Eight Skilled Gentlemen
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| Eight Skilled Gentlemen | |
| Author | Barry Hughart |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox |
| Subject(s) | China -- Fiction |
| Genre(s) | Historical Fiction, Fantastic Fiction |
| Publisher | Doubleday |
| Publication date | 1991 |
| Media type | Book |
| Pages | 255 |
| ISBN | ISBN 0385417098 |
| OCLC | 22509949 |
| Preceded by | The Story of the Stone Also published in omnibus edition: The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox. |
Eight Skilled Gentlemen is a novel by Barry Hughart, first published in 1990. It is part of a series set in a version of ancient China that began with Bridge of Birds and The Story of the Stone.
[edit] Plot summary
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 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 really get strange.
