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The Monkey King: A Superhero Tale Of China (2009)

by Aaron Shepard(Favorite Author)

3.56 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Skyhook Press

series

Ancient Fantasy

review 1: Quick, easy and clear. This is a book that takes part of the Journey to the West and strips down much of the wording you get with a normal translation of that book. The purpose is to make it easier to understand and enjoy. A task that the author does with admirable skill. My only regret is that he didn't continue on and do it for the whole of the Journey to the West. I own a translation of it and have had a great deal of difficulty getting enough traction on it to finish it. Mostly I haven't gotten of of the beginning which is about Monkey. Hopefully this version will do well enough that the author considers doing just such a thing. A fun read for all ages. But probably best for younger readers.
review 2: I got this on Kindle for a nominal price, and it turned ... moreout to be a great read. It is based on a much longer Chinese folk tale about a monkey that achieves the status of immortal. The dramatization of events seemed a little lacking in the early part of this novella-length work. However, as it goes on it becomes much more intriguing. Of course, there is a challenge to translating /adapting a traditional work. The question of how much dramatic license one should take becomes important. It follows the Monkey King from birth, through his search for immortality, to its mischief in, and banishment from, heaven. There is also a nice epilogue that describes some of the characters from Buddhism and Taoism that are mentioned in the course of the tale, some of which might not be all that familiar to readers. less

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