Diana Wynne Jones: Castle in the Air (1990, Farshore)
English language
Published Nov. 13, 1990 by Farshore.
Having long indulged himself in daydreams more exciting than his mundane life as a carpet merchant, Abdullah unexpectedly purchases a magic carpet and his life changes dramatically as his daydreams come true and dangerous adventures become daily fare.
This should be a 4-star. I liked the characters, I liked the adventure, I liked the writing. But it was just so awkwardly Orientalist. White British lady writing this was...
Abdullah sells carpets for a living. However, he is constantly dreaming of being the lost son of a king and one night his dreams come true, the good and the bad ones. When his love is taken away by an evil djinn, Abdullah starts a long journey on his magic carpet in search of his kidnapped princess that was taken to a castle in the air.
This became one of my favourite books (and my favourite from the trilogy) the first time I read it. I do not know if it was because I already knew what would happen, but this time it did not feel as funny as I remembered. I did not laugh out loud through all the brilliant chaos. I guess this one does not work as well the second time round, but reading Diana Wynne Jones is always a pleasure. This is a great book to …
Abdullah sells carpets for a living. However, he is constantly dreaming of being the lost son of a king and one night his dreams come true, the good and the bad ones. When his love is taken away by an evil djinn, Abdullah starts a long journey on his magic carpet in search of his kidnapped princess that was taken to a castle in the air.
This became one of my favourite books (and my favourite from the trilogy) the first time I read it. I do not know if it was because I already knew what would happen, but this time it did not feel as funny as I remembered. I did not laugh out loud through all the brilliant chaos. I guess this one does not work as well the second time round, but reading Diana Wynne Jones is always a pleasure. This is a great book to read out loud, it transpires magic and fairy tales.
