Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart. 278 pp.
A novel set in "an ancient China that never was," as the author describes it. Narrated by Number Ten Ox, a teenaged peasant who finds an elderly sage to help figure out what has happened to the children of his village. Ox has a pure heart, but the sage, Li Kao, has a slight flaw in his character. Not only do I love the rich setting and the outrageous adventures, I admire the way that Hughart structures his story. One of my favorite books ever; since I just recommended it for our February staff picks, I decided it was time to read it again. Won the World Fantasy Award in 1984. There are two other books featuring Li Kao and Number Ten Ox, but this one is the best.
Showing posts with label non-Western setting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label non-Western setting. Show all posts
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells
Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells. 368 pp.
A stand-alone fantasy novel that breaks a lot of standard fantasy rules. It has a non-Western setting--the cities and temples are based on Angkor Wat in Cambodia--and it featurs a middle-aged heroine with a younger man as her love interest. Wells is great at world-building, and she does it in such a way that you absorb the background and culture while you're reading about the characters, rather than bringing the whole story to a standstill while "info-dumping." One of my very favorite novels.
A stand-alone fantasy novel that breaks a lot of standard fantasy rules. It has a non-Western setting--the cities and temples are based on Angkor Wat in Cambodia--and it featurs a middle-aged heroine with a younger man as her love interest. Wells is great at world-building, and she does it in such a way that you absorb the background and culture while you're reading about the characters, rather than bringing the whole story to a standstill while "info-dumping." One of my very favorite novels.
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