Ernest Bramah Smith

Kai Lung's Golden Hours illustrated Ernest Bramah Smith

The second volume of amusing Chinese fantasies. A captivating collection that's ripe for rediscovery, "Kai Lung's Golden Hours" stands as the very best of these beguiling books. As with other Kai Lung novels, the main plot serves primarily as a vehicle for the presentation of the gem-like, aphorism-laden stories told by the protagonist Kai Lung, an itinerant story-teller of ancient China. With the help of beautiful Hwa Mei, who has the attention of evil Ming Shu, Kai tries to regain his freedom by spinning a series of entertaining tales that intrigue his captor. In a unique defense, Kai Lung recites his beguiling tales to the Mandarin, successfully postponing his conviction time after time until he is finally set free. Laced with romance and adventure, spiced with fantasy and the supernatural, these stories will transport readers to a mandarin's court in ancient China. "Kai Lung's Golden Hours" is a frame story or frame novel, that is, the narrative provides a frame for different stories.