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Diana Wynne Jones

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8 min read

Age & reading levelAges 8+ · Middle grade
$6.94 on Amazon
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Castle in the Air

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones Review: A Witty, Arabian Nights–Flavored Fantasy Sequel

by Diana Wynne Jones

Castle in the Air is a young adult fantasy novel by Diana Wynne Jones, first published in 1990, and the second book in the Howl's Moving Castle series. It follows Abdullah, a carpet salesman from Zanzib, whose magic carpet and a cranky wish-granting genie propel him on a quest to rescue his beloved Flower-in-the-Night from a djinn's sky-high castle. Kirkus Reviews called it "a bewitching romp, gratifying to mind, imagination, and funny bone."

$6.94 on Amazon
Ages 8+

LuvemBooks Verdict

Best for

Readers who loved Howl's Moving Castle and are ready to follow a wholly new protagonist — Abdullah the carpet salesman — through an Arabian Nights–flavoured adventure that gradually reunites them with Ingary's beloved cast in gloriously unexpected ways.

Worth it if

Worth reading if you enjoy comic fantasy with a strong plot engine, an unconventional hero, and the particular pleasure of recognising disguised familiar characters just as Jones intends you to.

Skip if

Skip it if you're picking it up expecting an immediate return to Sophie and Howl's Ingary — the extended Zanzib opening is tonally distinct from the first book, and readers impatient for that world's return may find the early chapters a test of patience.

Kirkus Reviews called it "true to form" for Jones, praising her gift for comic invention and noting it "will stand alone, but is even more fun if the familiar characters (who do finally turn up) are already known." Reader blogs such as sffbookreview.wordpress.com and matchstickeyes.com highlight its breezy, feel-good charm, with the latter observing it is "funny, breezy, and suitable for readers of all ages."

“True to form, Jones gives delicious personalities even for the carpet — double identities that should surprise even fans familiar with her bottomless bag of tricks.”

— Kirkus Reviews
Sources: Kirkus Reviews, SFF Book Review, Matchstick Eyes

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Castle in the Air is Diana Wynne Jones's 1990 sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, following Abdullah, a Zanzib carpet salesman whose magical carpet and a comically cranky genie launch him on a globe-trotting quest to rescue his beloved Flower-in-the-Night from a djinn's sky-high castle. A fresh Arabian Nights–infused adventure that earns its place on its own merits, the novel delights with Jones's signature comic invention — from a lazy, flattery-susceptible carpet to disguised returning characters who reward attentive series fans. Readers expecting immediate continuity with the Britain-inflected Ingary of the first book should be prepared for an extended, tonally distinct opening in Zanzib before familiar faces resurface.
Is it worth reading?
Castle in the Air is a rewarding read for fans of comic fantasy and of Diana Wynne Jones in particular — Kirkus Reviews called it 'a bewitching romp, gratifying to mind, imagination, and funny bone.' Jones's hallmark invention is on full display: the magic carpet is lazy but susceptible to flattery, the genie is cranky and obstructive, and the disguised returning characters deliver genuine surprises even for series veterans. The key caveat is that readers coming directly from Howl's Moving Castle may find the extended Zanzib opening — deliberately rooted in a different storytelling tradition — tonally disorienting before the Ingary connections emerge. Those willing to embrace the shift will find a structurally clever, warmly comic novel that holds up decades after its initial publication.
Similar books
Readers who enjoy Castle in the Air will naturally want to start — or revisit — Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, the first book in the series and the one that establishes Ingary and its beloved characters. For comic fantasy with a similarly playful, irreverent tone, Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and Eric by Terry Pratchett offer the same delight in subverting genre conventions with wit and warmth. Those looking for accessible magical adventure with a younger protagonist might enjoy A Tale of Magic by Chris Colfer, while readers drawn to richly built fantasy worlds and unconventional heroes could find The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss a satisfying next step.
Who should read this?
Castle in the Air is best suited to fans of comic fantasy who appreciate clever plotting, unconventional heroes, and a world that rewards close attention. Readers who have already enjoyed Howl's Moving Castle will get the most from it, particularly in the later stages when disguised familiar characters reveal themselves. Middle-grade readers aged 8 to 12 are the publisher's target demographic, but the novel's layered comedy and literary allusions give it genuine appeal for adult fans of the genre. Those who come to it expecting a direct stylistic continuation of Howl's Moving Castle — with its Britain-inflected Ingary setting — should know that the book opens in a deliberately distinct Arabian Nights register before the worlds converge.
What age is it for?
Best for ages 8 and up. The Greenwillow Books reprint edition lists a reading age of 8 to 12 and a grade level of 5 to 7, placing it firmly in the middle-grade range. The novel's comic tone and accessible adventure plot suit confident readers from around age 8, while its layered literary allusions and structural complexity give it lasting appeal well into adulthood.
About Diana Wynne Jones
Diana Wynne Jones was a British novelist, poet, academic, literary critic, and short story writer.
How does it compare to Howl's Moving Castle?
Castle in the Air is a deliberate structural departure from Howl's Moving Castle rather than a direct continuation. Where the first book centers on Sophie Hatter in the Britain-inflected world of Ingary, the sequel opens in the desert city of Zanzib with an entirely new protagonist, Abdullah, and draws its storytelling idiom from One Thousand and One Nights rather than European fairy tale traditions. Kirkus Reviews acknowledged that it lacks 'quite the intellectual pyrotechnics' of some of Jones's other work, making it a lighter — if still entertaining — entry. The beloved characters from the first book do eventually appear, but Jones keeps them largely in disguise and in the background for much of the narrative, which means fans of Sophie and Howl must exercise patience before those storylines resurface.
Is this part of a series?
Castle in the Air is the second book in Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle series, published in 1990 as a follow-up to the 1986 original. The series is set in the same fantasy world of Ingary and its neighboring lands, though each installment takes a fresh perspective and protagonist rather than simply continuing the same hero's journey. The series has remained well-regarded decades after its initial publication.
Summarize this book

Summarize this book

Castle in the Air centers on Abdullah, a young carpet salesman from the desert city of Zanzib who spends his days daydreaming about being a stolen prince of noble birth. A mysterious traveler sells him a threadbare magical carpet that transports him each night to an enchanted garden, where he meets and agrees to marry Flower-in-the-Night — a princess so sheltered by her father, the Sultan of Zanzib, that she has never encountered any man but him. When a monstrous flying djinn snatches Flower-in-the-Night away, Abdullah escapes the Sultan's wrath, steals a wish-granting genie from a band of bandits, and embarks on an increasingly elaborate quest that eventually carries him into the fantasy world of Ingary and toward the djinn's sky-high castle. The plot draws deliberately on the tradition of One Thousand and One Nights, transplanting that storytelling idiom into Diana Wynne Jones's distinctive fantasy universe.

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How does it connect to Howl's Moving Castle?
What role does the genie play?
Who is the main villain?

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We review the evidence: published critics, reader verdicts and BookTube reviews, gathered and weighed with AI assistance and edited by LuvemBooks, rather than one reader's first-hand take.

A sequel that earns its place on its own merits while rewarding fans of the original, Castle in the Air is an inventive, Arabian Nights–infused fantasy that confirms Diana Wynne Jones's gift for layered comic storytelling.

What the Book Is and What Happens

Castle in the Air, first published in 1990, is the second installment in Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle series, set in the same fantasy world of Ingary and its neighboring lands. The story centers not on Howl's protagonist Sophie Hatter, but on Abdullah, a young carpet salesman from the desert city of Zanzib who fills his days with elaborate daydreams about being a stolen prince of noble birth.
When a mysterious traveler sells him a threadbare but magical carpet, Abdullah finds himself transported each night to a beautiful enchanted garden — and into the company of Flower-in-the-Night, a princess so sheltered by her father, the Sultan of Zanzib, that she has never encountered a man other than him. The two agree to marry, but before the plan can take shape, a monstrous flying djinn snatches Flower-in-the-Night away.
The Sultan, furious at his daughter's disappearance, jails Abdullah and threatens to impale him on a forty-foot stake. Rescued by his carpet, Abdullah escapes into the desert, steals a genie from a band of bandits, and is eventually transported to Ingary — where a long, globe-trotting quest to reach the djinn's sky-high castle begins.
The plot draws deliberately and playfully on the tradition of One Thousand and One Nights, transplanting that storytelling idiom into Jones's distinctive fantasy universe.

Place in the Series and Its Approach to the Sequel

One of the novel's more striking structural choices is that it functions as a genuine shift in perspective rather than a continuation of the same hero's journey. Fans of Howl's Moving Castle will recognize Ingary and eventually encounter familiar faces — but Jones withholds them, keeping the beloved characters from the first book largely in the background and often in disguise for much of the narrative.
According to Wikipedia's account of the novel, these returning figures appear "often under some sort of disguise," a device that rewards attentive readers with the satisfaction of recognition while keeping the plot's surprises intact. Kirkus Reviews noted that the book "will stand alone, but is even more fun if the familiar characters (who do finally turn up) are already known" — an honest framing of its dual identity as both a standalone adventure and a sequel.

What Jones Does Well: Invention and Comic Energy

Kirkus Reviews praised the novel as being "true to form" for Jones, singling out her ability to give "delicious personalities even for the carpet" — the magic carpet, threadbare and uncooperative, is described as lazy but susceptible to flattery, and the genie is portrayed as comically cranky, doing its best to subvert Abdullah's attempts to escape his predicaments with its single daily wish. The wicked djinn at the center of the conflict has captured more than a hundred princesses with the improbable aim of marrying them all, and his more benevolent — but enthralled — brother adds a further layer of complication.
Jones's plotting layers these comic elements into an increasingly elaborate structure, and Kirkus credited her with "double identities that should surprise even fans familiar with her bottomless bag of tricks." The novel also gives significant presence to Flower-in-the-Night, described in the Wikipedia account of the book as a well-educated young woman who is "as beautiful as she is clever, but she knows almost nothing beyond what she has read in books" — a characterization that gives the romantic subplot more texture than the premise might initially suggest.

A Genuine Limitation: Tonal Disconnect at the Outset

The novel's greatest structural challenge is its opening movement. Abdullah's Zanzib setting, with its desert landscapes, bazaars, and Arabian Nights register, is deliberately and substantially different in tone and texture from the Britain-inflected Ingary of Howl's Moving Castle.
Kirkus Reviews acknowledged that this installment lacks "quite the intellectual pyrotechnics" of some of Jones's other work, and readers coming directly from the first book may find the early chapters feel more like a different series than a continuation. The shift is intentional — Jones is drawing on a distinct storytelling tradition — but readers with a strong attachment to Sophie and Howl's Ingary may find the extended delay before those elements resurface a test of patience.

Who This Book Is For

The Greenwillow Books reprint edition lists a reading age of 8 to 12 and a grade level of 5 to 7, placing it squarely in the middle-grade to early young adult range — though the novel's layered comedy, its use of literary allusion, and its structural cleverness give it lasting appeal for adult readers of fantasy as well. Those who come to it having read Howl's Moving Castle will get the most from it, particularly in the novel's later stages when the disguised familiar characters begin to reveal themselves.
Readers drawn to comic fantasy with a strong plot engine, an unconventional hero, and a world that rewards close attention will find Castle in the Air a satisfying entry in a series that has remained well-regarded decades after its initial publication.

Sources & Further Reading

The key facts and claims in this review are grounded in the retrieved, verified sources listed below.

  1. Cited in this review
  2. 1
    Castle in the air by Diana Wynne Jones | Open LibraryHigh-authority source

    openlibrary.org

  3. 2
    Castle in the Air | The Folio Society Fiction

    foliosociety.com

  4. 3
    Castle in the Air (novel) - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org

  5. Further reading
  6. 4
    Diana Wynne Jones — author profile

    Diana Wynne Jones, LuvemBooks

  7. 5
    CASTLE IN THE AIR | Kirkus Reviews

    kirkusreviews.com

  8. 6
    Summary of Castle in the Air (Characters and Analysis)

    summarybook.net

  9. 7
    Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones, Review by Corinne Donnelly | We Live Entertainment

    weliveentertainment.com

  10. 8
    Book Review: Castle in the Air | A Journey of Words

    kristidrillien.com

  11. 9
    Castle in the Air: A great sequel! | Fantasy Literature: Fantasy and Science Fiction Book and Audiobook Reviews

    fantasyliterature.com

Age & Reading Level

Recommended age

Ages 8+

Reading level

Middle grade

Browse all middle-grade (8–12) books

Best for: Ages 8+ — the publisher's listed reading age; the text and concepts suit confident middle-grade readers and above

Skip if you're looking for an immediate continuation of Sophie and Howl's story in the Ingary setting of the first book

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