Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - A Master of Djinn

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A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

31 reviews

whiteblue's review

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adventurous informative 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

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aardwyrm's review

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adventurous emotional funny mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A mystery is a balancing act, and overall this one does a good job of leaving clues the audience can follow and making sure it all pays off. Also djinn are cool as shit.

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count_zero's review

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adventurous tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A Master of Djinn is set in an alternative history Egypt where, in the late 1800s, a sorcerer known only as Al-Jahiz, working in Cairo, restored magic to the world, and with it Djinni, and all manner of other supernatural beings. In this process, this also brought Egypt into being a Great Power on the global stage (technically again), and lead to an earlier contraction of several empires.

It’s now 1912, and rumblings of various political and military disagreements are pointing towards a potential World War. A peace summit is due to be held in Cairo in the hopes of avoiding that ar, organized by diplomat Sir Alastair Worthington – a British man who is well respected in both Europe and Egypt, and who has adopted Egypt as his home country. Worthington has also founded a secret society dedicated to Al-Jahiz and his works, as part of his, for lack of a better term, Egyptophilia.

So, when a person claiming to be the returned Al-Jahiz murders Worthington and the entirety of his brotherhood, using magical means, not long before the peace summit. the Egyptian government has A Problem on its hands. So, the relevant organization – the Ministry for Alchemy, Enchantment, and Supernatural Entities Agent Fatima el-Sha’arawi to investigate, along with her new (and rookie) partner, Agent Hadia.

Clark uses some of the narrative concepts of the “Buddy Cop” (or just “Buddy Crime”) story for considerable effect, through using twists on a familiar narrative structure to help keep the reader grounded, and also preventing a sense of exoticization. By having the characters react to things that are different from our life experiences as normal through a familiar concept, those things become normal, and we as readers are able to step away from our internal sense of exoticization and just roll with it.

As an example, Fatima starts the story as an agent who works on their own – who doesn’t have or want a partner – and eschews traditional Islamic fashion, instead wearing Western-style suits with a bowler hat. She also doesn’t talk much about her religious beliefs, particularly since she’s also a lesbian. Her partner, Agent Hadia, being fresh out of the academy, has less street smarts, but has some book smarts Fatima lacks (particularly when it comes to religious training) – but also can pull her own weight in a fight and, being a member of the Islamic Feminist League, is in tune with various social movements, meaning that it reduces a degree of tension regarding whether the two are going to end up at odds because of Fatima’s sexual identity.

The involvement of the peace summit also really helps to round out the larger world of the setting, both with the various foreign dignitaries, and with the handful of emigre communities that pop up over the course of A Master of Djinn, either directly playing a role in the plot, or as background supporting cast. If I had a gripe at all with this, it’s that the Conference’s Great Powers are “The European Great Powers + Egypt” – with no presence of any of the contracted former colonies of the Great Powers that might have their own tensions that would make the World War fit that description – such as India, China, and Japan. Japan’s conflict with Russia in World War I ended up spreading into further grabs for territory in China and Korea, for example, and the rise of magic could potentially have lead to some degree of a resurgent China (giving it a different global perception than it had pre-WWII), and the Indian Independence movement might have already made a level of headway that it didn’t get until post World War II. It all feels like a missed opportunity.

On the other hand, Grey gets into the very ways racial prejudices have and haven’t changed in this world – the White European members of Worthington’s “Brotherhood of Al-Jahiz” look down on the people of Egypt, Cairo has a population of African-American emigres (particularly demonstrated by the African-American Jazz musicians at the club where Fatima hangs out), much as there were in France. However, darker-skinned Egyptians also face prejudice from their peers, and related to this, the story also gets into the historical president of this with tensions between previous Egyptian pharaohs and the darker-skinned population of Nubia to the south, and the ways that the Nubian population was treated in Egypt in the past.

Now, the mystery that is the heart of the plot is wonderfully well written – feeling like a work that fits in the lineage of other detective stories set in and around World War 1, not as cynical as noir, and not as grim as hard-boiled detective stories, but still with a willingness to get its hands dirty in the telling of the story, without getting into the gentility of a cozy.

I’m tremendously glad I read this book, and I’m going to need to hunt down the other novellas in this universe – and I deeply look forward to Clark’s next novel.

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schnaucl's review

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

I really liked it, though I think I would have benefited from reading the short story set in the universe first. I actually liked the fact that certain things (mostly related to fashion) weren't explicitly explained for an audience who may not be familiar with it

The idea that America would be very anti-magic seems fitting.

I think the politics will be fascinating since not only is there the introduction of magic about 40 years ago, but it looks like World War I never happened. Egypt is a great power. Britain's power is waning for but for somewhat different reasons than happened in reality.

It's always interesting to explore the mythologies, magic traditions, and religions of other places and cultures. Lots of interesting stuff about colonial power, race, gender and religion to chew on.

I really liked the Jasmine Club.

I was a little frustrated, that Fatma didn't pick up on the fact that Siwa was trying to give them clues the only way he could the first time. I didn't understand the clues, but I figured that's what was happened. I also thought his second attempt where he was literally like here's a story about a woman dressed as a man doing a thing was pretty on the nose. Then again, I figured out who the true culprit was as soon as the doctor explained about the mask, since Fatma took her information from the person who first described the mask to her.

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uranaishi's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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margiggles's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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azrah786's review against another edition

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4.5

[This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I received a proof copy from Orbit Books UK in exchange for an honest review**

CW: violence, gore, murder, immolation, death, slavery, police brutality, racism, racial slurs, self harm

Ever since I picked up the first of the Dead Djinn universe novellas early last year I was immediately on board the “please please PLEASE give us a full length novel in this world” train. So trust me I was absolutely ecstatic when news of this novel came about and even more so when I got the chance to read it early!

The bizarre massacre of a secret society devoted to Al-Jahiz – the legendary individual who changed the world forever by opening the doors between the magical and mundane worlds – threatens the peace in Egypt, particularly when it is someone claiming to be Al-Jahiz returned who confesses to the crime. Enter the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities and who else but their most renowned and impeccably dressed agent, Fatma Al-Sha’arawi to lead the case.

A Master of Djinn welcomes us back with open arms to all the magic, mystery and mayhem, and this time Clark has given us the keys to fully unlock and throw open the doors to his alternate steampunk, early 20th century Cairo which we only caught glimpses of before.

I’d personally recommend picking up the novellas* first if you’re like me and prefer reading things in chronological order however, diving into this novel not having read them won’t hinder your reading experience too much.
[* The novella A Dead Djinn in Cairo can be read for free on Tor’s website here and short story The Angel of Khan el-Khalili here]

The transformation of Egypt through the integration of supernatural beings into society is absolutely fascinating and the storytelling just adds to the magic. Clark seamlessly blends the everyday cultures of Cairo with fantastical and steampunk elements allowing you to walk its streets in a whole new way. Rich in detail the story reintroduces us to and gives a broader understanding of the mythology, lore and array of evolving practices present among the people which were first described to us in the novellas. There were also titbits of information on how the breach in realms has effected the world outside of Egypt too!

Along with jumping back into this lush universe, I thoroughly enjoyed being on an all new adventure with Agent Fatma. From her spectacular fashion sense to her sharp mind she is such a fun character. It was also wonderful to see some familiar faces as well as some new faces around to help her! We have Fatma and Siti teaming up again which is nothing short of entertaining, as well as more time exploring the softer, more personal moments of their relationship. There is also a new addition to the kickass female cast in Agent Hadia, Fatma’s new partner, and the mentor-mentee dynamic that they have was wonderfully written!

The primary murder mystery storyline I’m not going to say too much about so as not to spoil anything, but it is masterfully interwoven with discussions of various social issues of the times as well as allusions to the country’s actual colonial history.

I will admit that I caught on to some of the reveals earlier than they were let on however, take my word that the rich world-building, the perfect balance of crime solving mystery and action, and the witty cast of characters will keep you absorbed with every turn of the page.

If you love historical fantasy, or fantasy stories with a bit of mystery I can’t recommend this book (and the novellas of course) enough!
Final Rating – 4.5/5 Stars

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mar's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

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leahsbooks's review

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book. I am offering my honest opinion voluntarily.

I’ve read two of the three novellas leading up to this book to familiarize myself with this world. I was really looking forward to starting this book, but there were some things I absolutely loved and some things that I just … didn’t.

Let me be clear. World building is absolutely one of the great strengths of the author. I’ve read a couple of steampunk books, but this one blew them away. Early 20th century Egypt is already an interesting setting, but then add in the steampunk elements and the fantasy/djinn aspects and the incredibly detailed descriptions and it’s just far beyond anything I could have hoped for. I had no problem visualizing everything that was depicted throughout the book.

I had bonded to some of the characters in earlier novellas, like Hamed and Onsi, and only got to know Fatma a little bit. While she was the main character in this story, she had this major reputation as one of the best agents in her department. But to be honest, I just didn’t really understand why. There were so many things that she missed, overlooked, or tried to explain away, and at times, she was rash and judgmental. The bright spot in the cast of characters was definitely Hadia. While she was a little bit of a stickler for the rules, kind of like the female version of Onsi, I really liked her and the fresh point of view that she brought to the story. Plus, she’s pretty badass.

There was a whole lot going on in the story. It was fast-paced and there was a lot of action, but it also felt a little … messy to me. Even the genre felt hard to put my finger on. It was fantasy, but also steampunk/sci-fi/mystery/thriller and had elements of romance. While I did enjoy the main plot, there were a lot of side plots that arose. Some of them worked with the story, but others just felt like they drew attention away from the story, and didn’t really need to be added in there.

And finally, there are a ton of foreign words sprinkled throughout the story. Normally I don’t mind, especially when reading on my Kindle, since my Kindle will handily provide a definition or I can just figure it out through context. But I was sadly disappointed in this case. The vast majority of words in the story weren’t recognizable to my Kindle’s dictionary, and I couldn’t figure out what they meant through context. So my choices were to put the Kindle down at least once a page and look it up on my phone, which would take me out of the story completely, or to just power through and constantly wonder, “What, exactly, am I missing out on?” I generally picked the second choice.

Overall, this wasn’t my favorite story in the series. I honestly enjoyed the novellas a lot more. I actually hope to see more of Hamed and Hadia, since those two are my favorite characters so far.

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thistle_and_verse's review

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adventurous emotional funny hopeful lighthearted 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

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