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A review by metalphoenix
Eight Skilled Gentleman by Barry Hughart
3.0
The thing with mysteries is that you can't use the same trick over and over again and expect a reaction from the reader. In [b:Bridge of Birds|15177|Bridge of Birds A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was|Barry Hughart|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327940289s/15177.jpg|958087], the reveals were fresh and clever. In [b:Story of the Stone|77207|The Story of the Stone|Barry Hughart|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1321813561s/77207.jpg|850766], it was somewhat expected, but still interesting. But the third time is not the charm here, and the mystery part of Hughart's books that I found so compelling before was a bit of a dud.
This book also lacked the same fairy tale air that the first two books captured. Even though the story revolves around an ancient myth like the others, it was never as magical. Without that abstract atmosphere, the story's more eccentric parts felt incredibly out of place and took me away from the story. In particular, there's a scene where they It's intended to be humorous, with a listing of various recipes and Number Ten Ox's disgusted reactions, but without the fairy tale tone to accentuate the absurdity, it mostly felt weird.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the core myth for what it was. Hughart definitely creates fascinating folklore. I especially liked the concept of Envy, and the story he tells about the king. (The king envies a farmer, so the gods grant his wish to become one. As a farmer, he envies the clouds, so the gods grant his wish again. As a cloud he envies the sun, as the sun he envies the stars, and as a star he envies a normal life on Earth, and is turned back into a king who envies the farmer.) Considering that the previous two books dealt with greed and pride (though not as literally), I wonder if the subsequent books Hughart had originally planned would have been about the other sins, with an Ancient Chinese folklore twist. That would have been pretty neat.
In conclusion: This book's title would make an excellent band name.
This book also lacked the same fairy tale air that the first two books captured. Even though the story revolves around an ancient myth like the others, it was never as magical. Without that abstract atmosphere, the story's more eccentric parts felt incredibly out of place and took me away from the story. In particular, there's a scene where they
Spoiler
kill a man, and end up having to cook the body to get rid of the evidence.Nonetheless, I enjoyed the core myth for what it was. Hughart definitely creates fascinating folklore. I especially liked the concept of Envy, and the story he tells about the king. (The king envies a farmer, so the gods grant his wish to become one. As a farmer, he envies the clouds, so the gods grant his wish again. As a cloud he envies the sun, as the sun he envies the stars, and as a star he envies a normal life on Earth, and is turned back into a king who envies the farmer.) Considering that the previous two books dealt with greed and pride (though not as literally), I wonder if the subsequent books Hughart had originally planned would have been about the other sins, with an Ancient Chinese folklore twist. That would have been pretty neat.
In conclusion: This book's title would make an excellent band name.