What do you think?
Rate this book
Sinbad #1
The Other Sinbad
First there was Sinbad the sailor, famous for his seven voyages, and for the lavish dinner parties he would hold upon his return, such feasts often lasting a month or more. Then there was Sinbad the porter, a man of humbler origins, with ambitions beyond his means and a yearning to be an accountant.
But Sinbad the sailor had financial problems which explains why he had to keep putting out to sea even though each experience was worse than the last. And he was never completely honest in his accounts of his adventures, omitting embarrassing incidents and ever-so-slightly exaggerating the importance of others. All of which, of course, would return to haunt him in later years.
Sinbad the porter's ambitions served him in good stead when he set out on an eight and final voyage, attempting to correct the errors his namesake had caused in earlier journeys, not to mention restoring the sailor to his original size.
He would have thought twice if he had known he would encounter the dangerously greedy two-headed cyclops, the lecherous pirate queen of the apes, the valley of the talking figs, Sam Ifrit and his All-Genie Orchestra, not to mention the dread Izzat, the fabled form from which even the giant Rukh flies in fear, and the perplexing problem of He-Who-Must-Be-Ignored...
But Sinbad the sailor had financial problems which explains why he had to keep putting out to sea even though each experience was worse than the last. And he was never completely honest in his accounts of his adventures, omitting embarrassing incidents and ever-so-slightly exaggerating the importance of others. All of which, of course, would return to haunt him in later years.
Sinbad the porter's ambitions served him in good stead when he set out on an eight and final voyage, attempting to correct the errors his namesake had caused in earlier journeys, not to mention restoring the sailor to his original size.
He would have thought twice if he had known he would encounter the dangerously greedy two-headed cyclops, the lecherous pirate queen of the apes, the valley of the talking figs, Sam Ifrit and his All-Genie Orchestra, not to mention the dread Izzat, the fabled form from which even the giant Rukh flies in fear, and the perplexing problem of He-Who-Must-Be-Ignored...
248 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
1 person is currently reading
152 people want to read
About the author
Craig Shaw Gardner
151 books135 followersCraig Shaw Gardner was born in Rochester, New York and lived there until 1967, when he moved to Boston, MA to attend Boston University. He graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Broadcasting and Film. He has continued to reside in Boston since that time.
He published his first story in 1977 while he held a number of jobs: shipper/receiver for a men's suit manufacturer, working in hospital public relations, running a stat camera, and also managed of a couple of bookstores: The Million Year Picnic and Science Fantasy Bookstore.
As of 1987 he became a full time writer, and since then he has published more than 30 novels and more than 50 short stories.
He also published under these pseudonyms:
Peter Garrison
He published his first story in 1977 while he held a number of jobs: shipper/receiver for a men's suit manufacturer, working in hospital public relations, running a stat camera, and also managed of a couple of bookstores: The Million Year Picnic and Science Fantasy Bookstore.
As of 1987 he became a full time writer, and since then he has published more than 30 novels and more than 50 short stories.
He also published under these pseudonyms:
Peter Garrison
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
July 28, 2007
Gardner takes his brilliant wit and humor into the realm of Arabian Adventures. Monty Python fans will be reminded of Life of Brian - only in this case, its a mistaken identity of Sinbad the Sailor instead of Jesus. Its almost impossible to find copies of this - I once tried to get a copy for a friend and browsed the used book stores for months (its out of print, and has been for a long time) but if you see it, you should grab it because its quite fun.
March 7, 2018
As a spoof of the tales of Sinbad (and the Arabian nights tales generally), this novel is pretty lightweight. The author re-imagines some of Sinbad’s legendary voyages, but for the most part there is no effort to evoke anything even remotely convincing in terms of the setting. Gardner’s Baghdad is a generic city, and fortunately we spend very little time there. Most of the book takes place at sea and on various islands, and so the lack of apparent historical research is not too distracting. It is presented as a comic fantasy, not an historical novel, so my expectations were probably too high on that front.
What makes or break humorous novels though is the writing and dialogue, and while Gardner makes no pretense of imitating the style of Arabian folk tale, he does a decent job of making up funny dialogue. The narrator is the “other Sinbad” of the title -- not the famous sailor, but a lowly porter who, in the traditional telling just frames the story of the illustrious sailor but here is dragged along on Sinbad the Sailor’s eighth voyage.
Gardner’s book reads a bit like how a slightly restrained Mel Brooks might have done Sinbad: the jokes often depend on modern day references, and come in rapid fire, so that you can ignore some of the worst groaners and still find a few bits that are very funny. There is a running gag where various monsters sing goofy parodies of 20th century standards, and similarly lazy jokes here and there, but the narrator is earnest enough to keep you from throwing the book down. Also like Mel Brooks, he manages to make his characters mostly likable, even if some are villainous. The constant perils work because there is a sense that the characters could be killed at any time, and in fact not everyone makes it through the adventure. The plot is endlessly convoluted, which is the thing about the book that best evokes the Arabian nights.
The adventures themselves riff on the original Sinbad stories, and the bits that appear to be Gardner’s inventions range from OK to great. His embellishments of the voyages are both weird and imaginative, and actually the best thing about this book.
Apparently there are a couple of sequels, but I don’t plan on seeking them out. Still, as light amusement, it is a hell of a lot better a Xanth novel, so by the abyssal standards of humorous fantasy from the late 1980s/early 1990s this is a pretty good book.
What makes or break humorous novels though is the writing and dialogue, and while Gardner makes no pretense of imitating the style of Arabian folk tale, he does a decent job of making up funny dialogue. The narrator is the “other Sinbad” of the title -- not the famous sailor, but a lowly porter who, in the traditional telling just frames the story of the illustrious sailor but here is dragged along on Sinbad the Sailor’s eighth voyage.
Gardner’s book reads a bit like how a slightly restrained Mel Brooks might have done Sinbad: the jokes often depend on modern day references, and come in rapid fire, so that you can ignore some of the worst groaners and still find a few bits that are very funny. There is a running gag where various monsters sing goofy parodies of 20th century standards, and similarly lazy jokes here and there, but the narrator is earnest enough to keep you from throwing the book down. Also like Mel Brooks, he manages to make his characters mostly likable, even if some are villainous. The constant perils work because there is a sense that the characters could be killed at any time, and in fact not everyone makes it through the adventure. The plot is endlessly convoluted, which is the thing about the book that best evokes the Arabian nights.
The adventures themselves riff on the original Sinbad stories, and the bits that appear to be Gardner’s inventions range from OK to great. His embellishments of the voyages are both weird and imaginative, and actually the best thing about this book.
Apparently there are a couple of sequels, but I don’t plan on seeking them out. Still, as light amusement, it is a hell of a lot better a Xanth novel, so by the abyssal standards of humorous fantasy from the late 1980s/early 1990s this is a pretty good book.
August 11, 2011
a fun book.
May 6, 2017
“The Other Sinbad” is the first of Craig Shaw Gardner’s “Arabian Nights” series. I had previously read the second, “A Bad Day for Ali Baba”, which featured poor plotting and cardboard-cutout characters but was nonetheless quite funny. “The Other Sinbad” has the same problems with plotting and characterization: unfortunately, the jokes are not nearly as funny. The result is, unsurprisingly, pretty terrible.
December 29, 2023
Somewhat falls prey to the sin of being too silly. Anything could happen next and it frequently does, but without a logical through-line, this kind of randomness starts to get old after a while, but Gardner has put enough thought into incorporating familiar elements from the voyages of Sinbad that these elements are enough to carry a decently enjoyable read.
January 22, 2017
was not impressed.
nice idea but, maybe its just my sense of humour, really didn't take off at all i felt.
feels like a fan of Monty Python, Douglas Adams and Pratchett wanted to write a similar style "sillyness" novel.
didn't work.
oh well.
nice idea but, maybe its just my sense of humour, really didn't take off at all i felt.
feels like a fan of Monty Python, Douglas Adams and Pratchett wanted to write a similar style "sillyness" novel.
didn't work.
oh well.
October 13, 2023
Old school humorous fantasy from when the Earth was cooling and I was young. Enjoyed it quite a bit.
July 2, 2025
Dire. Trying to be far cleverer than it is. Fails on humour and plot.
Read
April 27, 2016It's been a while since I read this - being out of print, I'll have to dig out my packed copy....
I remember it being quite odd - plenty of wordplay and subverted expectations. I recall feeling impressed at the clever story and how similar and different it was from the Sinbad stories I grew up with.
Recommended, but hold on to something :D
I remember it being quite odd - plenty of wordplay and subverted expectations. I recall feeling impressed at the clever story and how similar and different it was from the Sinbad stories I grew up with.
Recommended, but hold on to something :D
Read
August 25, 20101ST BRITISH EDITION. COVER BY JOSH KIRBY.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews