Monkey King: Journey to the West

Lovell’s new translation and abridgement of Wu’s 16th-century Chinese folktale spins a satire of bureaucracy and spirituality as an unlikely ensemble of pilgrims travels to India to acquire Buddhist scriptures. Fearful spiritual leader Tripitaka is the first to embark. In his travels, he frees the Monkey King from a 500-year imprisonment—but in exchange Monkey must serve Tripitaka in his mission, weathering a 14-year-long journey to atone for his sins and attain immortality. Along the way, the gluttonous pig demon, Pigsy, and Sandy, a river monster, join the pilgrimage, hoping to redeem themselves and lending their skills to the group. Their quest is jam-packed with outrageous danger and outlandish transformations as the pilgrims are beaten, captured, impregnated, and even cooked—but Monkey always finds an ingenious way to rescue the group from their latest catastrophe. Lovell does an admirable job condensing the original text, which spans 100 chapters, while capturing the essence of Chinese fantastical storytelling and parody. Readers who enjoy nutty adventures and nonsensical plots will get a kick out of this madcap fable. (Feb.)