Aladdin Relighted

Aladdin Trilogy, Book 1

By: J.R. Rain, Piers Anthony

Narrated by: Paul Licameli

Length: 6 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2011 J.R. Rain, Piers Anthony (P)2013 J.R. Rain, Piers Anthony

Here there be VILLAINS, HEROES, DJINS, & DRAGONS!!

A delightful romp and lighthearted adventure also lurk in this audio.
I confess, I don't know J.R. Rain's work, but this is exactly what I have come to expect from Piers Anthony. The plot is easy to follow, the number of characters not overwhelming (thank God). The sex talk? Slightly juvenile, but not off-putting.

The narrator, Paul Licameli, has a beautiful voice and is clearly a trained speaker. I did feel as if his rendering was better suited for a stage performance rather than cozy or intimate story-telling (a la Scheherazade) and it took me several chapters to grow accustomed to what I consider too much enunciation. Either that or Mr. Licameli eased off after those few chapters.

Overall, I enjoyed the audio and would be happy to continue with the series.

I have sadly never read anything about Aladdin

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.

Audiobook provided for review by the narrator.

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Not Disney's Aladdin

Where does Aladdin Relighted rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

about the middle

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

More back story of Aladin's wife and son. They were touched on but greater expansion on them might have brought it into focus for me.

Any additional comments?

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

The story was good, just wasn't outstanding. I LOVE JR Rain's Vampire for Hire series and Piers Anthony's Xanth series was my first love in the fantasy genre. This story fell short of my expectations of these two great authors.

Extremely Entertaining

I had a hard time putting this book down. It was well written with well thought out characters that were very entertaining in their interactions.

A fun romp in the hay

This is a fun Fantasy romp that shouldn't be taken to seriously. Some of it is about Fantasy tales in other lands, but a lot of it involves fantasizing about the female body. While I can appreciate this perspective, I think many will not.

A magic carpet ride!

What did you love best about Aladdin Relighted?

I grew up stalking my local library, snatching up every copy of Xanth that I could get my hands on. I was addicted to Piers Anthony's overuse of puns. This book reminds me of my love of that fantasy world, but with a lot more totally hilarious adult themed humor tossed into the mix.

What did you like best about this story?

The narrator! Paul Licameli turns this into a production. He doesnt just read the book, he acts it out.

Which scene was your favorite?

The whole book is a blast, but meeting one of the first big bad beasties - the hornet queen, had me cringing and laughing at the same time. Actually the entire book had me laughing, enough that I was getting odd looks while walking through the story while listening.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Great sequel to the Aladdin story

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.

A fun adventure.

Any additional comments?

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 really enjoyed listening to 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.**

Amusing story but not for children

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

In the end I enjoyed the story. I received the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. The characters were well developed and Paul Licameli's narration added to each character with his distinctive tongue-in-cheek delivery.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I found the constant reminder of the main character's "manliness" tiresome.

What about Paul Licameli’s performance did you like?

I loved Paul Licameli's delivery for each character. His voice for the queen was a great surprise and fit just right into the story. Aladdin was quite intense and self-absorbed as written.

Not Disney

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Aladdin Relighted is great fun; adventure, excitement, romance, humor, charm, and exotic settings . It will entertain the audiobook lover