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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What an adventure! Through osmosis (and that one album Damon Albarn made) I've picked up miscellaneous details of the Journey to the West, but never managed to read anything of the actual story until now. I've owned the first volume of Anthony Tu's translation for years, but always found it rather daunting. With this slimmer, abridged translation, I was able to easily dive in and immerse myself in the tale. (Lovell's translation is easy to read and bubbly, but--and this is where I don't know what is particular to this translation--often I found myself taken aback by a particularly modern phrasing or exclamation. But those infrequent immersion-killers are insignificant enough that they don't hamper the overall flow or enjoyment.)
The story is simultaneously adventurous, action-packed, humorous, and horrifyingly violent. (I found myself stunned by how gruesome some of the violence is, but it's always detailed in an almost childish, matter-of-fact way that it winds up making me laugh.) The trials the scripture-seekers face are varied to a degree but always revolve around justice and beating demons senseless--and therefore, are always entertaining. The episodic structure encourages one to read it like a TV series: "On this week's episode, Monkey faces off with Red Boy."
The story is home to a large cast of colorful characters: there are the scripture-seekers; the (usually helpless) humans they meet along their journey; the demons, fiends, and otherwise villains they encounter; and a plethora of deities, spirits, and other holy figures that govern the world, Heaven, and Hell. The scripture-seekers themselves are mostly interesting--Monkey is rebellious and arrogant yet heroic, Triptaka is wise yet cowardly, and Pigsy is a gluttonous, lazy bastard, but Sandy is just kinda there; no personality to think of, and he barely does anything on their quest. Maybe all his good moments were cut out for this abridged version, but I don't know. As it is, he's just some guy that occasionally says something and gets his ass kicked.
And that's really my final thought: who knows how much I missed out on? Lovell mentioned some of the segments she had to cut (like Demon soccer wtf??) and, while obviously she couldn't include everything, I think the shorter length leads the ending to feel less impactful. Sure, the guys had some adventures, but it didn't feel like a fourteen-year-long, enlightening *journey*.
And that's fine. I finished this book wanting more, and that's probably partly intentional. This translation serves as an introduction to the classical tale many have probably heard of or seen referenced by other works. I wrote earlier that I was intimidated by Yu's four-volume translation for years, but now? I'm ready, and I'm excited to dig even more into this incredibly fun tale.
***
The rambling thoughts on Monkey King: Journey to the West end here.
The story is simultaneously adventurous, action-packed, humorous, and horrifyingly violent. (I found myself stunned by how gruesome some of the violence is, but it's always detailed in an almost childish, matter-of-fact way that it winds up making me laugh.) The trials the scripture-seekers face are varied to a degree but always revolve around justice and beating demons senseless--and therefore, are always entertaining. The episodic structure encourages one to read it like a TV series: "On this week's episode, Monkey faces off with Red Boy."
The story is home to a large cast of colorful characters: there are the scripture-seekers; the (usually helpless) humans they meet along their journey; the demons, fiends, and otherwise villains they encounter; and a plethora of deities, spirits, and other holy figures that govern the world, Heaven, and Hell. The scripture-seekers themselves are mostly interesting--Monkey is rebellious and arrogant yet heroic, Triptaka is wise yet cowardly, and Pigsy is a gluttonous, lazy bastard, but Sandy is just kinda there; no personality to think of, and he barely does anything on their quest. Maybe all his good moments were cut out for this abridged version, but I don't know. As it is, he's just some guy that occasionally says something and gets his ass kicked.
And that's really my final thought: who knows how much I missed out on? Lovell mentioned some of the segments she had to cut (like Demon soccer wtf??) and, while obviously she couldn't include everything, I think the shorter length leads the ending to feel less impactful. Sure, the guys had some adventures, but it didn't feel like a fourteen-year-long, enlightening *journey*.
And that's fine. I finished this book wanting more, and that's probably partly intentional. This translation serves as an introduction to the classical tale many have probably heard of or seen referenced by other works. I wrote earlier that I was intimidated by Yu's four-volume translation for years, but now? I'm ready, and I'm excited to dig even more into this incredibly fun tale.
***
The rambling thoughts on Monkey King: Journey to the West end here.
A fun reading of an ancient text. This story influenced so many others, it was easy to see the parallels in other stories like Dragon Ball. Enjoyable for certain.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Such a classic. Thats really the throughline of this book. Monkey is awesome, it's got some very prominent religious (Buddhist) undertones, and the story is that of a typical episodic epic. I love the characters, the plot is awesome. I give it 4.5 stars because it didn't blow my mind. With that being said. This book is everything you could ask for from an epic. Unique world-building (I personally am thinking of all the bureaucracy with the immortals and Heaven). Rich and creative characters (them giving birth in the land of women was hilarious). And a grand scale (biggg numbers - monkeys cloud summersault takes him 108,000 miles)
Basically. It the journey to the west. Its awesome.
Basically. It the journey to the west. Its awesome.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A solid romp from the 16th century! Particularly love how little the protagonist, Monkey, thinks of authority.
adventurous
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated