Product Description
In the heart of the Forbidden City, Master Li and Number Ten Ox, accompanied by a scarred puppeteer and his shamanka daughter, investigate the murder of respected mandarins. By the author of Bridge of Birds. Reprint. PW. AB. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Author should've retired before writing this book
Here's what the book does have:gruesome murders, homosexuality, cannibalism, and an incoherent ending.

And here's what it doesn't have: an interesting plot, well-developed characters, or an ending that doesn't make the reader regret not having tossed the book out after the first chapter.

Damn Good ReadKya
"Eight Skilled Gentleman" is a damned good read.Mr. Hughart is one of the absolute best story tellers-ever.His 3rd book in the series, I strongly recommend you read all of them, may not be as beautiful as the 1st story "Bridge of Birds", but he sure packs a lot of fantastic minutae into this one.As always Number 10 Ox plays fall guy to Master Li, our ancient sluth. There are so many twists and turns along with mythical allusions in this book as in the other two stories, that you wonder if it will be tied up in a big bow @ the end, and yes, it is.Lots of sinology, or neo-sinology along the way.Oh, if only there were more adventures. Lovely writing, lots of humanistic touches, and jibes @ Confucianism. Sly irony with a light touch.

A plethora of demons
How easily Chinese history (that never was) segues into mythology."Eight Skilled Gentlemen" is the third book in the 'Master Li and Number Ten Ox' trilogy, and these books should be near the top of everyone's favorite fantasies list.

The execrable villain, Sixth Degree Hosteler Tu is on the execution block at the beginning of "Eight Skilled Gentlemen."The executioner, who is going for the record in cleanly-performed beheadings by sword, botches this particular job for a very peculiar reason--a vampire ghoul crashes into the crowd around the execution block in pursuit of a band of frightened band of soldiers.

This is just the beginning of a bizarre monster-fest (in case you were wondering who the eight skilled gentlemen were.)These are demons like you've never seen before.For instance, the first demon-deity "resembles a three-year-old child with red eyes, long ears, and beautiful hair, and it kills by forcing its victims to strangle themselves."

Luckily Master Li happens upon Number Ten Ox before he finishes choking himself to death.

The plot is quite complicated, but the exotic settings and oddball characters kept this reader mightily entertained.In addition to the 'Eight Skilled Gentlemen,' there is a very old, partially deaf Celestial Master and saint who has some of the best lines in the book:at the funeral of a demon-slain high muckety-muck minister of state, he glares at a row of tight-lipped mandarins, and shouts, "Damn fools!...If you'd given Ma's corpse an enema you could have buried what remained in a walnut shell!"

Chinese saints seem to be much more opinionated and interesting than their European counterparts.

Master Li and Number Ten Ox join up with a puppeteer and his beautiful daughter to break up a ring of mandarin smugglers who are using mysterious cages to communicate with one another.The story finally resolves itself in a wild end-of-the-world dragon boat race that pits our two heroes against the gods.

I only wish Barry Hughart had continued on with this eccentric and wonderful myth of old China.

Another Hughart Winner
No surprise, another entertaining and delightful Li Kao and Number Ten Ox fantasy-adventure.The grisly murder of a prominent mandarin by a mysterious ghoul provides the catalyst for this duo to go delving into China's ancient mythology searching for the answers.Along the way, author Barry Hughart creates some of the most curious and imaginative heroes and villains you will ever encounter.Just superb.

Sadly, as noted by previous reviewers, this is the third and last book that the author has written in this series.On the bright side, the books he did write were all sparkling 5-star reads."Eight Skilled Gentlemen" is a winner - just read it.

Another fun frolic through ancient China
_
Reviewed by Randy Farnsworth, Author of "A Stand Yet Taken"

Once again, Hughart has written an entertaining, humorous and engaging tale filled with history, tradition, intrigue, mystery and of course, a plethora of outlandish characters. Having read the first two books in the series, I found this to be less enjoyable than the others; the first is still the best of the three. That doesn't mean this is bad, however - I just don't think it's as good as the other two. This one goes a bit overboard in parts, such as the scene where they're disposing of a corpse by turning it into an extravagant banquet and serving it to the guests - humorous, but a bit over the top.

As a student of Chinese history, I am enthralled by stories, facts and traditions from the earliest of Chinese civilizations - such as the Shang, Xia, and earlier Neolithic and prehistoric cultures. While this book is set in 7th century China, it references the pre-"Chinese" China. In fact, the main plot centers around events that took place prior to China becoming China. The intertwining of tales and customs from "modern" (A.D. 640) China with those from three thousand years earlier is very intriguing. But, I must add, I also found it confusing at times with so many characters, events and stories. Hughart has a great gift for inventing stories, but in trying to convey all that to the reader, I must admit he lost me now and again.

As with the previous two books, this one tends to be a bit crass in places, so I wouldn't recommend it for younger readers. But the story really is fascinating and Hughart continually throws in enough facts with the fantasy that it's also quite educational. ... Read more

Product Description
1988 Foundation Book, Book Club Edition ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Enchanting!
Another adventure for Master Li and Number 10 Ox, this book is very nearly as wonderful as the first.Hughart does a wonderful job of creating another dizzying, complex, and yet deceptively simple plot, which wanders cheerfully all over his fantastic landscape.Truly enchanting, a book you will read again and again.

The second tale set "in an ancient China that never was"
This is the very-difficult-to-find sequel to Barry Hughart's "Bridge of Birds", and follows a somewhat similar, enchantingly-twisting path.

Master Li Kao, a brilliant but decrepit genius with a slight flaw in his character, is now permanently accompanied by the strong and steadfast Number Ten Ox.A mystery is brought to them, and the reader delights in following the pair (soon joined by the lovely Grief of Dawn and the even prettier Moon Boy) down all the rabbit holes and noble courts (and even at one point down and through the ancient Chinese version of Hell) that the detective trail leads them.

Hughart's turn of phrase is delightful, and I can't imagine where he got the inspiration for two booksful of wondrous settings, characters and situations. Actually, there's a third book - "Eight Skilled Gentlemen" published in 1991 - that I'm about to dive into, and I wonder if he can possibly keep up the pace with his first two offerings.

If you haven't read "Bridge of Birds" yet and have an eye for stunningly broad fantasy that is nevertheless as earthy and homespun as grandma's Mu Shu then surf over on Amazon and get it.

If you read and loved B of B and can find a copy of this book (I won't be putting mine up here for sale!), snap it up! ... Read more

Product Description
An omnibus containing the three Master Li and Number Ten Ox novels: BRIDGE OF BIRDS, THE STORY OF THE STONE, and EIGHT SKILLED GENTLEMEN. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Clever and witty
It's been a couple of months since I checked this book out from the library, so my review won't be too detailed. I was quite pleasantly surprised by this book, since I had never heard of it or the author before. The writing style is quite lyrical and charming, and the plot is fast-paced. The adventures are often solved through some quite humorous actions through the efforts of the two main characters. Almost in an action-adventure movie style, the author commonly has the heroes go through some seemingly-pointless activities, which are later revealed to have been a clever attempt to foil their enemies or get around an insurmountable obstacle.

The only drawback to the hardcover trilogy is the cost; the current listed price on Amazon is ridiculous. This is certainly a worthwhile book, but I don't think that it's worth the amount that the private sellers are charging. I will be checking used book stores and other online sellers and crossing my fingers.

The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox
This book is a deluxe limited hard cover signed edition, which collects the three books that encompass the adventures of Master Li, wise and foolish alchemist and Master Ten Ox, the good-humoured strongman: Bridge of Birds, The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentleman. If you like high fantasy sprinkled with laughs, then this is the book for you. Or you could try to get the three books in paperback, but then, you will most probably want to get this edition!

The Best Books You've Never Read
Here you can find all three Master Li and Number Ten Ox novels in a single volume. If you haven't yet sampled the pleasures of Barry Hughart's "China that never was," then you have the chance for a rare treat: an enthralling, superbly written, nearly flawless set of stories that are at once intensely humanistic and delightfully funny.

In "Bridge of Birds," we meet Number Ten Ox, a Chinese peasant whose village's children are stricken by a plague that can count. When the few copper coins he has can't buy a distinguished scholar to help him, he has to settle on Master Li, who has a slight flaw in his character. The mystery they set out to solve turns out to be just a part of an older, far more important crime against Heaven itself. Through a rollicking set of adventures, involving some of the most amazing characters in fantasy, they charge into the problem. The ending will simply amaze you. ("Bridge" in it's stand-alone volume has 171 reviews; 151 of them giving it 5 stars. Perhaps that will help persuade you.)

In "The Story of the Stone," Number Ten Ox has become an assistant to Master Li. When the abbot of a remote monastery arrives and tells Master Li that insanely homicidal Laughing Prince has returned - and he has been dead for centuries - Number Ten Ox and Master Li set out to deal with the matter.

And in "Eight Skilled Gentlemen," Master Li and Number Ten Ox are asked by the very highest Taoist scholar in China to investigate a series of mysteries, not the least of which is a vampire ghoul that appears at an execution. A critical time is coming again, and it takes all of Master Li's cunning and Ox's strength to save China.

Hughart is a brilliant, lyrical writer. His plots are simply astonishing, and his ability to paint wonderful characters in a few sentences is outstanding. My test for superb fantasy is simple: when you finish the story, the ordinary world you return to should seem a duller, mundane place. Hughart's work easily passes that test.

The only mildly disappointing part of this otherwise excellent edition is the jacket cover; there Hughart explains, carefully and honestly, why there won't be any more Master Li novels. It's a shame, and I hope he will reconsider. These are the best novels you haven't read.

My very highest recommendation.

Fascinating, but......
Perhaps the 'dot'-s after the "but" in the title summarize the after-effects of this book. The adventures of Master Li Kao and Number Ten Ox described here are absolute jewels that make you thirsty for more. As the whole thing, the stories as well as the pure fun that can be derived from reading them, exceeds our capacity (severely restricted by present-day boring stuff presented in the garb of 'fantasy') for either, bitter disappointments arise in our mind on three counts:
1. Thanks to the inept publishers in 1980-s, this series has come to an unfortunate halt, with only 3 'chronicles' rather than the estimated 10, making us appreciate how lopsided the business can be (another example can be found in the case of Frederick Brown mystery library, supposed to be published by Stewart Masters).
2. The ususally top-rate publishing standards of Subterranean Press are sorely missed here, as the book is full of typographical mistakes and skipping lines.
3. Editorial functions in the shape of annotations (at least in the last novel) would have enabled the works to authenticate themselves as descriptions of "a China that never was" in a more authentic manner.

Utterly superlative
I rarely review books, however.... Mere words fail to describe the sheer genius that are the Mr. Hughart's efforts on Master Li and Number Ten Ox.The three books in this omnibus are so cleverly written, so unfailingly humorous and so totally poignant that other works will hereafter be spoiled for me.The author does state that he could have written more adventures for these characters after these three, but that they would have been formulaic, and what would be the point in that?As accurate as that may be, I mourn the fact that the world has no more to look forward to from this amazing author and his two phenomenal characters.Should he write anything else, I will snap it up.I also know that I will re-read these books in the future and approach that task with absolute glee, that I am given the chance to do so. ... Read more

Product Description
When the children of his village were struck with a mysterious illness, Number Ten Ox found master Li Kao. Together they set out to find the Great Root of Power, the only possible cure, and together they discover adventure and legend, and the power of belief....
Amazon.com Review
Bridge of Birds is a lyrical fantasy novel. 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. It won the World Fantasy Award in 1985, and Hughart produced two sequels: The Story of the Stone, and Eight Skilled Gentlemen. 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 and the story's narrator. Number Ten Ox is strong, trusting, and pure of heart; Master Li once sold an emperor shares in a mustard mine, because "I was trying to win a bet concerning the intelligence of emperors."

Number Ten Ox comes from a village in which the children have been struck by a mysterious illness. He recruits Master Li to find the cure and comes along to provide muscle. They seek a mysterious Great Root of Power, which may be a form of ginseng. Of course, nothing turns out to be as simple as it seems; great wrongs must be avenged and lovers separated must be reunited, from the most humble to the highest. And even in the midst of cosmic glory, Pawnbroker Fang and Ma the Grub are picking the pockets of their own lynch mob, who are frozen in awe and wonder. --Nona Vero ... Read more

Customer Reviews (179)

The word is "delightful"!
This week, two people told me Bridge of Birds was their favorite book ever.One, I had just leant it to, a mid-60s carpenter, former marine biologist, who refuses to return it to me because he has to read it 2 more times before he does!The other, a woman I haven't seen in eight years, the former room-mate of an ex-girlfriend, says (via a mutual friend) "Thanks for lending it to me way back then...(sorry I never gave it back)."*MY* review: simply delightful!And then at some point in the midst of delight, of humor, of pure joy, you realize that heaven itself has a stake in the matter, and True Love is on the line, and crimes throughout eternity must be rectified, and you realize, only after it's happened, that your heart has been broken, and then mended again.

Okay, enough waxing poetical -- enjoy!

A bridge worth taking
An amazing story that I greatly enjoyed enough to find the other out of print sequels which were just as good.

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IN CHINA!
There aren't many fantasy novels that take place in China.

There aren't many fantasy novels that are as good as this one.

Within the first dozen pages I had already marked up quite a few passages and scenes that I liked. Everything about this novel just screamed "FRESH" and "NEW" and other similar adjectives.

There are wonderful stories within this story, making it a literary fractal. You could say that it is a quest-story, a love-story, a fable or folk tale . . . and any one of those would be correct. There is wit, wisecracks and wisdom. You will laugh, cry and hold your breath with the memorable characters--one of which who has possibly one of the best introductory lines in fantasy.

And though you will probably read this book under the air-conditioned roof of your house, your heart will be warmed by the magnificent ending that ties everything together.

Those coming off a heavy diet of American- and European-influenced fantasy may feel a bit uncomfortable at times--as I did--but if you stick with it I think you'll find a really rewarding novel that is almost sure to be unlike anything else you've read recently.

Anything is possible in fantasy . . . and especially if that fantasy takes place in China!

Exceptional book
I picked this book up on a whim since I wanted to read more Chinese legends and fairytales.It's amazingly well written and very cinematic.Definitely pick it up!

Beautiful, Beautiful Story...
When I first started to read this book, it seemed a little slow. But I've learned over the years that some books (and usually the best ones!) take a little more 'setting up' than others. This book was certainly NOT a disappointment! It quickly turned into one of those books you simply CANNOT, for the life of you, put down! And want to read again and again. I gave it away thru [...] and have since purchased it again several times, and given those away too. Just so others could have the pleasure of reading it! It could very well be the most beautiful, engrossing story I've ever read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (15)

mystery and comedy
A series of mysteries and chase scenes.This time Master Li also expresses is disagreements with the Neo-Confucians who have overrun the civil service. the big question is, where is all that gold and treasure they found in the last book?

And now for something completely different
The blurb on the cover describes "The Story of the Stone" as "an oriental Holmes and Watson plunked down in an Indiana Jones movie."Pretty decent summary, actually, although I'd also throw a little Puccini into the mix (the author is incredibly hard on his heroines), along with Dante Alighieri.The ancient ("Ah, if I were only ninety again...") Master Li and his faithful sidekick and beast of burden, Number Ten Ox set out to investigate the brutal death of a monk in the Valley of Sorrows in this second volume of Hughart's fantasy trilogy.

The monk appears to have died of fright in the monastery library, a scrap of forged manuscript clutched in his hand, and a very unmonkish dinner of thousand-year-old eggs and other expensive delicacies in his belly (Master Li performs an autopsy that would make Dr. G. proud).

The chief suspect is the infamous Laughing Prince.Unfortunately (actually, fortunately for the peasants whom he murdered in droves) the sadistic prince has been dead for over 700 years.Master Li and Number Ten Ox descend into the tomb of the evil prince, along with his painterly descendent, Prince Liu Pao where they find jade-encased mummies, mad Monks of Mirth, a water slide that wouldn't be out of place at Disney World, and of course, treasure and torture chambers.The one thing they don't find is the corpse of the Laughing Prince.

At least, not right away.

Master Li must call upon his friends, old, new, dead, immortal, and immoral to solve the mystery of the Laughing Prince and the Stone of Immortality.You will meet characters in this book who are to be found nowhere else in fiction, including the beautiful Moon Boy who sings and buggers his way through the ten principal Hells and the great Wheel of Reincarnation, acting as a sort of Virgil to Master Li's Dante.

The plot is complicated, but the characters and the mythical scenery of an ancient China that never was make "The Story of the Stone" a fantasy to read and reread in those dark hours when you don't think you can stand another page of the noble Frodo.Plus Barbarian readers like myself who have only a "rudimentary concept of Hell" will be exposed to the two most incredible fallacies of our educational system:"that Hell is reserved for the damned, and that the world is flat."

P.S.The world is a cube measuring 233,575 paces across.

Utterly Delightful and Wonderfully Imaginative
Author Barry Hughart has done it again.Like his first book "Bridge of Birds" he brilliantly delivers another knockout adventure of Li Kao and Number Ten Ox.This time a mysterious murder and theft in a monastery sets this duo off in pursuit of a mysterious stone. But unlike their first adventure this quest takes them on a wholly different type of journey that, well, almost defies description.And why spoil the wonderful reading of this enchanting tale anyway? Read for yourself this truly imaginative and charming book.In addition to Li Kao and Number Ten Ox you'll meet Grief of Dawn, Moon Boy, the Laughing Prince, et al - uniquely eclectic characters that you will totally enjoy and long remember.

It's a pity that more readers haven't discovered Barry Hughart's wonderful works. But so be it.Just don't be one of those who has missed them.

As fun as his other novels
(...)

Once again Hughart takes us on a fun and cleverly written journey through Chinese culture and legends. He really goes overboard this time, leading the reader through all the levels of hell and back again. I didn't find this story quite as endearing as the first, but still very intelligently written and thoroughly researched.

With the exception of Number Ten Ox, there is not one character in this book that is not eccentric and out-of-this-world odd. I think that is what makes the book so charming. You know that each person you meet is going to have more than just a minor character flaw, and will certainly be endowed with bigger than life blemishes and imperfections.

As with his first novel, this one is often written in such a fast-paced manner that I found myself re-reading sections to figure out what had taken place. I wouldn't say that's a major fault, though, and perhaps it's just my slow brain trying to keep up.

The book follows a classic mystery format, where clues throughout the tale are all explained at the end. But it's not Holmes pacing the floor of his den in the last chapter, explaining it all to Watson; it's done in a way that all makes sense, with the explanations fitting very well into the storyline.

I should make mention of something that I think is a major flaw in this book. The character Moon Boy is as peculiar as the rest, and with one exception, I thought of him as a quaint, likable and humorous addition to the group. That exception is his pedophilia. To have a pedophile as a minor character in a novel is not a problem, and you may call me old fashioned, but to have that person be a major character, and to treat his actions as humorous and almost acceptable, in my opinion is inappropriate. I don't think pedophilia is something to be laughed at and treated so lightly. However, Hughart displayed this character with the accompanying flaws of bestiality and other unrestrained passions, so to include all these traits in one character is probably not too far off the mark. With that said, I definitely wouldn't recommend this book for young readers.

The Second Best Book You've Never Read
This is Hughart's second book, and the second Master Li and Number Ten Ox adventure. And while this book doesn't have quite the sheer delight of the first, "Bridge of Birds," it is still a wonderful adventure set in the same mythical China. And this novel confirms what you suspected after "Bridge of Birds" - Hughart is no fluke.

Chinese peasantNumber Ten Ox, Master Li's client in the first book, is his assistant now, and troubled because it appears ancient Master Li may drop dead before another worthwhile mystery comes along. Ox need not have worried. The Abbot of the monastery in the Valley of Sorrows arrives with a tale of murder, terror and the return of the Laughing Prince, the lunatic despot who ruled the Valley of Sorrows 750 years earlier. How can Master Li resist the temptation? How can we resist?

Once again Master Li and Number Ten Ox must solve a mystery, and once again the mystery is fringed with the supernatural, homicide and genuine, laugh out loud developments. Along the way they meet some truly memorable characters, including Grief of Dawn, a young lady with a deeply mysterious past, and Moon Boy, a sound master and an entirely marvellous creation.

Perhaps the best invention is the characters' mind trip through the Chinese Hell, which makes the efforts of Orpheus and Dante look pretty pitiful in comparison. The ending is less of a stunner than "Bridge of Birds," but this story is a little more mature and tightly crafted than "Bridge."

The only fair criticism of "Stone" is that Hughart only wrote one more book, "Eight Skilled Gentlemen." There have to be Master Li stories not yet told; I wish Mr. Hughart would write them.

A wonderful story, amusing and moving, that exposes the reader to parts of Chinese mythology in the nicest possible way. Exceptionally well written. Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Barry Hughart, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 1375 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author