Castle in the Air

Written by Diana Wynne Jones

Narrated by Jenny Sterlin

A companion to Howl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones' Castle in the Air was named an ALA Notable Book and an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. In this sparkling tale, young merchant Abdullah purchases a magic carpet-and soon finds that the enchanted rug is none too agreeable. But despite the carpet's cranky demeanor, Abdullah must rely on its help to rescue a princess from a wicked djinn. "A bewitching romp, gratifying to mind, imagination, and funny bone."-Kirkus Reviews

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: May 8, 2009
• ISBN: 9781440719134

Diana Wynne Jones

In a career spanning four decades, award-winning author Diana Wynne Jones (1934‒2011) wrote more than forty books of fantasy for young readers. Characterized by magic, multiple universes, witches and wizards—and a charismatic nine-lived enchanter—her books are filled with unlimited imagination, dazzling plots, and an effervescent sense of humor that earned her legendary status in the world of fantasy.

Reviews for Castle in the Air

[Caitlin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love Diana Wynne Jones novels! They're so unbelievably charming

[Tino G · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I felt I was under a spell trying to remember who I was while reading the epic adventure and the travels we are sent on. I want a magic flying carpet to take me to my dreams lol Highly recommended.

[Sarah Watts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book really took my heart! It is so much adventure and fantasy. If you are a fan of Howl’s Moving Castle, this does have a guest appearance from the two (around chapter 15), but this book is different in its own wonderful way. I also enjoy the narrator’s voice!

[John Stephens · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely fantastic story! Don't hesitate to listen to this one. It is a sequel to Howl's moving castle. I wasn't sure if it was in the beginning. Rich characters. Loved it!

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I spent the first half of this generally annoyed but it did improve though the connections to the Howl's cast was annoying in a different way. A generally silly adventure lacking in basic story integrity.

[greeniezona · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After how charmed I was by Howl’s Moving Castle, I was surprised how disappointing I found this. This was another family bedtime story read-aloud, and the kids (10 & 14) seemed entertained enough, but I found the tropes tired, the female characters depressingly passive, and I didn't care much about our main character, Abdullah, one way or another. Not to mention the two "fat ugly girls" Abdullah is nearly forced to marry -- I had to stop reading the book and deliver a small lecture on fat phobia in there somewhere.There were moments here and there that I enjoyed, and there's some real skill in how things come together in the end, but this volume has aged poorly.

[ghost_boy-691444 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I still really like this series. This one was never made into a movie, but don't let that turn way. I love how Jones writes this world. I feel like this book was helping building the world of her series more while introducing newer characters. I actually like Abdullah's character. Not going to read the last book now, but curious how this ends.

[leslieholm-47788 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't think it's a spoiler to say that when I began reading this, I stopped to look at the title again and make sure it was Howl's Moving Castle, #2. I was sure it was Aladdin or Arabian Nights (not an impossibility; I often click on the wrong book in Kindle). Not a particular fan of Arabian nights, but after ascertaining I had the right book, I read on for a bit, expecting the Castle to show up . . . any time now . . .
Still, I became enmeshed in the adventures of Abdulluh (there's a title that wouldn't be misleading!) and ended up finishing it the same day. It is indeed set in the same world as Howl's castle, which does make an appearance. The plot twists are numerous - a couple of which I never saw coming - the characters are unique and amusing and I do enjoy Jones' matter-of-fact writing. I don't know how I missed her all these years.
If you like Prachett's Discworld, or a more - restrained, might be the word - Xanth, by Piers Anthony, you will definitely enjoy this book. Jones tells a cracking story without any pretention, obscuring, or artistic embellishment so often found in current books. Highly recommended.

[sharonmariabidwell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

At first, I was a little confused why this is a sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle. It’s a completely different story and doesn’t directly feature any characters from the first book until about two-thirds in. The language is sophisticated for today, meaning there aren’t many adults let alone children who would know what mulct means. Some of the content I’m sure will seem a little stereotypical as it features a poor carpet seller, a rich sultan’s daughter, and a flying carpet. Yes, it’s somewhat generic of Aladdin, but characters known and loved from book one appear before the end with an interesting outcome.

[mutantpudding · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

(Reread edit: I am changing my rating from 2 to 3 stars because I enjoyed this book quite a bit on this read thru. Still has issues discussed before but I enjoyed reading it.Also, and I have no actual evidence to back me up here, I am convinced the team that made the Howls Moving Castle movie read this book as well and that it influenced the story. Changes in the adaptation that aren't in the first book are in this sequel. Consider the transforming hall of mirrors and lights, emphasis on the war, flying, the castle in the clouds, and people transforming into flying monsters.)...As much as I adore Diana Wynne Jones, this is not one of my favorites. The setting (at least for the first bits) is very much that kinda vaguely middle eastern Arabian nights thing that a lot of fantasy books do to have a "foreign" land to offset their vaguely European kingdom next door. I think the author is aware of this and subverts it in some ways, but its still not a trope Im fond of. The approximation of Arabic culture often ends up relying heavily on stereotypes and not usually in a flattering way. Other than that though the book is ok. I liked the main characters and appreciated the connections to Howls Moving Castle and the humor. The story moves a bit slow at first, but not so much that it bothered me. Worth reading if you want to internalize everything Diana Wynne Jones has written like I do, but if not I don't think I would really recommend it.

[sandyamcpherson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The continuation of "Howl" and his life with Sophie. Intricate, fabulous world-building. Great characterisations.

[codonnelly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Castle in the Air is the underrated companion novel to Diana Wynne Jones’ beloved Howl’s Moving Castle. While the setting and characters are mostly different, Jones’ clever, albeit short, addition of the characters from the first novel, provide value to an already strong standalone plot. The novel follows Abdullah, a young carpet merchant in the neighboring country of Zanzib. When he comes into the possession of a flying carpet, his once mundane life turns upside down as his lofty dreams rapidly start coming true.

The novel is a fun, wide-sweeping romp through Zanzib, a land ripe with genies, pirates, and djinns, and the already established country of Ingary. The main character, Abdullah, while a daydreamer, works very hard and has an active imagination which never fails to entertain. The companions he meets during his journey are just as interesting. A belligerent genie who twists others’ wishes to his pleasing, a cat-loving soldier from the nearby country, Strangia, and a mother cat and her kitten are just a few of the many travelers Abdullah befriends along the way.

Similar to Howl’s Moving Castle, magic also plays a significant role in the novel, although there is a larger emphasis on the exotic, particularly prophecy. Both Abdullah and his love interest, Flower-in-the-Night, live under the constant pressure of prophecies made at their births, which add an element of mystery to the plot. Will their prophecies come true, and if they do, will they play out in predicted ways?

Surprising twists and turns are a common element in Jones’ work, so expect a few throughout this novel too. The plot and timeline are very straight-forward, but don’t let their simplicity fool you.

If you love Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer from the first novel, there will be moments where you will wish they appear more often. Don’t get frustrated when they don’t appear right away. Most importantly, don’t put the book down for this reason! I promise their eventual appearance will be worth it.

Diana Wynne Jones’ Castle in the Air is a rollicking adventure filled with new faces and familiar friends. As Abdullah sets out on his quest of discovery, keep your mind open to the peculiar. You may learn a thing or two.

[themulhern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A ton of fun, with some questionable resolutions.

[oxlabyrinthxo-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's great, but as a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle I would have liked to see more of Sophie and Howl than we did.

[ladyjoana-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The stunning continuation of Howls Moving Castle, the book now tells us the story of Abdullah and Flower-in-the-Night and their misadventures as they struggle to be with eachother. This is a somewhat more upbeat tale, with many funny situations all throughout the book.

[altheaann · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is marketed as 'a sequel to 'Howl's Moving Castle', but the familiar characters from that book don't make an appearance (well, that we know of) till the very end of the book - so readers who are not familiar with that book will equally enjoy this. It's just sort of that for fans of 'Howl's Moving Castle', there's a bonus at the end!
It's an Arabian-Nights-flavored story of a young Middle Eastern carpet dealer who, against his better judgement, is convinced to buy an allegedly magic carpet. But when he falls asleep on the rug, he wakes to find himself transported to a garden inhabited by a beautiful young woman. At first, he believes it's only a dream - but the carpet's powers of flight are real, and soon he finds himself with an enraged Sultan to deal with, not to mention assorted bandits, a temperamental genie, and more... Familiar elements, but Wynne Jones' wit and style make the story fresh and entertaining.

[saroz_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Something I'm learning about Diana Wynne Jones novels: she doesn't always know how to end them, or at least, that's how it feels. When I read Howl's Moving Castle several years ago, I thought Jones devised a brilliant scenario, fun characters and a vivid world. It was engaging and funny and easy to read. However, the longer the book went on, the more it seemed to rush toward its ending. Something about the pacing felt off - as if Jones wasn't quite sure when or how to end it. Now I feel the same way about the "companion novel" to Howl, Castle in the Air.The setup is great. I love the idea of a magic carpet that reacts to commands you don't know you're giving, taking the protagonist to meet the girl of his dreams without his knowing why. I really enjoyed the flavor of Abdullah's life, family situation and work environment. I even liked the parts of his quest. As the book traipsed toward its conclusion, though, it felt like it was wrapping up a little too easily, and the introduction of characters from Howl's Moving Castle felt incidental and almost unnecessary.That's not to say that Castle in the Air wasn't a fun book - it was, tremendously. It just felt, ultimately, a little unsatisfying. I'm interested to read the final book set in this world (I hesitate to refer to it as a "series"), and I'm curious if it will continue the pattern established by the previous two. With luck, that one will have a conclusion that feels just a bit more natural.

[klburnside · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Most reviewers seem to love this book, and the entire series for that matter, but it didn't do much for me. The story didn't really engage me much and I wasn't drawn to any of the characters. I'll read the final book in the series only so I can say I've read a trilogy this year.

[rosenstern · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Howl is one sly bastard. Yup, I love the guy. Jones' magical world starts to expand and en...shape..en in this book, part of the moving castle trilogy. We follow Abdullah in his quest to save a princess. The ending made the book. Just get to the end, and then we'll all sit around grinning like fools.

[moonspider-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First and foremost, something to note is that this is not a direct sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, but instead a separate story that overlaps in some parts. I know some people went into this book without knowing that and was utterly disappointed. I did not go in with such expectations and therefore enjoyed it more than I might have, having been told beforehand.I was surprised in the beginning...seemed to be another take on Aladdin at first - genie, magic carpet, princess, guy pretending to be a prince, the works! Then it slowly morphed into a unique story and then BAM in the last few chapters, Howl's Moving Castle makes a comeback and you would feel completely decieved. At least, when it comes to the big magic reveal, I never saw it coming. Not saying what it was, but it felt like a 180 and then I couldn't take my attention away from Howl, Sophie, Calcifer, and another little addition to the castle. The change in atmosphere seemed very abrupt, but I enjoyed it completely. Felt like it ending too soon, though it was summed up nicely. About to move into the not-quite-sequel after this one: House of Many Ways. Recommended not quite to fans of Howl and Sophie, but fans of the world they lived in. Though, as a fan of them myself, I enjoyed it too.

[teckelvik · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This isn't exactly a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle - it's set in the same universe, and there is some character overlap, but it's more tangential than following. Abdullah is a poor carpet seller who dreams that he is flying on a magic carpet, and meets a beautiful princess who falls in love with him. It's only when an evil djinn shows up to kidnap the princess that he realizes that he's not dreaming, but he is in a whole lot of trouble. This is entertaining, funny and light-hearted - a good bedtime read.

[bgknighton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very enjoyable sequel. Howl is a secondary character here. No one is who they seem and all have something to learn about themselves.

[sunias-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love this book! I wouldn't recommend it if you're hoping to read more about Howl and Sophie: even though it's listed as a sequel to Howl's moving castle, it features an entirely different story line and new characters, with Howl and Sophie making guest appearances at the end. The story itself, however, is fantastic! I loved reading about Abdullah's world, filled with magic djinns, flying carpets, and princesses. Overall, it's a very captivating read, especially if you're interested in Arabian mythology and stories like Aladdin.

[krumbs_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fun, quick, easy to read.

Separating this one entirely from Howl's Moving Castle would have been a better idea than making it a second book in a series, I think. Trying to tie it back in to the other book with a sudden information dump near the end and an incomplete back story was troublesome, particularly as the main character was from an Arabian-inspired culture--how does that fit with magical realism set in Wales of the first book?

[erincathryn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

At first glance, this doesn’t seem like much of a sequel to Howl’s Moving Castle. And in some ways it isn’t. It follows Abdullah’s story almost exclusively. Howl and company make an appearance, though not in a way you would expect.

I really liked Castle in the Air. Diana Wynne Jones continues to weave exceptional story and landscape, and I was completely drawn in.

Abdullah is a likeable protagonist, though I was so aggravated at times that everything seemed to be working against him. I mean, there are obstacles and then there are the stories where absolutely nothing seems to go right. This was the latter. There is only so much of that a reader can take. I also found Abdullah’s way of speaking to be very obnoxious at times. The flowery speech was great at first… but then it really got old fast.

The other thing that took away from the enjoyment for me was that in true YA style, after only one meeting, Abdullah is proclaiming his true and undying love for Flower-in-the-Night. Can we please break this mold already? Romance is great. But it takes time to grow and become real. By proclaiming love after one day, it cheapens real love and gives young women unreal expectations.

Flower-in-the-Night had some moments where I really loved the way Diana Wynne Jones wrote her. She calls Abdullah on the double standard that men can have multiple wives, but women can’t have multiple husbands. I wanted to stand up and cheer.

Castle in the Air has the same narrative style that Howl’s Moving Castle did, though by now I was used to it. As with the first book in the series, it is a small book, but not a small story. The big climactic moment lacked something for me, though it was still nice to see how everything tied up. And everything did tie up nicely, making me very intrigued to see where the third volume in the series takes us.

Bottom Line: I liked that this wasn’t a direct sequel, but that it takes time to check in with Howl and company. Some flaws, but flawless books are hard to find. I will most definitely finish off the series.

[ed9pendragon · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This, the sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, begins in an Arabian Nights fashion, which seems light years away from the European land of Ingary. Genies in bottles and flying carpets have nothing to do with a Welsh wizard and a fire demon powering the moving castle, surely? And many of the other distinctive characters in that famous first installment must be unrelated to the eastern city of Zanzib in the Sultanates of Rashpuht, mustn't they?But appearances are deceiving in this parallel world where magic can and does happen. The impecunious young carpet-seller Abdullah, so much given to flowery flattery that it becomes irritating, sets his heart on the almost unobtainable Flower-in-the-Night, thereby seemingly setting in motion a series of events that changes his life forever. Unbeknown to him (and to us, as readers) those events have already been kickstarted before the story opens, meaning that the commonplaces of Eastern romances are interwoven with Jones' verbal comedy and confused identities to create a fabric whose intricate overall pattern is only revealed at the end when we can stand back and admire the whole.Not as famous and well-loved as the first of the series, I was won over by the clever plotting which expertly tied up all the loose ends in the final pages. Unlike some of Jones' more 'difficult' novels where the storyline is obscure and the ending seems fudged, Castle in the Air draws you along like a needle pulling thread to its final satisfying conclusion. This must have been as much fun to write as it is to read, while Tim Stevens' accomplished line drawings heading each chapter clarified and complemented the author's text perfectly.

[bryndahlquis · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

An excellent book worthy of being a sequel to Howl's Moving Castle. A dreamlike adventure filled with wonderful characters and spectacular plot twists. Though now I mostly just want to reread Howl's Moving Castle.

[humouress · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Several days to the south of the fairy-tale land of Ingary, as the carpet flies, lies the fabled land of Zanzib, where Abdullah the carpet seller ekes out a living at the edge of the bazaar, and dreams of being a long-lost prince. One day, he buys a rather thread-bare magic carpet, and then his daydreams start coming true! Between the quirky carpet, an unreliable genie in a bottle, a djinn, who might or might not be wicked, not to mention a magical cloud castle in the air, Abdullah has to rescue his beautiful princess and save the world.I was initially surprised to find that this sequel to Howl's Moving Castle didn't start where that book ended - but don't worry; all the beloved characters do feature in this book. As with the first book, the twists at the end caught me by surprise, and turned a good ending into an even happier ending. As ever, the story is well written, engaging and amusing, and clips along at a good pace. I'm glad I succumbed to all the LT recommendations!

[phoebesmum · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first read this, I was disappointed; it's a sequel to 'Howl's Moving Castle', but Howl and Sophie are (apparently) barely in it. On a couple of rereads, it turns out to have its own unique and quirky charm, chief among which is that absolutely nobody is who or what they seem. I suspect it owes a certain debt to Noel Langley's 'The Land of Green Ginger', but that may just be my imagination and/or the presence of a flying carpet in both.

[soybean7soybean · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

a really good read