Wow. This book lives up to the hype. It is wonderful. Hughart takes the reader to a place and time that never truly was, but is wonderful and real. The book is wonderful, its brillant, its Chaucerian.

Bridge of Birds has an controling quest, but it is told in three parts, each part forming part of the quest. While the story is told in fable form, the two central characters are never protrayed as simply types. Number Ten Ox is far deeper than he first seems, than even he himselfs think he is, and Li Kao is not just simplely an old wise drunk. Hughart has the talent to make the reader laugh on one hand and then pages later make the reader weep as he is telling the story of the weeping maiden or Master Shen. Characters who first seem to be simply types are revealed to be far more than that. The ending of the book is absolute poetry.

Stop reading this review and go read the book. It's wonderful.

Reads like an ancient Chinese fable, only with a a few subtly modern jokes thrown in. A wry and silly farce with a vividly described setting. I really enjoyed this, though towards the end it felt a little long.

Also, the first book I've read from a Good Reads recommendation!

A truly excellent story. Combines fairy tale and comedy pretty seamlessly, and the story is very tight and never drags. At times the humor got a little silly for me, but that's more of a personal preference than a complaint.

This is my third time reading this book and every time I am astounded at its whit and charm.
Its incredibly well written with an engrossing plot and fabulous characters.

The story is narrated by Number Ten Ox who is on a quest to cure the kids in his village. He hires an ancient yet spry wise man called Li Kao who leads them on a hilarious adventure filled with magic, suspense, mirth, romance, a little bit of science, and lots of drinking.

Well worth the time.

Though I hesitate to re-read books (just not enough time) I was quite happy that the Sword & Laser book club chose Bridge of Birds as their monthly pick. I first read this wonderfully charming tale when it tied with Mythago Wood for the World Fantasy Award best novel.

The tale of scholar Li Kao (who has a slight flaw in his character)and Number Ten Ox (a huge peasant who is not dim at all) is pure adventure at its most delightful. I've given this book to many people over the years with an almost universally positive response.

I hate to reduce a novel to a quick blurb, but when forced I tell friends it's like a fantasy Sherlock Holmes & Watson set in an ancient China that never was. Not that great, but it's such a hard novel to describe. Hughart takes real Chinese history and myth, and depicts it where magic works in the manner people believed at the time. He has such a deft touch that the history is never ponderous or pedantic, but adds to the charm.

In the end, Bridge of Birds is one of my favorite novels ever. It has so much heart, wonder, and whimsy, and it saddens me to this day that Barry Hughart stopped writing after three novels because he could not support himself through writing. If you are considering this book, read it, you won't regret it.

This story was just plain weird, and I use that word in a complimentary way. I have never read anything by this author before, but I would definitely sit down and listen to Mr. Hughart spin a story over a few beers. This combines some parts of the pop Chinese mystic culture (fantastic beasts, evil rulers, humble mystics) that have made their way into everything from 70s kung fu flicks to Mulan. The writing is dryly funny, the situations completely out there (I am reminded a bit of Terry Pratchett's Rincewind and Cohen the Barbarian stories), and the pace extremely quick. There is very little downtime in the story, and what is there is very funny.

There is enough mystic lore in this story that I had to look up what the author created and what was real. It is so well written that, with a few obvious nods to modern history, it could all in fact be part of ancient Chinese lore.

There are a few McGuffins in there, and you mostly know where the story is going, but that's OK. This is the closest I will probably get to a "brain off beach read" this year. That is not to say it is simple or predictable in a bad way. It is just an adventure tale that moves quickly and easily. Oddly enough, I think fans of the Harry Potter series will enjoy this, and I don't even like that series.

Very enjoyable. For me, it is always fun to peek inside the head of a madman storyteller.

For most of this book I was leaning towards rating it about three stars. It was enjoyable and had a fair share of comedy, but it just wasn't really grabbing me. But the finale made the book. A great ending when everything becomes clear and all the threads are tied together. Maybe someday I'll get around to reading the sequels but not right away.

Read this! Imagine Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon meets Drunken Master. Quirky. Surreal. Philosophical. Funny. Different and a great read. I definitely will revisit this gem.

A wonderful magical fantasy ghost/detective fairy tale with charm and humor. I can't recommend this enough.