Hello, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?

Is this my first blog of 2025? I think it is!

The first quarter of 2025 has been…strange.

But that’s not what this blog is about. (If I can think of a way to organise everything, I might do a personal blog.) 

 ANYWAY!

 After a lifetime sitting around doing nothing and struggling with boredom, I attempt to get back to reading again. I tried two books (The Hobbit, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), but I gave up within the first couple of chapters.  Nothing was grabbing me! 

Looking for some downtime, I had a look at my PS5 and on the homepage I saw that I had downloaded umm what’s it called…… “BLACK MYTH WUKONG” with bell charms and a cool fighting monkey.  I played the first level and it was so AMAZING.  

Then I remembered that the game is ‘loosely’ based on a very famous Chinese mythology book.  After a quick Google, I found the book ‘Journey To The West by Wu Cheng’en.’ I grew very interested in this story.  From my understanding, it is one of the most famous stories out there, and you could find inspiration for other stories rooted back to this story. 

( I live in the UK, and I guess the closest mythology we have is either King Arthur or Robin Hood.)

P.S… I’ve just learn that these stories are more in common with the Greek and Norse mythologies, which makes WAY MORE SENSE now.

Now, when I look for a version of Journey To The West by Wu Cheng’en, I come across this one on the Kindle…

From my understanding, this is the shorter, abridged version. 

(Is this the best version of the story? If not, what do you recommend? It has to be an English translation.  If I ever reread this story, I would love to get the full story.) 

 How was this version of the book?

This is what I wanted to get back to reading in 2025!  

A fantasy story that doesn’t take itself seriously.  Considering these are old stories, I think they updated the language in a modern way. So it was super easy to read.   A fantastic sense of humour, rather fast past… (I talked about the pacing a bit) And the characters are essentially gods with crazy ‘super powers’…., ha, almost to the point that might be comical how crazy these powers get.  (The moment you try and logically understand what’s going on, it gets to the point where you just roll with the story and accept it.)  even more crazy than the Greek and Norse legends stuff, honestly!  

————-

At the beginning of the story, you follow Monkey.  You spent the most time with him. At the beginning, it feels like he is the hero, or ‘hero’.

The first part of this book you are reading from birth. From his training, he learns to fly! He calls it cloud-somersault. That can travel GRAND distances.   

And his magic stuff! That can shrink to a hairpin and grow to the size of a mountain!!!!

(Which instantly reminds me of a TV show Dragon Ball Z!!)

His quest for eternal life and his goal to live forever (immortally), which Monkey does obtain btw! This is only at the beginning, mind you!! 

(I was super interested at this point, just because in the West, our stories genuinely stay away from an overly powerful hero. For most of the stories, we give them character flaws and make them more ‘realistic’ so we can relate to the main character.  The closest Western story character, I think, has to be Superman.  And most of the time, it’s a struggle to make him interesting enough! (especially in the movies.) 

When he gets his immortality,  he finds a job in Heaven. (It doesn’t go well!) 

ALSO, Monkey goes down to Hell to scratch his name off Death’s ‘log book’ (I think). 

And have a BIG fight with Buddha himself!

After ALL THAT at the beginning of the book, he then disappears for a while.

After all that happens in the first couple of chapters, when Monkey disappears from the story, I must admit I did lose myself a little.  I’m struggling to remember what happened, ha.

It is possible that I was tired due to a lack of sleep, or the story that doesn’t have Monkey, my brain switches off.  You meet a ‘pig-fiend’, Pigsy, and Sandy? Oh, and a horse, who was a demon???  

 (I had to look back)  I am honestly struggling to remember their stories! 

(It’s only my first read through.)

I say this because near the end of the book, someone is recapping their stories, and I was confusing myself thinking:  wait, did I read that earlier in the book?? I must have! 

When Monkey came back into the story, to join our group of travellers,  my interest peaked again.

And when a Monk tries talking to Monkey. It was quite funny that complete opposites are trying to work together with vastly different viewpoints on handling a situation.  Monkey wants to fight everything in sight, while the Monk wants to find a peaceful situation. 

————

Ok, let’s talk about pacing.

For the most part, the story or stories were quick and flowed very nicely, making the whole book very enjoyable to read. (There are one or two moments that I got lost in.)

However,

 There were some moments where the pacing was way too fast at times.  

Only because near the end, I remember it quite well, there was the story that happened in ‘the country of Flame Mountain’. 

This is part four(?) of one HUGE story, and on this quest, you eventually meet up with the wife of the King Bull Demon, they do a quest for her (it doesn’t go well!), and then you get to meet up with King Bull Demon himself.

They exchange words, end up fighting each other, and in the middle of their fight….

Here I find the quote: 

 “

”

(Monkey King by Wu Cheng’en, pg 292, Loc 4,860)

( I know the Bull says ‘…. I drove him away with my cudgel,’ … but….    

…   the fight just ends?? Doesn’t it??, or i’m I  reading that part completely wrong? 

That’s the one that caught me off guard! Just one eighty swift in pacing. 

The way that I read this was:

1. Monkey and Bull are talking about fighting.  They start fighting, flying on their clouds, clashing a hundred times.
2. A voice calls out to Bull, saying, ‘Come round for dinner’
3. Bull Demon blocks and holds Monkey’s staff, and (….???…… ) says he’s on his way
4. Then drops down to the ground (still holding Monkey’s weapon), and now Bull is talking to his wife, saying he drove Monkey away with his cudgel.
5. ———————
6. All of a sudden, Monkey is now chasing after Bull into the mountains??

The story above seems to be missing so description of how the Bull Demon creates distance away from Monkey. (letting go of Monkey’s weapon) It seems to skip a couple of beats. Like A-?-C-?-E

In the stories I normally read, you get the story narration normally goes smoothly to the next scene. ( like A-B-C-D-E……)

Then the story switches from a fight scene to a stealth mission within a few sentences.

I’m super confused!!

(No idea if that makes sense or not???)

Little moments like that, I had to go back and reread a couple of times and concentrate on every word to see if I missed something. 

WITH ALL THAT SAID 

I really enjoyed this book!  

A nice first book to ‘start’ 2025! 

(Haha, we are only in May and I read my first book of the year!) 

I have to know how to look at the library and pick another great book.  How am I going to follow up on the story I just read!?  :O 

Should I go and refresh my knowledge of Greek and Norse myths?

I want to continue reading through the Terry Pratchett Discworld books!

Ps. I realise that there is more I could say about this story, or I could talk about individual stories separately! 

However,  I just finished this book two days ago and just wanted to get my first thoughts down on paper.  I am sure if you want to look deeper into this book, there are plenty of other people with a more in-depth dive into Journey to the West.

Thanks for reading my blog. Hopefully, I get another blog out soon and not leave it 5 months! haha

Please, if you want to read more book reviews, check out the ‘book reviews’ header. (I’m still learning this whole website/blogging thing. Haha