Review: Interesting, but quite rushed
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 25, 2013
I was very disappointed to see that it only covers the first part of Aladdin’s adventures, because the steampunk elements go very well with the magical world in which the story is set.Aladdin is a thief, but he doesn’t steal just about anything. He is working on a mysterious device, and the last piece he needs is a brass gear. After a close escape from the Sultan’s guards, he is approached by the great illusionist Jaha, who presents himself as his uncle. Aladdin takes him home to his mother and Jaha promises both of them that he will take the boy as an apprentice. What I really liked as opposed to the original tale was that Aladdin’s mother is so wise. She is sure that her husband never had a brother, but she is also sure that Jaha will lead Aladdin to a great destiny, even though it might be different from what the boy expects.Jaha takes Aladdin to the magic cave and uses four spheres to blow up the hatch. Then he gives the boy instructions on how to find the brass lamp, and lowers him into the deep darkness. However, in Tee Morris’ story, the magician doesn’t give him a magic ring. Aladdin finds the lamp, takes it, and turns back to the opening, where Jaha pretends that he can’t pull him up. This is when Aladdin’s infernal device is revealed: it is a “magic carpet” or, more exactly, a homemade ornithopter made up of clockwork gears and rug scraps. He flies close to the surface, but refuses to give Jaha the lamp, and the magician seals the cave, leaving Aladdin to die.The story is pretty similar to the original tale, and the greatest surprise is the jinni. His name is Giles, and he’s actually a complicated machine made of a wild collection of rods, gears and boilers. He doesn’t emerge from the lamp, but rather the lamp grows and grows until it is shaped into a jinni. I thought this was an interesting idea, and the mix of magic and technology had a nice effect and made this story even more magical. However, there were times when I couldn’t quite understand how all of these things worked. Maybe the descriptions could have been more detailed.Overall, it was a nice story, though a bit rushed because it ends right in the middle, when Aladdin meets the Sultan’s daughter. A fast, enjoyable read, but it could have been so much better.