Quite a good story. It is a separate tale in the Howl and Sophie series; they, along with Calcifer, make an appearance near the end of the novel.
For those readers looking for more of the heartwarming tale of our three intrepid heroes this tale is more of an aside to the series but, it is a very good, stand-alone novel worth reading. The story is ingenious and the characters are very rich and alive.
It is the tale of an Arabian carpet merchant in his attempt to rescue the princess of his dreams.Devlin