So my roommate bought me the BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA DVD for my birthday. Watching it, it strikes me that this movie was filling in the gap of Chinese mythology that fanboys were missing out on before it came out. Of course every D&D nut knows about Norse and Greek mythology. It's their bread and butter. But they were missing out on the very rich and textured mythology that has been part of the far east, most specifically China's rich culture. Of course, it's parceled out in John Carpenter's inimitable fashion, which makes for a very rich package of ass-whuppin'.
So I thought I'd pimp one of my very favorite fantasy series ever. Of course I'm talking about Barry Hughart's Master Li and Number Ten Ox series. The first book
Bridge of Birds is the one you should pick up right away. As the reviewer says, it's set in an "ancient China that never was".
Holy s**t, this series is amazing. If you've ever been entranced by the idea of Ancient China, this is the book for you. If you weren't, this book will make you an instant convert. I remember picking up
Eight Skilled Gentleman on a whim. It was one of the many, many sci-fi/fantasy books that my dad left lying around the house. I don't know how accurately these books reflect Chinese mythology and culture, but they for damn sure reflect a China us westerner's always wished existed.
I'd go on, but I don't really know how to pitch these books better than I am right now. I am in awe of the series, and it's amazing that these books never got more recognition than they did. In fact, they were out of print for many years. I can not accurately describe how cool the books are. Buy them if you can. If not, patronize your local library. No matter what, if you are a fan of fantasy fiction, you owe it to yourself to pick them up and read them.
And if you do, let me know what you think.
