I must admit I read this book for entertainment only. My critical analysis was parked in the back of the lot while I was up front with the crowds enjoying the show. Castle wasn't as good a novel for me as its prequel, Howl's Moving Castle, but it was a good read nonetheless.

Fans of the prequel might not initially like the vastly different setting and main character, Abdullah of Zanzib. Going from medieval Europe to medieval Persia could be a bit jarring, but once preconceived notions are out of the way, the reader can immerse himself into the story. Eventually, the cast of Howl's makes an appearance, but only as supporting characters.

I found the writing style light and humorous, which served to heighten the whimsical nature of the tale. I also noticed that like Howl's, Castle began slowly but wound into an increasingly rapid spiral towards the end.

The characters felt real enough. The dialog was zesty and fun. However, I wondered if they served the plot as opposed to the plot serving them. This would be my only complaint. The characters often moved across the stage of the story having little impact, but merely commented on events as they flew by. That's not a bad thing, per se, but I would have preferred less passive characters overall. Towards the end, Abdullah began to take a stand and impact the events around him, but I would have preferred he do that far earlier in the story.

Overall, good read. If you are a fan of fantasy, this is a fun one. ( )

This is the "sequel" to Howl's Moving Castle, though the characters from the first book don't appear until pretty close to the end (there is a third book that's apparently a sequel in the more traditional sense).

I'd heard from a lot of people that Castle in the Air wasn't as good as Howl's Moving Castle, but I actually enjoyed it more. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that this book renewed my faith in Diana Wynne Jones. She was one of my favourite authors as a child, but recent attempts to read her books had left me a bit disappointed. Conrad's Fate, The Game, and even the popular Howl's Moving Castle left me feeling that something was somehow missing, and even a reread of my old favourite The Lives of Christopher Chant couldn't recapture the magic. I'm not sure what changed here--possibly just the fact that I read it in pieces on the subway rather than going straight through--but I came away very satisfied.

Castle in the Air is reminiscent of Aladdin, which is a good thing in my eyes. Abdullah starts out as a carpet merchant in a crowded bazaar and goes through plenty of adventures with a wish-granting genie in a bottle and a magic carpet, all in pursuit of the Sultan's daughter. There are bandits in the desert and evil djinns and all that good Arabian Nights stuff. The best part, though, is that the author doesn't take these themes (or herself) too seriously; she sometimes plays up the familiar concepts to the point of the ridiculous, and I found myself laughing on more than one occasion. If you like the Arabian Nights or DWJ's other work, I would definitely recommend this one. ( )

Castle in the Air is the sequel-of-sorts to Howl's Moving Castle. It is about Abdullah, a young carpet merchant who lives in a Bazaar, and his adventures (and misadventures, as the case happens to be) following the purchase of a magic carpet. It involves meddling relatives, an angry genie, a culture of flowery flattery, an uncooperative carpet, a shifty soldier, an evil plot or two and a lot of princesses. (There are some great girl-power moments!) It’s not quite as brilliant as the first one, but it’s still humorous and clever. And there is much fun when familiar characters start appearing. ( )

This is a sequel to [b:Howl's Moving Castle|6294|Howl's Moving Castle|Diana Wynne Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165560187s/6294.jpg|2001], and like it, it doesn't fail to deliver it's funny moments. The setting is slightly different, however, as it reminds you more of something just out of 1001 Nights. There's even appearances of characters from [b:Howl's Moving Castle|6294|Howl's Moving Castle|Diana Wynne Jones|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165560187s/6294.jpg|2001], including Howl and Sophie themselves, however there is no real need to have read that book in order to fully enjoy this one.Much like the first, I can't put it down for too long that I will be re-reading it. ( )

Castle in the Air is a retelling of Aladdin, spiced up with the beloved characters from Howl's Moving Castle. It is a quick, light and fun read. I didn't enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed Howl's Moving Castle, however. I thought that the ending was a bit rushed and whirlwind and tied up a little too neatly.

But to be honest, that's probably not the reason I was slightly disappointed by the book. I was too excited, at the start, to see my old friends Howl, Sophie and Calcifer again. And then was disappointed that they did not have bigger roles. That is, they had major roles, but not in the way I expected. I would have liked to see more interaction between the three of them, but that probably would have been asking too much. After all, this book belongs to Abdullah and Flower-in-the-Night. And even though those two don't hold a candle to Howl and Sophie for me, they're pretty good people on their own. I have come to depend on Wynne Jones to populate her books with practical and likable females; she does just that in this book, and I love it. Good for her!

Truncated from full review at:
http://aartichapati.blogspot.com/2009... ( )