Book reviews

Castle in the Air
Diana Wynne Jones Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Diana Wynne Jones Books
New book search
Diana Wynne Jones Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Castle in the Air
"Abdullah is a carpet merchant in the city of Zanzib. In between buying and selling his carpets he daydreams. Then one day he buys a magic carpet. To keep the carpet safe he sleeps on top of it. In the middle of the night he wakes up in a garden, just like the one in his dreams. When he meets a beautiful princess, he assumes he must still be dreaming. But when Princess Flower in the Night mistakes him for a woman, which is most certainly not a part of his normal dreams, he realizes that he must have mumbled a word in his sleep that took the magic carpet to her garden. Flower in the Night explains that she has never seen a man besides her father before and that is why she mistook him for a woman. Since her father is short, fat, and bald she assumes that all men look the same. To prove that men can all look very different Abdullah promises to return the next night with as many pictures of men as he can find. He spends all day buying pictures for Flower in the Night. That night he goes to sleep on the carpet with all the pictures bundled around him. When he wakes up, he is once again in Flower in the Night's garden. After inspecting all the pictures Flower in the Night decides that Abullah is the best looking man out of everyone. She wants to ask her father to let her marry Abdullah. Her father will probably object to this since he has already chosen a prince he wants Flower in the Night to marry. They decide to get married first and then tell her father. As they get on the carpet to leave, a djinn flies by and grabs Flower in the Night. In order to rescue her, Abullah will have to escape prison, defeat a bandit, rescue a soldier, and defeat the djinn."
Michelle, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Castle in the Air
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 30%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




Tone of book - humorous or laughable
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - fantasy world/fantasy past
Romance Yes
Romance plotlets: - love among disparate social classes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - trader
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - magical being
Has magical powers? Yes
Magical/mental powers of main antagonist: - can cast all sorts of spells
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters

Setting
Terrain - Desert
A substantial portion of this book takes place on a non-Earth planetary body: - humans in a primitive/fantasy society
Planet outside solar system? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Castle in the Air
A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer
Magic Casement - A Man of His Word 1 by David Duncan
Just Ella by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Heritage and Exile by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Unhandsome Prince by John Moore


Click here for more information about this book


Diana Wynne Jones Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Liba  

SCHOLARS:
Michelle  Michael Jung  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Science Fiction books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
James Patterson 12:08:13 PM
George W. Bush 2:32:02 AM
Anonymous 2:03:39 AM
Erin Hunters 9:00:01 PM
Betty Mahmoody 6:00:22 PM
Judith McNaught 11:55:44 AM
Iris Johansen 9:03:43 PM
Norah Lofts 1:11:37 PM
Jane Rubino 9:32:45 AM
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twersky 11:28:51 PM
Faye Kellerman 12:37:41 AM
LaVyrle Spencer 7:25:23 PM
Robert James Waller 8:30:15 PM
Suzanne Weyn 12:50:03 AM
Deric Longden 2:54:11 PM
Wilma Counts 1:23:32 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM

More message boards