Cairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.
So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.
Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems….
P. Djèlí Clark started the acknowledgments part of A Master of Djinn with “The first full-length novel! Can you believe it?”, which pretty much echoes what a lot of readers have been saying when the book was first announced, myself included. Clark’s imaginative, sharp novellas are always great but it sometimes felt like devouring an amuse-bouche and regretting it’s not a full meal.
And now, we’ve been fed to satiation.
A Master of Djinn takes place after the events of A Dead Djinn in Cairo and The Haunting of Tram Car 015. It’s better to pick up at least the former if you haven’t yet – not only does it feature the same lead but there are relevant plot elements.
It is a tremendously fun book. Between the engaging writing and the intriguing plot, it was basically impossible to put down. It has that vibe of “buddy cops learning to work together and unravel a mystery, also things go boom and then they go even worse” that’s really irresistible (Fatma and her newly-appointed partner Hadia aren’t actually cops though, which makes it even better).
One of the major highlights of any Clark story is the worldbuilding, which is why the novella format could be a bit frustrating. We’ve gotten tentalizing glimpses of what an alt-1910s-Egypt would look like with magic and djinns, but A Master of Djinn took the time to dig deeper. There are cultural, religious, and geopolitical repercussions that we see more clearly in this story – without it ever slowing down the breakneck pace of the plot. There’s a special kind of pleasure in reading fantasy books that firmly decenter the Western world. And yes, there are digs at the expense of the colonialist powers, and yes, I did enjoy every one of them.
I was so glad we got Fatma as the lead in this story. She’s amazing. Sharp suits, sharper mind, but with an openness and at times, a vulnerability that makes her thoroughly likeable. She is very, very good at her job, but is never cocky enough to assume she knows everything or can solve anything. Clark must have had fun with the homage to a buddy cop classic trope, the grizzled veteran rejecting the wide-eyed rookie, before totally subverting it. Hadia was a breath of fresh air. She’s a devout Muslim, wears hijab, quotes ayat, kicks ass. I loved her so much.
Another trope deliciously subverted, this time straight from a Noir detective story, is the dame. Siti, Fatma’s lover, who appears in the most convenient times with a smile and many, many secrets. They are so good together, and Siti by herself is simply delightful. So many iconic one-liners (and outfits!).
There are also social issues brought up in the story – a modern, magical Egypt isn’t safe from gender inequality or poverty – or racism. I particularly appreciated the way that last point was handled. While the scene was enraging, it is a nuanced reminder that racism isn’t just a Western thing. North Africa can be fucking awful about it today still.
The plot itself is a pretty straightforward murder mystery, in the tradition of urban fantasy. It’s got a lot of action, and so many things go wrong, and we are kept on our toes until the very last page.
A Master of Djinn is an entertaining story that reinvents history in a highly inventive setting and features great depictions of female camaraderie, friendship, and romance. For me, there was also the familiarity of a North African setting (Morocco is not Egypt, but we have a lot in common, and I grew up with Egyptian TV shows in the background of my family home!) and the often-snarky anticolonialist message that made it a great read .
I said before that we’ve been fed to satiation – it’s not quite true. I would definitely love to have more.
I received a review copy from Orbit UK, my thanks! A Master of Djinn is to be released in paperback on August 19th, and is already available on ebook.
