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The Aladdin Trilogy #1
Aladdin Relighted
Return to the magical land of the Arabian Nights....
The end of “Aladdin of the Lamp” finds the cunning Aladdin ruler of a great kingdom. Now, many years have passed....
Aladdin is older, richer and wiser...and heart broken. After losing his beloved wife and son to foul play, he resigns from being king and sets out to do what he does best....
Now working as an anonymous relic hunter using the name Niddala (Aladdin spelled backwards), he’s hired by a desperate — and beautiful — noblewoman named Jewel to rescue her kidnapped son. Prince Zeyn, a powerful wizard from the magical land of Djinnland, has designs on Aladdin’s kingdom, and Jewel’s son is to be the final piece of a bloody plot to rule two worlds.
To save the boy and his kingdom, Aladdin soon realizes he must seek the aid of a once-powerful ally, the mighty Djinn of the Lamp. Unfortunately, the djinn is being held prisoner by Zeyn in Djinnland, a magical land full of dragons and ogres, magic carpets and magic castles. With time rapidly running out, Aladdin and Jewel will journey into a world far stranger than anything they had ever imagined, a world full of danger at every turn, a world in which they may never return. It will take all their cunning and wits to stay alive...but will they do so in time to save the djinn, her son, and a kingdom?
From bestselling authors Piers Anthony (Xanth) and J.R. Rain (Vampire for Hire), ALADDIN RELIGHTED is the first in a magical series featuring Aladdin and his Extraordinary Lamp.
Acclaim for J.R. Rain and Piers
“Anthony’s most ambitious project to date. Well conceived and written from the heart.”
―Library Journal on Piers Anthony’s Isle of Woman
“Be prepared to lose sleep!”
―James Rollins, international bestselling author of The Doomsday Key on J.R. Rain’s The Lost Ark
“Piers Anthony is a writer of passion. Volk is a masterpiece.”
―Brad Linaweaver, author of Moon of Ice
“Dark Horse is the best book I’ve read in a long time!”
―Gemma Halliday, award-winning author of Scandal Sheet
“Piers Anthony is one of the more colorful personalities in the SF world.”
―Science Fiction Chronicle
“Moon Dance is a must read. If you like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, be prepared to love J.R. Rain’s Samantha Moon, vampire private investigator.”
―Eve Paludan, author of Letters from David
The end of “Aladdin of the Lamp” finds the cunning Aladdin ruler of a great kingdom. Now, many years have passed....
Aladdin is older, richer and wiser...and heart broken. After losing his beloved wife and son to foul play, he resigns from being king and sets out to do what he does best....
Now working as an anonymous relic hunter using the name Niddala (Aladdin spelled backwards), he’s hired by a desperate — and beautiful — noblewoman named Jewel to rescue her kidnapped son. Prince Zeyn, a powerful wizard from the magical land of Djinnland, has designs on Aladdin’s kingdom, and Jewel’s son is to be the final piece of a bloody plot to rule two worlds.
To save the boy and his kingdom, Aladdin soon realizes he must seek the aid of a once-powerful ally, the mighty Djinn of the Lamp. Unfortunately, the djinn is being held prisoner by Zeyn in Djinnland, a magical land full of dragons and ogres, magic carpets and magic castles. With time rapidly running out, Aladdin and Jewel will journey into a world far stranger than anything they had ever imagined, a world full of danger at every turn, a world in which they may never return. It will take all their cunning and wits to stay alive...but will they do so in time to save the djinn, her son, and a kingdom?
From bestselling authors Piers Anthony (Xanth) and J.R. Rain (Vampire for Hire), ALADDIN RELIGHTED is the first in a magical series featuring Aladdin and his Extraordinary Lamp.
Acclaim for J.R. Rain and Piers
“Anthony’s most ambitious project to date. Well conceived and written from the heart.”
―Library Journal on Piers Anthony’s Isle of Woman
“Be prepared to lose sleep!”
―James Rollins, international bestselling author of The Doomsday Key on J.R. Rain’s The Lost Ark
“Piers Anthony is a writer of passion. Volk is a masterpiece.”
―Brad Linaweaver, author of Moon of Ice
“Dark Horse is the best book I’ve read in a long time!”
―Gemma Halliday, award-winning author of Scandal Sheet
“Piers Anthony is one of the more colorful personalities in the SF world.”
―Science Fiction Chronicle
“Moon Dance is a must read. If you like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter, be prepared to love J.R. Rain’s Samantha Moon, vampire private investigator.”
―Eve Paludan, author of Letters from David
Nook
First published March 3, 2011
About the author
J.R. Rain
2,316 books1,733 followersJ.R. Rain is the author of 110 novels and counting. He lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest, where he's hard at work on his next novel... and fighting off sparkly vampires.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 27, 2017
I loved Piers Anthony thirty years ago. I read him fanatically in the early 80s. The problem is, I was a child then, and as a grown woman with much life experience, I can no longer ignore the blatant sexism in his otherwise excellent writing. Men do not have stronger sex drives than women, and boy, do I speak from experience there, and the experiences of my friends, and my therapist, who says it is far more common for women to complain of not getting enough sex from their husbands. I am terribly sorry if Mr. Anthony was involved with frigid women, but that hardly entitles him to paint us all with the same brush. Many of us eagerly seek out sex. Maybe he is just annoyed that not every women wants to have sex with him? He makes it. clear that only young, pretty women hold any appeal, yet again men are supposed to inflame us with desire? It's incredibly sexist and misogynistic.
He also casually condones rape in this book, which was appalling. The narrator cheerfully relates how he drugged and raped a woman, but that it was okay because she was just being uptight and didn't remember it anyway. I wonder if he would be as blasé about a man drugging and raping him. It's a horrifying viewpoint that made me physically ill, and I abandoned this series after the first book. It's a shame Anthony cannot similarly abandon his sexist views. I also feel sorry for any woman who may have been involved with him, because really, sex with someone who is unconscious? You might as well buy a sex doll. In fact, please do. Seeing women as targets and victims and semen repositories is just sick, and it's nearly as insulting to men. Anthony portrays all men as slaves to their libidos. That is unfair and inaccurate, and these type of portrayals perpetuate a needless tension and anger between genders.
By the way, I saved many of my Anthony books over the years, hoping to eventually be able to enjoy his work again, but that obviously isn't possible. I will be getting rid of all of them. Upon a casual revisitation, I notice his attitude in all his work. I won't be exposing my grandchildren to this. Break the cycle. Find an author who portrays people as individuals, not terrible stereotypes.
He also casually condones rape in this book, which was appalling. The narrator cheerfully relates how he drugged and raped a woman, but that it was okay because she was just being uptight and didn't remember it anyway. I wonder if he would be as blasé about a man drugging and raping him. It's a horrifying viewpoint that made me physically ill, and I abandoned this series after the first book. It's a shame Anthony cannot similarly abandon his sexist views. I also feel sorry for any woman who may have been involved with him, because really, sex with someone who is unconscious? You might as well buy a sex doll. In fact, please do. Seeing women as targets and victims and semen repositories is just sick, and it's nearly as insulting to men. Anthony portrays all men as slaves to their libidos. That is unfair and inaccurate, and these type of portrayals perpetuate a needless tension and anger between genders.
By the way, I saved many of my Anthony books over the years, hoping to eventually be able to enjoy his work again, but that obviously isn't possible. I will be getting rid of all of them. Upon a casual revisitation, I notice his attitude in all his work. I won't be exposing my grandchildren to this. Break the cycle. Find an author who portrays people as individuals, not terrible stereotypes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 9, 2020
A tale of Aladdin in later years. When his lamp Jinn is stolen by a Jinn sorcerer and his wife and son are killed, Aladdin leaves his throne and disappears. Much later, he is hired by a former queen to rescue her son from her wicked husband who planes to sacrifice their son to his gods. Aladdin still has the empty lamp plus a minor ring Jinn.
Light hearted, (but not cartoonish) and interesting journey through Jinn land and beyond. Densifying is unique, hilarious but useful. But though not blatant, it’s definitely for adults.
Footnote: 1) It was interesting to find out that the story of Aladdin wasn’t one of the original 1001 Arabian Nights stories, but was added much later.
2) Duban’s food request sounds yummy.
Fave scenes: Aladdin scaring the horses, Faddy’s messages, helping the lionserpent and the black dragon.
Light hearted, (but not cartoonish) and interesting journey through Jinn land and beyond. Densifying is unique, hilarious but useful. But though not blatant, it’s definitely for adults.
Footnote: 1) It was interesting to find out that the story of Aladdin wasn’t one of the original 1001 Arabian Nights stories, but was added much later.
2) Duban’s food request sounds yummy.
Fave scenes: Aladdin scaring the horses, Faddy’s messages, helping the lionserpent and the black dragon.
January 3, 2018
I bought the entire trilogy, but however I’m calling it quits after just the first book. There’s nothing that could convince me to venture further into this series, not even the promise of swashbuckling fun with Sinbad. What turned me off was the attitude toward women and sex. Jewel was everything I hate in women characters written by men. She used her sexuality at every chance she got. Every time they got into a fight, she disrobed and flashed the men, and stunning them with her beauty. I kid you not. Aladdin was always worrying about her getting raped (her getting killed didn’t seem to figure into his worries at all). With Aladdin he was always talking about his impotence and there was this weird point where he kept insisting that his disguise be as a eunuch. And there was a point in the book where Aladdin himself actually talked off-handedly about raping a girl after drugging her to make her people be less uptight (though he does have Aladdin’s cunning and laid-back attitude with a certain amount of clueless surprise, he’s a far cry from the beloved Disney Aladdin). I read the first page of the next book, and the sex talk started from the very first page, with a discussion on him taking a concubine. When I first started hitting all the disrobing and sex talk, I raced to the reviews and one of them mentioned that this is actually characteristic of Piers Anthony books, which really shocked me since he’s a famous author (and prompted me to do a quick purge of my room of any books of his hanging around). Now, I am giving the book 3 stars since beyond the nails on chalkboard stuff, there is a fun story underneath. I do love the Arabian Nights setting and the magic of the genies is a wonderful thing (Faddy was especially a wonderful character with his insistence on calling Aladdin master, even after Aladdin ordered him not to), and venturing into the land of the djinn was very imaginative (though it did work up to a threatened rape scene).
March 8, 2024
I almost simply removed this from my shelf rather than marking it as read, because it was so sexual it was embarrassing to read. It felt like a story written by a horny teenager. The problem is that despite the immaturity of its sexuality, it was actually an enjoyable story, where Aladdin has to travel to the land of the Djinn to rescue the genie of the lamp. There is also the somewhat valid argument that best way to honor the Arabian Nights source material is to write it like a horny teenager, and that the sheer immaturity of it prevents it from being "sexy". If you've read the original story of Aladdin (not the Disney version), that will seem familiar. So I give it 3 stars. It was an enjoyable romp that truly felt like a story of the Arabian Nights, but if the next book focuses this much on sexuality, I will probably stop reading after a few chapters.
February 25, 2019
My first abandonment of the year. Blatant sexism, yes, but also Aladdin is kind of a jerk. It was just not the kind of character I would like to read about.
This was supposed to be part of my EpicReads challenge (the one for the book written by two authors), but I will be replacing it with another title.
This was supposed to be part of my EpicReads challenge (the one for the book written by two authors), but I will be replacing it with another title.
December 22, 2020
Disappointing. REads like they took turns writing chapters and ignored elements from the previous writer's chapters. Blatantly sexist. Made up things as they went along. Definitely not reading books 2 or 3.
March 14, 2020
I enjoyed this book. You could not foretell what will happen next.
April 15, 2020
A good adventure.
I found this book to be a good adventure that drew me in and didn't let go until the end. Ensuring that I want to go to the second book.
I found this book to be a good adventure that drew me in and didn't let go until the end. Ensuring that I want to go to the second book.
June 27, 2021
Does not worth reading waste of time actually. The book is sexist through and through.
February 5, 2015
So... this was published in 2011 but I remember my mom being all crazy about me NOT reading Piers Anthony when I was a teen. I can sort of see why as there are glimpses of his sexual writing in this one.
I was pretty interested in the beginning and was into the story but every other word starts is about sex. Not in a crazy porn way but in a casual I'm horny way. Firstly, hello one of the main characters is trying to save her son! Calm down and keep it in your pants! Secondly, he has some issues because he cannot perform since his wife died. Well.. maybe that's why he can't get his mind off of sex but come on. There is a time and place!
Now, I have sadly never read anything about Aladdin (save Disney's movie but I don't think that counts really) so I did not have any pre ideas about this. It was a fresh story and the characters (minus their obvious fixation on sex) were quite interesting! I could have used a little less of the sex bit but really the plot was intriguing but especially since I know nothing about other Aladdin's adventures.
I also received this on audible so I got to listen to the gravely voice of Paul Licameli! I just love his voice and could listen to him all day long. Weirdly I have a plus and a minus for the narration but I'm curious if this is just the way he talks; he is very insistent with every word! Every. Word. He speaks in such a compelling way that it is almost difficult to decipher when something more intense is actually going on. I listened to a sample of Don't Open The Well by Kirk Anderson but the particular excerpt definitely sounds like it needed his intensity. In Aladdin, in some portions it was a bit much, but in others, like the example of Don't Open the Well, I think it is perfect. The depth to his voice definitely drags the listener into the story, whether they want to listen or not. It's compelling and fabulous!
Aladdin Relighted though, did not need so much of a compelling, intense voice. It worked but in some places it was strange. Maybe it was that the story was strange as well. The plot and characters are funny and kept me entertained though!
In short: This was my first Piers Anthony. I'm not sure if I'm in love or if I'm holding back because I'm not a huge fan of Fantasy. It was easy to get into but hard to stay with.
Received by Audiobookreviewer.com for an honest review.
I was pretty interested in the beginning and was into the story but every other word starts is about sex. Not in a crazy porn way but in a casual I'm horny way. Firstly, hello one of the main characters is trying to save her son! Calm down and keep it in your pants! Secondly, he has some issues because he cannot perform since his wife died. Well.. maybe that's why he can't get his mind off of sex but come on. There is a time and place!
Now, I have sadly never read anything about Aladdin (save Disney's movie but I don't think that counts really) so I did not have any pre ideas about this. It was a fresh story and the characters (minus their obvious fixation on sex) were quite interesting! I could have used a little less of the sex bit but really the plot was intriguing but especially since I know nothing about other Aladdin's adventures.
I also received this on audible so I got to listen to the gravely voice of Paul Licameli! I just love his voice and could listen to him all day long. Weirdly I have a plus and a minus for the narration but I'm curious if this is just the way he talks; he is very insistent with every word! Every. Word. He speaks in such a compelling way that it is almost difficult to decipher when something more intense is actually going on. I listened to a sample of Don't Open The Well by Kirk Anderson but the particular excerpt definitely sounds like it needed his intensity. In Aladdin, in some portions it was a bit much, but in others, like the example of Don't Open the Well, I think it is perfect. The depth to his voice definitely drags the listener into the story, whether they want to listen or not. It's compelling and fabulous!
Aladdin Relighted though, did not need so much of a compelling, intense voice. It worked but in some places it was strange. Maybe it was that the story was strange as well. The plot and characters are funny and kept me entertained though!
In short: This was my first Piers Anthony. I'm not sure if I'm in love or if I'm holding back because I'm not a huge fan of Fantasy. It was easy to get into but hard to stay with.
Received by Audiobookreviewer.com for an honest review.
April 8, 2016
Easy to follow plot with a pretty fast pace. The snarky banter between Niddala and Jewel is funny and the growing sexual tension is hilarious. Jewel is a woman who certainly knows how to use her assets to her advantage, and the results are quite humorous.
Niddala is a hero for hire with a golden heart, even if that heart has been shattered with the loss of his family. He treats everyone as equals (most of the time) and his bickering with Faddy had me snorting with laughter. “And quit calling me master.” – “Yes master.” His inability to “perform” is actually quite sweet. Clearly the man needs to be in love in order to perform. (dream man? Yes! Yes!)
I'm not regurgitating the synopsis or giving away the ending. If you enjoy fantasy, adventure with a whole lot of humor this is a story for you. I know I was pleased with it. -- Now, off to read the next in the series!
Niddala is a hero for hire with a golden heart, even if that heart has been shattered with the loss of his family. He treats everyone as equals (most of the time) and his bickering with Faddy had me snorting with laughter. “And quit calling me master.” – “Yes master.” His inability to “perform” is actually quite sweet. Clearly the man needs to be in love in order to perform. (dream man? Yes! Yes!)
I'm not regurgitating the synopsis or giving away the ending. If you enjoy fantasy, adventure with a whole lot of humor this is a story for you. I know I was pleased with it. -- Now, off to read the next in the series!
March 9, 2016
A tongue-in-cheek and somewhat raunchy sequel to the Aladdin story, typical of Piers Anthony (I've never tried J. R. Rain before). I enjoyed the over-the-top acting of the narrator, it went well with the arrogance of Aladdin. Unfortunately, the sexual tension between the two leads doesn't hold up too long as the eventual pairing was so obviously inevitable, also, Aladdin has quite gifted friends so any power difference between his party and his enemies aren't really that large. The hardships he suffered happened before this story started, and we only get summarised references to it instead of a flashback and this feels like a missed opportunity for better character development. Still a fine story and performance.
March 7, 2016
It's very well written. The language has a "fresh" feeling as it consists of new words (less than common), emotions, exclamations and a lot of wit. I liked this book for its fluent language more than its story. The story is interesting and gets thrilling in various places. But on a few occasions I felt it was slightly dull. This is not for lack of imagination. The events and the world building are quite imaginative and feel "fresh". It's just that a little more thrill element, some more suspense being built up would be good.
Overall a great read and I'm soon going to read the second part to see what happens next. Book 1 is satisfying enough in its ending so you don't feel you've been cheated to read book 2. That's a plus.
Overall a great read and I'm soon going to read the second part to see what happens next. Book 1 is satisfying enough in its ending so you don't feel you've been cheated to read book 2. That's a plus.
July 22, 2012
Aladdin Relighted is set many years after the original story, it is well a well written collaboration combining the talents of TWO of my favourite authors. From the first page I was hooked, Aladdin is hired by Jewel to rescue her son from his evil father, they have to travel way across country so take a short cut through magical djinn land with the help of several magical assistants, there is plenty of humour and a light hearted touch of nudity. I don't know why I didn't read it a year ago when it came out, but at least now I can continue straight away with books 2 and 3 of the series, if you like reading Piers Anthony or J.R. Rain you will love this.
March 18, 2015
I've never read the story of Aladdin or Arabian Nights, so that might have something to do with my feelings toward this book. I found it to be full of adventure and fun, something reminiscent to the plot of an Indiana Jones story. The relationship between Aladdin and Jewel was a bit awkward, but, overall, I think it was a funny and sometimes funny story.
I listened to the audio version of this story and I really enjoyed Paul Licameli. He made me laugh and I enjoyed his inflections. I would definitely listen to another book narrated by him.
A fun adventure.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
I listened to the audio version of this story and I really enjoyed Paul Licameli. He made me laugh and I enjoyed his inflections. I would definitely listen to another book narrated by him.
A fun adventure.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
December 29, 2015
A continuation of the Aladdin saga. Fast-paced and imaginative, with a lot of surprisingly sexual elements, mostly there to titillate without adding any significant thematic point. But the themes are mostly absent anyway; although mildly entertaining, this seemed unnecessary and certainly not compelling enough to make me want to read the other two books in the trilogy (!).
May 13, 2011
A fairly good read...some bits and pieces were a bit too short and some too long. Definitely some opportunities missed for fleshing out the story some. But something new and fairly fun.
March 27, 2012
I enjoyed this book far more than I anticipated. A great little adventure story based on the idea of what Aladdin grew up to be. Looking forward to reading the follow up.
April 14, 2013
Fun, Fast, easy to read, I'm hooked
July 20, 2014
Review posted on Audible
This is NOT a child's book. Please before listening or reading check and read the warning labels.
This is NOT a child's book. Please before listening or reading check and read the warning labels.
December 15, 2014
As good as I hoped
I enjoy both of these authors so I was excited to find this collaboration. Will have to finish the rest of the trilogy now
I enjoy both of these authors so I was excited to find this collaboration. Will have to finish the rest of the trilogy now
January 6, 2015
Somewhat amusing, but ultimately unsatisfying revisit of the Aladdin story.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews