The Battle of the Beasts

Monkey King and the World of Myths #2

by Maple Lam

Percy Jackson meets Dragon Ball in the second book of this adorable, funny, and action-packed graphic novel series! Now the Monkey King and his sidekick Cerberus are bursting into the world of Japanese folklore!

Monsters of the East, beware! Sun Wukong (aka the Monkey King) and his trusty three-headed pal Cerberus are headed on their next monster-hunting mission to Heian-Kyo, capital of ancient Japan—a city where long ago humans and beasts lived together in peace. But since the great war, the beasts have been cast out of the city and things seem more divided than ever.

When he crash lands in the city, Wukong finds himself in the middle of it all. He soon meets a boy named Momotaro who believes the beasts have stolen an important magical object, and a kitsune named Kit who is convinced humans have burned down the beast’s only source of food in the wild. With these latest incidents, the tension between beasts and humans comes to a breaking point.

But Wukong suspects something more sinister is behind a monster trying to get the two sides to fight. He and his new friends must race against the clock to uncover the true villain before all-out war breaks out in the city. Packed with characters from Japanese folklore, magical weapons, and epic battles, this will be the Monkey King’s greatest adventure yet!

Genres: Graphic Novels, Mythology, Adventure, Fantasy, Middle Grade, Comics

256 pages, Hardcover

Published August 19, 2025

About the author

Maple Lam loves creating characters and constructing worlds around them. When she is not illustrating or writing children's book, she is most likely reading books in a local Los Angeles library.

Reviews

[Vivian Teo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking up where The Monster and the Maze left off, The Battle of the Beasts follows the Monkey King as he continues his quest to defeat demons and earn his place in heaven. This time, his journey takes him to an ancient Japanese city, where he meets Momotaro, a boy whose magical hammer has been stolen. Their search leads them to an island of banished beasts, but the theft turns out to be more complicated than it seems. Behind it all is a mastermind whose schemes could spark a war between humans and beasts. With Momotaro and a shapeshifting fox by his side, the Monkey King must unravel the mystery, and stop the conflict before it begins.

Like the first book, this instalment is packed with humour, action and mystery. While rooted in Chinese mythology, the debut explored Greek myths, and now the series dives into Japanese folklore. I really enjoy how Wukong’s travels introduce readers to different cultures and legends, which keeps the adventure feeling fresh and global.

Beyond the action are themes children will find relatable. The story touches on friendship, communication and the importance of keeping an open mind, reminding us that not everything is simply black or white. And once again, the illustrations are gorgeous! This is such a fun middle-grade graphic novel series, and I can’t wait to see where the Monkey King goes next!

[Hwee Goh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maple Lam’s newest Sun Wukong adventure takes us to Heian-kyo in Japan, where the rice fields that feed the beasts have been set on fire and destroyed.

A band of beasts led by Shuten-Doji are up in arms, believing that the Emperor’s right hand man, General Raiko, is responsible.

Enter Sun Wukong, literally, on his cloud, Nimbus, and with his pet dog, (three-headed) Cerberus. He co-opts Momotaro (the one born from a peach) into this mission and I thought the bromance between the two was the best thing!😂

Along the way, they meet Kit, the shapeshifter fox from Japanese mythology who steals the sword of heaven, hoping to get Raiko in trouble.

This was just as fun as book one, with fast moves and elemental battles one should expect from a Monkey King tale — this one made even better with a delightful blend of global mythology.

📚: @definitelybookskids

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sun Wukong has a new assignment, this time he's helping Momotaro retrieve his magic hammer that's been stolen. In the process they uncover a plot to cause further unrest between the monsters and humans in a nearby city. Before war breaks out, can they catch and expose the imposter burning fields and posing as the human leader?

This was a fun mashup of Chinese and Japanese myths. I like how Sun Wukong and Momotaro work to bring peace. The artwork is a style that will draw readers in.

Notes on content:
Language: None
Sexual content: None
Violence: War is threatened, but just narrowly avoided.
Ethnic diversity: Characters from Chinese and Japanese and Greek mythology.
LGBTQ+ content: None specified.
Other: The bad guy is being influenced by an evil entity that takes over his mind at times.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second volume in the series. This time, the focus is on Japanese folklore. I didn't like this quite as much as the first volume, probably because I'm way more familiar with Greek mythology than Japanese folklore. Still, I knew enough and the narrative explained enough that I never felt lost. This series still feels like a good step before Percy Jackson for young readers interested in myths, and I hope to see more entries.

[aNeedleinMyBookstack | Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 is the second of an MG graphic novel series featuring Sun Wukong (the Monkey King), who, along with his 3-headed pal, Cerberus, travels to different worlds on missions to battle other monsters. In the first book, they went to Greece, and in this edition, they visit ancient Japan.

There’s a lot of action, and I think kids will enjoy learning folklore, myths, and monsters from different countries. I look forward to the Monkey King’s next adventure!

[Kea4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed it but I must admit I thought Momotaro was a girl at first. Other than that I enjoyed the story.

[Teresa]

p 126 Only hatred needs a reason

[D.T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this much more than the first one. The cartooniness, humor, and emotional aspects are better here.

3.5

[Lauren Yoshida-Hata · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was interested to read this book because of the Japanese characters on the cover. I realized he visited Momotaro (Peach Boy).

[Lesli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute! And I loved all the myths. But I do think it is more enjoyable when you know all of the myths.

[Meg]

I LOVE the Monkey King series, and the kids I recommend it to love it too! I hope it continues forever.