A long, long time ago, in a magical version of ancient China, an island called Aolai stood in the sea like a king in his palace. In the center of the island was Flower Fruit Mountain, and at the very top of the mountain was a large stone, as tall as six men. The stone was made pregnant by heaven and earth, and one day the wind blew over the egg and it cracked open. A little stone monkey emerged. He opened his eyes, and two beams of light shot up to heaven. The Jade Emperor on his throne saw the beams of light but he did not interfere.

The little stone monkey grew up to be Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

Sun Wukong is one of the most famous characters in Chinese literature and culture. His legendary bravery, his foolish mistakes, his sharp-tongued commentary and his yearning for immortality and spiritual knowledge have inspired hundreds of books, television shows, graphic novels, video games and films.

The full story of Sun Wukong’s adventures is told in Journey to the West, an epic 2,000-page novel written in the 16th century by Wu Cheng’en. Itt is probably the most famous and best-loved novel in China and is considered one of the four great classical novels of Chinese literature. Its place in Chinese literature is roughly comparable to Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey in Western literature. Wikipedia sums up the book’s role perfectly, saying, “Enduringly popular, the tale is at once a comic adventure story, a humorous satire of Chinese bureaucracy, a spring of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeys towards enlightenment by the power and virtue of cooperation.”

Written in China over 400 years ago, Journey to the West is the ultimate tale of adventure, magic, and myth, perfect for fans of action-packed video games inspired by the story. Join the mischievous Monkey King, Sun Wukong, as he battles demons, gods, and mythical creatures using incredible powers and martial arts. Alongside his companions—the Buddhist monk Sanzang, the lustful pig-man Zhu Bajie, and the disgraced celestial general Sha Wujing—they embark on a perilous quest to retrieve sacred scriptures. Filled with epic battles, transformations, and divine interventions, Journey to the West delivers the same thrilling, immersive world you’ve experienced in the video game, but with deeper lore and timeless lessons.

Journey to the West is a very, very long story, consisting of a hundred chapters. It is loosely based on an actual journey by the Buddhist monk Xuanzang who traveled from the Chinese city of Chang’an westward to India in 629 A.D. and returned 17 years later with priceless knowledge and texts of Buddhism. Over the course of the book Xuanzang and his companions face the 81 tribulations that Xuanzang had to endure to attain Buddhahood.

This book is not a literal translation of the original. Rather, it’s a retelling of the story in easy-to-read English. Unlike the other full-text translations, this is a graded reader that uses a restricted vocabulary, simpler sentence structure, and fewer proper nouns. The chapters start off quite easy and gradually increase in complexity.

Because of this story’s importance in Chinese culture, we’ve made every effort to remain faithful to the original while retelling it in simple language. We have tried to not add or change anything, though of course we’ve had to leave out some detail.

NOTE: This book is is identical to our best-selling book Journey to the West (ISBN 978-1959043546) which is also available on Amazon here. This version has a bright new cover and a title that references the popular video game. The authors and the publisher are not affiliated with Game Science, the publisher of the video game Black Myth: Wukong.

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