Castle in the Air (World of Howl, 2) Mass Market Paperback – August 7, 2001

I honestly hadn't read the back of this book and just started reading because of who wrote it and my love for Howl's Moving Castle. I was SO CONFUSED because I'd felt like I'd grabbed Disney's Aladdin or something!! I had to search the internet to see which one came first (this book, by the way). Aladdin definitely got some influence from this!It's a great book! The characters are wonderful, the plot is super tense, interesting, and engaging all the way through... It's honestly a pleasure to read! HIGHLY recommend! I love Howl's Moving Castle most of all (but I also came from the anime first and foremost), but this is an utterly FANTASTIC follow-up!

Going into this I always wonder where Sophie and Howl are from the start, but at the same time I get sucked into Abdullah and Flower-In-the-Night's story and love seeing everything unfold. I really do love the characters. The magic is a whole lot of fun and I really love the plot. Amazing.

This book is advertised as a sequel to "Howl's Moving Castle" and it took quite a long while for me to understand why -- Howl, Sophie, Calcifer, and the crew were not mentioned for much of the book! However, this book has a charm all its own and should be enjoyable for anyone who liked "Howl's Moving Castle." The writing style is similar, certain parts of the setting are familiar (especially at the end), and it's a light, quick read (even for adults, although every bit of it is suitable for young readers, as well -- no adult language or situations to worry about). Please note that our main character, Abdullah, is given to rather flowery language; excessive flattery is part of his essential nature. Surprisingly often, this language is effective at achieving Abdullah's goals. I also like the subtext there, that Abdullah doesn't really mean even half of what he says, but is willing to say it if he thinks it will get the job done.There *are* some stereotypes/tropes at work here, and they bear mentioning. They're quite overused at this point in time, although this book was originally written more than 20 years ago. Our story starts in a bazaar with a carpet merchant named Abdullah, in a country where men can have multiple wives and there are things like djinn and magic carpets. Abdullah's story bears something of a resemblance to Aladdin's story (the Disney version, which is the only version I'm really familiar with), although Abdullah's genie isn't as friendly -- he's fallen in love with a princess (called "Flower-in-theNight") who's totally inaccessible as a marriage partner based on Abdullah's social station.Meanwhile, Abdullah's extended family has other plans for him -- marriage to two relatives of his father's first wife (not his mother), whom he has absolutely no desire to marry. And then Abdullah's princess is abducted, prompting Abdullah to leave town to save her (and conveniently avoid his relatives at the same time).As a character, Abdullah is pretty well-developed. He daydreams a lot, he exhibits bravery and cleverness when needed, he makes a lot of resolutions involving the genie whose bottle he's acquired, only to drop those resolutions later on, and he really tries to come through for his friends. Because he's the POV character for pretty much the entire book, he's really the only character who's fully fleshed out, although we do encounter some old friends from "Howl's Moving Castle" along the way (we don't always realize this at first, however). I love it when Abdullah tells little lies -- for example, to his traveling companion, a soldier -- and then tries to justify them (for example, by saying he'll ask the genie "tomorrow" for those lies to become truth, though he never quite gets around to asking for some of the things he promises to ask). Things have a way of working themselves out, regardless. (I also like Abdullah's relationship with *his* genie.)Two of the things that stand out for me are the little moments of humor (regarding Abdullah's relatives, or some cats that show up later, or a couple of other elements sprinkled throughout the book) and the final confrontation. The climax in this book is just as madcap as it was in "Howl's Moving Castle." There are tons of people in a small room, a lot of noise, and quick action -- it's a lot of fun to read. (I'm already a good way through book 3 and am looking forward to a similar scene!)Magic will be familiar to anyone who has read the previous book. People can be enchanted to have different appearances (and forbidden to speak about the enchantment). Sophie's subtle abilities are relied upon near the end, as well -- so it would definitely be fitting to read the first book before getting to this one. That way you'll have an understanding of what sorts of things she can do. You wouldn't necessarily recognize her work as magic if you read this book without reading the previous one. There aren't really a lot of limits to what magic can do, but neither are we, as readers, ever expected to believe something totally unrealistic (at least, not in the context of the world the author has created).The setting feels familiar, although it isn't particularly special. Zanzib, the country Abdullah hails from, is a generic Middle Eastern desert sort of place. Abdullah and a companion spend a long time traveling, and then we make it back to the town where much of "Howl's Moving Castle" was set. We *do* encounter Howl's castle again (there are some clues that you should be able to pick up on), and a couple of roadside inns. It's just a change for me from the previous book, where the castle was the star.In the end, I liked this book, although I didn't like it quite as much as volume 1. I thought Abdullah had some great qualities as a character, despite the stereotypes. I liked revisiting characters from the previous book. I thought the final confrontation and ending were great. I just wasn't quite as enthusiastic about some of the tropes. However, this is still a fun book and well worth a read if you liked "Howl's Moving Castle."

As with a lot of Diana Wynne Jones's so-called "sequels," this book doesn't exactly revolve around the characters from the prequel, although Sophie and Howl from "Howl's Moving Castle" do make cameo appearances. [I haven't read all of her books, but as far as I know, Diana Wynne Jones never wrote more than one novel from the perspective of the same character.] However, the story takes place in the same universe as "Castle in the Air" and certain parts (especially towards the end) are probably harder to understand or appreciate if you aren't familiar with the first book. It's meant to be read after Howl's Moving Castle, but it also ought to be taken on it's own terms.Overall, this is a really fun, light-hearted read. I've read it a few times and I still laugh out loud page after page (and I'm not even really a laugh-out-loud person). There's nothing especially deep about the story, although it's entertaining and satisfying to watch as Abdullah's firm faith in daydreams and fairy-tales lands him in big trouble and works to his advantage, by turns. It's fantastic fantasy parody. Abdullah is neither uniquely talented and special, nor very-deserving-but-helpless, which I find refreshing.The actual plot has its weaknesses. It seems rushed in the end (classic DWJ), and some of the plot twists are a little bit jarring since there's not much foreshadowing. The reader can't even begin to guess at how various bits of the puzzle fit together until the very end, and even then it's a little "huh?"-inducing. As a lot of reviewers have pointed out, the characters who reappear from "Howl's Moving Castle" do not undergo much in the way of further character development. (Ironically, though, there's actually not that much character development for Howl in the original book! DWJ admitted in interviews that she found readers' obsessive fondness for bad-boy Howl to be a little bit mystifying.) But it's totally worth a read anyway.

It was wonderful and surprising. Like Arabian nights meets howls moving castle. Thank you. I wish it were animated as well to see if my imagination (Daydreams) would compare.

I love this series. I truly do. It screams of imagination, fantasy, and escape. I decided to try it because I saw the first book last year searching for a book for my brother and sister, passed it up, then saw it again listed as anime on a movie website. I thought, "what are the odds I see this pop up twice?" I liked the first book immensely and decided to see if it was a fluke. Jones did not disappoint. Her characters are intriguing, varied, and well developed. Her settings are all detailed, her scenes all have just the right amount of action, and the plot rises and falls beautifully. I would highly recommend this series to anyone that loves adventure, humor, and a clever ending.