Abu and the 7 Marvels
by Richard Matheson
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From the land of genies and their magical feats comes this enchanting twist on the traditional quest tale. Abu, a young peasant, sets off with the most ancient genie in his country's domain in search of the seven marvels of the world in order to prove himself worthy of the hand of a beautiful princess. With cunningly crafted prose, gorgeous illustrations, and unique characters, this novel reveals itself to be no ordinary genie tale. From an unraveling flying carpet and ever-encroaching show more henchmen to a land made of sweets and a city under the sea, this tale takes readers on a daring journey of true love, bravery, glittering treasure, and intrigue. show lessTags
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I know Matheson as a horror and fantasy writer, but was intrigued by Abu. It is beautifully illustrated and competently written, but nothing made it especially stand out from any other generic boy-on-a-mission-learns-life-lessons story for young children. For a child who has never seen the story before it is probably entertaining, but for everyone else the comic elements Matheson adds can't make up for the tired rehashing of a story already retold a few too many times in the last couple centuries.
Limited to 350 signed copies. (this edition). In a tale for all ages, humble Abu sets off with a cranky old genie to find the seven marvels of the world and win the hand of the Princess Alicia, daughter of the Sultan Kasim El-Haroud, despite the schemes of the evil Grand Vizier.
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290+ Works 30,102 Members
Richard Matheson was born on February 20, 1926 in Allendale, New Jersey. He was eight when his stories appeared in a local newspaper, the Brooklyn Eagle. He served during World War II. He received a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1949. In 1950 he first was noticed as an upcoming writer-to-watch, starting with the short show more story Born of Man and Woman. He wrote numerous novels and short stories during his lifetime including I am Legend, The Shrinking Man, What Dreams May Come, and Hell House. He won the World Fantasy Convention's Life Achievement Award, the Bram Stoker Award for Life Achievement, the Hugo Award, the Golden Spur Award, and the Writer's Guild Award. He also was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010. When Hollywood approached him for the rights to his novel The Shrinking Man, he negotiated the chance to write the screenplay. This began a long career in screenwriting and adapting. He wrote the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's Duel and 16 episodes of the television series The Twilight Zone. He won an Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1973 for The Night Stalker. He died on June 23, 2013 at the age of 87. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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