Customer Reviews

Monkey: A Superhero Tale of China, Retold from The Journey to the West

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The universally known stories in a culture have a profound and lasting influence in the mindset of growing children they are told to, and mark the continuity of tradition when repeated to their own children. This is true in every culture and this story is the ultimate in Chinese children stories. Not only does this story contain numerous character studies, conflicts and scenes that have entered into linguistic/world view idiom, but hidden inside this story are cryptic allusions to deep Buddhist and Taoist training. The full version of this story has 100 books and some authors have considered this story on par with such classics as the Tao-Te-Ching.

This version is a good introduction to this story, the sort to give you a taste or to read to a child. I have a dozen versions of this story and while this is not my choice as the best short-popular version, it is close. Further, this author has released this text for the Kindle for 1 penny! This is the world's greatest bargain. Absolutely everyone should load this on their reader...

As an aside...

I hope that many like myself will purchase his dead tree version of the book and put it on their shelf, prove to publishers and Amazon that this is a good economic model. May many more authors release inexpensive e-book versions of texts as a promotion of their work. There is presently a vast quantity of high quality free audio books by authors trying to break in or grow their base, for traditionally published material. I regularly purchase texts that I have listened to or heard for free on the NPR Radio Reader program.

I personally have been less than enthused with the universal $10 price for kindle books, the overall reading experience and utility is not the equivalent of a paper book. Given that 99.9% of the infrastructure costs such a printing, ink, paper, transport and warehousing are nonexistent for e-books, $10 is exorbitant. I generally feel that if the paper back version of a book is available for $15 compared to a $10 Kindle e-book, I would unhesitatingly go with paper.

There is a lot of inexpensive e-book content "notably - Author 50-years-dead stuff" but much of the contemporary less than $5 content is barely spam. I hope that the Kindle consumer community will spot and recommend high quality inexpensive content; review and recommend it to others. Vote with your voice and and wallet (mouse-click) for this content to knock publishers of their high-horse...

This is a story about a monkey who was born from a magic boulder, that was bathed in the energies of Earth and Heaven, quickened by the light of the Sun and Moon. He became known as the Monkey King when he wandered into the midst of other monkey's and found them a safe home in a cave behind a waterfall. The other monkey's made him their King, which is the highest honor they could bestow on him.

It was on the Monkey King's four hundred birthday that he sat complaining that he had reached the heights of greatness. "What is left to hope and strive for he asked?" The Monkey King was told that above them are Gods, who dwell in Heaven and Earth. Then there are Immortals, who have gained great powers and live forever. And finally there are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, who have conquered illusion and escaped rebirth.

That information was enough for the Monkey King to set off on his own course of action. To become not just a God or Immortal, but to become a Buddhas. He wanted it all. Nothing would stop him until he could attained what he wanted.

Even though the Monkey King studied hard he would always manage to get himself into trouble time and time again. At the end of this book we find the Monkey King pinned between stone walls. His head and arms are out, but the rest of his body was hopelessly trapped.

What kind of trouble did the Monkey King get into to find himself trapped? Was it his faith to be pinned between the stone walls forever? I can only say you must read this book for yourself to find the answers.

Monkey, is the most popular figure in all Chinese literature, loved for centuries by both young and old. Even in todays world Monkey is still cherished in the Chinese culture.

What a wonderful way to expose and broaden the minds of our young people and adults. To be transported to another place and time. To experience stories that have lasted for centuries.

Sandra Heptinstall, LA

I loved "Monkey: A Superhero Tale of China"! Although Monkey steals the show, the supporting characters are terrific and round out the story nicely. We tend to read aloud, with sound effects, and the kids had a blast trying to make the sounds of the Dragons!

I ordered this by mistake. It was not worth the ten bucks i paid for it. But it was my bad. I wouldn't pay over three dollars(new).