Eight Skilled Gentlemen: A Novel (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox) - Softcover

Hughart, Barry

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0385417101 ISBN 13: 9780385417105

Publisher: Foundation/Doubleday, 1991

Synopsis

The third book in the Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox series

When a resepcted mandarin is murdered in the heart of the Forbidden City, Master Li and his sidekick, Number Ten Ox, are called in to investigate. Thus begins a Sherlockian adventure that takes Master Li and Number Ten Ox--accompanied by a scarred puppeteer and his shamanka daughter--on a wild chase across China. With murder, mayhem, and magic aplenty, and Chinese folklore and literary references thrown into the mix, Eight Skilled Gentlemen is a hilarious romp through Ancient China.

About this title

About the Author:

Barry Hughart is a widely acclaimed writer whose first novel, Bridge of Birds, won the World Fantasy Award for best novel. The other novels in The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox series include The Story of the Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen.

From Publishers Weekly:

Hughart's ( Bridge of Birds ) third novel is another gem, continuing the adventures of the aging sage Master Li and his youthful sidekick, Number Ten Ox, a delightful pair of ancient Chinese sleuths. When a respected mandarin is murdered by a ch'ih-mei , a vampire ghoul, in broad daylight, the Celestial Master, the most revered Taoist priest in the realm, gives his old friend Master Li the case. The Celestial Master himself, however, seems to be the main suspect after he reports the murder, which he claims was committed with a ball of fire by a man who was then transformed into a crane. Thus commences a wild adventure that takes Master Li and Number Ten Ox from the Forbidden City through backwoods villages and bandit-infested countryside to the sinister palace of Yen-men. There are ghosts, wizards, dog-brides, monsters, puppeteers, female shamans, magic birdcages and, of course, the Eight Skilled Gentlemen, mysterious hooded figures from the dawn of Chinese history who are in league with eight particularly nasty demon-deities. Superbly written and narrated in the humorously observant voice of Number Ten Ox, this is a book not to be missed.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Foundation/Doubleday
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0385417101
• ISBN 13: 9780385417105
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 255