A Whole New World
By Liz Braswell-Fiction
Summary
In A Whole New World by Liz Braswell has made an entire fictional book series about darker, alternate paths for the Disney movies you know and love so much. (Warning, these books may damage your childhood, so read at your own risk.) This one for Aladdin explains what would happen if Jafar (the main villain) was able to obtain the lamp much earlier and used it to conquer all of Agrabah (the story's setting).
When the evil wizard Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah now lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish. To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the dethroned Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. Aladdin is a lowly street rat who was tricked into getting Jafar the lamp, while Jasmine is a dethroned princess. They team together to stop him by forming a rebellion against his rule. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war. It's a fantasy story, which contrasts to the original source material.
You don't have to know the original story of Aladdin or have watched the Disney movie to read the novel, but it does emphasize an "alternate path", so it helps to have background knowledge. Even though you don't have to have previously seen or read the original Aladdin story to get a good experience, it makes things more interesting.
Unless you want to save your nostalgia of the Aladdin movie, I recommend you read this novel. The way the author took an original story and altered it to show what could have been different had Jafar got the lamp, rather than Aladdin. It's darker, with little to no fun and games, which some readers may also appreciate.