Journey to the West
Wu Cheng'en
This book is rated Ages 10+. It isn't available on your library card.
Volume 1 of a six-volume adaptation: a stone monkey becomes a king, challenges Heaven, and is trapped beneath a mountain while a Tang monk is called to seek sacred scriptures in the West.
The Monkey King is the first of six planned volumes. For readers aged 10 and up; battles and frightening demons are shown without gore.
Characters
Sun Wukong 孙悟空
A clever monkey born from stone who leaves Flower-Fruit Mountain to find a way past death, and keeps pushing against every limit.
Tripitaka 唐僧
A gentle, devoted young monk who has had a hard life and is called to make a long pilgrimage for sacred scriptures.
Guanyin 观音菩萨
The compassionate bodhisattva who watches over the world and quietly helps set a great journey in motion.
The Buddha 如来佛祖
The vast, serene Buddha of the Western Paradise, whose calm wisdom outweighs even the boldest boasts.
Patriarch Subhuti 须菩提祖师
The wise, strict teacher in the western mountains who names the monkey Wukong and hides lessons inside riddles.
Jade Emperor 玉皇大帝
The patient ruler of Heaven, who must decide what to do with an upstart monkey who will not kneel.
Emperor Taizong 唐太宗
The Tang emperor in Chang'an, whose decisions shape the mortal side of the story.
Erlang Shen 二郎神
A mighty, three-eyed warrior god with a long spear, famed as one of Heaven's greatest fighters.
Ao Guang 东海龙王敖广
The courteous old Dragon King of the East Sea, who soon regrets offering his new neighbor a weapon.
Gold Star Taibai 太白金星
Heaven's kindly old envoy, who prefers a friendly invitation to a fight and always tries to keep the peace.
Laozi 太上老君
The venerable sage of Heaven, keeper of elixirs of immortality and a furnace of fearsome power.
Hui'an 惠岸行者
Guanyin's loyal warrior-disciple, carrying a plain iron staff and ready to test himself against any challenger.
Read the text version: every page's caption, with its picture, on one page.
