Barry Hughart's Eight Skilled Gentlemen is the third of Hughart's novels to follow the exploits of Li Kao and Number Ten Ox, the unlikely duo whose formidable brains and brawn (respectively) have already helped solve two perplexing mysteries. In this novel, Li Kao and Number Ten Ox are attending the execution of a notorious criminal (about whose capture the less said the better, according to the coy chronicler) when into the public square bounds an ancient vampire, who soon meets a fiery demise. Shortly afterward they discover a conspiracy involving fake tea, mysterious cages, and a host of minor demon-deities led by an ape-like man with blue cheeks, a crimson nose, a silver forehead, and a yellow chin. And then things get really strange.

The Story of the Stone--Hughart's last book on Li and Ox--was a dissatisfying tale with a disjointed and confusing plot. In Eight Skilled Gentlemen, on the other hand, Hughart shows some of the unquenchable delight and intricate planning that made Bridge of Birds, the first Master Li novel, so satisfying.

The result is an exciting, tightly plotted novel that starts with a bang and ends with a race that will determine no less than the fate of all life on Earth. In between is a fascinating mystery that begins with a series of disconnected clues but then slowly comes together into a sensible (albeit supernatural) conclusion. And, of course, no Master Li novel would be complete without Li's various hair-raising plots and escapes--and in Eight Skilled Gentlemen Hughart gives us a memorable series of such adventures.

Unfortunately, although Eight Skilled Gentlemen was a vastly entertaining read, it does not even begin to approach the wonder of Bridge of Birds. The primary problem is that Eight Skilled Gentlemen, though far from ho-hum, contains a much more traditional mystery, with clues that must be pieced together to form a logical conclusion. As a result, Eight Skilled Gentlemen is less magical a journey than Bridge of Birds, whose unexpected and at times extravagant plot twists delighted the reader's expectations. Also, the characters of Li Kao and Number Ten Ox have settled a bit too much--their characters seem more static and are thus less interesting and surprising than they were in the first book. As with other famous detectives--in particular Sherlock Holmes, to whom the book jacket compares Li Kao--there has been a slow solidification of the characters into well known (and at times well-worn) tropes.

Eight Skilled Gentlemen is not as fresh or exciting as Bridge of Birds, but it is leaps and bounds ahead of The Story of the Stone. Readers who enjoyed Bridge of Birds would do well to skip over the second volume and proceed to this one instead.

Copyright © 2002 Steven Wu