Monkey King's Amazing Adventures: A Journey to the West in Search of Enlightenment

Wu Cheng'en

Jun 2012 · Tuttle Publishing

About this ebook

Discover the thrilling exploits of this unlikely hero in China's most famous traditional novel.

This classic Chinese epic tells the story of the Monkey King, his incredible origin and downfall, and his epic quest to redeem himself with his trusted companions, as they face fantastic foes, demons, and monsters and during their travels to the Western paradise.

The talented, wily Monkey King was used to getting what he wanted--unimaginable strength, eternal life, even a position in the Celestial Realm with the gods. But his mischief gets him into trouble, the Monkey King finds himself wanting to be good and strong enough to help the monk Xuanzang on his mission to bring Buddhist Scriptures--and enlightenment--to China.

Readers will thrill to Timothy Richard's retelling of the Monkey King's exploits, whether in the Dragon King's underwater castle, the Halls of the Dead, or the palace of Buddha himself. Featuring a detailed introduction by scholar Daniel Kane, this edition of The Money King's Amazing Adventures is sure to delight readers of all ages.

Ratings and reviews

The first seven chapters were alright. They had a good pace and the character's actions were understandable. I really hated the Monkey King character because of his ego and being extremely overpowered, but I was still able to enjoy it. But the rest of the story wad unbearable. Every chapter after felt like a completely different story. Chapters 10-25 follow the same structure: the group arrives at an area, the master is captured, the Monkey King saves him, sometimes with the help of a God. It gets boring fast. In addition, they feel more like summaries instead of actual chapters, with many events being skimmed over. Because of that, it feels like the characters don't have an arc or any semblance of change. Hell, the Monkey King feels like he's the only character that actually dones anything! The other two disciples are just pointless! So yea, I did not enjoy this book. I am only giving it a 2, because the first seven chapters were okay. I don't recommend it, but if you want to read it, stop after the first seven chapters. Trust me, you won't miss much.

I'm writing a review simply because of the last reviewer. Considering this book is originally from around 500 years ago and then was translated to English, it's excellent. Instead of picturing the monkey king as a human, make sure you picture him as a monkey. His antics are reminiscent of a monkey's antics.