Asterix and the Magic Carpet was published in 1987 and written and illustrated by Albert Uderzo.
In the village of Asterix there is a banquet happening. The villagers are celebrating their new village which was rebuild by the romans (read Asterix and the Baby). While this is happening Cacofonix sings a tune in his house and causes it to rain.
From the sky drops a man with a turban. His name is Watziznehm and he was passing by on his magic carpet from India. In his land, there hasn’t been rain for many many days and if it doesn’t rain the king’s daughter will be sacrificed to the Gods and the evil antagonist will take over (it doesn’t say exactly how...).
Throughout the journey (on the carpet) Asterix, Obelix and Cacofonix encounter many people and pass by places they have visited on their previous journeys.
This story is one of the more straightforward Asterix books. The journey takes a good twenty pages and it really feels like the Gauls travel a long distance (much different from Asterix and the Great Crossing where they seem to cross the Atlantic ocean in a couple of days).
Asterix and the Magic Carpet is probably pretty good for children to read but there isn’t too much for adults to get thrilled about. Some of the illustrations of various cities from the perspective of the magic carpet are done really well. Fans of Asterix will recall old episodes from some of the scenes in Asterix and the Magic Carpet.
