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Ou Lu Khen & the Beautiful Madwoman
Known to readers for her magnificent TOMOE GOZEN SAGA, Jessica Amanda Salmonson here turns her talents to the story of a simple man's quest for love.
Lu Khen was in love with the madwoman who lived in the forest. But the Powers had decreed that an ordinary mortal could never marry one blessed with the gift of madness. To win it for himself, Lu Khen set out for the crumbling tombs of the Lost Dynasty, a period of demonic rule so horrifying that it had been erased from the history books.
There he would find the power to win the love he sought... or perish!
Lu Khen was in love with the madwoman who lived in the forest. But the Powers had decreed that an ordinary mortal could never marry one blessed with the gift of madness. To win it for himself, Lu Khen set out for the crumbling tombs of the Lost Dynasty, a period of demonic rule so horrifying that it had been erased from the history books.
There he would find the power to win the love he sought... or perish!
243 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1985
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 6, 2013
Jessica Amanda Salmonson is in my opinion one of the most underappreciated fantasy authors of the 20th century. She wrote and edited several paperback fantasy novels in the 70s and 80s, but has faded into relative obscurity since, which is a shame. A terrible shame.
My favorite work by her is the Tomoe Gozen trilogy, about the eponymous woman warrior of Samurai legend. Ou Lu Khen and the Beautiful Madwoman is even more obscure, a stand-alone novel about a peasant named Ou Lu Khen who falls in love with a girl named Yeung Mai Su. Mai Su is "mad" in the sense that she is completely oblivious to worldly concerns, and while she sings like an angel, she never speaks a word. Blessed as she is by the Buddha, Ou Lu Khen cannot hope to realize his dream of marrying her. However, when the burdens of being the eldest son of his impoverished family weigh on him too heavily, he renounces them and flees into the wilds with the trusting, otherworldly Mai Su.
Their quest takes them to the tombs of the Lost Dynasty, an evil empire that ruled for a thousand years with such wickedness that history has forgotten them, though legends have not. However, Lu Khen and Mai Su are followed by Lu Khen's little sister, Koy, and his great-grandfather, Ou Po Lee, who wish to bring their prodigal family head back. And all of them are trailed by a disreputable villain named Harada Fumiaka, an exile from an island nation who has a grudge against them all that started with Ou Lu Khen stealing his boat.
This is in many ways a classic adventure tale, alternating between three parties: Ou Lu Khen and his mystical maiden companion, who proves to have a vision and powers far beyond anyone's expectations, the charming and unlikely adventurers Koy and Po Lee, a tiny girl and a hundred-year-old man, who also both show amazing resilience on their quest, and finally, Harada Fumiaka, who tracks them Gollum-like to the tombs of the Lost Dynasty, where there is a Gollum-like final confrontation, but with a very different outcome.
I loved this book. I really, really loved it. The writing, the splendid fantasy bursting across the pages, from Po Lee and Koy discovering a tribe of tattooed aborigines whose ancient, oracular wise woman turns out to be a long, long-ago lover of Po Lee (a revelation he is most embarrassed about revealing to his little great-granddaughter) to the guardian spirits and the terrible demons and monsters who appear in the climax. Despite being very high fantasy with a decidedly (and culturally appropriate) Asian feel, it is fundamentally a human tale. We see Koy growing up on her journey, learning new things (like the fact that her great-grandfather is not infallible) and trying to be a heroine... and only kind of succeeding because she is not a little ninja, she's just a kid. Ou Lu Khen is well-intentioned and good-hearted, but also selfish and short-sighted. As he realizes that not only is he not worthy of Mai Su, but that their quest is much bigger than either of them and not about him at all, he struggles to be true to her while having no idea what his role or purpose is. And Harada Fumiaka, while the villain of the story, turns out to be more pitiable than despicable.
The writing isn't just surprisingly nuanced in its psychological and cultural portrayals, it's also very fine writing for its own sake. Salmonson is a storyteller par excellence.
Really, this book needs to be read by more people. Look how few reviews it has! It is a tragedy. If you love traditional fantasy, well-written but unabashedly old-school fantasy, in an Asian setting that is not just trappings and Chinoiserie but actually takes history and culture and religion into account, then read Jessica Amanda Salmonson's books. I've never been disappointed by her.
My favorite work by her is the Tomoe Gozen trilogy, about the eponymous woman warrior of Samurai legend. Ou Lu Khen and the Beautiful Madwoman is even more obscure, a stand-alone novel about a peasant named Ou Lu Khen who falls in love with a girl named Yeung Mai Su. Mai Su is "mad" in the sense that she is completely oblivious to worldly concerns, and while she sings like an angel, she never speaks a word. Blessed as she is by the Buddha, Ou Lu Khen cannot hope to realize his dream of marrying her. However, when the burdens of being the eldest son of his impoverished family weigh on him too heavily, he renounces them and flees into the wilds with the trusting, otherworldly Mai Su.
Their quest takes them to the tombs of the Lost Dynasty, an evil empire that ruled for a thousand years with such wickedness that history has forgotten them, though legends have not. However, Lu Khen and Mai Su are followed by Lu Khen's little sister, Koy, and his great-grandfather, Ou Po Lee, who wish to bring their prodigal family head back. And all of them are trailed by a disreputable villain named Harada Fumiaka, an exile from an island nation who has a grudge against them all that started with Ou Lu Khen stealing his boat.
This is in many ways a classic adventure tale, alternating between three parties: Ou Lu Khen and his mystical maiden companion, who proves to have a vision and powers far beyond anyone's expectations, the charming and unlikely adventurers Koy and Po Lee, a tiny girl and a hundred-year-old man, who also both show amazing resilience on their quest, and finally, Harada Fumiaka, who tracks them Gollum-like to the tombs of the Lost Dynasty, where there is a Gollum-like final confrontation, but with a very different outcome.
I loved this book. I really, really loved it. The writing, the splendid fantasy bursting across the pages, from Po Lee and Koy discovering a tribe of tattooed aborigines whose ancient, oracular wise woman turns out to be a long, long-ago lover of Po Lee (a revelation he is most embarrassed about revealing to his little great-granddaughter) to the guardian spirits and the terrible demons and monsters who appear in the climax. Despite being very high fantasy with a decidedly (and culturally appropriate) Asian feel, it is fundamentally a human tale. We see Koy growing up on her journey, learning new things (like the fact that her great-grandfather is not infallible) and trying to be a heroine... and only kind of succeeding because she is not a little ninja, she's just a kid. Ou Lu Khen is well-intentioned and good-hearted, but also selfish and short-sighted. As he realizes that not only is he not worthy of Mai Su, but that their quest is much bigger than either of them and not about him at all, he struggles to be true to her while having no idea what his role or purpose is. And Harada Fumiaka, while the villain of the story, turns out to be more pitiable than despicable.
Koy was forever a combination of obedience and obstinance. But the fact was, she had no intention of fighting the Naga with Harada's sword. Po Lee, however, was not privy to her feelings about the sword. It was natural that he should fear that she was holding it in order to do something stupid. Certain that she had some plan impossible to accomplish, he rushed out from cover and started toward her, scolding all the while, "Did I tell you you could take it from the scabbard?"
"It is only a good luck charm!" she shouted in defense, and stamped a foot as much from frustration as anything else. She was sad to see her great-grandfather angry with her.
The writing isn't just surprisingly nuanced in its psychological and cultural portrayals, it's also very fine writing for its own sake. Salmonson is a storyteller par excellence.
Really, this book needs to be read by more people. Look how few reviews it has! It is a tragedy. If you love traditional fantasy, well-written but unabashedly old-school fantasy, in an Asian setting that is not just trappings and Chinoiserie but actually takes history and culture and religion into account, then read Jessica Amanda Salmonson's books. I've never been disappointed by her.
June 8, 2026
I stumbled upon this book by fluke and was hooked in by the cover/title; Ou Lu Khen and the Beautiful Madwoman...?
What starts as initially a romantic tale of Ou Lu Khen, eldest son of the Ou family, burdened by great aunts, an over 100 year old great-grandfather, younger sister and mom all depending on him for survival and guidance, swooning over the lovely Yeong Su Mai, the 'madwoman' of the title known for her serenity, singing and affinity with birds/animals who lives in isolation in the forest.
In this story her madness is seen as a gift by Buddha, and so Lu Khen, wanting to take Su Mai as his wife properly, cannot do so as she is too blessed for a mere man as he. So, our journey starts with the pair running off to make Lu Khen mad too. As one does.
From here, Lu Khen steals a boat from a foreigner who is mean, dirty, rude, and moustache twirlingly nefarious; I'll get you my pretties, my boat, all the gold you find and your little dog too! He is a puffed up peacock for a lot of the book, but love how his story winds with the other characters and how his tale ends up.
Additionally we follow the great-grandfather and his great-granddaughter as they try to chase down Lu Khen - both basically taking on a nomadic life, the g-grandfather teaching everything he ever knew in his youth of being a man living off the land.
This reminded me a lot of tales like Journey to the West; it was a lot more about a journey and growing as a person, than it was of romance or fantastical elements (which yes, were there, but in a minor way). It gets a bit preachy at points, going on long rambles about philosophic things unprompted, which are sometimes explained as dreams, sometimes not.
Was it fantastic? No. Was it a good read? Yes. Very cozy, it made me think of stories told to kids around a fire that teach valuable lessons. Would I recommend it? Sure.
What starts as initially a romantic tale of Ou Lu Khen, eldest son of the Ou family, burdened by great aunts, an over 100 year old great-grandfather, younger sister and mom all depending on him for survival and guidance, swooning over the lovely Yeong Su Mai, the 'madwoman' of the title known for her serenity, singing and affinity with birds/animals who lives in isolation in the forest.
In this story her madness is seen as a gift by Buddha, and so Lu Khen, wanting to take Su Mai as his wife properly, cannot do so as she is too blessed for a mere man as he. So, our journey starts with the pair running off to make Lu Khen mad too. As one does.
From here, Lu Khen steals a boat from a foreigner who is mean, dirty, rude, and moustache twirlingly nefarious; I'll get you my pretties, my boat, all the gold you find and your little dog too! He is a puffed up peacock for a lot of the book, but love how his story winds with the other characters and how his tale ends up.
Additionally we follow the great-grandfather and his great-granddaughter as they try to chase down Lu Khen - both basically taking on a nomadic life, the g-grandfather teaching everything he ever knew in his youth of being a man living off the land.
This reminded me a lot of tales like Journey to the West; it was a lot more about a journey and growing as a person, than it was of romance or fantastical elements (which yes, were there, but in a minor way). It gets a bit preachy at points, going on long rambles about philosophic things unprompted, which are sometimes explained as dreams, sometimes not.
Was it fantastic? No. Was it a good read? Yes. Very cozy, it made me think of stories told to kids around a fire that teach valuable lessons. Would I recommend it? Sure.
November 19, 2021
Really lovely book, it's the second I've read by Salmonson and it didn't disappoint. The Swordswoman is written a bit better in my opinion and has a better narrative, but this one makes me look forward to reading more from her. The books she writes are really different, I can't really say I've read anything quite like it. I love how with Ou Lu Ken and the Beautiful Madwoman she's written a quest for love without any romance, which works wonderfully for me because I can't really stand romance. It seems like the "madwoman" trope is a common thread in a lot of her novels and I dig it.
Want to Read
January 24, 2024A
February 24, 2015
Over the past year I've been making an effort to find good Asian fantasy books. In doing so I found Jessica Amanda Salmonson and I haven't been disappointed.
This was a great little Asian fantasy book. The plot follows Ou Lu Khen and his quest to become mad so he can be with a mad woman he is in love with. But the book is only 33% about them. It also follows a few other characters connected to Ou Lu Khen by various means.
The book moved along at a good pace. The story was really interesting and entertaining. The author throws a lot of curve balls and I liked that.
I highly recommend this for anyone looking for Asian Fantasy books.
This was a great little Asian fantasy book. The plot follows Ou Lu Khen and his quest to become mad so he can be with a mad woman he is in love with. But the book is only 33% about them. It also follows a few other characters connected to Ou Lu Khen by various means.
The book moved along at a good pace. The story was really interesting and entertaining. The author throws a lot of curve balls and I liked that.
I highly recommend this for anyone looking for Asian Fantasy books.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews