You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.88 AVERAGE
3.88 AVERAGE
This is my first book by this author, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. This is a little different than I am used to reading but it did keep me turning pages. This is a well developed story that has characters that brought the story to life for me. I could imagine being there with them and felt as if I was on the adventure with Ali. When a mysterious box gets delivered to Ali, her world is about to be turned upside down. Not only that but he is summoned home for his father’s death. He is faced with a mystery to solve of the box and clockwork djinn but may just take faith, knowledge and destiny to solve it. This is a great story I found hard to put down once I got into it. I enjoyed the author’s creation of the characters that kept me reading. I highly recommend this book.
I was little apprehensive when I first started this novel as I was afraid that the novel might not capture my interest. Boy was I wrong. The story of Baba Ali caught my interest and kept me engage to the very end. The world created by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed was vibrant and full of such interesting characters and interactions. I enjoyed following Baba Ali on this journey and loved the ending. Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed are a duo I will definitely look for in the future as they truly delivered a great book.
4 Stars
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn: A Steampunk Faerie Tale is by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed. It is an intriguing steampunk fantasy, with plenty of action, adventure, danger, heartache, clockwork ‘technology’, mystery magic, and more. It’s a clever retelling of the classic story “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
As this is my first book from either of these authors, I really didn’t know what I would find between the covers of this interesting looking book. What I discovered is a wonderful blend of faerie tale, steampunk, magic, and mystery. There is plenty of dramatic developments which kept me avidly reading- I enjoyed the authors take on the classic story.
The story was a little slow in places, but overall, it kept me engaged and interested in how everything would play out. I will be going back to investigate what other titles these two authors have available, and look forward to exploring more of their books in the future.
Thank you, Danielle Ackley-McPhail & Day Al-Mohamed.
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn: A Steampunk Faerie Tale is by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed. It is an intriguing steampunk fantasy, with plenty of action, adventure, danger, heartache, clockwork ‘technology’, mystery magic, and more. It’s a clever retelling of the classic story “Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
As this is my first book from either of these authors, I really didn’t know what I would find between the covers of this interesting looking book. What I discovered is a wonderful blend of faerie tale, steampunk, magic, and mystery. There is plenty of dramatic developments which kept me avidly reading- I enjoyed the authors take on the classic story.
The story was a little slow in places, but overall, it kept me engaged and interested in how everything would play out. I will be going back to investigate what other titles these two authors have available, and look forward to exploring more of their books in the future.
Thank you, Danielle Ackley-McPhail & Day Al-Mohamed.
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn: A Steampunk Faerie Tale by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed is a steampunk twist, fantasy story that is also a faerie tale of a different kind of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. A faerie tale that has magic and steampunk, mystery and danger, heartache and suspense. The author's words and story building made it easy to imagine with so much vivid colour what was going on. I was a little disappointed at times because in several places I found the story a little slow but then I felt like the ending was a little rushed. That being said I still enjoyed it..
I love revisiting familiar tales and this book did not disappoint. I was intrigued from the summary and knew I would enjoy the steampunk twist. The book did not disappoint. Rich in detail, vivid imagery, parallels to a beloved tale, but a classic in its own right - Baba Ali is a must read for steampunk lovers, fairy tale lovers, and those just looking for a story rich in exotic flavor. You will savor every page! (I most definitely did!)
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed was a great story! I really enjoyed this steam punk onna classic fairy tale. Though I haven't read the story this was based off of, I enjoyed reading this rendition of the tale! It was a little slow in grabbing me in at first, but once my attention was grabbed I was hooked! I enjoyed reading this story and highly recommend it. Can't wait to read more steam punk fairy tales!
As you should be able to tell from the title, Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn is a steampunk retelling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, with some magic thrown in. From the synopsis: “In England, far from his desert home, Ali bin-Massoud serves as apprentice to the famed Charles Babbage. One night a mysterious box is delivered by a clockwork falcon and Ali’s world is never the same again. Heartache, danger, and thieves mark his journey as Ali is summoned home at the death of his father.”
I’ve read short story retellings of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves before, but this was the first novel length re imagining of the tale that I’ve encountered. I thought it did some things well. I liked the use of mechanisms and magic, for one. The historical settings were well drawn. The characterization of Ali was good. However, Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn left me unsatisfied in a lot of ways.
The first was that I felt the book had a very slow start. The first half of the novel is mostly Ali being attacked by random, cardboard cut out bad guys and being saved by a mechanical eagle. Part of this time, he’s traveling from England to Arabia. The book doesn’t really get interesting until half way through when he actually gets back home and discovers the cave with the treasure. I definitely think that some of the beginning sections could have been cut or condensed. Better characterization when it comes to the villains is also needed. They were all utterly disposable and forgettable, and I had a hard time keeping them straight.
I mentioned that I liked the use of magic, but I actually would like to know more about it, especially when it comes to the history of the djinn. I felt like there were a lot of elements that were introduced here that were never fully explored. Additionally, there were some unanswered questions about the clockwork eagle. I’m also not wholly comfortable with the power dynamics of the relationship between Ali and the imprisoned djinn. I think the focus was supposed to be on how he’s setting her free, but he’s still the one with the power to do so in the first place. There’s too much of a master slave dynamic for my liking.
Additionally, there was some strangeness in relation to the ending. It felt a lot like deus ex machina, and I would have liked a better explanation.
Finally, I don’t know if it was just a problem with my ebook format, but the novel didn’t include any spaces or ways to mark POV shifts, even when it was jumping between characters in England and Arabia. It was really disorienting to rind myself in England in one paragraph and someplace completely different the next.
Overall, I’m not sure if I would recommend Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn. If you really like fairy tale retellings or want to read steampunk set outside Europe, I might cautiously recommend it.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
I’ve read short story retellings of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves before, but this was the first novel length re imagining of the tale that I’ve encountered. I thought it did some things well. I liked the use of mechanisms and magic, for one. The historical settings were well drawn. The characterization of Ali was good. However, Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn left me unsatisfied in a lot of ways.
The first was that I felt the book had a very slow start. The first half of the novel is mostly Ali being attacked by random, cardboard cut out bad guys and being saved by a mechanical eagle. Part of this time, he’s traveling from England to Arabia. The book doesn’t really get interesting until half way through when he actually gets back home and discovers the cave with the treasure. I definitely think that some of the beginning sections could have been cut or condensed. Better characterization when it comes to the villains is also needed. They were all utterly disposable and forgettable, and I had a hard time keeping them straight.
I mentioned that I liked the use of magic, but I actually would like to know more about it, especially when it comes to the history of the djinn. I felt like there were a lot of elements that were introduced here that were never fully explored. Additionally, there were some unanswered questions about the clockwork eagle. I’m also not wholly comfortable with the power dynamics of the relationship between Ali and the imprisoned djinn. I think the focus was supposed to be on how he’s setting her free, but he’s still the one with the power to do so in the first place. There’s too much of a master slave dynamic for my liking.
Additionally, there was some strangeness in relation to the ending. It felt a lot like deus ex machina, and I would have liked a better explanation.
Finally, I don’t know if it was just a problem with my ebook format, but the novel didn’t include any spaces or ways to mark POV shifts, even when it was jumping between characters in England and Arabia. It was really disorienting to rind myself in England in one paragraph and someplace completely different the next.
Overall, I’m not sure if I would recommend Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn. If you really like fairy tale retellings or want to read steampunk set outside Europe, I might cautiously recommend it.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Review originally published on Steamingenious.com (http://www.steamingenious.com/2014/06/book-review-baba-ali-and-clockwork-djinn.html)
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn: A Steampunk Faerie Tale by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed
As you may be able to tell from the title, this book is a steampunk retelling of the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. I'm not terribly familiar with the original, except for what I know by cultural osmosis. And I'm not overly thrilled by the idea of steampunk versions of familiar stories. However, this book proved that a steampunk retelling could be done VERY right indeed.
I think the main danger with any retelling of a well known story is that you want to avoid being predictable and telling a story in the same way with merely new window dressing. This book admirably succeeds in this regard. I was absolutely enthralled and had no idea what was going to happen from moment to moment, although I did spot various points of connection to the original tale.
The story follows Ali bin-Massoud who has traveled to London to study artificery under the famed Charles Babbage. When his father dies mysterious, Ali is summoned home and he receives some mysterious legacies from his father that many people seem willing to kill for. The story follows Ali on his journey home, his conflict with his greedy brother, and his discovery of their families' guardianship of the legendary Cave of Wonders. In this cave he befriends a Djinn and sets out to free her through his skill at artificery.
This book does a really fantastic job of blending a traditional tale but making it distinctly steampunk. Some of the wonders discovered in the cave are clockwork automatons much more complex than that being made by modern craftsmen. Clockwork elephants lead caravans across the desert and conceal the cave from discovery. Plus there is the magic of the Djinn, which is woven effortlessly in with the technology.
It's always a delight to read a steampunk novel that is set in a culture other than that of Victorian England and we need more stories that handle the blending of influences this well. I highly recommend it.
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn: A Steampunk Faerie Tale by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed
As you may be able to tell from the title, this book is a steampunk retelling of the story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. I'm not terribly familiar with the original, except for what I know by cultural osmosis. And I'm not overly thrilled by the idea of steampunk versions of familiar stories. However, this book proved that a steampunk retelling could be done VERY right indeed.
I think the main danger with any retelling of a well known story is that you want to avoid being predictable and telling a story in the same way with merely new window dressing. This book admirably succeeds in this regard. I was absolutely enthralled and had no idea what was going to happen from moment to moment, although I did spot various points of connection to the original tale.
The story follows Ali bin-Massoud who has traveled to London to study artificery under the famed Charles Babbage. When his father dies mysterious, Ali is summoned home and he receives some mysterious legacies from his father that many people seem willing to kill for. The story follows Ali on his journey home, his conflict with his greedy brother, and his discovery of their families' guardianship of the legendary Cave of Wonders. In this cave he befriends a Djinn and sets out to free her through his skill at artificery.
This book does a really fantastic job of blending a traditional tale but making it distinctly steampunk. Some of the wonders discovered in the cave are clockwork automatons much more complex than that being made by modern craftsmen. Clockwork elephants lead caravans across the desert and conceal the cave from discovery. Plus there is the magic of the Djinn, which is woven effortlessly in with the technology.
It's always a delight to read a steampunk novel that is set in a culture other than that of Victorian England and we need more stories that handle the blending of influences this well. I highly recommend it.
This Arabian steampunk fairy tale is quite a clever and pleasant diversion.
This is a delightful fairy tale with magic and machinery thrown in. And Charles Babbage! I love the combination of folklore and Victorian setting, and both the Eastern and Western settings are clearly well researched and well loved. Recommended!