Publishing information: Paperback; 278 pages
Publisher: DelRay Books; 12 April 1985
ISBN 10: 0345321383
ISBN 13: 9780345321381
Series: Book 1 in the Master Li Kao and Ten Ox series
Copy: Out of Pocket
Reviewer: Tyson
Back of the Book "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...."
Not long ago a friend of mine mentioned Bridge of Birds as a novel that everyone should read if they wanted a fantasy novel set in the orient. Since I happen to live in Asia I thought it would be in my best interest if I sat down and read it.
Bridge of Birds starts out in a small village that does its best to survive. Life is simple but good in the peaceful village. It is a tight community full of love and joy. When the time comes to nurse the silk worms so that they will have a successful silk harvest (not sure if that is the correct terminology), things go horribly wrong as the children fall victim to a strange and paralyzing virus. No one can explain it and they decide to send Ten Ox out to the capital city to find help.
The characters are rather stereotypical. Which normally would be setback but they work and quickly draw you into the story. We have a kind and gentle giant who is tasked to bring a wise man to the village to help the stricken children, we have a wise man who is also a detective with a shady, but humorous past. We have a evil female that rules China with an iron fist behind the guise of her young son, greedy merchants and since it is fantasy and mythology mixed we also have some creatures from fairy tales make an appearance. Everything combines smoothly to lull you into a sense of security and tell you a story that could have actually occurred in ancient China. The Character of Li Kao is mysterious and humorous as he does a like to keep everyone around him on their toes and the situations as light as possible.
The style of Bridge of Birds is pure genius. It is very lyrical and poetic. Normally, I do not go for books of this type but it hooked me instantly and I found myself thrown into a magical place that I never wanted to leave. Hughart has a way with words that is hard to explain. He tells a story with the least amount of words possible yet finds a way to have it come to life in vibrant color and detail in your mind. The environments are magnificent and the feeling you get while the adventure is taking place is extraordinary. Bridge of Birds is like nothing I have ever read. Not to mention that the book has a lot of light hearted humor thrown in the mix. A play on words here and there.
The plot of Bridge of Birds is simple but that works. The children are sick and a rare root must be obtained in order to save the children. As the story progresses more and more of the world is uncovered as is the history of Hughart's imagined China. The book's pacing is so tight that there is no time for lag in the story and we are taken along for a ride that is pure Chinese mythology.
From the first paragraph of Bridge of Birds you know that you are in for something special. The prose is beautiful, everything seems to take on a poetic feel as you immerse yourself in this imaginary period of China. The entire experience from start to finish feels like a dream. A dream you never want to come out of. Bridge of Birds is a classic and after reading it there is no room for doubt as to why it is considered a masterpiece of literature and fantasy.
Plot 8
Characters 8
Style 10
Overall 10/10
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