Author: barryhughart

When a vampiric ghoul murders a mandarin in the heart of the Forbidden City, wise Master Li and his assistant, Number Ten Ox, investigate. Fusing Sherlockian adventure, wit, and ancient Chinese myth, this novel is “superbly written… not to be missed” (Publishers Weekly).

Reading Hughart’s endearing historical fantasy trilogy, first published almost 20 years ago, is much like wandering blindfolded through a myth devised by a maniac, in the words of Master Li, the greatest and most frequently intoxicated wise man in a colorful seventh century China that never was. Slow, strong, and good-hearted peasant Number Ten Ox initially seeks Master Li’s help to cure a … bizarre plague and soon becomes his sidekick. Their rollicking adventures pit them against everyone from murderers and thieves to emperors and gods. Numerous Chinese legends, filtered through Ox’s simple perspective, blend seamlessly into tales both lighthearted…