it's been months since I read sitelinkthe first one, so I had forgotten a few details, But mostly this book picks up after the five monks witness the death of their grand master at the hands of a former student, I think each book
will follow their five different, though often interweaving, paths and will culminate in a final installment,
Anyway, like I've said before, there is a lot of action in these books, The author definitely knows his stuff when it comes to different forms of martial arts but writing about them is a different matter, It's too technical and fight scenes are overwrought with details such as different types of fists and how the fingers are articulated, While his knowhow adds an air of authenticity, he needs to work on his flow and storytelling skills,
Onto the story itself, which follows Malao, the monkeystyle warrior, The fact that this book cover has a slash of red and the kid's animal affinity is a monkey reminded me of this:
figure: Rocky the Red Ape Ninja Ranger
Honestly, the thing I loved about this book was the fact that Malao kept stopping to find mushrooms to roast.
figure: Sweet, delicious roasted mushrooms, Batman!
I also liked how the author was slowly ramping up the supernatural bits in the series.
In the first book I could tell they were there under the surface, but they never really showed themselves in that installment, Now that we know Ying, the villain, is taking potions and such I hope we will see more of this aspect in further novels,
It was also made clearer what the "five ancestors" actually means when we are given a large hint that Fu's , leading us to believe that the monks aren't actually orphans after all.
Even Malao is hinted to be .
I do want to point out that the dialogue needs a lot of work too, At times, speeches are very serious in tone and lack the way actual humans talk, It reminded me of old Kung Fu movies that were translated into English, but poorly, Though that might have been what he was going for, At other times, it can be completely juvenile or outright anachronistic the events of these books take place in, so certain phrases throw the story out of whack.
Perhaps the author is trying to pander to children or balance the story, but it messes up the tone at times, sitelinkJeff Stone can come up with an interesting story with exciting moments, but should have had someone really helping him iron out the kinks in his writing.
I love this series. I don't read the books in order and I don't have to, Each book has its own version of the characters' history, told through their eyes, and they all come together as one unit once you have completed them.
I would highly recommend reading them in order, however, just because that is probably the best way to enjoy the story of the young monks,
I don't know how the author manages to make these stories so suspenseful and action packed, but I am not kidding when I tell you the fighting scenes keep you tense as you read them.
I often found myself having to relax when I had finished reading a fight scene because they are written so well they sweep you up into the action.
All of a sudden you realize your neck is tense and you are sitting forward, devouring every word, ready to have someone jump out of the book at you.
It is just so well done it is almost unbelievable, I can see how young readers who enjoy martial arts would love this series, Parents be ware, I consistently read these books in one sitting, so give it to your child in the morning so that they will come when you call them for dinner.
I don't think they would be able to put it down in order to come to the table,
Each one of these get better than the last, Well, maybe not. Thay are all great. This is a continuation of the Jeff Stone series of The Five Ancestors, It's about a bunch of monks that live in a temple and learn different styles of kung fu from their master, Each one of the monks have to go through their own personal journey to find out about themselves and about a mystery, Read them, you'll enjoy them, The series continues to be fun! The temple has been burned,
Grandmaster is dead.
The only five survivors have scattered like the wind,
Alone. For the first time. No brothers, no mentors, no teachersjust elevenyearold Malao, the monkey, all by himself in the woods, Malao loves to make jokes and fool around, but now the only home he has ever known is burning and his four surviving temple brothers have disappeared.
Suddenly nothing seems as funny as it used to,
Grandmaster told Malao to discover the secrets of his past, but for a monkey nothing is ever simple, He hasn't traveled far when he stumbles into a battle between a group of bandits and an army of monkeys, One of the bandits looks strangely familiar, and the monkeys are led by a large, white, oneeyed male, who seems to know Malao,
In this second volume of the Five Ancestors series, Jeff Stone continues the exciting story of five youngsters destined for greatnessif they can only survive!,
Grab Your Edition Monkey (Five Ancestors, #2) Developed By Jeff Stone Published As Digital Edition
Jeff Stone