Reviews - Journey to the West: The Monkey King's Amazing Adventures

519 reviews for:

Journey to the West: The Monkey King's Amazing Adventures

Timothy Richard

3.91 AVERAGE

sigmafart's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous funny lighthearted slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

mariverdun's review against another edition

3.5

adventurous fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Complicated

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

dnkboston's review against another edition

Dear Monkey!

skatcher21's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous funny lighthearted medium-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

deadletterboy's review against another edition

5.0

I was first introduced to Monkey as a child, reading Laurence Yep's Dragon of the Lost Sea series. He was mischievous, clever, and a bit of a jerk. I went on to encounter him a few more times throughout my life, in comics (American Born Chinese), Anime (Dragonball Z), and music (Chen Shi-Zheng, Damon Albarn, and Jamie Hewlett's Monkey). After he got a triple-a video game (Black Myth Wukong), I figured it was time to finally read the original story.

While this is an abridged version of Journey to the West, it still feels appropriately epic. Monkey causes mischief, jokes, and receives his comeuppance, all within the first few chapters. I don't think I realized quite how much more there was to the story. There are demons galore, a magical quest, and a hilariously pathetic "hero" that our three monstrous attendants (Monkey is joined by Pigsy, a pig demon, and Sandy, some kind of ogre) must protect from himself and the world around him. While it's very obvious that it is an ancient book, what with its lack of what we might consider traditional story structure, it's a blast to read. Julia Lovell has done an excellent job abridging the story, while still keeping the humor and fun. Well worth your time.