This book is very different from my typical reads.

I really enjoyed the strong female characters. The mystery is solid and steady, and the world building is well done. The book did keep me guessing for the most part with some unexpected twists. It's a nice blend of magic and mystery. Apparently there is a short story related to this, but I didn't read that. It might be beneficial to do that.

A Master of Djinn, by P. Djeli Clark. A good story but I did have to keep coming back to it, as I really didnt feel pulled in. I think it will do well and others will enjoy it as much as I did.

P. Djeli Clark's entertaining fantasy series continues with a full-length novel, and it's a delight. Agent Fatma returns, along with an engaging cast, and the plot blends high-powered magical conflict with detective work, as well as some thoughtful examination of power, gender, colonialism, and the assumptions humans make. Vividly written, with sharp and clever dialogue, it takes the reader to an alternate early-20th-century Cairo where Egypt has become a great power through its access to magic and the game of nations plays out in new and interesting ways.

The story references events from A Dead Djinn in Cairo, enough that reading that novella first might be helpful to the reader. But that's more of a bonus than a drawback, because Dead Djinn is also marvelous.

A review of A Master of Djinn (2021), by P. Djèlí Clark:

Dear Hollywood,
Please throw your grandad's boring-ass comic books in the trash, quit with the endless retreads, and make big summer movies out of stories like this explosive mystery in alternate-history/steampunk-y/djinn-laden early 20C Cairo.
Regards, A non-fan.

RIYL: Stross's Laundry Files, but you wish that there were fewer wise-cracking white dudes and that most of the ~mystic woo~ was (were?) Egyptian-flavored.

Set in an alternate historical Cairo where djinn live among us, Master of Djinn takes the detective formula and breathes new life into it. The story weaves Egyptian mythology wonderfully with the various types of djinn creating an irresistible magical world. I was reminded of my fascination with Egypt and its history.

Like most good detective stories, the book starts with a mysterious murder. The pacing is perfect, blending action with procedure. To make things more interesting, the main detective is a woman. This adds an illuminating perspective to the setting. The pacing holds steady throughout until the climax. Just when I thought I had figured things out, the story took a welcome twist.

If you have already been introduced to the world of djinn from other recent fantasy series, you will feel at home here. I felt as if the world of Daevabad was transported into the future. The mystery kept me engaged until the big reveal. The final confrontation was incredibly well done and suitably epic. If you have any interest in djinn or magic this is a must read. Though early, I expect this will be on my top list for the year.

While Master of Djinn doesn't come out until May, Clark has a few short novellas you can read to hold you over until then. I plan to read them shortly.

4.5 stars
I want to thank Netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is a new favorite series for me.
After reading A Dead Djinn in Cairo and The Haunting of Tram Car 015 I had but one complaint; they weren't long enough. Well, this book is delivered everything I needed.
Fatma el-Sha’arawi is a special investigator with the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities in 1912 steampunk Cairo.
Djinn and angels (maybe?) have been living among humans for about 40 years.
Murder and shenanigans ensue.

I loved the whodunnit vibes and clever commentary. The characters are wonderfully diverse.
I'm just in love with this version of Cairo.
The amount of research that went into this book shows in little tidbits like Arabic sayings and idioms, which are a special treat for someone who speaks Arabic, as well as some real life interesting historical events woven into the history of this alternate world.

Highly recommended.

4.75 stars

P Djeli Clarke is fast becoming one of my auto-buy authors, his writing is the perfect blend of not too flowery and not too simple but still manages to perfectly capture and immerse you in the atmosphere he is trying to create. I adore the world he has created in this series, a steampunk version on 1910s Cairo, filled with all the magic and wonder of djinn and other mythological creatures. I have a great love for the Daevabad series by SA Chakraborty and seeing some of the same mythology and figures also used in this book made me feel so nostalgic.

In the novel we are once again following Fatma, as she investigates the mysterious murders of a secret brotherhood dedicated to the legendary historical figure al-jazid. Soon the murderer is claiming to be the second coming of al-jazid and mysterious things are happening to the djinn of Cairo and it is up to Fatma to figure it out. The book is a fantastic ride, full of mystery adventure and good old fashioned crime solving and detective work. The twists and turns were such a delight to follow, I was so invested in finding out what was going on and always kept engaged in the story. I thought the pacing was excellent, and sometimes scenes that were seemingly irrelevant had a lot of importance later on and I always love it when books do this!!

At the start of the book Fatma gets a new assistant, called Hadia, whom at first she is very reluctant to have as she is adamant she only works alone but watching them grow as partners and colleagues was such a pleasure to watch. I adored their grumpy mentor/wide eyed apprentice dynamic and also how Hadia wasn’t afraid to call out Fatma on her bullshit. We see a lot of Fatma’s semi-girlfriend Siti, whom I absolutely adore!!! Siti has a lot of secrets and never likes to stay in one place for too long, she is charming and flirty, and the perfect balance for Fatma’s more sober and stoic side. Watching their relationship grow and develop throughout the book and learn to trust and grow from each other, as well as work together to solve the mystery of what is going on was such a delight. Fatma, Siti and Hadia are such a power trio and I hope we get more books of their adventures!

P Djeli Clarke also touches on some really important themes of colonialism, racial inequality and colorism, as well as looking at what difficulties women can face even in a “post-feminist” society. Fatma and Hadia are the only women in a primarily male dominated magical investigations agency and there is a lot of discussion around access for women, I liked how Hadia called Fatma out on when she was judging Hadia at first, when in fact it is important for women to be supporting women. Fatma is also such a feminist icon, I love how she doesn’t conform to traditional gender roles of the time and is quite assertive and self-assured of her abilities.

Overall this book has a perfect blend of mystery, charm, humour, romance and magic. Something about reading it felt so nostalgic and I loved being swept away into this alternate magical Cairo, truly a novel to devour and let it whisk you away for an escape from reality.

Another book to benefit from a short story / novella before it to do some world building, A Master Of Djinn takes the characters and setting of P. Djèlí Clark's magical early 20th C Cairo and spins it out into novel length. And it does a lovely job of maintaining the pace of a procedural pulpy bit of crime fiction in a world of Djinn and Ifrit. This had already been shown in the two previous tales, and the extra length here doesn't really go into much more in depth world building or anything more profound than slightly bigger baddies. But it does give room for plot twists, and a few more set pieces as the ridiculously stylish Agent Fatma el-Sha'arawi gets to swan around this Cairo as her own much better dressed version of Columbo.

The desire to hew so closely to genre norms end up being a strength and a weakness. So when the normally solo investigator Fatma gets saddled with a rookie partner you know she will do everything to push her away until she realises the error of her ways and realises what a useful asset she will be. Fatma will be forever half a step behind the reader despite being the smartest person in the book, and whilst unflappable and amazingly cool will still be upended by the revelations of the tale. This are story archetypes for a reason, though the more comfy I am with this setting the more I wanted it to push in a few more interesting directions with the plot, the mystery is pretty obvious once the suspects are lined up (some of the questions about magical machine sentience in "The Haunting Of Tram Car 015" for example could have been interesting). On the other hand the world needs a dashingly cool queer female Cairene heroine who is never less than impeccably dressed in her never ending wardrobe of multicoloured English suits.

This a a rollickingly fun read, with a few nice things to say about the state of the world in the early 20th cenutry from an Arab point of view. Its interesting to see if the series continues if an analog to World War 1 comes up or not, there is a peace conference here to avoid it, and some suggestion that other countries are experimenting with their own magic (the plot hole I always thought lay in Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell was the effect of other magicks). And while perhaps it has shifted in my mind from being surprisingly clever world building into the niche of serial fiction with a hugely appealing lead character, that is still a box I like to revisit in these days when comfort is harder to get.

P. Djeli Clark’s first full-length novel is a supernatural mystery set in a magical steampunk Cairo: and honestly, it’s just as good as the premise makes it sound.

We follow the continued adventures of Agent Fatma el-Sha’arawi, who works for Cairo’s Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantment, and Supernatural Entities; after being called in to the scene of an inexplicable murder, she quickly discovers there are large, mysterious supernatural threats at work - which is saying something when your average day at the office includes rogue angels, bargains with djinn, and feral undead creatures. On top of all that, she’s got a new partner at the Ministry - and a rekindled romance - to handle.

Readers may recognize Fatma, and several other major characters, from Djèlí Clark’s short story A Dead Djinn in Cairo. (While the novel gives enough context that readers don’t necessarily need to have read that story to understand this one, I’d recommend it; it’s a quick, free read on Tor’s website.)

The plot is captivating, and watching it unfold was an experience in the best kind of suspense. The worldbuilding is sprawling and glorious; it was already a strength of the preceding short story and novella set in this world, but the additional length of the novel gives it room to properly shine without overtaking the characters or story: The characters are well-developed, human and compelling. (I had a personal soft spot for Hadia!) Action sequences were fast-paced and engaging, and not difficult to follow. And Djèlí Clark does a masterful job of weaving in a variety of wider themes and conflicts along with the supernatural: racism, religion, feminism, imperialism, class conflict; consent, personhood, justice. The result is a world which feels profoundly relevant and recognizable, despite its magic, and diverse, deeply realized characters.

All in all: gripping, fun, and thought-provoking. Wholeheartedly recommended, and I hope that this is the first of many novel-length adventures in this setting.

Many thanks to Tor and NetGalley, who provided me an advance copy of this in exchange for an honest review!

In this novel of wonders and fables, P. Djeli Clark returns to the world of his novella The Haunting of Tram Car 015, an alternate Cairo where humans and djinn live together, where magic is real, and where the old Egyptian gods are still very present. A Master of Djinn includes ornate and sophisticated world-building, interesting and layered characters who evolve and grow, and an excellent plot that involves issues of colonialism, class, power, and sorcery. It's a masterclass in building characters, from investigator Fatma who learns a lot about her own desires to her new work partner Hadia, whose wide-eyed eagerness becomes fierce competence to Fatma's lover Siti, who is forced into a difficult kind of coming out. The city itself is a character, and a beautifully shifting one, full of surprises good and bad. At the heart of the book is the threat and abuse of colonial powers, in this case, Britain, which having been forced out of most of Egypt prior to the novel, still has citizens in Cairo who are passionate about subjecting the Arab world to white supremacy. It's a timely book and a joy to read.

A strong adventure story with a postcolonial sensibility; the stupid/nasty English people approach the status of caricatures, but unfortunately are probably pretty accurate.

I've read a previous story with the same main character, and enjoyed it, so I requested this one from Netgalley - thanks to the publisher for granting my request. The pre-publication ARC I had included some mangled idioms and vocab glitches, something that will hopefully be polished up before publication. The author also has a bad habit of "said bookisms"; people don't just say things, they "speak" them or "relate" them or "voice" them.

There were one or two setting details I didn't quite believe, like most Western countries rejecting the use of magic despite the power it offered. I also didn't believe that the protagonist could afford so many high-end suits on her salary as a government employee. Also, the agents seemed slow on the uptake, only figuring key plot points out long after they'd become obvious to me. But the action was good, the main character's determination, competence, and dedication to doing the right thing made her appealing to me, and the setting was well evoked.

I do hope that the published version includes (perhaps in X-Ray or in back matter) some assistance with Egyptian vocabulary, since there were quite a few words that neither my Kindle dictionary nor Wikipedia could explain to me. I was often left assuming from context "this is some sort of garment" or "this is some sort of food" without any really concrete or specific image.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley via Tor/Forge books in exchange for an honest review.

Djinn - Check
Magic - Check
Strong Female Characters - Check Check Check

I loved this book, it was like someone mixed an Agatha Christie novel with City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty.

The story starts with the murder of a mysterious brotherhood who were dedicated to al-Jahiz, the man who brought magic back into the world. We are then introduced to our main hero and her glorious suits, Fatma. Fatma is one of the only female agents for this alternative 1912 Egypt's Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities and she is tasked with discovering just what happened to this brotherhood. She soon discovers there are claims that al-Jahiz is back and walking the streets of Cairo. Fatma is in a race against time, as a peace summit is meant to take place in Cairo in the weeks after the mysterious murders and the disruption of the murders plus the return of al-Jahiz could be what tips the world into war. In order to solve the murders she must team up with her new young partner with equally stylish hijabs.

The strong female characters in this book combined with the author's slow burn mystery and world building make this book a 5 star book for me. Clark does a wonderful job keeping you guessing while also fleshing out the many twists and turns of the world he has built. I loved that this story wasn't just a story of magic and mystery, but of the very real effects of colonialism on communities of color. I would have liked more explanation of how humans interact or wield magic. There were some mentions of this peppered throughout the book that I thought could have been expanded on. The same with the idolaters, I hope that future novels will cover these aspects and I can't wait to see what this author does.

"A Master of Djinn" sets itself apart from the bevy of monster-hunting books out there by its setting. It is set in 1912 Egypt, but a slightly twisted universe of Egypt containing robots and genies (djinn) and other fantastical creatures. It's a world backwards in time, yet also forwards. And which touches a different world entirely. It opens with a shocking gory scene beginning a murder mystery investigated by Fatma from the department that investigates spirits and ghouls and such things. Very clever and inventive.

I really dug this new tale from the world of Agent Fatma in alternate 1912 Cairo. Clark really is an excellent world-builder, and both familiar and new characters are so well-developed. My fave of these is obviously Fatma’s new partner, Hadia, who plays with and subverts those classic new partner tropes. Add in a thorough mythology and, I guess, magic system, with some late colonial geopolitics, and a crime/mystery to be solved, and you’ve got a winner.

This ARC was provided via NetGalley, and I appreciate the opportunity to experience this book early.

Note to self…always, always check the page count. But, to be fair, why wouldn’t you expect the third Agent Fatma adventure to be something other than a novella. The first book in the series was maybe 50 pages and the second one was less than 150. And Clark’s debut was a novella too. I figured that was his format, he was, after all, very good at it and I do so love novellas. But no, he went at it geometrically, and just as book two tripled the length of its predecessor, so did this third one, meaning suddenly I found myself in a much longer than anticipated adventure.
So, is there such a thing as too much of a good thing? Well, no, not really. If I am to be stuck with a longer book, let it be a book by an author as talented and imaginative and entertaining as Clark. Who knew he was gearing up to this behemoth all this time. But apparently so, guess the alternative steampunk Egypt of his imagination just got too huge to be contained by novellas. So book three is expansive and it expands on all the fascinating aspects of this imagined world that previously were only glimpsed at. Agent Fatma in all her sartorial splendor is back in action on a case larger than life when the legendary Al Jahiz, the many monikered great thinker and scientist who decades ago has torn the very fabric of reality between this world and the one of djinns and other supernatural beings, appears to have returned.
This return is announced in gore and viscera when the secret society comprising wealthy Brits worshipping Al Jahiz is brutally slaughtered. Suddenly, there are rumors of a man in the golden mask. A man who performs miracles. A man who may stir the restless populace into something like revolt. Well…not if the intrepid Agent Fatma of the Ministry of Alcemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities has something to say about that.
There are some changes on the personal front for Fatma, also. She’s thrilled to have her mysterious lover Siti back in her life and considerably less thrilled to no longer work alone as she is now joined by a fellow female agent as per agency’s determination to meet the modern age’s demands of representation and equality.
So, without divulging too much of a plot, let’s just say this is indeed a grand adventure of the first order. It has suspense, intrigue, action, romance, drama…all set in a spectacularly rendered almost though not quite real world of 1912 in Egypt that the author has so prodigiously imagined and brought to life. I mean, there’s world building and then there’s this elevated version of it, with every color, every texture coming alive. Interweaving historical facts and figures and imaginary actions and characters, Clark spins a narrative worthy of Scheherazade and at this length it would have prolonged her life for more than one night.
Long but worth it. A many splendored world populated by terrific characters. Wildly original and awesome in every way. Except the mystery angle, the genius armchair detective that’s me (without even a proper armchair), I figured that one out a mile away and, frankly, was surprised that in as strongly feminist narrative with as strongly feminist characters, it took the rest of them this long. But anyway, it was still absolutely excellent and who doesn’t like to have their crime solving acumen proved once again.
Great third entry in great series. And I don’t even like series, so that’s high praise indeed. Though I sincerely hope the author doesn’t go and triple the page count yet again for the next book. That would be…unwieldy. But yeah, loved this book. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

I’ll kick off with what I think will be the biggest question people have before picking up this book: Do you need to read A Dead Djinn in Cairo or The Haunting of Tram Car 015 before picking this up?

My head says no, this book will take you into the world and I think almost all the information you might need is explained to you within the novel.

But my heart says yes. I would say at the very least go and read A Dead Djinn in Cairo because it’s not very long and you can (legally) read it for free online. I would also highly recommend picking up The Haunting of Tram Car 015 because it is utterly amazing but there is less overlap between that book and this one. You’d be doing yourself a disservice to not read the entire series but I suppose in a pinch you could and it wouldn’t spoil the reading experience (though I can’t promise it won’t include spoilers).

I think my favourite aspect of all three works has to be the worldbuilding. Clark conjures up this alternate world where all is magic and at the same time steampunk and also strangely past and future all at the same time. It’s the perfect place in which to set a mystery novel because we get to explore some of the ways in which this world works and how everything functions. There’s also that twist on the classic mystery novel usually featuring white detectives imposing a western eye on things. Compare the world Clark creates with the Egypt that features in, for example, Death on the Nile. There’s something very empowering about the setting, and the novel doesn’t shy away from some of the implications of this – particularly in the British view of Egyptian power.

The lynchpin of any detective novel is of course the detective so let’s discuss Fatma el-Sha’arawi.

Put simply I adore her.

I was captivated by her in A Dead Djinn in Cairo and I continue to love her in this book. The novel also brings in the dynamic of Fatma having to deal with a partner. I loved the way that relationship is managed throughout the book and it’ll be interesting to see if there are more books set in this world if she is a more fleeting character or if this is a detecting duo? Fatma is everything I love in a protagonist, she’s sharp, she’s witty and she’s putty in the hands of a particularly beautiful woman – sigh. I’d read any genre if Fatma were the main character.

I don’t know if any other mystery lovers out there will agree with me but I feel there are essentially two ways in which a mystery novel can hit the spot. 1) I can guess who the culprit is before the reveal and I get the joyous dramatic irony coupled with the delight at being right. 2) I guess incorrectly but it’s such a good reveal I don’t even care. In this case I won’t tell you which one it is on the off chance that ruins the experience for you but it did definitely hit the spot as far as mystery was concerned.

I think everyone should read this, and read the other books too. I cannot recommend this highly enough. I have a suspicion it will make it to one of my top 10 books of 2021 list and it’s only early January when I’m writing this review…

My rating: 5/5 stars

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley – all opinions are my own.

A Master of Djinn publishes May 11th!

Really original pieces of fantasy. The settings, the "mythology", the world. I enjoy reading this one and would recommend it!

Clark has returned to the world of steam-punk Cairo that he established in "The Haunting of Tram Car 015" for this compelling novel. In the early twentieth century, Djinn are living among regular people in Cairo as citizens and are responsible for amazing advances in architecture and mechanization that have placed Cairo at the forefront of the world stage. All of this supernatural activity ha become so commonplace in Cairene life that an entire governmental department is devoted to it. Agent Fatma al Sha'arawi is not the first woman to work for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, but she is probably the first to do so while wearing English men's suits. Agent Fatma has solved a host of supernatural mysteries in Cairo but none have been quite so dangerous as what she's about to encounter.

I don't want to give away too much about this amazing novel because part of the fun is discovering the people and events yourself. Clark really outdid himself this time. The world that he creates is absolutely fascinating and the characters are complex and fascinating. You won't be able to put "A Master of Djinn" down once you start it so make sure that you have some time to read and a comfortable chair!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was so excited to catch up with Fatma and her fellow agents in this book, and this story was even more amazing than the first two in the series.  I just love P. Djèlí Clark's writing, and his world building is  finely detailed and complex.  While creating this amazing world, he doesn't shy away from hard truths or social justice concerns which only adds to the depth and realism of the story. 

Fatman is saddled with a new partner Hadia who is a rookie fresh out of the academy.  While Fatma is dealing with her feelings about having a partner, and trying to define her relationship with Siti she is called on to the site of a mass murder supposedly performed by the returned hero al-Jahiz.  al-Jahiz was the man originally responsible for the release of the Djinn into the world, and creating the new & fantastic world that Fatma lives in now.  Fatma and her team must solve the murders while determining who is pretending to be al-Jahiz.  There angels, Djinn and gods who Fatma meets along the way with their own agendas and goals, and she must determine who to trust.