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Title: Bridge of Birds
Series: Master Li and Number 10 Ox #1
Author: Barry Hughart
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 234
Words: 90K
When the wise and venerable Ola (who has one character flaw) reviewed this earlier this year (Her Review Here) it reminded me that it had been almost a decade since I myself had read and reviewed this. Of course, with my Reading Rotation it took me 2/3rds of a year to get around to this again, but like the Wheel of Justice, the Wheel of Bookstooge’s Reviews grinds fine and grinds eternally (except when it doesn’t, like last month).
I really enjoyed it this time around but almost wish I had left it alone. Last time I gave it 5stars but this time I could only give it 4. That was because the humor was of the variety that only really shotgunned me for the first time. After that, it just wasn’t as funny.
The novelty had worn off and while still good, it wasn’t as good. I am definitely not tempted to read any of the sequels now. I highly recommend this if you have not read it before though. I can not imagine you would regret reading this.
Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road 
If you re-read every book you’ve read every eight months, how do you find time to read new books?
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I’ve decided to win the lottery and quit my job so I can read as a full time job.
But usually I re-read every 5-10 years, and only for a select cadre of selections. Which I’ll be going through this month. After the silence of last month, I needed to read some books that were going to be comfort reads. I hope it turns out well.
New books, schnoo books. New stuff is mostly crap, so I can avoid it easily…
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Is it China that never was, or the novel?
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Good question, young grasshopper. I shall think about this question all day, while I chop down trees so you can have more sunlight, and I’ll have a definitive answer for you this evening…
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Always surprised by how many people have read this book – not that I didn’t enjoy it (I did) but I don’t remember it having that high a profile at the time.
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Even now I wonder how many people know about it. Not sure if it’s word of mouth or what for how it spreads.
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Thought the mc had a friend who wasn’t what he seemed? Don’t see anything about it in the synopsis, so maybe I’m thinking of the second book?
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It must be. I don’t remember much about the sequels except that I didn’t enjoy them as much.
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Yeah, it was definitely a case of diminishing returns.
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Knowing your history of re-reads 4 stars is still a huge success, I’d say! 😁
I can see where it would be not as good upon re-read, though, as the whirlwind of surprising events propelling this book ever forward is a big part of its charm.
Thanks for the shout-out, Bookstooge!
P.S. Lovely new avatar!
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And this is why I keep on chancing rereads, I want to know if a book has staying power or just one time entertainment.
I’m still disappointed though when something falls into the latter group.
You are welcome. I’d still like more people to read this, so any encouragement can only help. 🙂
Thank you. I like changing avatars. As long as I don’t do it too often that is.
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I really want to read this book. I’ve read books that are very similar and were fun: the Kai Lung books by Ernest Bramah. These are probably the most famous novels in the same subgenre of orientalist fantasy.
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I suspect you’d like the whole trilogy. I was looking over my reviews of all 3 and even the final book got 4stars in ’13 or whenever it was, so it wasn’t bad, it jut wasn’t as good.
How many are in the series by Bramah?
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A couple books from the early 1900s. I just tried the first chapter of the first novel again, The Wallet of Kai Lung, and it was hard going, to be honest. It’s funny and clever, but is very dense and it takes a bit to get used to the style.
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Thanks. Might have to check it out.
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Re- reads can be tough. I can see reading this though, like that premise.
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It’s always a crapshoot when I re-read. Is it going to be good enough for the me that I am now like it was for the me I used to be 😀
This is a good book and I definitely recommend it.
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Exactly. I’ve had so many re- reads flame out, and then those good memories are lost. 🙂
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It’s nice to see how you promote this even if you had to drop a star upon this reread.
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It is a really fun book. But only for one time…
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Ok, you may have saved me from re-reading this one, thanks!
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Yeah, definitely stick with your old memories.
How’s life treating recently?
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Doing well, thank you. One of my daughters has a few health issues lately, but that’s just part of life.
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