Yet Henpecked Ho easily surpassed him he might actually be a close second on the list of my favourites, right after Li Kao, because he is such an absurdly delightful figure. I enjoyed reading Number Ten Ox’s report, as his voice was unique and honest and appropriately naive yet developing along the way to something tempered not only by good heart but also by wisdom. But while Li is certainly the most memorable and ingenious character, he’s not alone. He steals the book, to be frank, though I guess Hughart simply gave it away to him with a deep kowtow once Master Li made an appearance.
Proudly displaying a half-closed eye as his emblem, he’s a Chinese Socrates painfully aware of his deficiencies and vices, humble to fault, and possessing an incredibly acute and wonderfully devious mind. Master Li introduces himself, and he’s nothing but truthful. “My surname is Li and my personal name is Kao, and there is a slight flaw in my character”, The two main characters, Master Li Kao and Number Ten Ox, reach deep into the tradition of drunken masters and their naive peasant students, and out of it make something unique and entirely their own. The myths and legends, folktales, traditions and tropes he had woven into his brilliant tapestry are many and varied, and given a fresh spin. Hughart clearly knew a lot about Asian culture, and it is obvious that he loved it dearly, too. I must have a slight flaw in my character, too, as I suspect the horrid Duke of Ch’in to bear more than a passing resemblance to the Chinese real-life exalted genocidal maniac, Mao Tse Tung – at least, the Duke’s proficiency in burning books, destroying pantheons and traditions, killing peasants and levelling villages has certain historical precedent. Equally righteously angry at inequity, law of might, exploitation, greed, and other human foibles, and equally hopeful with its belief that humans can transcend their nature and become better, and that all the wrongs can be ultimately righted – maybe not in this generation, not in the next, but at some point karma will return. Absolutely wonderful, on par with some of the best Pratchetts. I really didn’t know how much I needed such a book – until I read it. This story is advertised as “a novel of an Ancient China That Never Was.” It’s a very subtle claim, one that gives an insight into what type of novel Hughart wrote: wistful, whimsical, full of wonder, benevolently sarcastic, witty and self-aware, and most importantly, incredibly optimistic. Series: The Chronicles of Master Li and Number Ten Ox #1
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