Once upon a time I was an eight-year-old obsessed with Egyptology. It was the time of the Tutankhamun exhibition in London in 1972, and whilst I was too young and too poor to travel to see it – the queues were round the block, anyway – I would rabidly read anything I could get my hands on about the boy prince. I would look at the newspapers in the library, making notes, read books and even do what I guess would now be called a show and tell session at school, with a model of the tomb made out of plasticine and papier mache. I read historical accounts of the King and the uncovering of the tomb by Howard Carter and his team, which led me to details of the co-called “Curse” on Caernarvon and… well, you get the idea.

Since then, whenever I think of Cairo, in my head I create images of sun, sand, relentless heat and ancient history.

Those pictures were brought back to life in my head by this terrific novel, a story which mixes those descriptions with steam-punky innovations and occult magic.*

In this alternate globe we are looking at a world where fifty years or so ago Al-Jahiz opened a connection between the mundane and the magical, and when he departed he left the portal open. Consequently, in this Cairo of 1912 we have humans living alongside djinn, goblins, angels and other magical beings. The setting is a lovely mix of Ancient Egypt, with occult practices and steampunk thrown in. One of the main methods of inter-continental travel is by airship, for example, and there are clockwork automata referred to as “boilerplate eunuchs”. It reminded me a little of Mike Moorcock’s The Warlord of the Air series.

Despite all of this change, generally things seem to be readjusting into a new normal. Though there are threats of renewed global conflict, which leads to a summit meeting about to be held in Cairo, there are still the usual crimes occurring – shoplifting, robbery and murder. This story begins with a murder – actually, 12 in fact – of a secret brotherhood named The Hermetic Brotherhood of Al-Jahiz.

Fatma el-Sha’arawi, in her role as an Agent for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, is given the case to solve. The cause seems to have been magical in origin, namely that the cause of the original rift, Al-Jahiz, is claiming to have returned. More so he is unhappy with what he sees and is bringing retribution on those he sees as unworthy.

Given the extra space in a novel to expand in, Djèlí takes advantage and surrounds Fatma with a range of characters, the important ones of which are much nondescript. As a result, the world feels bigger and more real than before – strange though that is to say about a world with djinn, angels and even elemental gods given solidity.

To this bigger picture throughout the novel we are added new personal complications – Fatma has a love life and a new partner (not the same person), something she is not happy about, to say the least. Their fractious relationship is one of the ongoing threads through the novel, the new and enthusiastic student contrasting with the experienced mentor. For some readers the fact that Fatma is a lesbian may be an issue, although it wasn’t an issue for me.

Such a setting also allows the reader to experience life in a post-colonial country. I liked the point that generally this depiction of a world where imperialist powers are on the decline, where Ancient Egypt meets post-colonialism struggling to adjust to a rapidly changing world. The release of magic has led to a major shift in the global political landscape. Cairo and Egypt are now on the way to becoming a superpower, the USA has forced magic out from its states and the British Empire, once the ruler of Egypt, is now a superpower in decline, struggling to adjust to a new situation. Egypt itself is seen as being much more cosmopolitan, with women being allowed in a still dominant patriarchal society to take on bigger and greater responsibilities. There’s a lot about class and culture here, which emphasises the still existent social distances in Cairo’s society.

But what we’re really getting here is a police procedural with fantastic elements, set in a richly detailed world. Parts of the novel feel like they’ve escaped out of the 1930s Weird Tales magazines, with a combination of mysterious magic and strangely deadly alchemy. Such elements brought to me vivid images of those places created in my head when first encountering my Egyptologist enthusiasms. Whilst I wouldn’t be without them, it was such a pleasure to read a Fantasy set away from the Tolkienesque medieval environment.

Whilst the world is fabulously realised, there were minor niggles. The plot was a little more conventional than I was hoping for, though its journey was clear enough. I did work out the villain fairly early on, although this book is more about the journey than the destination.

There were times when the many, many descriptions of what Fatima was wearing got a little tiresome. Whilst I understood that her variety of bowler hats and her multitude of waistcoats and trousers reflected that she is a modern woman in a changing world there were times where such descriptions became superfluous to what was going on. I must admit that I did wonder from a practical viewpoint whether such outfits would help or hinder her work in such a relatively conservative environment.

However, overall A Master of Djinn is a great Arabian Nights type fantasy, clearly written with a lot of heart and enough contemporary and historical elements to make this an attractively fast-paced adventure for modern readers. I want to read more in this series, which is never the sign of a bad book. Perhaps most tellingly, it touched my inner eight-year-old Egyptologist greatly.



* I did review Djèlí’s debut novella, A Dead Djinn in Cairo a while back (review HERE) when it was published by Tor. I did like it but felt throughout that there was more to tell. There have been other novellas to continue to develop this setting, but this is Djèlí’s first novel in this world. You do not have to have read the novellas to get this book.

This book is so blisteringly good. P. Djèlí Clark reimagines history with vivacity, ingenuity, and pure damn style in his alternate early 20th c. Egypt that has forcibly sloughed off the British colonial yoke and risen to power with the help of Djinn. It has murder, magic, mayhem, and at the center of it all, one lesbian detective with a sharp taste in suits and even sharper monster-hunting chops. I had so much fun reading this!

This is an excellent book! I love the steampunk and the magic and the djinn and angels of this world of Cairo at the turn of the 20th century. If you're looking for steampunk in places other than Victorian London, then this is the book for you!

Clark has a singular talent of creating stories that are deeply visceral and visually compelling! I truly cannot wait to see where the rest of the series takes us!

Does this book have its flaws? Yes. Did I love it anyways? Yes. The characters and the world were just so wonderful that they made up for any other flaws that I felt this book had. I have now read all the short stories and novellas in this universe and am still craving more.

This book literally has EVERYTHING!!!!!!
Magic!
Steam Punk Cairo!!!!
More Magic!!!!!
Murder!!!
Lesbians!!!!!
Ancient Gods!!!!!!

I loved this book so much.
It was a delight.

We interviewed P. Djèlí Clark in Episode 428 of The Skiffy and Fanty Show.

This was our second interview with Phenderson, who is a brilliant guest and a brilliant writer. A Master of Djinn was one of my favorites from that year!

This is such an intelligent historical fantasy that you can tell is very well-researched. It took a while to get going, and I felt like there could have been more character depth, but a great read overall.

Thoroughly enjoyable alt-hist romp - djinnpunk?? It's wonderful, anyway, and much funnier than I was expecting. Not a bad thing at all, I just think the preceding novellas took themselves more seriously; this one is definitely lighter in tone. Look forward to spending more time in this universe.

The first full-length novel in this world is terrific, with more development of the characters previously introduced in the short story (A Dead Djinn in Cairo) and novella (The Hunting of Tram Car 015), as well as the world they live in. An immersive and unique reading experience.

A fantastic read. The world's was truly unique and well-developed, and the plot was exciting. I loved the characters.

I am so sad to say that I did not LOVE this book in the way that I've loved all of PDC's other work. I do appreciate it though. As usual, PDC proves himself to be an excellent world builder, and in that respect this book did not disappoint. As personal preference, I feel like I would have much preferred to experience this story visually (movie, series, graphic novel). There were a number of times where the book seemed drawn out to me, specifically when historical context was being explained. All things considered though, this might have just been because of my ignorance of Egyptian history and folklore. Apart from that, it just felt like this book took too long to end. As a side note, I felt like there was a lot of repetition (mostly concerning the mechanics of how this new world came to be, who the characters are, what they are capable of).

I did not hate the story. There was a lot to enjoy. I really do wish it is something that I can experience in a different format one day.

'A Master of Djinn' by P. Djeli Clark is an urban fantasy set in an alternate Cairo where magic creatures exist.

Fatma el-Sha'arawi is a young but seasoned investigator in Cairo's Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. She dresses sharp and really doesn't want a partner, but when a mysterious man in a gold mask shows up and seemingly commands the cities many Djinn, she just might need the help.

While I found the mystery a bit easy to unravel, the motivation and method as well as the lush world-building made it a fun journey. The varied characters are interesting and well rounded also.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGalley. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark goes full-length for the first time in his dazzling debut novel: A Master of Djinn (Tordotcom, 2021).

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 forty 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 a familiar person from her past, 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..

Wow! This one really blew me away. Absolutely loved everything about this. I've only read Tram Car 015 but I loved that so I knew this would be a win for me.

Entertaining murder mystery with Djinn magic in an exotic setting. Featuring lesbian characters. Stand alone but same character from one of his previous novellas.

It was an obvious first novel. The mystery and clues were easyish to anticipate and twist was obvious before big reveal. Lots of the ideas were obviously recycled and climax was too tidy and convienent. Subplots and themes were superficial and lacked layers or complexity- a lost opportunity.

However, the world absorbed you and story was easy to read and enjoy. The above flaws were present but disnt ruin it for me. Would recommend.

A Master of Djinn was an intriguing book with excellent world-building. The character development was lacking and the plot felt unnecessarily drawn out but I'd consider continuing the series.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher.

P. Djeli Clark is one of those authors you need to be watching, His story and world crafting is so unique and visceral. Months go by and I can still see the imagery he provides, and A Master of Djinn will be no exception. In the first novel within this series, Clark brings together strong characters, page turning mystery, and heartfelt insight to a steampunk-esque Egypt and a brilliant detective. I highly recommend reading the novella and short story in this series before diving into this novel, but whatever route you take, just make sure you read it.

Great blend of the past and futuristic elements. We need mire books about djinn. Interesting concept about djinn being invasive on human culture since they usually are portrayed as being captured or summoned.

Great steampunk novel with a well crafted world and compelling characters. Enjoyed this and cant wait to read the associated novellas.