I
read this book as part of the Sword and Laser Book club
What's the book about?
This
book tells the story of Yu Lu, or Number Ten Ox, and Master Li Kao. Ten Ox
leaves in the village of Ku Fu when suddenly the kids of the village get struck
by a mysterious illness. Ten Ox is sent to find a wise man to help them save
the life of the kids and he meets Master Li, probably the smartest person in
China with an slight flaw in his character. They realize that to save the kids
they will have to find the Great Root of Power.
Whit
this quest they will travel all over China and finally meet the Duque of
Chi'in, a terrible villain that will try his best to stop our two heroes. They
o the other side embark themselves in a bigger adventure without knowing it at
first.
What
was different of this book?
This is a beautiful example of
magical realism. The author takes a lot of influences of China's mythology and
mixes it with clever humor. Although is a fantasy book, is not overwhelmingly
so. The building of the story around the fantasy part is gradual and when it
reaches its climax the reader won't be able to put the book down until all the
pieces fit together. There is adventure, romance, humor and a heart breaking
end.
What
about the main character?
In this book we have 2 main
characters but there are other big role characters all through the history.
Ten Ox is a sweet mannered peasant
boy. He is strong and his humble and he is easy to love as a character. He wants
to help as much as he can however he can, and his biggest motivation through
all the book is making things right for the kids in his village.
On the other hand we have Master Li.
Smart as he is, he has lost the innocence that would make him a
"good" character. Not that he is bad, but he has that bitternes that
makes characters funny and ever so sarcastic. One of the first lines he has got me smiling
from the beginning:
Take a bowl [...] fill it with equal
measures of fact, fantasy, history, mythology, science, superstition, logic and
lunacy. Darken the mixture with bitter tears, brighten it with howls of
laughter, toss in three thousand years of civilization, bellow kan pei [...]
And
I will be wise? He asked
Better'
I said' You will be Chinese
That said, he is someone who will
finish what he started, even if it costs
him everything. He will be the first one to praise Ten Ox when he is doubting
himself. He is a cunning man but he has a good heart albeit not pure.
The
10% moment
The example of writing that I just
gave you happens at about the 10% of the book. It got me, hands down by then.
You want to know what that mysterious illness is and mostly you will want to
know what exactly is the flaw in Master Li's character.
Final
thoughts
The resolution was not foreseeable
(at least not for me) and I ended up with tears in my eyes with the beautiful
ending. I know a lot of people in the S&L forum complained about the female
role in the book. I have to tell you, that even though I was not crazy about it
in general, I think it works with the style intended for the book.
I'm looking forward to reading the 2
next installments s of the series.
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