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rubyredders's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
What a great story. I know this is part of a series but even self contained as it is what great world building.
The characters are all a delight. Fatma just trying yo do her job and somehow her mystery solving suit wearing cane swinging self is rizzing up Siti - certified baddie. Aasim was also there - I kid I kid he entertained me by being such an ‘in my day!’ Type of old man hahaha
The mix of history and magic weaved together surprisingly well. It didnt feel like it was lore dumping at any point. Just a case of as things appear Fatma puzzles them out using context clues that do relate to the world as is.
Cairo at the turn of the 20th century makes for such a unique take on the magical realism genre where modern day and [insert US location here] tends to dominate. I will definitely be looking into the rest of the series in future
The characters are all a delight. Fatma just trying yo do her job and somehow her mystery solving suit wearing cane swinging self is rizzing up Siti - certified baddie. Aasim was also there - I kid I kid he entertained me by being such an ‘in my day!’ Type of old man hahaha
The mix of history and magic weaved together surprisingly well. It didnt feel like it was lore dumping at any point. Just a case of as things appear Fatma puzzles them out using context clues that do relate to the world as is.
Cairo at the turn of the 20th century makes for such a unique take on the magical realism genre where modern day and [insert US location here] tends to dominate. I will definitely be looking into the rest of the series in future
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Murder, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Cursing
emily_mh's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I’m so impressed by this novella! Standing at less than 60 pages, Clarke managed to incorporate imaginative world-building, memorable characters, and a speedy investigation. I was so pleased with the steampunk, alt-history Egypt this story took place in. It was cool learning about the inventor who changed the course of history by bringing the supernatural to earth. The world-building was wholly tied into the mystery, which sought to strengthen both. The mystery itself was the perfect level of complexity for such a short novella, and thankfullly our MC detective actually DOES detectieve work - nothing falls into her lap. As our MC, Fatma was great, being incredibly capable without the tiresome ego, and dynamic due to the references to her past. The SCs were also interesting, ranging from a gun-slinging acolyte to literal angels.
I always think that the-world-is-ending stakes play out a little shallowly in a novella, and unfortunately this was also the case here. However, it didn’t hugely impact my enjoyment or the impression of quality this story gave. I’m picking up the next novella straight away!
Rep: sapphic Muslim Egyptian MC, sapphic Sudanese-Egyptian LI
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Gore, Murder, Death, Physical abuse, Gun violence, Body horror, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Sexual content, Ableism, Colonisation, Vomit, Blood, Sexism, Classism, Confinement, Racism, Kidnapping, and Misogyny
Minor: theftanni_swanilda's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Self harm, and Suicide
Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Blood, Death, and Gun violence
alayamorning's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Misogyny, and Violence
naika's review
fast-paced
3.75
I picked this up after reading "Ring Shout", P. Djeli Clark's latest book, earlier today. It was my first time reading from the author and I was utterly impressed by him. I wanted to explore his writing more because I was certain I would continue to be wowed; I was not disappointed.
In "A Dead Djinn in Cairo", we are introduced to Fatma, a female Special Investigator for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. In 1912 Egypt, a female investigator is quite unheard of and Fatma experiences her fair share of sexism. Not only is she in an unexpected career, she further subverts the accepted customs and wears English-style men suits, bowler hats, and a cane. She knows she is dapper and makes no excuses for it. Basically, she is a badass.
As the title suggests, she (and a local constable) are investigating the death of a djinn. The circumstances around its death seems especially peculiar to Fatma. Determined to uncover the truth, Fatma finds herself quickly embroiled in some unexpected, fantastical situations.
Having very limited knowledge of Egypt and it mythologies, I was excited to be thrown into this supernatural world. I often found myself looking up the various people, creatures, things, etc. introduced. In no way did that take away from my reading experience. In fact, it played an integral part in my enjoyment because I was being both entertained and educated. That's always a win in my book.
I honestly can't wrap my head around how in less the 50 pages, a complete world was built with such intrigue. This moved fast and did not let you go until the end. (Admittedly, sometimes I got a little lost in all the action, but this is not my typical read so I expected some confusion and an adjustment period).
Things were hinted at that I would have loved to see developed more - especially with regards to the side character, Siti. A whole series of short stories (or novels) following Fatma and Siti as they contend with the magical world would be greatly appreciated.
In "A Dead Djinn in Cairo", we are introduced to Fatma, a female Special Investigator for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. In 1912 Egypt, a female investigator is quite unheard of and Fatma experiences her fair share of sexism. Not only is she in an unexpected career, she further subverts the accepted customs and wears English-style men suits, bowler hats, and a cane. She knows she is dapper and makes no excuses for it. Basically, she is a badass.
As the title suggests, she (and a local constable) are investigating the death of a djinn. The circumstances around its death seems especially peculiar to Fatma. Determined to uncover the truth, Fatma finds herself quickly embroiled in some unexpected, fantastical situations.
Having very limited knowledge of Egypt and it mythologies, I was excited to be thrown into this supernatural world. I often found myself looking up the various people, creatures, things, etc. introduced. In no way did that take away from my reading experience. In fact, it played an integral part in my enjoyment because I was being both entertained and educated. That's always a win in my book.
I honestly can't wrap my head around how in less the 50 pages, a complete world was built with such intrigue. This moved fast and did not let you go until the end. (Admittedly, sometimes I got a little lost in all the action, but this is not my typical read so I expected some confusion and an adjustment period).
Things were hinted at that I would have loved to see developed more - especially with regards to the side character, Siti. A whole series of short stories (or novels) following Fatma and Siti as they contend with the magical world would be greatly appreciated.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Death, Gore, Misogyny, and Sexism
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