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Journey to the West (4-Volume Boxed Set) | 
 enlarge | Author: Cheng'en Wu
Creator: W.j.f. Jenner
Publisher: Foreign Languages Press
Category: Book
List Price: $44.95
Buy New: $21.97
You Save: $22.98 (51%)
New (12) Used (5) from $18.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  32 reviews
Sales Rank: 35482
Media: Paperback
Pages: 2346
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 4.4 x 3.3
ISBN: 7119016636
EAN: 9787119016634
ASIN: 7119016636
Publication Date: January 1, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: LATEST 2007 Printed New edition. AUTHENTIC, in ORIGINAL SHRINK-WRAPPED condition. Brand NEW 4-volume set with slipcase. (100% Authenticity GUARANTEED) (without shrink-wrapping for internatonal and expedited shipping).
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Book Description
Journey to the West is a classic Chinese mythological novel. It was written during the Ming Dynasty based on traditional folktales. Consisting of 100 chapters, this fantasy relates the adventures of a Tang Dynasty (618-907) priest Sanzang and his three disciples, Monkey, Pig and Friar Sand, as they travel west in search of Buddhist Sutra. The first seven chapters recount the birth of the Monkey King and his rebellion against Heaven. Then in chapters eight to twelve, we learn how Sanzang was born and why he is searching for the scriptures, as well as his preparations for the journey. The rest of the story describes how they vanquish demons and monsters, tramp over the Fiery Mountain, cross the Milky Way, and after overcoming many dangers, finally arrive at their destination - the Thunder Monastery in the Western Heaven - and find the Sutra. Attached are a number of illustrations drawn during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
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| Customer Reviews: Read 27 more reviews...
 Readable August 28, 2008
This translation is not as flowery as the Anthony Yu translation and does not have the extensive footnotes but is a fun read. Uses more modern language so it's not necessary to constantly look up references to understand the story.
Too much repetitives. August 13, 2008
The book was good but I thought that the spirit and demon stories are too much the same over and over. Especially when the author translate the phrase "the two fought for so many rounds and neither seem to emerge to a victory." every time Monkey King fights the demons. Believe me, it gets old.
And Tang priest is made out to be so wimpy, crying all of the times he's caught by the demons. I know he's supposed to be a mortal man, but, common! crying like a baby whenever he's caught?
Another thing, why hasn't the Tang priest trust Monkey King's judgement on knowing when they meet spirits and demons? They have been traveling together for like ten years or so.
I had to skip a lot because got tired of reading the same type of monsters capturing them and what Monkey King has to go thru to save them.
 Journey to the West August 8, 2008
I purchased this for my son for his birthday and I haven't seen his face since without one of the volumes in front of it. He absolutely loves it. I tried, unsuccessfully to find this set at other booksellers and as always when I need something, Amazon came through. Thank you for excellent service and availability. I look forward to many more purchases in the future.
this book rocks June 25, 2008
IF you like mythic kung fu movies, you will be thrilled with this book. Its 1000 times more baddazzz than any related movie or cartoon you could hope to see.
I would compare it to the Oz books mixed with the Orlando epics.
A little too perfect... January 7, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Journey to the West, translated by W J F Jenner, is a little too good a translation. The Chinese love their bureaucracy. Numbers are very important and interesting to them as are titles and position.
Translating all the boring bits does not make for a good read, but it does make for an excellent insight into Chinese culture, not on a mythological level (the rest of the novel does a great job of that) but on the day to day level and how government affects their day to day life.
To that end, it's a very good translation. A bit boring at times, if you're not one for too much detail that bears little relevance to the plot. Characters are named with grand titles but never appear again, while minor characters will receive fully fleshed out back stories that seem tangential to the original story but soon tie neatly in.
A very good set of books. Interesting, boring at times, but as pure as it can be to the source material without learning one of the most difficult languages in the world.
Also, this is the story that inspired Monkey Magic and Dragon Ball. If you're fan of either, it's a good read just out of curiosity.
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