Magic carpet wanted, carpet optional

[Nikitta]

I have an odd request.

You see: I grew up with loads of fantastic stories. One of them was a Danish story called Hodja fra Pjort (literally "Hodja from Pjort"), though that title means nothing to 99% of the people reading this. The point of my request is not the title, but this:

Hodja fra Pjort is a story, for children, about a boy who finds a magic flying carpet. He ends up having to save a princess from some baddies (or maybe it wasn't a princess but "just" a girl he liked. I don't recall too many details, but I do recall how fantastic it was to me at the time). The story is set in a Prince of Persia kind of world where people ride camels or donkeys.

What I'm looking for is the same kind of magic, but obviously not as a children story; I'm 32 now after all and I grew out of hero-saves-damsel-in-distress type of stories many years ago, but I didn't grow out of the magic which is also found in stories as this.

So I'm looking for a story with that kind of magic (no elves, orc or wizards, please), preferably in that kind of setting. If the story actually contains a magic flying carpet, that will be greatly appreciated, though it's not a strict requirement.

Did that make any sense to you? *looks from side to side*

Well, I told you it was an odd request!

Any ideas?
Am I asking the impossible?
Am I asking for something which exists in abundance, only I don't know about it?

Am I asking too many questions?

 

[j d worthington]

William Beckford: Vathek (along with The Episodes of Vathek -- you can find the entire set, the episodes inserted into the novel where they belonged -- in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy edition from the 1970s)

George Meredith: The Shaving of Shagpat

F. Marion Crawford: Khaled

These come to mind right off....

 

[Nikitta]

Thanks, J.D!

Those suggestions sound very interesting and I will definitely look more into them.

 

[elvet]

Michelle West's Sunsword series has some interesting magic content. There are the bards that use their voices for controlling others. There's the desert nomads - sort of seers and healers in a matriarchal society. There are hunters who commune with their dogs (the Sacred Hunt prequel). I can never recommend these books enough .

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

You could try Esther Friesner she did quite a few books in that genre ie Wishing Season & Chronicles of the 12 Kingdoms series,Lin Carter The Wizard of Zao,another two spring to mind are A noose of Light & The Sultan's turret by Seamus Cullen.

And you may find some more at European SF/fantasy convetion this year in Denmark which I was invited to but can not make as it clashes with Fantasycon in Nottingham the same week

 

[Lirineth]

This is a book that was read to me when I was a little person stuck in a hospital for a year. It was also the book that was read to my mother by her father when she was a little girl and stuck in bed with rheumatism. For me, the real value of this books is that it takes a person awa from the confinements of a bed, a room etc as there is a lot of flying, a lot of magic, a lot of animals and of course a boy who was not as good as he should have been.

I don’t know the name of the book as it was originally written in Swedish and the version that was read to me was in Spanish, but more or less the translation would be ‘The marvellous trip of Niels Olgerssen through Sweden’ or El maravilloso viaje de Niels Anderssen a travez de Suecia. I don’t know if you have ever seen those famous figurines made by a Spanish company named Lladro, well, one of their best subject is a girl surrounded by ducks, which are meant to be wild ducks, and they are know as ‘Asa and the ducks’ (no surprises there). But the thing is that Asa was one of the main characters of this book, together with Niels who was the little boy.

I hope and wish, not only for you but for me as well, that someone ‘out there’ would know the name of the author as well as the name of the book in English. Who knows maybe you and I will get lucky and find the answers to these questions, because I can assure you that the books is exactly what you are looking for.

 

[BookStop]

Lirineth - Could it be The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (also Nils Fantastic Journey) ? The protagonist is a boy named Nils Holgerson who is cruel to animals ont he farm where he lives. He catches a goblin and is shrunk down to the animals size. He flees on the back of a goose and joins with a flock of geese traveling all over Sweden.

PIERROT - Animation Production Pierrot tv anime

Amazon.com: The Wonderful Adventures Of Nils And The Further Adventures Of Nils Holgersson: Books: Selma Lagerlof book

 

[Lirineth]

BookStop you are a genius!!!

That was exactly the book I was talking about.

Needless is to say that i have already bought it again, and i am getting readyto shed a fear tears and have a great time.

Thanks so so so much, for giving me back a little bit of something so dear to me. Cheers!!

 

[Winter Lord]

Try Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle.

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

Try Diana Wynne Jones' Howl's Moving Castle.

Really good and the DVD adapted from the book was excellent as well.

 

[Nikitta]

Thanks to all who have given me suggestions. It's nice to have a place like this where I can make requests like the one I just have made and stil have people replying with good ideas!

After looking into the books, which I could immediately find, I havce now ordered Vathek and Khaled.

The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, I will try to find in Danish, since it's originally written in Swedish anyway and I miss reading books in my native language at times, so I might as well go for this one in Danish if possible.

I will try to find out about the books I couldn't immediately find and decide about them then.

 

[Pyan]

Try DWD's Tough Guide to Fantasyland, Dark Lord of Derkholm (1998) and Year of the Griffin (2000), as well - they send bad S&S fantasy up a treat!