The Emperor's Panda

Adele Ashby was the former editor of Canadian Materials for Schools and Libraries.

Longago in ancient China, there was only one panda, Lord Beishung, Master Panda. This wisest of all creatures had been sent to show men the basic principle of life: that without balance, nothing survives.

Three terrible sorcerers, however, come upon the land to upset that balance, and it is a poor fluteplayer named Kung who is drawn into an adventure that changes the destiny of the Celestial Empire. The sorcerers make away with Kung’s uncle and when finished with him, they sell him into the slave markets of the Imperial City. Kung sets out to find his uncle, and on his way, he encounters enchanted valleys, mountain passes guarded by an ice dragon, and a unicorn that dances. Lord Beishung gives him a ring that makes him invisible, a ring that he later uses to save the Master Panda himself. Kung defeats the sorcerers, saves the Celestial Empire from an age of darkness and sorcery, marries the Emperor’s beautiful daughter, and even becomes his successor.

The Emperor’s Panda is an heroic quest told in the language of high romance (with an occasional lapse into modern colloquialism). Its creator, David Day, is the author of The Tolkien Bestiary and The Doomsday Book of Animals, and their influence makes itself felt. There are just too many magic rings, fabulous beasts, and other paraphernalia for the storyline. Nonetheless, The Emperor’s Panda is a worthy attempt, and the 46 black-and-white drawings by the multiple-award winning Eric Beddows (a.k.a. Ken Nutt) are alone worth the price.