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The Story of Kao Yu

by Peter S. Beagle

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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476546,756 (3.94)2
"The Story of Kao Yu" is a new fantasy short story by the legendary Peter S. Beagle which tells of an aging judge traveling through rural China and of a criminal he encounters. Of the story, Beagle says it "comes out of a lifelong fascination with Asian legendry -- Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Indonesian -- all drawn from cultures where storytelling, in one form of another, remains a living art. As a young writer I loved everything from Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee mysteries to Lafcadio Hearn's translations of Japanese fairytales and many lesser-known fantasies. Like my story 'The Tale of Junko and Sayuri,' 'The Story of Kao Yu' is a respectful imitation of an ancient style, and never pretends to be anything else. But I wrote it with great care and love, and I'm still proud of it." At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.… (more)
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» See also 2 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
A lyrical little story in the style of Chinese fairy tales. Very readable. ( )
  GallifreyArchive | Dec 9, 2022 |
A lyrical little story in the style of Chinese fairy tales. Very readable. ( )
  copperyon | Dec 9, 2022 |
This is a very atmospheric novelette detailing the interaction between an aging traveling judge and a young pickpocket. The story fit in well with my other experience with modernized Chinese mythological tales, but the telling was really well done. The plot itself was entirely predictable, and my enjoyment of this story came mostly from the telling.

I don't know why I was surprised that this story included a chi-lin (Chinese unicorn) since it was written by Peter S. Beagle, but I was surprised. I love the way it was written, though, and it felt true to the myths of the chi-lin. ( )
  ca.bookwyrm | Aug 31, 2020 |
A beautiful and bittersweet tale by the master of unicorn fiction (yes, there is such a thing). Here Beagle takes us to medieval China, where the distinguished judge Kao Yu is sometimes assisted in his most difficult cases by a chi-lin or dragon-horse, a Chinese cousin of the unicorn. Its presence is a sign of Kao Yu’s probity and incorruptibility and its judgement is final – and mortal. Yet the judge’s contact with this strange creature is threatened when he falls in love with a lovely young pickpocket during one of his judicial circuits. Blinded by the beguiling young woman, will Kao Yu’s famous sense of justice finally become clouded? A charming little fable with a captivating setting.

For this and other short stories from Tor, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2018/03/17/tales-of-strange-encounters-from-tor-com/ ( )
  TheIdleWoman | Nov 15, 2018 |
This short story has so much to commend. It is respectful toward historical Chinese traditions and culture. There is a dragon/unicorn: "Now the chi-lin, the Chinese unicorn, is not only an altogether different species from the white European variety or the menacing Persian karkadann; it is also a different matter in its essence from either one." And there is an honest judge. As in many of Beagle's stories, there is an underlying sadness.

If you like well-written fantasy, read this. ( )
  Jean_Sexton | Feb 25, 2018 |
Showing 1-5 of 6 (next | show all)
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Peter S. Beagleprimary authorall editionscalculated
Winans, AlyssaCover artistsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed

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"The Story of Kao Yu" is a new fantasy short story by the legendary Peter S. Beagle which tells of an aging judge traveling through rural China and of a criminal he encounters. Of the story, Beagle says it "comes out of a lifelong fascination with Asian legendry -- Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indian, Indonesian -- all drawn from cultures where storytelling, in one form of another, remains a living art. As a young writer I loved everything from Robert van Gulik's Judge Dee mysteries to Lafcadio Hearn's translations of Japanese fairytales and many lesser-known fantasies. Like my story 'The Tale of Junko and Sayuri,' 'The Story of Kao Yu' is a respectful imitation of an ancient style, and never pretends to be anything else. But I wrote it with great care and love, and I'm still proud of it." At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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