Tiger (The Five Ancestors, Book 1)
Author: Jeff Stone
Genre: Action/Adventure
Age Level: 12-14 years
SUMMARY
Fu (which is Catonese for "tiger") is one of five young monks who have been trained in the secret Cangzhen Temple under the strict guidance of the Grandmaster. The story begins with an attack on the temple by the emperor's army led by their traitorous brother, Ying. After Ying and his soldiers slaughter all the monks, including the Grandmaster, Yu and his brothers must find a way to defeat Ying and recover the sacred scrolls that he has stolen. This is the first book in a planned five-part series. Click here to watch an interview with the author.
CRITIQUE
This is a fast-paced, exciting adventure to read. The main characters, who each take on the persona of a different animal, are well-developed and the reader will be anxious to discover whether the young monks can defeat the powerful and sinister Ying. Although the setting of the book is 17th century China, it is not historical fiction and does not feel very authentic, particularly with regard to the dialogue. Also, please be aware that this book is inundated with violence that was often quite graphic (see Specific Content below for examples).
RATINGS
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude: Mild
Frightening/Suspenseful: Mild
Profanity: Mild
Sex: None
Substance Use: None
Mature Themes: None
Violence: Extreme
SPECIFIC CONTENT
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude:
-Characters call each other "lizard face," imbecile, fool, "fat boy," "ignorant oaf," and "monkey brains."
Frightening/Suspenseful:
-Yu nearly drowns inside the water barrel with his brothers piled on top of him.
-Description of Ying: toenails and fingernails sharpened into points, like talons; deep grooves and intricate scales carved into his face and filled with green pigment; teeth ground to a sharp point; forked tongue.
Profanity:
-Words/phrases used include stupid, butt, idiot, and "shut up."
Mature Themes:
-Death.
-Use of violence.
Violence:
-Grandmaster smacks Fu on the head.
-Malao remembers the time Ying broke Fu's arm because he woke him up.
-Cangzhen Temple is full of lifeless bodies and fallen horses. "He could see orange robes everywhere, filled with dead monks. Hundreds of armor-clad soldiers lay flat on their backs with long spears extended straight up into the air from their throats. Fu choked on smoke and the stench of burning bodies..."
-Soldier reports that one hundred monks have been killed.
-Ying's "long fingernails pierced the soldier's skin, and he ripped his hand away with a brutal, flesh-stripping twist...four streams of blood ran down his forehead, into his eyes."
-Grandmaster kills a soldier with a "knife-hand chop to the back of the soldier's neck."
-Ying has fingernails with "bits of bloodstained flesh dangled from their tips."
-Grandmaster knocks Ying over with a vicious leg swipe.
-Extended fight scene between Yu with tiger-hook swords and soldier with straight blade.
-Fu bites Ying's arm to break his grip on his robe.
-Ying swipes Fu's face with his chain whip and "blood poured across his jaw, down the side of his neck."
-Ying shoots Grandmaster with a qiang. "There was a terrific BOOM! and Grandmaster stumbled backward as a hole opened in his chest. He slumped to the ground, dead."
-Ying beheads Grandmaster. "The sword dug deep into the earth, and Grandmaster's head rolled away from his lifeless body."
-Young kung fu fighters receive bamboo whacks as punishment.
-Yu remembers how he would wake Ying with a "powerful punch or kick."
-Ying attacks soldier. "The fist clamped down on the man's throat. Four long fingernails sank deep along one side of his larynx. A razor-sharp thumbnail sank in on the opposite side. The fist squeezed until sound no longer came from the soldier's mouth..."
-Ying shoves Commander Woo to the ground.
-Description of tiger traps: "It would fall into the pit, landing on the spikes, impaled and stuck at the bottom...hunters would slash tiger repeatedly with the razor-sharp metal tips of their long spears, tormenting the tiger for hours until it slowly bled to death."
-Extended scene where Fu attacks tiger hunters.
-Ma throws rocks and spits at Fu while he is in the cage.
-Ma playfully punches one of Ho's arms.
-Horse tramples on villagers' legs and feet.
-Governor "kicked Ma in the backside as hard as he could, sending him flying out of harm's way."
-Governor is "beaten down by the second mob of ruthless soldiers and left barely conscious."
-Drunkard crushes a soldier's shoulder.
-Ma kicks a villager square in the knee.
-Drunkard is hit with shot from qiang.
-Fu fights with soldier while escaping from cage: "There was a sharp crack as the soldier's nose shattered against a large stone...ripped his head away and screamed as a fistful of his hair remained in Fu's hand. A chunk of scalp dangled from the clump of hair."
-Monkeys attack soldiers; clawing, scratching, and biting.
-Fu breaks soldier's collarbone with spear, then pins him to the ground by his throat until he is unconscious.
-Ying grabs Malao's neck with his eagle-claw grip and paralyzes him temporarily.
-Ying orders Tonglong to kill the monks.
-Tonglong slaps Yu on side of head.
-Extended fight scene between young monks and soldiers.
-Tiger cub attacks soldiers.
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