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001's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
tometrinket's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
katyab's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, although I feel undecided about it. It was good, but I'm reluctant to say I had fun reading the plot. I certainly had fun with the worldbuilding and the setting, but my excitement to read this book diminished as I kept going. In the end, it was diverting, but mostly fine.
What I really liked about the book, however, was its refreshing take on the police procedural/murder mystery in the context of world politics and supernatural entities. Since the arrival of Djinn and other magical beings, Egypt has established itself as a steampunk world power that's shaken off the grip of British colonialism, surpassing the Empire in social progress. Cairo in this alternate 1912 is vibrant, busy and well-realised. We move from stuffed libraries to noisy coffee houses, from secluded night-time apartments to bustling underground clubs filled with New Orleans jazz. The djinn were colourful and characterful, but I almost wished we'd interacted with them more.
Fatma, our inspector protagonist, I initially really liked. She's suave, sharply-dressed and confident... but I slowly started to disbelieve her competence. She seems incredulous about the possibility of supernatural power behind a crime, despite living in a city where djinn and alchemy abound! And I wish there had been more times where we see her putting the pieces together, without someone literally telling her where her next clue was... Plus the villain got a little bit monologuey (and even jokingly pointing it out in the dialogue didn't excuse it for me, sorry).
Hadia, her eager-rookie partner, was probably my favourite character, but sorely underused. Siti, Fatma's lover (nice sapphic rep!), was more of a partner than Hadia (which is lovely, but I expected the buddy-cops to do a bit more buddy-ing during climactic moments). There were a number of times where Hadia shows up to do some ass-kicking, but then when the tension builds, it seems like she steps aside to let Fatma and Siti save the day. I would have loved for Siti and Hadia to play off each other's strengths, but it seemed we weren't allowed both at once.
I didn't arrive at Master of Djinn having read the short stories that Clark has written in the same world, unlike many other readers. Maybe that's a shame, as I've heard great things about those and perhaps I should have started there. But maybe it isn't a shame for the same reason; maybe I'll come to those short stories and gain back a bit of excitement! In terms of the novel, I could certainly read it as a stand-alone, although there were some parts of the book that referred back to events in those short stories. I felt that knowing about them would have significantly enriched the events in the novel; it felt like I was on the outside of an inside joke.
Also, when I thought the events of the novel were wrapping up, the stakes suddenly jumped to what felt like astronomic heights, which felt rushed. I wish we'd had more set-up from the start about certain dramatic events (no spoilers!), rather than discovering them more than halfway through. I felt like I was rolling my eyes a little and thinking "Oh, what else now?"
Hmm. It's good, I liked it, but I'm not thrilled by it. However, I'm trying not to let it put me off seeking out more of Clark's writing. It was cool to be drawn into a non-English-centric alternate history, enjoying the folklore and mythology and storytelling that comes with it.
What I really liked about the book, however, was its refreshing take on the police procedural/murder mystery in the context of world politics and supernatural entities. Since the arrival of Djinn and other magical beings, Egypt has established itself as a steampunk world power that's shaken off the grip of British colonialism, surpassing the Empire in social progress. Cairo in this alternate 1912 is vibrant, busy and well-realised. We move from stuffed libraries to noisy coffee houses, from secluded night-time apartments to bustling underground clubs filled with New Orleans jazz. The djinn were colourful and characterful, but I almost wished we'd interacted with them more.
Fatma, our inspector protagonist, I initially really liked. She's suave, sharply-dressed and confident... but I slowly started to disbelieve her competence. She seems incredulous about the possibility of supernatural power behind a crime, despite living in a city where djinn and alchemy abound! And I wish there had been more times where we see her putting the pieces together, without someone literally telling her where her next clue was... Plus the villain got a little bit monologuey (and even jokingly pointing it out in the dialogue didn't excuse it for me, sorry).
Hadia, her eager-rookie partner, was probably my favourite character, but sorely underused. Siti, Fatma's lover (nice sapphic rep!), was more of a partner than Hadia (which is lovely, but I expected the buddy-cops to do a bit more buddy-ing during climactic moments). There were a number of times where Hadia shows up to do some ass-kicking, but then when the tension builds, it seems like she steps aside to let Fatma and Siti save the day. I would have loved for Siti and Hadia to play off each other's strengths, but it seemed we weren't allowed both at once.
I didn't arrive at Master of Djinn having read the short stories that Clark has written in the same world, unlike many other readers. Maybe that's a shame, as I've heard great things about those and perhaps I should have started there. But maybe it isn't a shame for the same reason; maybe I'll come to those short stories and gain back a bit of excitement! In terms of the novel, I could certainly read it as a stand-alone, although there were some parts of the book that referred back to events in those short stories. I felt that knowing about them would have significantly enriched the events in the novel; it felt like I was on the outside of an inside joke.
Also, when I thought the events of the novel were wrapping up, the stakes suddenly jumped to what felt like astronomic heights, which felt rushed. I wish we'd had more set-up from the start about certain dramatic events (no spoilers!), rather than discovering them more than halfway through. I felt like I was rolling my eyes a little and thinking "Oh, what else now?"
Hmm. It's good, I liked it, but I'm not thrilled by it. However, I'm trying not to let it put me off seeking out more of Clark's writing. It was cool to be drawn into a non-English-centric alternate history, enjoying the folklore and mythology and storytelling that comes with it.
memoriesthatremain's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
chess__bored's review
adventurous
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? Yes
4.25
really cool atmosphere and magic systems, commentary on colonialism and imperialism AND sapphic women?? This man really said for YOU
eurquhart02's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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? No
4.0
samolineux's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? No
4.75
maschram's review
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? Yes
4.5
kelsiepixler's review
Actually read further into the book but forgot to track since I wasn’t enjoying it. Too verbose with unnecessary descriptions that dragged on and on and on