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A review by mspilesofpaper
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
A Master of Djinn is set in the same world as The Haunting of Tram Car 015 (which will be shortly mentioned in the book) and follows Agent Fatma on a big case: the murder of the British aristocrat and his guests. A murder that is more than it seems.
The story is set in an alternative Egypt although it plays only in Cairo and Giza. There are mentions and references to other countries and the overall world state (e.g., they are close to World War 1), and which supernatural beings exist in other countries (e.g., Fae in France, Goblins in Germany, beings from Slavic folklore in Russia). Cairo and Giza are extremely fleshed-out cities in this world and it was very easy to imagine how everything looks. No matter if it's the feeling on markets and in the streets, an underground nightclub, or a cemetery/tomb from Pharaoh times that became a ghetto, ... - the author excelled here. Just like the author did extremely well with incorporating various themes like colonialism/imperialism, corruption, police violence, gender in society, foreigners committing theft in colonies/ex-colonies, and poverty/the created distance within a society due to money/heritage.
I think my biggest issue is really that Fatma, our main character, is sometimes so incredibly stupid and fails to notice a lot of clues that would have led her to the real villain much earlier. Her new partner, Hadia, is the typical enthusiastic rookie but sometimes feels like a Mary Sue as well. Whenever she said "I have a cousin ...", I felt reminded of all these movies with Italian-American characters where Giovanni/Tony/... has an unlimited amount of cousins and gives off Mafia vibes. At times, I felt reminded of the old cop movies with the dynamic between Fatma and Hadia. It doesn't help that all the other agents, and the few named policemen, also fit into very stereotypical roles. Concerning Fatma's inability to notice hints at times: I found it rather easy to realise who the villain is because the author isn't very subtle with dropping hints. Yes, he enlarges the plot so much that it feels scattershot because a thousand side pieces pull away the focus from the main story, but I still found parts of it so predictable. It's still a good book to read, and it was fun, but I would have appreciated a tighter story and a more "oh damn, I wouldn't have guessed that!" feeling at the end.
The story is set in an alternative Egypt although it plays only in Cairo and Giza. There are mentions and references to other countries and the overall world state (e.g., they are close to World War 1), and which supernatural beings exist in other countries (e.g., Fae in France, Goblins in Germany, beings from Slavic folklore in Russia). Cairo and Giza are extremely fleshed-out cities in this world and it was very easy to imagine how everything looks. No matter if it's the feeling on markets and in the streets, an underground nightclub, or a cemetery/tomb from Pharaoh times that became a ghetto, ... - the author excelled here. Just like the author did extremely well with incorporating various themes like colonialism/imperialism, corruption, police violence, gender in society, foreigners committing theft in colonies/ex-colonies, and poverty/the created distance within a society due to money/heritage.
I think my biggest issue is really that Fatma, our main character, is sometimes so incredibly stupid and fails to notice a lot of clues that would have led her to the real villain much earlier. Her new partner, Hadia, is the typical enthusiastic rookie but sometimes feels like a Mary Sue as well. Whenever she said "I have a cousin ...", I felt reminded of all these movies with Italian-American characters where Giovanni/Tony/... has an unlimited amount of cousins and gives off Mafia vibes. At times, I felt reminded of the old cop movies with the dynamic between Fatma and Hadia. It doesn't help that all the other agents, and the few named policemen, also fit into very stereotypical roles. Concerning Fatma's inability to notice hints at times: I found it rather easy to realise who the villain is because the author isn't very subtle with dropping hints. Yes, he enlarges the plot so much that it feels scattershot because a thousand side pieces pull away the focus from the main story, but I still found parts of it so predictable. It's still a good book to read, and it was fun, but I would have appreciated a tighter story and a more "oh damn, I wouldn't have guessed that!" feeling at the end.