There's a series of good ideas here. The main stroke of genius is having a car be a genie, as it is a fun concept and I can imagine children immersing themselves by imagining their family car is also magic. The issue though is much like Flemming's other work, there isn't much depth to the characters and moreover the climax isn't particularly compelling. Much like the Bond books, the film is an improvement, it splits Caracticus Potts out into two characters that can bounce off eachother, a bit of emotional engagement with the romance etc, which results in far more tension. There's a much more memorable threat in the form of the child catcher in the film. Whereas the book climaxes in France and fighting gangsters, which doesn't feel particularly fantastical for a story about a magic car.<br><br>It's a fairly brisk read, but as mentioned before, much prefer the movie.
