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francescass's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? Yes
2.25
ngork032's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
augoosetus's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
mr_wolf's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
andreads7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-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
5.0
wanderinghill's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This abridgment of the classic Chinese novel was a lot of fun, though mostly just fluff and fairly repetitive scenes. I liked the characters a lot, and found the interactions between Monkey, Pigsy, and Tripitaka especially humorous. Sandy didn’t feature as much as I would’ve liked and didn’t really have much of a personality. The story itself was basically a grouping of parables, so there was a lot of repetition in the themes and lessons, and not much unexpected plot points. The interesting thing was seeing how the pilgrims would get out of whatever problem they found themselves in, and even that wore thin over time. A funny, unique, and historically important piece of literature, but one that doesn’t have a lot of entertainment value aside from that.
thegodmachine393's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
christianholub's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely loved "Dragon Ball Z" growing up, so I first heard of Sun Wukong the Monkey King years ago as the main inspiration for that anime saga's protagonist, Son Goku. Meanwhile, Gene Luen Yang makes a convincing case (in the foreword to this edition, as well as in many of his own graphic novels) that the Monkey King is a forerunner of modern superheroes. For all these reasons, I grabbed this new translation of the Monkey King's original story "Journey to the West" when it dropped in 2021. Though it took me a few years (and the Disney adaptation of Yang's "American Born Chinese" show, in which the character features prominently) to finally finish it, this book is an awesome collection of fun adventures, god-battles, and seemingly endless cosmic lore. Translator Julia Lovell does a great job of transposing some modern language onto this ancient epic to convey its timeless relatability. Really fun stuff.