Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

When the titular prince hears of another happy, prosperous land, he vows to seek out its ruler and learn from his example. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">PW wrote, "The prince's travels are pleasantly reminiscent of the coming-of-age journeys found in the author's Prydain Chronicles." Ages 10-up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Dec.)

Kirkus Reviews

Recounting the adventures of the son of an imaginary Chinese emperor, a master storyteller once again weaves a compelling tale. Prince Jen and his sharp-tongued servant, Mafoo, volunteer to journey to the kingdom of T'ien-ku to discover the secrets of governing from the king of that unusually happy and prosperous land. They set out bearing six gifts, but lose them all along the way; they also encounter a rich array of characters, including an evil bandit, a thief with a rigid code of conduct, a little girl who learns to fly, and an older one with whom Jen falls in love. Stories concerning the gifts are smoothly woven into the adventurous journey, which ends happily in the Prince's own kingdom. There are familiar Alexander types here—the plucky but naive hero; the sarcastic, often wrong-headed sidekick; the girl who's smarter than either—but the characterizations get a fresh twist in a setting depicted with the abundant detail of a carefully woven tapestry, while the reader is hypnotically drawn into the lively story. (Fiction. 10+)"

School Library Journal (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gr 5-10-- From deep in the cauldron of world story comes a rich fantasy about a young man's journey from innocence to experience. In China during the Tang Dynasty, young Prince Jen, heir to the Dragon Throne, sets off to find T'ien-kuo, or Heavenly Kingdom, the utopia described by a mysterious wandering scholar. Accompanied by a large retinue of soldiers and his practical, plain-spoken servant, the idealistic, sheltered prince bears six gifts for the ruler of T'ien-kuo. As his journey progresses, he loses everything: his retinue, his possessions, his identity, his illusions, his friends, until at last, in one of Alexander's most moving passages, he finds himself a common criminal, wandering the roads of his own kingdom, wearing the wooden collar of punishment. Although experience is a harsh teacher, Jen never loses his common humanity, nor his faith in the bondmaid he loves. Alexander borrows form and content from the popular novels of the Ming and Ch'ing Dynasties, particularly Shi Nai'an's Outlaws of the Marsh (China Bks., 1988), and is influenced, as are the Ming-Ch'ing novels, by the vernacular literature of the Sung Dynasty. Yet Jen's story transcends all boundaries, mixing Alexander's familiar cast--the impulsive, good-hearted boy; the clever, independent young woman; the assortment of eccentric, loyal companions--with flavors of European folklore; Hans Christian Andersen; admiring Chinoiserie, Buddhist and Taoist ideas; Arabian Nights extravagance. Alexander satisfies the taste for excitement, but his vivid characters and the food for thought he offers will nourish long after the last page is turned. --Margaret A. Chang, North Adams State College, MA

Horn Book

Young Prince Jen, heir to the kingdom of T'ang, sets out on a journey to the legendary kingdom of T'ien-kuo to learn the methods of governing a happy, harmonious realm from King Yuan-ming. The circuitous plot is clever; the Chinese setting is purely imaginary; and the writing style is amusingly embellished with exaggeration and flowery language.

Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review It is not often that a book can tell a breathtaking story, offer useful lessons on the intricacies of life, and paint a lively cultural backdrop against which the myriad events occur, but Alexander has done all of that and more in this well-conceived fantasy. It begins when Prince Jen sets off to find the legendary court of T'ien-kuo, where he will learn the art of governing. He brings with him six presents, chosen by a mysterious elderly man, that at face value seem innocuous. But as the book continually points out, things are not what they seem. In short order, Jen has lost his retinue of men; found a flute girl, Voyaging Moon; and faced death at the hands of a bandit. As Jen wanders through the Chinese countryside, losing his gifts, finding friends, and continually having to sift the important from the mundane, he learns what it means to be a ruler--and a man. Like the mysterious properties of Jen's gifts, the essence of the novel changes as the pages turn. Part quest, part coming-of-age, the story also has the distinction of having richly eccentric characters who do more than take up space. Moreover, the message about the interconnectedness of life and the profound effects that even small decisions can have on one's path in life is served up in just the right proportion to the rest of the enthralling events. A remarkable journey, indeed. (Reviewed Dec. 1, 1991)