Barry Hughart, Bridge of Birds

Number Ten Ox is a peasant living in the Chinese village of Ku-fu. When all the village children suddenly contract a mysterious illness, Ox must find a wise man to discover the cause of the sickness and its cure. He finds Master Li, a very old man with “a slight flaw in his character,” and the two of them travel throughout China seeking the Great Root of Power that will supposedly cure the sickness. Along the way, they have a series of adventures involving thievery, beautiful women, murderous dictators, divine entities, and the occasional ghost. This is a fun picaresque novel full of improbable stories and sly jokes. Master Li and Number Ten Ox are the only characters with any depth, but I enjoyed them both immensely, and I also liked how some of the secondary characters kept reentering the narrative. I’m glad I finally got around to reading this one; it isn’t particularly deep or life-changing, but it’s certainly an entertaining read!

Stella Riley, Hazard

Aristide isn’t interested in love or marriage; right now he’s more focused on running the high-class gaming hall he co-owns. Meanwhile, Genevieve is a recent widow who’s desperate to marry again and escape the clutches of her overbearing brothers. Seizing upon a slight prior acquaintance with Aristide, Genevieve makes a shocking proposal, and Aristide is surprised by how tempted he is to accept. Meanwhile, the long-brewing romance between Aristide’s sister, Madeleine, and Nicholas, the duke of Rockliffe’s brother, finally comes to a head. I liked this book a lot, though I found Aristide’s story much more interesting than Madeleine’s. He’s learned to hide his true feelings under an iron mask of self-control, and it’s lovely to watch his growing affection for Genevieve transform him. Genevieve is also a deeply sympathetic character, though I felt she healed awfully quickly from her traumatic past, which includes an abusive husband as well as the aforementioned brothers. Overall, though, a great read in a great series!

Neil Gaiman, Stardust

The village of Wall has long stood at the border of Faerie, but none of the villagers has dared to cross that boundary — until 17-year-old Tristran Thorn vows to bring back a fallen star to impress the prettiest girl in the village. He didn’t count on the fact that the fallen star is actually a young woman, Yvaine; further, he’s not the only person seeking her. Also on the star’s track are the sons of Stormhold, who want a magical token she possesses, and a witch who needs the star’s heart to restore her youth. This novel is very atmospheric and brilliantly conjures up both the beauty and danger of Faerie. Tristran is a likable everyman hero, not too brave and not too clever. The book’s pacing is a bit off, for me — a ton of time is spent setting up the world, and I don’t think Tristran even gets to Faerie until about halfway through. Then he and Yvaine have some adventures that are briefly mentioned in a throwaway sentence or two, but I would have loved to learn more about them! If you’re looking for a book that gives gothic fairytale vibes, this is an excellent choice, but if you prefer a snappier plot in your fantasy novels, I’d look elsewhere.