Sinbad the Sailor

Myths and Legends #11

by Phil Masters

"Sinbad the Sailor" presents a retelling of the stories of the most famous adventurer from One Thousand and One Arabian Nights, with added information covering the history of the stories and the age in which they are set.
Stories say that in the age of the Caliph Haroun al-Rashid, in the port city of Basra, there lived a wealthy man named Sinbad the Sailor. Sinbad had great tales to tell, of the seven voyages on which he acquired his fortune, of the strangeness and terror he encountered along the way, of huge monsters and strange people, and of storms at sea and lands beyond the horizon.
This book retells the tales of those voyages and places them in context. It discusses not only the greater collection of stories known as "One Thousand and One Arabian Nights" within which Sinbad appears, but medieval Cairo where these tales were told, the historical Abbasid Dynasty which ruled Sinbad's home city, and the great Arabian voyages of exploration and trade which inspired these stories. It also looks at the modern incarnations of Sinbad that have appeared since his tales reached the West - including Sinbad as the swashbuckling hero of stage plays, stop-motion movies, and television fantasy.

Genres: Classics, Fantasy, Mythology, Folklore, Fiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful tale of Sinbad and his many journeys across the oceans, where he finds himself in many precarious situations, encountering uncanny creatures and near-death situations. He miraculously survives each adventure based on luck and good fortune. With each encounter, he discovers riches that he later provides to others and in turn, the act coincides with him continuing to lead a prosperous life.

[Bogdan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Poveștile despre cele șapte călătorii ale lui Sinbad au apărut inițial într-o ediție tradusă din Cele 1001 Nopți, dar arhetipul se pare că are rădăcini mai adânci, care duce până la miturile grecești. Rezumând, un negustor arab bogat le povestește prietenilor câteva dintre călătoriile lui cele mai neobișnuite prin Oceanul Indian, de-a lungul cărora se întâlnește cu monștri marini, uriași ciclopici, păsări gigantice, canibali, demoni și alte ființe supranaturale.
Volumul își propune pe de o parte să redea cele șapte călătorii legendare repovestindu-le, și pe de altă parte să ofere un fundal istoric și comercial societății musulmane din sec IX-X. Folosindu-se și de câteva ilustrații inedite și bine realizate, cartea este o bună interpretare a unui fragment din cele 1001 Nopți.

[Declan Waters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of the Osprey series into Myths and Legends this one dealing with the seven voyages of the Arabian Nights' character - Sinbad the Sailor.

The book guides the reader through the seven voyages, including some historical notes and comments about what may have actually happened. This is a great introduction to the Sinbad story... easy to follow, read and understand and then a great reference for the stories.

Recommended.

[Melisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I finally finished one classic~ :D somehow I had a story in my head and thought it was Sindbads story so I got quite shocked by all the horrid events >.<

[Brecht Denijs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun little book which gives you the story plus additional information about it and some nice pictures and illustrations. I enjoyed it.

[Fantasy Literature · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a good numbers of titles in Osprey Publishing’s MYTHS AND LEGENDS series and while the individual books vary in quality, that variation runs between good and excellent, making the series as a whole top notch. My latest read, Sinbad the Sailor, by Phil Masters, continues the positive run, falling somewhere in the middle of its predecessors.

The bulk of the book is a retelling of Sinbad’s seven voyages (including an alternate seventh voyage), keeping the original frame of Sinbad the Sailor telling the story to Sinbad the Porter, his poorer namesake. The retellings are solid, if not particularly enthralling. I would have liked more of a sense of voice for Sinbad, but they move quickly and fluidly. You can’t fault Masters for some of the repetition in the tales; the... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...