry hugharts bridge of birds is amongst the first books ill mention. Original draft, interview and more, courtesy of barry hughart and jerry kuntz which would send my readers screaming into the night. Some books, like bridge of birds, end with the reader feeling like they have been given a precious gift.
Bridge of birds begins with the children of the seventhcentury chinese village. Barry hughart is a widely acclaimed writer whose first novel, bridge of birds, won the world fantasy award for best novel. A novel of an ancient china that never was the chronicles of master li and number ten ox barry hughart. Set in an ancient china that never was, it stands with the princess bride and the last unicorn as a fairy tale for all ages, by turns incredibly funny and deeply touching. A fine copy in a just about fine dust jacket with a tiny. As the ultimate antagonist slowly becomes clear, master lis ability to find an astonishing, perhaps comical. The original draft of bridge of birds is included in a special slipcased version of the omnibus collection, the chronicles of master li and number ten ox, released by subterranean press in 2008. This is truly a book about a china that never was, and probably should have been. Original draft, interview and more, courtesy of barry hughart and jerry kuntz. In a fun bit of trivia, an omnibus of the series was published in 1998, and was illustrated by kaja foglio.
Bridge of birds, by barry hughart, is an underappreciated fantasy gem from the 80s that i feel more people should know about. It reminded me at parts of sherlock holmes and alice in. Fill it with equal measures of fact, fantasy, history, mythology, science, superstition, logic, and lunacy. Bridge of birds by barry hughart mobileread forums. Bridge of birds is the first in a series of stories chronicling the adventures of master li, an ancient but irreverent chinese sage, and number ten ox, his goodnatured sidekick. As the world communicates more and more via texts, memes and sound bytes, short but profound quotes from books have become more relevant and important. Hugharts prose can be breathtakingly lovely, and it brings to life a landscape full of vibrant green ricefields, windswept mountains and tantalizing marketplaces. Barry hughart is a rare fantasy author in that he successfully brings indepth knowledge of a foreign culture and the right touch of humour. Barry hugharts writing career started with his novel bridge of birds, published in 1984, which won the 1985 world fantasy award for best novel and also won the mythopoeic fantasy award in 1986, followed by the story of the stone in 1988 and eight skilled gentlemen in 1990. However, id never been able to find the book in person in a bookstore, or even at a library. Li kao may have a slight flaw in his character but the book has none.
Download bridge of birds by barry hughart link epub. The bridge of birds master li, book 1 by barry hughart book cover, description, publication history. The story of the stone, and eight skilled gentlemen. Bridge of birds by barry hughart and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. No spoilers just finished bridge of birds by barry hughart. Barry hughart, bridge of birds fable has strong shoulders that carry far more truth than fact can.
Barry hughart s writing career started with his novel bridge of birds, published in 1984, which won the 1985 world fantasy award for best novel and also won the mythopoeic fantasy award in 1986, followed by the story of the stone in 1988 and eight skilled gentlemen in 1990. World heritage encyclopedia, the aggregation of the largest online encyclopedias available, and the most. The novel tells of the first adventure of number ten ox the villager whos telling the story as hes. This is a work of art and one of my favorite three books of all time.
Barry hughart, quote from bridge of birds nothing on the face of this earth and i do mean nothing is half so dangerous as a childrens story that happens to be real, and you and i are wandering blindfolded through a myth devised by a maniac. See all books authored by barry hughart, including bridge of birds, and the story of the stone, and more on. The book is written in the style of a chinese folk tale or fairy tale, more like lud in the mist than lord of the rings. Includes thumbnails of scanned images, and points for identifying the various editions. Bridge of birds is a fantasy novel by barry hughart, first published in 1984. Bridge of birds by barry hughart when all the children in the village of kufu fall mysteriously ill, number ten ox goes to find a cure for them. Barry hughart booklist barry hughart message board. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Barry hughart is a western writer, of course, but hes drawing on nontypical 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 ive read of. No spoilers just finished bridge of birds by barry. Bridge of birds cant see the flock for the fowls the. With comicbook characters, echoes of lewis carroll, and sinological trappings galore.
Journey hugharr the westby wu chengena quest story like bridge of birdstells a tale of a long pilgrimage from china to india in search of enlightenment. The story takes place in tang dynasty china, where the children of a village get suddenly ill, and ox is sent out to find help in the big city. A novel of an ancient china that never was apr 1, 1984. Barry hughart, quote from bridge of birds about the author. Whenever someone asks me about my alltime favourite books, i invariable whinge about not being able to choose just one. Forgotten classics has been granted permission by author barry hughart to read bridge of birds. I reprint it at i first wrote it, so ill explain the reference to alexandria digital literature briefly.
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