The Five Ancestors is a children's book series written by Jeff Stone about five young Chinese warrior monks who are the only survivors of the destruction and raid of their home, Cangzhen Temple. Each of the warriors specializes in an animal kung fu and possesses a Cantonese animal name: Fu (Tiger), Malao (Monkey), Seh (Snake), Hok (Crane), Long (Dragon), and Ying (Eagle). When Grandmaster is killed by their former brother Ying (Eagle), the warriors must seek their past and change Ying and the Emperor's heart. Each monk will begin to uncover their own past and learn surprising facts about themselves. Betrayal, trust, friendship, and skills along the way between the monks' families, friends, and among themselves. The seven books in the series are: Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Crane, Eagle, Mouse and Dragon; published by Random House between 2003-2010.
The sequel series, The Five Ancestors: Out of the Ashes, takes place 350 years after The Five Ancestors and follows Phoenix Collins, a mountain bike racer who finds out about his grandfather's Mysterious Past. This series includes the books Phoenix, Lion, and Jackal.
Tropes displayed in The Five Ancestors include:
- But Not Too Foreign: Hok is half-Dutch.
- Firearms Are Revolutionary:
- Much of the story details the Chinese soldiers’ use of (somewhat anachronistic) flintlock weapons imported from Europe. Even commoners find it easy to get ahold of pistols and muskets, and the warrior monks often find themselves at a loss when their years of training with kung fu aren’t enough against bullets.
- Hok also realizes the medical side of this when she helps treat wounded characters. While she’s more than prepared to deal with cuts and dislocated limbs, she’s stymied by the fact that the bullets just tear straight through people, leaving holes and splintering bones.
- Half-Breed Discrimination: Hok encounters this in Crane, when two women refuse to help her once they see that her eyes are almost round and her hair is brown.
- Meaningful Name: It seems that nearly all the main characters' names mean something in Cantonese that pertains to their appearance, behavior, and/or preferred Kung Fu style. This is Lampshaded several times.
- Plucky Comic Relief: Malao likes to make jokes.
Tropes displayed in The Five Ancestors: Out of the Ashes include:
- Meaningful Name: Continuing from the first series. This includes Tie Hú Dié (iron butterfly) and Chénjí Long (silent dragon).
- Really 700 Years Old:
- Grandfather is more than 370 years old.
