Reviews

Eight Skilled Gentlemen by Barry Hughart

mburnamfink's review against another edition

4.0

Better than the middle, not as good as the first, but a fine and worthy conclusion to the Number Ten Ox trilogy.

riduidel's review against another edition

3.0

Je ne vais pas paraphraser la quatrième de couverture, mais juste me contenter de rappeler que ce roman raconte les aventures de Maître Li et de Boeuf numéro dix dans une Chine fantasmée. On y trouve donc des Dieux, des eunuques, des montreurs de marionettes, des chamans et chamankas .... Et globalement des personnages tous plus grands que nature, aussi bien dans leurs attitude que dans leurs caractères, et même dans leurs vêtements.
Ca m'arrive assez rarement, mais je dois avouer que je n'ai pas complètement compris cette histoire. Oh, j'ai bien compris que c'était une histoire compliquée mettant en scène d'honorables magiciens, de la contrebande de thé, et, comme je le disais, un montreur de marionette et sa fille chamanka.
Cela dit, même si je suis loin d'avoir tout compris, ce roman m'a emmené une fois de plus dans cette chine imaginaire, et une fois de plus j'ai apprécié ce voyage. Et ça, je dois le reconnaître, c'est l'essence d'une bonne lecture, remplie de voyage, de rebondissements, d'humour, et de tout ce qui fait une lecture distrayante. Bon, j'aurais bien aimé comprendre, cela dit.

ellenw's review

3.0

Ditto what I said about The Story of the Stone.

ruzgofdi's review

3.0

Fixes the main problem I had with the previous book in the series. The author seems to have remembered he was working on a fantasy book series. From the first chapter on, there's a definite presence of magic and the supernatrual. It doesn't quite reach the same heights as the first book in the series. There's not quite the same sense of humor and fun that was present in the earlier works. I can't really tell if that's due to just time pasing and the effect the various cases the main characters have worked on have had on them or if it's due to the seriousness of the current case. They just don't seem to be enjoying themselves as much this time as they did before. Still, I was entertained, and it was a better ending to the series than I expected from the last novel.

carol26388's review

4.0

Take a Shakespeare problem play, steep it in Chinese myth and add a dash of lethal mayhem and you might come close to approximating Eight Skilled Gentleman.

Master Li and Number Ten Ox are attending the public execution of Sixth Degree Hosteler Tu as imperial witnesses, despite Master Li’s well known dislike of formality. When the execution is interrupted by a dying vampire ghoul carrying a half-gnawed head, Master Li realizes there’s something strangely aristocratic about the victim that requires further investigation. They discover the rest of the victim in the Forbidden City, and after consulting with the sainted Celestial Master, are concerned the saint just confessed to the crime. But events turn out far weirder than Master Li suspects, and solving the crime will require investigating smugglers, traveling with a scarred puppeteer and his lovely shaman daughter, and tracking down mystical creatures and myths that are almost three thousand years old.

“One assumes [the artists] were half mad, and they honored their gods by carving deities in death agonies. You’re looking at an unparalleled psychological self-portrait of an exhausted race, teetering upon the edge of extinction, but don’t you see the wonder of our recent experiences? Some of the old gods were sure to survive.”

Almost too complicated to explain yet extremely simple on the surface, Hughart has truly produced a work of art. There is the seemingly straightforward investigation driving the plot, shaded with social commentary along the way (and don’t even kid yourself that Hughart is only talking about ancient Chinese culture). There is side illumination of the history of the Chinese people, and their own myths about the cultural absorption/conflict with indigenous groups. There is outright silliness, particularly with the foodie to end all foodies (literally), Sixth Degree Hosteler Tu, or the time that Master Li impersonates a grave ghoul.

“Somehow or other he got his hands on one of your memoirs!” He swiftly scanned the chicken tracks. “Usual critical comments!” he yelled. “Clotted construction, inept imagery, mangled metaphors, and so on!”

But it’s not only the complexly woven themes. Hughart plays around more than ever with the narrative. In the beginning, Master Li shares letter from a reader accusing Number Ten Ox of purple prose (no self-mocking there). The festive atmosphere of the square is conveyed in groups of shouting (“Sha la jen la!” “Hao! Hao! Hao!”). Poetry is read. The tale of a weak noble is demonstrated, complete with a broom as sword. A play within a play is performed. Prophetic dreams (as well as priapic ones) are experienced. On two occasions, one with the puppeteer and one with Number Ten Ox, we are treating to Master Li as Greek chorus, leaving me giggling out loud (“Good evening” “That’s the Miao-chia”). The narrative is far more complex than either of the other books. Most of the time it works–it turns out it is usually necessary to understand the plot–but sometimes not at well. Quite honestly, that’s about on par with my Shakespeare experiences–the play-within-a-play device generally annoys.

It’s worth noting that there are a couple of gruesome episodes, with poor Ox standing in for the audience with a heartfelt “Gligghh!” While I had my doubts for the author choice to include such scenes, it did put me in mind of the old, old tales–the one where Cinderella’s sisters chopped off their toes to fit into the glass slipper, or the one where Bluebeard has the locked room with bodies.

“Every historian is faced with a chapter in which he cannot win. If he includes the relevant material he will send his readers screaming into the night, and if he doesn’t include it he isn’t writing history.”

The first time I read, I was suffering from Tired, and as the shenanigans built, I had trouble understanding the dizzying changes in direction. When thinking about my review, I started over and re-read the entire book. Like experiencing Shakespeare again and again, each time through allows me to consider some different aspect, whether plot, emotion or lyricism. Overall, worth the time, clotted construction, inept imagery, mangled metaphors and all.

davidscrimshaw's review

5.0

This was fun.

If you enjoy gentle humour, fantasy, and foreign culture, the chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, are rewarding.

But I have to admit that I was sad to learn that Barry Hughart had intended to write seven books, not only three, in the series, but had a falling out with his publishers. And now he's gone, so we'll never get more.

antij's review

3.0

I imagine much of my sub-par feelings about this book are because I took a bit of break in the middle of this one to read something else, but I felt that this book wasn't as enjoyable as the earlier ones. It seemed to lack a lot of the lightness and fun.

latepaul's review

3.0

3.5 stars

There's a slight drop in quality between [b:Bridge of Birds|15177|Bridge of Birds (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, #1)|Barry Hughart|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1327940289s/15177.jpg|958087] and [b:The Story of the Stone|77207|The Story of the Stone (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox #2)|Barry Hughart|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1507327958s/77207.jpg|850766] and another between that book and this. Which means by the time you get to this it's just good.

I'm not sure what to say about this book. I don't do synopses any more, you can read the description or blurb for that. I do reviews.

Hughart has immense imagination and sometimes it feels like he puts too much into these books. Eight Skilled Gentlemen isn't as effortlessly light and fun as The Bridge of Birds. Like The Story of the Stone it's shifted genre slightly from being a fairytale to more of a supernatural mystery. Unlike Stone though it's not wrestling with the tension between fariytale and rationality. Which I think is in its favour.

I didn't find it as funny as either of the first two, though there were still jokes that made me smile. And Hughart definitely knows how to build an ending.

Like I said, as an individual book, it's good. The trilogy as a whole is worth reading and is great.

will_sargent's review

2.0

Not nearly as good as Bridge of Birds.

rdominick's review

3.0

I think reading all of the Li/Ox books in a row might've been a mistake. I wasn't able to pay as much attention to Eight Skilled Gentlemen as it deserved. Very much of a piece with the other two. I enjoyed it.

Whatever I read next, I'm going to have to make time to read every day and not get too distracted.