Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne JonesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Entertaining and fun. The author has a distinctive narrative voice which, however, isn't intrusive, leading the reader through the adventures of an initially unpromising hero who develops believably through the book and steps up when it counts. The hero is male, but there are plenty of strong women around him, without whom he couldn't have achieved what he did.
Lots of twists in terms of plots and magical disguises, but I didn't feel that the hero was a puppet, despite being manipulated into his adventure. He had agency, which grew gradually through the narrative.
The story begins in an Arabian-Nights-style setting, but with significant elements of actual Arab culture removed or changed. For example, although we have carpet merchants, djinni, and a flowery, compliment-filled style of speaking, we don't have any reference to Islam - something that I wouldn't have thought could be removed from such a setting, but apparently I was wrong. Everyone drinks wine, a bet is made, and meat pies are eaten (as far as I'm aware meat pies are not a Middle Eastern thing). Of course, it's not intended to be the actual Middle East, just "inspired by".
A satisfying ending comes through courage, cleverness, determination and good intentions, which is how I like my fiction to end.
Recommended.
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