A Master of Djinn

I read the two short stories/novellas "A Dead Djinn in Cairo" and "The Haunting of Tram Car 015" before starting this book and I recommend doing that for more in-depth world-building and the reward of seeing the characters from those stories again in the book. This is a great urban fantasy book with a steampunk vibe. I rushed through it within two days because I found it so captivating. Clark makes this world come alive and it's such an interesting one. In also liked how the characters were so vivid, even minor ones. Individuality and identity is one of the major themes in this book and though it's perhaps not as deep as some other book it does provide food for thought. The other big theme to me was prejudice and I appreciated how it weren't just easily dismissable characters with obvious prejudices but that Fatma also got misled by her own prejudices and how it's an undercurrent of the society depicted in this book. There's also an appearance of a historical character I was secretly hoping for and which is much more expansive than I could have hoped for.

Read the German translation.

Really enjoyed reading this book. Cool characters, nice overall story arc, some plot twists/revelations that felt good and generally a very cool setting.

Didn't like some of the "crowd manipulations" which felt a bit superficial.

I really recommend to read some of the shorter stories in the universe before. They are a neat introduction into a setting and some characters that can feel a bit overwhelming.

It's got a great plot, great characters and great world-building. The feminism, queerness and anti-racism bring waves of refreshment.

The main thing that let it down for me was the language. The voice I heard was not that of a 1912 steampunk denizen of Cairo. It sounded more like a 21st century internet-soaked American. This included bad grammar: subject pronouns that should have been objects, adjectives that should have been adverbs. Decolonisation is one of the themes, but American English is re-colonising much of the world. It might not bother you, but it definitely bothers me.

Clark also draws on the tradition of the detective genre, which I don't enjoy. Again, it's such an American form, so it added to the annoyance of the language.

I'm a bit sensitive to this because of my recent reading of Lord Dunsany and Ursula le Guin's comments on the importance of style in fantasy. It probably won't bother most readers. This is perhaps a reflection of the sinking standards of readers and writers in the internet age.

This debut novel is by P. Djeli Clark, which is the pen name of Dexter Gabriel (born 1971), an American speculative fiction writer and historian at the University of Connecticut. I liked it alot and really thought for a long time it was written by a female author, actually.

Because the story is about a female investigator of magical crimes in an Egypt that is a world power due to the discovery of Djinn and other magical beings a couple of years before. The year is 1912, and the representatives of Europe and the world are meeting in Cairo to prevent an impending global conflict at a peace conference.

Just at this moment, a charlatan appears and pretends to be the late discoverer of the djinns and magic and all, who died at the time after discovering and opening the portal to the Djinn world. And our female protagonist Fatma investigates a case where twenty people were burnt to death from their inside, leaving their clothes intact.

The whole thing is reminiscent in language and style and time of Arthur Conan Dale and Sherlock Holmes, only set in Egypt and with many women instead of only men: our female inspector has an inofficial affair with someone who also helps in the investigation, and later is reluctantly given a female partner to work with.

Just like in Sherlock Holmes, we often met rich, white, often old, and always judgmental men of the british (and sometimes European) nobility. But there is also surprising magic, many mythical creatures from big, old, badly tempered djinn to ghuls and ifrits. Djinns, for instance, follow very precise interpretation of the terms of any contracts they enter, which they do alot. We also have truely evil, powerful enemies and creatures, a relatively square-jawed police inspector (similar to Inspector Lestrade from Scotland Yard). The plot is good and drives the action, and it twists here and there in unforeseen ways.

The orient emerges in front of our eyes, and it is not ruled by Westerners, or even men. It is emancipated from the West, and women get to feel the first effects of their own emancipation.

I like the book alot and will surely hope the author continues this (the book itself came to existence because of a few critically acclaimed short stories).

An excellent read that immerses the reader in a steampunk and magical alternative world set in the early 20th century, where djinns and other magical creatures exist in Egypt and the rest of the world. This was made possible when a mysterious mystic named al-Jahiz broke the barrier between our world and the magical one. This allowed Egypt to resist European colonization (with the help of djinn) and to become a world power.

Into this world steps Fatma el-Sha’arawi, who works at the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. She helped save Egypt (and the world) from being taken over by ancient beings from another world in a previous tale ("A Dead Djinn in Cairo"). In this story, she starts with an investigation into the mysterious deaths of a secret brotherhood group that would lead her to confront a person with immense magical powers who claim to be al-Jahiz, who has returned to lead a revolution against the elite.

With a supporting cast of fascinating characters like her new partner, her secret lover, a man channelling (or becoming?) an ancient Egyptian god, djinns, 'angels' and others personnel from the Ministry, she would confront the person, leading to a climactic battle that would determine the fate of the world. And only she may be able to wield the ultimate item of magical power that can stop that person, and others, from carrying out a plan to dominate the world.

The author hints of magical beings inhabiting other parts of the world, which opens up the possibility of a series of future stories involving Fatma and other characters in other adventures around the world. If true, this is one reader eager to join in their adventures.

As others have noted, this is an alternate steampunk universe set in the 1910's. A world changed by a single man piercing the veil, and bringing Djinn and magic back into our world. Since that happened about 40 years ago, the djinn have transformed Cairo with their amazing mechanical creations, including robots, flying gliders and trams, and mechanical brains in buildings.

The main character, Fatma, is a respected, if youngest female, investigator in the Ministry of Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. She is definitely a maverick, dressing in suits, hats, and carrying a sword cane.

The descriptions of clothing and locations feed the imagination, breathing life into the world and putting it all in your mind's eye. The gradually revealing of the consequences of the mass murder in a secret brotherhood in honor of al-Jahiz, the man who brought back magic to the world, is gripping. The impostor who claims to be al-Jahiz has a dramatic flair that makes everything so much more cinematic. There are more than enough plot twists to keep you guessing until the end, and in the end you are left wanting more of this fantastical world and this amazing investigator.

My one criticism is, of course, Fatma has to save the world.

Again.

What does that leave her for an encore?

All said, the book is a fun romp with descriptions that you can taste and see in your mind's eye. There are multiple strong female characters, which definitely gives the book a distinct flair.

I only give 5 stars to books I think I will read again, and this fits into this category easily due to the cinematic world-building, enchangint character arcs, and gripping adventure.