Castle in the Air

A classic, almost fable-like story. Feelgood and arguably very simple story, it is an entertaining read with satisfying conclusions, as well as a fun game of "Where in the world are the characters I expect to see, and when will they show up."

Though there are certainly issues when it comes to portrayals of "exotic other cultures", and a very simplistic description of motive, temperament, and physicality, I personally chalked it all up to being a fairy tale style story, filled with classic tropes, which can read as problematic and simple to the modern reader.

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...

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...

oh good god the casual racism.

This is a weird one to review and I don’t really know how many stars I should give it. Jones’ prose continues to be snappy and readable, but the benignly intended yet still offensive exotification of middle eastern culture was pretty off-putting. I actually quite like Abdullah as a character. He’s got an unreliable steak that made the narrative more engaging, but… yeah I don’t know, man.

It was nice to see Sophie and Howl again, but it begs the question of why the book couldn’t just be about them.

The sequel to Howl's Moving Castle (which was made into a movie by Studio Ghibli). An Arabian-esque fantasy wherein humble carpet merchant Abdullah gets involved with flying carpets, djinns, genies, and enchanted cats, not to mention Howl's flying castle as he tries to find the princess of his dreams.

A wacky take on the classic Arabian nights genre this is Jones at her best -- nothing is as it seems, and in the end there are several morals to be learned. However, the link between Castle in the Air and [b:Howl's Moving Castle|6294|Howl's Moving Castle|Diana Wynne Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165560187s/6294.jpg|2001] is tenuous at best, and at worst Castle in the Air is cheapened by the association, as the feel is extremely different and the characters from Howl seem shoehorned in.