On This Page
Description
A sequel to "Bridge of Birds," telling the story of a long-dead evil prince who continues to plague his people, and of Master Li, the slightly flawed sage who battles the spirit and his malevolent forces.Tags
Recommendations
Member Recommendations
Member Reviews
I really, really liked this one but it was exhausting. There was plenty of humor, fascinating characters, madcap scenarios and all-around lunacy that made the first book so fantastic to me. But something was off about this book's pace and I can't figure out if it was too fast or too slow. Nothing seemed to flow naturally into the next thing so I was really just powering through while the story just unfolded. As a result I found myself consistently putting the book down for days at a time, even though I was enjoying it.
I'm still looking forward to reading the next installment.
I'm still looking forward to reading the next installment.
In a review of [b:Hell Is Empty|9794605|Hell Is Empty (Walt Longmire, #7)|Craig Johnson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388459227l/9794605._SY75_.jpg|14684712], I noted a story told by Virgil White Buffalo, that ended with Walt Longmire asking, “‘And the moral of the story is?’
He raised an eyebrow, and it was as if the dent in his forehead was looking to dig deeper. ‘What is it with you white people and morals? Maybe it’s just a story about what happened.’”
And that is the essence of Master Li stories. They are old myths, storytelling at the knee of a master; the advanced version of What Happened that Time on the Mountain. Morals may be enforced, lessons learned, principles show more illustrated, but those are all secondary or even tertiary goals. First and foremost is the work of a story: to entertain.
“‘But how can I tell The Story of the Stone?’ I wailed. ‘In the first place I don’t understand where it begins and in the second place I’m not sure it has an ending and in the third place, even if I understood the ending it wouldn’t do me any good because I don’t understand the beginning in the first place.’
He gazed at me in silence. Then he said, ‘My boy, stay away from sentences like that. They tend to produce pimples and permanent facial tics.’”
I may be in the minority, but I found The Story of the Stone even better than its predecessor, [b:Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was|15177|Bridge of Birds (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, #1)|Barry Hughart|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327940289l/15177._SY75_.jpg|958087]. While Bridge was a rollicking adventure through the countryside, Stone is a mystery, one that needs to be solved the old, old, old fashioned way–by doing all of it yourself, including the autopsies (“My boy, we’re going to perform the most delightful autopsy in history“) and dream journeys through the Hells.
It begins in their home, with Number Ten Ox worrying about Master Li, “He never spoke to me about it, but he was old, old almost beyond belief, and I think he was afraid he’d drop dead before something interesting turned up.” The ‘something interesting’ turns out to be the abbot of a monastery in the Valley of Sorrows who brings a mystery: A monk has been murdered and a forgery of an an ancient stolen manuscript found in his hands. Even worse, the Laughing Prince, who has been dead for seven hundred and fifty years, seems to be responsible. Master Li is certain there is a rational explanation, so he and Ox set off for the Valley, just in time for the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts and a re-appearance of the horror. Solving the mystery of the murdered monk will mean learning about the Laughing Prince, meeting Prince Liu Pao, his current living descendent, discovering the Laughing tomb, visiting the capital city and the Captain of Prostitutes, and journeying to a barbarian kingdom find a talented song-master. That’s not all, mind you, but I don’t want to give the impression that solving the mystery means any less of a scope of adventure than Bridge, just that the adventures are more focused.
“One-Eyed Wong and his beloved wife, Fat Fu, have worked very hard to earn the reputation of running the worse wineshop in all of China. The notoriety gives them a clientele that is the envy of the empire”
Characters are delightful, from Master Li and his slight flaw, to the eternally-innocent Ox, to two new companions, Moon Boy and Grief of Dawn. Moon Boy has the ability to seduce anyone he meets–male or female–providing the opportunity for a nudge-nudge-wink-wink that adds some silly fun to the story. In the wrong hands, this kind of characterization could edge into simple caricature, but Hughbart does a perfect job of rounding out each character, respecting their eccentricities, and providing justifications for their traits.
“If it was a coincidental collapse of a tunnel and the release of old acids, as I suggested to the prince, it’s the kind of coincidence that deserves priests, prayers, and an elaborate theology.”
The writing is clever, with bits of humor scattered through, partly due to the word-play and partly moments of sheer fun (there’s a scheme to obtain tracings of sacred stones that’s laugh-out-loud). There’s awe at the mysteries of the universe. Surprisingly, there are some horror elements, which I should have expected since the Laughing Prince has been dead for seven hundred and fifty years.
“Li Kao, you wouldn’t do that, would you? he said pleadingly. “He’s only a boy.”
“And a delightful one, so I’m told,” Master Li said warmly.
“A trifle wild, perhaps, but that’s the way of the young,” the toad said. “You have to allow for a little excess in boyish ambition.”
“Youth will be served,” Master Li said sententiously. “Sometimes after having been stuffed with truffles and basted in bean curd sauce,” he added.
These stories may not work for everyone, but I think they should work well for people that love the art of storytelling, that grew up on mythology and fairy tales, and have the patience for apparent detours that develop into the path of solution. I’m reminded of Valente’s The Orphan Tales, Goldberg’s The Princess Bride, Williams’ Inspector Chen series, and just about every myth I’ve ever read. This is an excellent group of books, and I’ll be looking to find them in hardcover for my collection.
My blog post has a link to the Monty Python sketch referenced
https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2015/08/08/the-story-of-the-stone-by-barry-hugha... show less
He raised an eyebrow, and it was as if the dent in his forehead was looking to dig deeper. ‘What is it with you white people and morals? Maybe it’s just a story about what happened.’”
And that is the essence of Master Li stories. They are old myths, storytelling at the knee of a master; the advanced version of What Happened that Time on the Mountain. Morals may be enforced, lessons learned, principles show more illustrated, but those are all secondary or even tertiary goals. First and foremost is the work of a story: to entertain.
“‘But how can I tell The Story of the Stone?’ I wailed. ‘In the first place I don’t understand where it begins and in the second place I’m not sure it has an ending and in the third place, even if I understood the ending it wouldn’t do me any good because I don’t understand the beginning in the first place.’
He gazed at me in silence. Then he said, ‘My boy, stay away from sentences like that. They tend to produce pimples and permanent facial tics.’”
I may be in the minority, but I found The Story of the Stone even better than its predecessor, [b:Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was|15177|Bridge of Birds (The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox, #1)|Barry Hughart|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327940289l/15177._SY75_.jpg|958087]. While Bridge was a rollicking adventure through the countryside, Stone is a mystery, one that needs to be solved the old, old, old fashioned way–by doing all of it yourself, including the autopsies (“My boy, we’re going to perform the most delightful autopsy in history“) and dream journeys through the Hells.
It begins in their home, with Number Ten Ox worrying about Master Li, “He never spoke to me about it, but he was old, old almost beyond belief, and I think he was afraid he’d drop dead before something interesting turned up.” The ‘something interesting’ turns out to be the abbot of a monastery in the Valley of Sorrows who brings a mystery: A monk has been murdered and a forgery of an an ancient stolen manuscript found in his hands. Even worse, the Laughing Prince, who has been dead for seven hundred and fifty years, seems to be responsible. Master Li is certain there is a rational explanation, so he and Ox set off for the Valley, just in time for the Feast of the Hungry Ghosts and a re-appearance of the horror. Solving the mystery of the murdered monk will mean learning about the Laughing Prince, meeting Prince Liu Pao, his current living descendent, discovering the Laughing tomb, visiting the capital city and the Captain of Prostitutes, and journeying to a barbarian kingdom find a talented song-master. That’s not all, mind you, but I don’t want to give the impression that solving the mystery means any less of a scope of adventure than Bridge, just that the adventures are more focused.
“One-Eyed Wong and his beloved wife, Fat Fu, have worked very hard to earn the reputation of running the worse wineshop in all of China. The notoriety gives them a clientele that is the envy of the empire”
Characters are delightful, from Master Li and his slight flaw, to the eternally-innocent Ox, to two new companions, Moon Boy and Grief of Dawn. Moon Boy has the ability to seduce anyone he meets–male or female–providing the opportunity for a nudge-nudge-wink-wink that adds some silly fun to the story. In the wrong hands, this kind of characterization could edge into simple caricature, but Hughbart does a perfect job of rounding out each character, respecting their eccentricities, and providing justifications for their traits.
“If it was a coincidental collapse of a tunnel and the release of old acids, as I suggested to the prince, it’s the kind of coincidence that deserves priests, prayers, and an elaborate theology.”
The writing is clever, with bits of humor scattered through, partly due to the word-play and partly moments of sheer fun (there’s a scheme to obtain tracings of sacred stones that’s laugh-out-loud). There’s awe at the mysteries of the universe. Surprisingly, there are some horror elements, which I should have expected since the Laughing Prince has been dead for seven hundred and fifty years.
“Li Kao, you wouldn’t do that, would you? he said pleadingly. “He’s only a boy.”
“And a delightful one, so I’m told,” Master Li said warmly.
“A trifle wild, perhaps, but that’s the way of the young,” the toad said. “You have to allow for a little excess in boyish ambition.”
“Youth will be served,” Master Li said sententiously. “Sometimes after having been stuffed with truffles and basted in bean curd sauce,” he added.
These stories may not work for everyone, but I think they should work well for people that love the art of storytelling, that grew up on mythology and fairy tales, and have the patience for apparent detours that develop into the path of solution. I’m reminded of Valente’s The Orphan Tales, Goldberg’s The Princess Bride, Williams’ Inspector Chen series, and just about every myth I’ve ever read. This is an excellent group of books, and I’ll be looking to find them in hardcover for my collection.
My blog post has a link to the Monty Python sketch referenced
https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2015/08/08/the-story-of-the-stone-by-barry-hugha... show less
Oh dear.
I read Bridge of Birds in college on the recommendation of a friend. I immediately fell in love with it. The book was hysterically funny, tightly plotted, and was gloriously whimsy. So when I heard that Hughart had written a sequel (two, in fact), I expected the second book to be just as good as the first.
It's... not.
I reread Bridge of Birds last week, and it's just as good as I remembered. A major part of that excellence is how damn well the whole thing is put together. That's why it feels more like a fairytale than a fantasy--the preciseness of the story elements, how each plot beat mirrors each other, the classic sets of threes, culminating in the big reveal that you never saw coming but makes absolute total sense, and upon show more reread is actually very expected.
The Story of the Stone is just a mess. There's none of the careful plot precision of the first book, none of the fairytale qualities that elevated Bridge of Birds from enjoyable fantasy to something memorable. The plot runs literally all over the place, and the ending is so unexpected it feels rude. There's no way anyone could have seen the ending coming because that ending makes no sense.
Some of the old elements are back. The main characters of Master Li and Number Ten Ox have returned, as has the humor and occasional reliance on Divine intervention (the Chinese pantheon variety). But there's more to a great novel than it's basic parts, and The Story of the Stone utterly fails to become something more.
I'm very disappointed. I've read a lot of crap recently, frankly, and a decent chunk of that crap were books that I really thought I was going to like. This hasn't been a great year for reading new fiction. show less
I read Bridge of Birds in college on the recommendation of a friend. I immediately fell in love with it. The book was hysterically funny, tightly plotted, and was gloriously whimsy. So when I heard that Hughart had written a sequel (two, in fact), I expected the second book to be just as good as the first.
It's... not.
I reread Bridge of Birds last week, and it's just as good as I remembered. A major part of that excellence is how damn well the whole thing is put together. That's why it feels more like a fairytale than a fantasy--the preciseness of the story elements, how each plot beat mirrors each other, the classic sets of threes, culminating in the big reveal that you never saw coming but makes absolute total sense, and upon show more reread is actually very expected.
The Story of the Stone is just a mess. There's none of the careful plot precision of the first book, none of the fairytale qualities that elevated Bridge of Birds from enjoyable fantasy to something memorable. The plot runs literally all over the place, and the ending is so unexpected it feels rude. There's no way anyone could have seen the ending coming because that ending makes no sense.
Some of the old elements are back. The main characters of Master Li and Number Ten Ox have returned, as has the humor and occasional reliance on Divine intervention (the Chinese pantheon variety). But there's more to a great novel than it's basic parts, and The Story of the Stone utterly fails to become something more.
I'm very disappointed. I've read a lot of crap recently, frankly, and a decent chunk of that crap were books that I really thought I was going to like. This hasn't been a great year for reading new fiction. show less
'But how can I tell The Story of the Stone?' I wailed. 'In the first place I don't understand where it begins and in the second place I'm not sure it has an ending and in the third place even if I understood the ending it wouldn't do me any good because I don't understand the beginning in the first place.'
He gazed at me in silence. Then he said, 'My boy, stay away from sentences like that. They tend to produce pimples and permanent facial tics.'
'Yes, sir,' I said.
'Begin at the beginning as you understood it, proceed through the middle, continue to the end, and then stop,' said Master Li, and he sauntered out to get drunk, leaving me to my current misery.
Li Kao and his assistant Number Ten Ox are hired by an abbot to investigate the show more death of one of his monks and the apparent resurrection of a long dead evil prince. At first Li Kao suspects that the strange happening are just cover for a robbery and the search for the dead prince's hidden treasure, but the case turns out to be much more complicated than that, encompassing theft, forgery, murder, a treasure hunt, plant die-off, and mysterious sounds that not everyone can hear, amongst other things. As in the previous book, they spend a lot of time exploring labyrinthine tunnels, and Number Ten Ox does seem to have a knack for falling in love with unattainable women.
As I read, I was wondering if there was any link to the famous Chinese book of the same name, so I wasn't surprised when it was mentioned (totally anachronistically of course, but as this is a fantasy novel, that hardly matters). But whereas I do agree with Number Ten Ox that "Bao-Yu is an effeminate ass who should have either been spanked or decapitated, both ends being equally objectionable" I did like many of the other characters in it and have read all five volumes of the Penguin Classics version. Coming back to this book, I found Moon Boy (a sound artist recruited by Li Kao to join the investigation) just about as irritating as Number Ten Ox found Bao-Yu, and overall, I would say that the mystery wasn't quite as engrossing as that in "Bridge of Birds". I didn't guess beforehand what was going to happen at the end, but when it happened it didn't actually come as much of a surprise.
It's still a good book, and I didn't find the story as confusing as Number Ten Ox obviously did. It's just not quite as good as "Bridge of Birds". show less
He gazed at me in silence. Then he said, 'My boy, stay away from sentences like that. They tend to produce pimples and permanent facial tics.'
'Yes, sir,' I said.
'Begin at the beginning as you understood it, proceed through the middle, continue to the end, and then stop,' said Master Li, and he sauntered out to get drunk, leaving me to my current misery.
Li Kao and his assistant Number Ten Ox are hired by an abbot to investigate the show more death of one of his monks and the apparent resurrection of a long dead evil prince. At first Li Kao suspects that the strange happening are just cover for a robbery and the search for the dead prince's hidden treasure, but the case turns out to be much more complicated than that, encompassing theft, forgery, murder, a treasure hunt, plant die-off, and mysterious sounds that not everyone can hear, amongst other things. As in the previous book, they spend a lot of time exploring labyrinthine tunnels, and Number Ten Ox does seem to have a knack for falling in love with unattainable women.
As I read, I was wondering if there was any link to the famous Chinese book of the same name, so I wasn't surprised when it was mentioned (totally anachronistically of course, but as this is a fantasy novel, that hardly matters). But whereas I do agree with Number Ten Ox that "Bao-Yu is an effeminate ass who should have either been spanked or decapitated, both ends being equally objectionable" I did like many of the other characters in it and have read all five volumes of the Penguin Classics version. Coming back to this book, I found Moon Boy (a sound artist recruited by Li Kao to join the investigation) just about as irritating as Number Ten Ox found Bao-Yu, and overall, I would say that the mystery wasn't quite as engrossing as that in "Bridge of Birds". I didn't guess beforehand what was going to happen at the end, but when it happened it didn't actually come as much of a surprise.
It's still a good book, and I didn't find the story as confusing as Number Ten Ox obviously did. It's just not quite as good as "Bridge of Birds". show less
'La leyenda de la piedra' es el segundo libro (de lectura totalmente independiente) de las Crónicas del Maestro Li. En el primer libro, 'Puente de pájaros', se nos daba a conocer a tan singular personaje, un viejo erudito con un ligero defecto de carácter, dedicado a esclarecer enigmas imposibles, y a su cliente Buey Número Diez, un campesino que ahora pasa a ser su ayudante. Esta nueva historia, como la primera, está narrada por Buey, que ejerce de cronista de las aventuras del maestro Li, participando en ellas activamente, como si de un doctor Watson se tratase.
La historia de 'La leyenda de la piedra' trata sobre unos extraños sucesos que acaecen en el Valle de las Penas: un bibliotecario ha aparecido asesinado y un pergamino de show more gran valor ha desaparecido; además, parte del valle ha sufrido lo que parece ser un ataque con ácido, matando tanto a animales como plantas. Todo parece apuntar al Príncipe Risueño y sus acólitos, asesinos y torturadores de inocentes, que buscaban los secretos de una legendaria piedra de enorme poder. Pero resulta que el Príncipe Risueño murió hace siete siglos... ¿Podrán el maestro Li y su ayudante Buey Número Diez resolver tales misterios?
He de decir que esta segunda novela no me ha gustado tanto como la primera, que me sorprendió muy gratamente, mostrándome un Antigua China que nunca fue. En 'La leyenda de la piedra' no faltan todos esos ingredientes que la hacen tan especial: la fantasía mezclada con la mitología china, los enigmas, el humor, la aventura y las distracciones y tentaciones, pero con menos frescura que en su predecesora. El argumento es algo más confuso y menos poético que en 'Puente de pájaros', pero las aventuras no faltan, asistiendo incluso a un descenso a los infiernos. show less
La historia de 'La leyenda de la piedra' trata sobre unos extraños sucesos que acaecen en el Valle de las Penas: un bibliotecario ha aparecido asesinado y un pergamino de show more gran valor ha desaparecido; además, parte del valle ha sufrido lo que parece ser un ataque con ácido, matando tanto a animales como plantas. Todo parece apuntar al Príncipe Risueño y sus acólitos, asesinos y torturadores de inocentes, que buscaban los secretos de una legendaria piedra de enorme poder. Pero resulta que el Príncipe Risueño murió hace siete siglos... ¿Podrán el maestro Li y su ayudante Buey Número Diez resolver tales misterios?
He de decir que esta segunda novela no me ha gustado tanto como la primera, que me sorprendió muy gratamente, mostrándome un Antigua China que nunca fue. En 'La leyenda de la piedra' no faltan todos esos ingredientes que la hacen tan especial: la fantasía mezclada con la mitología china, los enigmas, el humor, la aventura y las distracciones y tentaciones, pero con menos frescura que en su predecesora. El argumento es algo más confuso y menos poético que en 'Puente de pájaros', pero las aventuras no faltan, asistiendo incluso a un descenso a los infiernos. show less
In Story of the Stone, Number Ten Ox is now Master Li's apprentice as they delve into the mystery of the Laughing Prince. This time, their client is a prince who descended from the aforementioned Laughing Prince, who wants to distance himself from the horrors committed by his ancestor, but faces a supernatural cult dedicated to him that is terrorizing the peasantry. This story continues the ridiculous overtones of the previous book, this time featuring a Dante-esque tour through the many levels of hell with Master Li impersonating an officious mandarin with authority even over demons. While this was a good follow-up to The Bridge of Birds, on the whole I found it a little less entertaining, and I'm still not sure what to think of the show more Scooby-Doo ending. show less
Set in a mythical, medieval China where folklore and history are indistinguishable, a dead monk, an ancient and now missing manuscript, and a ghostly murderer entice the venerable Master Li and his faithful companion Number Ten Ox into the Valley of Sorrows for a deadly and uproarious confrontation with the long-dead.
Members
- Recently Added By
Lists
Books Read in 2015
3,299 works; 126 members
Best Fantasy Novels
821 works; 357 members
Author Information
4 Works 5,095 Members
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Series
Belongs to Publisher Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Story of the Stone
- Original title
- The Story of the Stone
- Original publication date
- 1988-07
- People/Characters
- Li Kao; Number Ten Ox; Moon Boy; Grief of Dawn; Prince Lio Pao
- Important places
- China
- Important events
- Tang Dynasty (618 | 907)
- Dedication
- This one is for the Sacred and Solemn Order of Sinologists
- First words
- Jen Wu is a day Master Li sets aside for my literary endeavors, and I was pleased that it was cold and rainy and fit for little else than splashing ink around.
~ Prologue
One-Eyed Wong and his beloved wife, Fat Fu, have worked very hard to earn the reputation of running the worst wineshop in all China. - Quotations
- * The meaning is unclear, although the implication is alarming. It should be remembered that volumes two through five of the complete Memoirs of Number Ten Ox were seized and burned by the Imperial Censors, and while c... (show all)opies are rumored to exist, none have been found.
In darkness languishes the precious stone, When will its excellence enchant the world? - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I turned and began loping down the path toward the monastery, and then on to Peking, and Heaven's Bridge, and the Alley of Flies, and the Wineshop of One-Eyed Wong.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 969
- Popularity
- 27,168
- Reviews
- 24
- Rating
- (4.05)
- Languages
- 6 — English, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 14
- ASINs
- 6
