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Comments about Volume 2 to follow.

I am in the middle of Volume II and I have decided I need an “auspicious cloud�� which the Great Sage Monkey and Pig use to travel great distances very quickly.

I am also appreciating that the faithful disciples don’t really think very highly of our Tang Monk....”Master, you are completely useless. When you went in, you were all tears and pouting so much you could have hung a bottle from your lips.��

Volume II was much like Volume I in that each chapter or two there is a different demon, monster or evil Taoist monk to defeat. Usually the Monkey can overcome monsters and demons by himself. Sometimes he needs Pig and Sand Friar to help but as we go along, the demons and monsters do seem to get more complicated and The Great Sage often has to call on the Bodhisattva Guanyin to help. Our Tang Monk has only "helped" once, and that was in a meditation contest in which he excelled. He is usually simply frightened. There is a really good little part in the middle of this volume when Monkey teaches the Master how he keeps inviting "the six bandits (the senses)" in and that causes his master to overly worry. If he wants to make it to the Western Heaven he needs to free his mind about the terrors to come and appreciate only the now. As the saying goes: "At the right time the achievement completes itself".
Also, word is definitely out about the Tang Monk as all the demons and monsters want to eat him so that they themselves will gain immortality through the Monk's efforts.
Our Great Sage Monkey continues to be clever and without equal in fighting and The Idiot Pig is always out to get revenge against the trickster Monkey, to eat as much as he can but also to protect his master. Also, the author is always using the Pig to set up the practical side of things: "He's not the Tang Priest now, he is the Drowned Priest".
It has been eight years now that our little group has been on the road: "If you don't know whether all turned out for good or for ill, listen to the explanation in the next installment".
I think I will wait awhile before tackling Volume 3.

Like what Gail said, the basic episodic structure started in part one continues in this part. I really enjoyed it in part I, and continued to in this part as well (really the whole way through since I finished part 4 in March).

That being said, I’m going to have to refresh with my book handy what happened in Part II since it’s been a hot minute and I don’t explicitly remember which episodes happened entirely in which parts.

Okay couple comments for part 2:
- I find myself liking the parts with Pa-Chieh a lot. I picture him as like a combo of Porky Pig and this animation of Animal Farm I saw in school. He amuses me a lot. I really like Monkey too in this regard, which I spoke about in the previous part.
- The part with the Ghost King in the night was very cool, as was cinnabar elixir that brings back the dead king.

I just finished volume II. I'm enjoying it, but I think I will take a little break before tackling book III. I believe the third installment is the main part of the story.

I am still in volume 2, I have a lot of catching up to do. I read a bit this month. I still enjoy it.

I have finished volume 2 reading something completely different before starting volume 3 and then I have to ask the library where volume 4 vanished to as it is currently not showing in their catalogue and it was there before.

What I have learnt from this volume:

1) If you need to cross a river there will be a demon in it trying to prevent you crossing
2) If you meet a stranger on the road don't trust them they are bound to be a demon
3) If Monkey can't beat a demon within 3 rounds he is going to need to get back up
4) When you are in serious s**t the only one to save you is the Bodhisattva
5) Don't trust Pig to do anything alone he will either a) hide and fall asleep b) steal food getting everyone in trouble or c) both of these
6) Living a pure life for 10 life cycles means that eating you can make others immortal - they really didn't put enough thought into that if you ask me
7) If you want to know what happens next you will need to read on.

Great accounting of your deep learnings Book....love it.

Gail wrote: "Great accounting of your deep learnings Book....love it."

Why thank you Gail it took a lot of pondering to decide what I had learnt LOL

I finished volume 2. That will be it for this one. Hopefully I can get back to it someday to finish the last two volumes. Books two shows a Monkey who is growing in wisdom and maturity though he is still impatient. Pig is coarse and Friar is impetuous. So they still are flawed disciples. But I have absolutely no respect for the Master. He is really dumb.

And I never realized there was so much eating of humans in China.