The Master Li Series by Barry Hughart
The Master Li Series is a collection of fantasy novels that follows the adventures of Number Ten Ox, a peasant narrator, and Master Li, a once-revered scholar turned conman. Set in ancient China, the series intertwines elements of mystery, magic, and historical figures, creating a richly woven narrative that explores profound themes. In the first book, "The Bridge of Birds," Master Li and Ox embark on a quest to find the Great Root of Power, the only antidote to poison affecting the children of Ox's village. Their journey takes them through dangerous encounters with the Duke of Ch'in and reveals deeper mysteries related to the Princess of Birds.
The second installment, "The Story of the Stone," involves a murder investigation linked to the Laughing Prince, who has supposedly been dead for centuries. As Master Li and Ox delve deeper, they uncover a powerful object known as the Stone, which has a flawed nature tied to their unfolding mysteries. The final book, "Eight Skilled Gentlemen," presents a conspiracy involving communication devices disguised as bird cages, connected to a drought threatening all of China. Throughout the series, the dynamic between the scholarly Master Li and the practical Ox drives the narrative, showcasing themes of fate, morality, and the interconnectedness of life. The Master Li Series is celebrated for its imaginative storytelling and engaging character development.
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Subject Terms
The Master Li Series
First published:Bridge of Birds (1984), The Story of the Stone (1988), and Eight Skilled Gentlemen (1991)
Type of work: Novels
Type of plot: Fantasy—alternate history
Time of work: 639, 640, and 650
Locale: China
The Plot
In Bridge of Birds, Number Ten Ox, the peasant narrator of all three books, meets Master Li, once the foremost scholar in China. Master Li is now out of favor because of a slight flaw in his character. The children of Ox’s village have been poisoned, and there is only one antidote: the fabulous ginseng Great Root of Power.
The first stop in the search for the Root is Peking, where Master Li, one of the world’s greatest confidence men, acquires funds. Next Master Li and Ox visit the last known owner of the Root. They free a trapped ghost and steal the Root. This Root, though a ginseng root of great potency, is not the Great Root, which is, they learn, in the possession of the dreaded Duke of Ch’in. (The duke is a historical figure; he ascended the throne of China in 221 b.c.e., and China is named for him.) Master Li and Ox travel to the duke’s castle but are captured and barely escape with their lives. In the process, they find part of the Great Root and the kernel of a deeper mystery concerning the Princess of Birds. As their travels continue, they find additional fragments of the Great Root entangled with the other mystery. Finally, Ox and Master Li kill the duke, rescue the princess, and revive the children of Ox’s village.
In The Story of the Stone, Master Li and Ox investigate a murder in which the prime suspect, the Laughing Prince, supposedly has been dead for more than seven centuries. As in the previous book, a fabulous object is involved (the Stone), and at first its nature and purpose are unknown. Each discovery leads only to a deeper level of mystery. A succession of chance encounters are not chance at all, for there is no coincidence in the China of Master Li and Ox. The two meet an extraordinary pair, Moon Boy and Grief of Dawn, who turn out to have what they need to solve the puzzle.
At the Temple of Illusion, Master Li and Ox take a spirit journey to Hell. There they discover that the Laughing Prince, supposedly dead for 750 years, never showed up in Hell. Master Li also acquires clues about the roles of Moon Boy and Grief of Dawn in the mystery. It turns out that the Stone was intended to become part of Heaven but contained a flaw. The Stone was sent to Earth in the hope that mortals could eradicate the flaw. The Stone is too powerful for mortals to use without corruption, however, and its influence explains both the Laughing Prince’s evil and his unnatural longevity. Grief of Dawn carries a piece of the Stone in her chest; she, too, is more than seven centuries old but does not know it. Moon Boy is the reincarnation of a divine but evil flower that the Stone rehabilitated long ago. Eventually the Laughing Prince is destroyed, Moon Boy expiates his past evil by scouring the flaw from the Stone with his own blood, and the Stone ascends to Heaven.
In Eight Skilled Gentlemen, the fate of all China hangs in the balance. As in the previous book, the first level of mystery concerns a murder. The second is a set of fabulous objects that resemble bird cages. The third is a thief who is stealing the cages. A fourth level of mystery concerns the original purpose of the cages.
The cages are long-distance communication devices and are being used to smuggle phony Tribute Tea out of China. The conspiracy involves mandarins of the highest rank. The cages are being stolen and the mandarins murdered by an ape-man and his eight demoniac associates.
The Skilled Gentlemen of the title were the greatest shamans of aboriginal China, and the eight demons were their servants. With the help of the world’s greatest puppeteer, Yen Shih, Master Li and Ox discover the smuggling racket. A barbarian princess tells them the name of the cage thief: Envy, brother of the eight demons.
Master Li and Ox return to Peking during one of the worst droughts in history. Master Li eventually discovers that the cages were used three thousand years earlier by the Eight Skilled Gentlemen to end a drought. The gods had abandoned Earth because of a deliberate affront to them by Envy. Envy could not stand to see anyone happy when he could never be content himself. Now, he is trying to offend the gods again, and Master Li and Ox have to stop him. If they fail, drought and pestilence will destroy China. It turns out that Envy is their friend Yen Shih, the puppeteer, who is charming despite his inner torment. Master Li and Ox defeat him, and the drought ends.