Great Read. Got better every chapter. By the end I was sitting on the edge of the couch excitedly flipping virtual pages.

Occasionally poignant, utterly original, and always uniquely hilarious, this was a rather obscure book I was glad I was told about.

An enjoyable light read. I certainly enjoyed it more as the story developed. I'll likely read the other two Master Li and Number Ten Ox stories at some point.

I feel bad. I finished this book two days after we recorded the episode of Sword and Laser where we wrap it up (first time I haven't finished a book for the audio show). I blame [b:Outlander|10964|Outlander (Outlander, #1)|Diana Gabaldon|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1304187141s/10964.jpg|2489796] for being too long.

Anyhow, I wish I had made it to the end, because coming away from the book now I feel much differently than I did at the 75% mark. If felt like the silliness that was almost a distraction for me came together in the end in a really beautiful and meaningful way.

You all said I'd feel different, and you were right. I should listen to you more often.

Fun, unique and incredibly detailed for a book under 300 pages. I wasn't sure what to think when I first started reading, because it was written in such a way that reminded me of JRR Tolkien's Hobbit, where we the reader is being addressed now and again and there are a few tongue in cheek type humor moments sprinkled for good measure, but as I kept going and the bizarre adventures of Li Kao and Number Ten Ox built up and became more and more perilous - I was absolutely hooked. I really enjoyed the setting of China and it's unique culture at the forefront, the characters were likable and the overall book was a fun romp through folktale, ghost story and adventure.

I thought I was really going to like this one. Turned out I had a real problem staying engaged with the story. It gets rather repetitive in the middle, and the ending - which really did it for other people - was meh for me. I'm glad to to be done with it.

This was a fun story. It is actually a necklace of myths, folk tales and legends woven into a delightful narrative featuring Master Li and Number Ten Ox. Ox will carry you on his back as he runs through valleys, over mountains and swims channels to find the all powerful root of ginseng. Master Li, who has a slight flaw in his character, will rig a flying grasshopper to carry you from the desert to the Cave of Bells. More ginseng of course. This is an adventure in keeping with the greats of The Princess Bride and Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It is a short, easy read that will brighten a rainy afternoon or help you end a long day with a smile.

I came into Bridge of Birds skeptical and a bit weary of ancient China as a setting after a month or so with Mo Yan. Fortunately, I lasted longer than just the first glance, because Bridge of Birds was a surprising blast of fresh air.

Though it's couched in the language of a myth, the book is actually a dense and intensely enjoyable bit of fantasy. Li Kao and Number Ten Ox are great, real characters that navigate a world of ghost, beasts and gods.

It's a lot of fun, and a nice digestible size to boot.

Love it!! Can't wait to read the next two!

Bridge Of Birds is book one of "The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox", in which Number Ten Ox, the tenth youngest in the family, narrates a tale of adventure set in "an ancient China that never was". This tale is told with fervor and wit, as Number Ten Ox lends his brawn and Master Li lends his brains as they try to cure the village's children.

It begins with Number Ten Ox being sent to fetch a wise man to cure the strange malady that afflicts all the children of his village, whereby they have all gone into a deep sleep or even coma. He isn't given enough money to afford one of the more famous wise men of the city, so he is forced to settle for the drunken Master Li, someone with a "slight flaw in his character".

Master Li proves to be up to the challenge, but it requires many quests to find the correct variations of the mighty ginseng root. Along the way, they meet many strange people and beasts, battle invisible hands, rising tides, and an emperor without a heart. And they even help the gods right a serious wrong along the way.

This book was a lot of fun. There were a few laugh out loud spots and certainly plenty of close calls. The relationship between Number Ten Ox and Master Li was fun to read about, as they complemented each other perfectly. Each contributed his own strengths and even "flaws" to make it all right. And the environment of the "China that never was" was fully realized and populated with many memorable side characters. I particularly liked the first adventure with Henpecked Ho.

I did think the conversations were peppered with modern words and phrases that sometimes felt jarring. And I have to admit to losing the narrative flow about 2/3 the way through the book. There were 3 or 4 quests that went on and I kind of lost track of what they were doing and why. It didn't matter that much but it was a little disconcerting.

Not sure I'm ready to take on the second book, [b:The Story of the Stone|77207|The Story of the Stone|Barry Hughart|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1321813561s/77207.jpg|850766]. I have the omnibus edition from the library, that contains all three books in it, but I am not sure I feel up to book two right now. I would like to revisit it and will certainly put it on my To Read list, but I might move along for right now. But I highly recommend it to anyone interested in a fun quasi-fantasy novel, with quirky characters and unique environment.