krash9924's review
4.0
Tee Morris has taken the classic Aladdin story and steampunk'd it. This novella packs a mighty punch in just a few short pages. The characters really stood out to me. Giles the lamp and Aladdin, I wasn't expecting much in the character development, were developed really well. The steampunk elements were kept light and smartly incorporated into the tale.
The one major issue I had with the novella is that it seemed more of a first draft than that of a final work. Editing mistakes, spelling errors and weird sentences were quiet common, I would put this novella somewhere in the 3.5 range because it just didn't have the polish you would expect.
The one major issue I had with the novella is that it seemed more of a first draft than that of a final work. Editing mistakes, spelling errors and weird sentences were quiet common, I would put this novella somewhere in the 3.5 range because it just didn't have the polish you would expect.
bookdingo's review
3.0
Fun, quick romp with a genie automaton. I noted a few typos, and there were instances where I was confused and the establishing details weren't all there (Example: Aladdin's in the water, then BOOM! He's on the roof.). Also, there are some moments of just plain bad judgement. Aladdin escapes from the guards by rushing into a random building, spots a large fellow, he doesn't know who the fellow is, but he goes ahead and follows him back into the marketplace? What? But he was just being pursued for stealing? And what about that performance in front of the Sultan? Aladdin and Giles simply waltz onto the stage. Hey royal guard, your guarding sucks!
I think this story needed an extra scene to take us from the sand dunes to Jaha's performance as well, because everything about Aladdin's destiny and his plan to get back at Jaha is known to him and Giles, but not the audience. Heck, a few extra scenes were warranted because there's plenty of potential here!
I think this story needed an extra scene to take us from the sand dunes to Jaha's performance as well, because everything about Aladdin's destiny and his plan to get back at Jaha is known to him and Giles, but not the audience. Heck, a few extra scenes were warranted because there's plenty of potential here!
dananner's review
2.0
I've been reading and listening to [a:Tee Morris|460870|Tee Morris|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1229921811p2/460870.jpg] since he podcasted [b:Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana|1550651|Morevi The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana (Book 1)|Lisa Lee|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1185075007s/1550651.jpg|1543015]. I've really enjoyed [b:Phoenix Rising|9795166|Phoenix Rising (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, #1)|Philippa Ballantine|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1319574583s/9795166.jpg|14685275], [b:The Janus Affair|13085609|The Janus Affair (Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, #2)|Philippa Ballantine|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328960260s/13085609.jpg|18256337], and all of the MoPo podcasts, so much so that I automatically buy the printed collections on Nook and Kindle to support the authors (the podcasts are better though).
I avoided reading all of the other reviews of this story so I could approach it with an open mind. I am a huge fan of fairy tales, Grimm, Anderson, Arabian Nights, etc. I am also a huge Disney fan. I think this treatment of the story needs more fleshing out and a little more originality to separate it from its predecessors.
If I wasn't aware of (or maybe because I was aware of them) the slight pop-culture references, mixed with steampunk and a retelling of Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp was a very disconcerting experience. It didn't flow. I wasn't transported to a Middle Ages Middle East where science and magic blend into something awe-inspiring (which I think was the point of the story).
I've come to expect better storytelling from Tee. This seemed slapdash and rushed and left me disappointed, something that has never happened before when immersing myself in Tee's works.
The beginning is great, but it loses something around the middle and never regains it. I kept reading in hopes that the story would recover, but, to me, it never did.
I avoided reading all of the other reviews of this story so I could approach it with an open mind. I am a huge fan of fairy tales, Grimm, Anderson, Arabian Nights, etc. I am also a huge Disney fan. I think this treatment of the story needs more fleshing out and a little more originality to separate it from its predecessors.
If I wasn't aware of (or maybe because I was aware of them) the slight pop-culture references, mixed with steampunk and a retelling of Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp was a very disconcerting experience. It didn't flow. I wasn't transported to a Middle Ages Middle East where science and magic blend into something awe-inspiring (which I think was the point of the story).
I've come to expect better storytelling from Tee. This seemed slapdash and rushed and left me disappointed, something that has never happened before when immersing myself in Tee's works.
The beginning is great, but it loses something around the middle and never regains it. I kept reading in hopes that the story would recover, but, to me, it never did.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review
3.0
It's not that great of a departure from Aladdin, but what I really enjoyed about it were the changes in the character of the mother and the princess. I also liked the genie's origin story.
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