What a fantastic TV show it was. One can tell the cast and crew got bored towards the end of the series as they crank up the ananchronisms and general pointless mayhem. I can't believe I didn't get into Kung Fu movies after being brought up on this.
I have the vaguest memories of reading the book. From the defunct reading list:
Monkey - Wu Ch'êng-ên: Mostly read in inter- and cross-continental transit, July 2004.