Journey to the West meets Paternus meets The Greatest American Hero.
Journey to the West is perhaps the forbearer of the xianxia genre, and its main character Sun Wukong is beloved in China (and popularized worldwide through as Goku in the Japanese anime, Dragonball Z). While I’ve never actually read the novel, I have enjoyed the Sinpac comics and watched an opera performance of The Monkey King Fights the 18 Arahats in Beijing.
Therefore, when UK publisher Rebellion approached Fantasy-Faction with a review request for a story about a female Monkey King set in the modern day Bay Area, I was immediately intrigued, and I jumped the line of fellow reviewers by flashing my credentials as a former staff of the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco. Not only that, but I hit the imprint up for an audiobook.
In the time between that request and actually receiving the files, I listened to the debut author, Jadie Jang, talk on Clubhouse about her upcoming release. My anticipation and excitement grew as she described Monkey Around as feminist, Chinese-inspired, and inclusive.
The story did not disappoint.
In a world like Dyrk Ashton’s Paternus, where mythological creatures from all over the globe live surreptitiously among humans, Maya McQueen is a young mixed-race Asian woman with an endearing snark that drives the story. She has supernatural powers similar to the Monkey King, such as plucking her hair and transforming it into different objects. She also has extraordinary senses, reflexes, and fighting skill.
What she calls “Monkey Brain” is an underlying desire to raise havoc, much like Sun Wukong; just like with the Monkey King, the impulsive drive gets her into a lot of trouble. I did feel that it gave her something of a bloodlust, and I didn’t pick up the playful mischievousness I associate with Sun Wukong.
Believe it or not, Maya doesn’t understand the extent of her abilities, much like Kit from the 1970s classic, The Greatest American Hero; and it leads to her discovering new abilities in the midst of stressful situations. In order to learn more about herself, she works with Ayo, a regular human whose Supernat-friendly cafe is a front for an office that researches myths and legend. While some of her duties are mundane, like working as a barista and opening and closing shop, Maya also does odd jobs related to Supernats.
When Supernats start getting killed by a mysterious shadow, it sets off an expansive murder mystery, intersecting the 2011 Occupy Wall Street protests, a mysterious artifact, and an imaginative interpretation of world mythology. South American, European, Indian, Japanese, and many more mythos are represented, with creatures from legends able to take human form. The Bay Area, itself seems to take on a life of its own.
The secondary characters flesh the story out—especially with their interactions with Maya—from the dutiful Tez to his suspicious sister; and the hipster type Todd, who might have a secret of his own. Her boss, Ayo, is the mentor character who helps the reader immerse themselves into the story—she has a pedantic tone reminiscent of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The writing style is succinct and easy to follow, with prose that immerses the reader in the setting. The plot kept me guessing as to whodunit until the very end.
With the fascinating premise and setting, as well as compelling characters and a twisty plot, I rate Monkey Around an 8.25 out of 10 stars.
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Jennie Ivins