The Examination

Fifteen-year-old Hong and his older brother Chen face famine, flood, pirates, and jealous rivals on their journey through fifteenth century China as Chen pursues his calling as a scholar and Hong becomes involved with a secret society known as the White Lotus.

Grade 6-10-In Imperial China, recruitment for public office was effected through a series of competitive examinations. In this story, which takes place during the late Ming Dynasty (late 16th to early 17th-century C.E.), young Lao Chen journeys from his hometown to the capital of his province for the provincial exams, then to Beijing for the nationals. An aloof, brilliant, yet impractical scholar, Chen is intent more on testing his book knowledge and literary finesse than on gaining political power. He is accompanied by his younger brother and self-appointed guardian, Hong, who is practical and worldly wise. The two traverse a nation in decline, replete with peasant rebellions, secret societies, armies on the move, and vivid characters from all levels of society. As one brother crowns his achievements with a government post, the other secures his position in a secret society dedicated to bringing down that government. The contrast between the two siblings and their activities is skillfully realized in a well-developed plot. The handling of the examinations, which could have been deadly, is lyrical and interesting. Hong and Chen are both full blooded, as are most of the minor characters. The portrait of China at this point in history is largely accurate, marred only by a few inconsequential anachronisms. A unique and absorbing novel.
John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bosse's (Captives of Time; Deep Dream of the Rain Forest) latest offering excels as both fiction and history, telling a moving tale of fraternal love and courage as it reveals a wealth of insights into the traditions and politics of medieval China. Set in the 16th century, the story revolves around two brothers, Hong and Chen. The studious Chen must travel from the family's tiny Sichuan village to Beijing and the Forbidden City, having earned the right to participate in the palace examination of the kingdom's most learned scholars. Hong, the more practical brother, elects himself guardian and companion for the trip. While Chen struggles with the difficult exams, Hong joins a secret society dedicated to overthrowing the Ming dynasty. Performing several dangerous missions for the group, Hong discovers his calling as a soldier and adventurer. A pirate attack, several brief flirtations and a stint with an imaginative inventor are just a few of the many stirring episodes. Bosse memorably conveys the workings of a culture that balances the needs for both military and scholarly institutions, and his detailed descriptions of the rivers and cities of China have a visceral impact. Moreover, he allows the closeness between the two brothers to unfold over the course of the narrative, illustrating that difficulties and struggles are an integral part of human growth. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Bosse (Deep Dream of the Rain Forest, 1993, etc.) continues his series of vivid works of historical fiction in this story of two brothers traveling across Ming Dynasty China to pursue their destinies. Lao Chen is a young Confucian scholar headed for the ultimate glory of the palace examination and top-level civil service; Lao Hong, loyal and worldly younger brother, is determined to escort Chen to Beijing and the highest honors. Through his cunning, Hong acquires enough money to get the two brothers to Chengdu for the provincial examination, which Chen passes easily. From there they must travel the long and treacherous road to Beijing--over the Yellow River, through drought- plagued provinces--for the next stage of the test. In addition, each brother is carrying a secret missive--Chen's from his teacher for an ostracized inventor, and Hong's from one member of the subversive White Lotus society to another. The brothers are separated when their junk is captured by pirates, who discover Hong's letter and torture him to discover its meaning, but Hong escapes, finds Chen, and the brothers continue on their way. When Chen passes the municipal and then the palace examination, his future is secure, and Hong is finally free to seek his own fortune through a career in the military. Bosse renders a graphic picture of 16th-century China- -its violence, ceremony, scholarship, and strict class order--in this stimulating and timeless story. (Fiction. YA) -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Gr. 8-12. Set during the Ming dynasty, this novel, follows the arduous path across China of two brothers who are as different as the astrological signs they are born under, the ox and the tiger. Chen, the elder, is a brilliant Confucian scholar who can earn his fame and fortune by passing increasingly more difficult government examinations. But his younger brother, Hong, knows that Chen is a dreamer, virtually incapable of making his way across China to the Imperial Palace in Beijing, where the final exam will take place. Hong, who can be reckless and hot tempered but is unfailingly loyal, earns the money to begin the journey by betting on a cricket fight in a harsh, riveting scene that is emblematic of Bosse's evocative writing. As the brothers make their perilous journey through the Middle Kingdom, meeting wise men and fools, heroes and charlatans, each comes to know himself better, but, in an interesting twist, they keep parts of their private selves from each other. Hong, unbeknownst to his brother, becomes a member of a secret society dedicated to overthrowing the government, and Chen is never able to clearly articulate to Hong the world of ideas in which he lives. A remarkably robust novel full of hopes, fears, and dreams that will resonate with a contemporary young adult audience. Ilene Cooper