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A review by deedireads
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
adventurous
funny
mysterious
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
4.5
All my reviews live at https://deedispeaking.com/reads/.
TL;DR REVIEW:
A Master of Djinn is a whodunit magical police procedural set in a Cairo shaped by alternate history, and it’s SO fun with a ton of heart. Now I need to go back and read the prequel novellas!
For you if: You like mystery AND fantasy novels, and/or books that feature Arabic mythology.
FULL REVIEW:
A Master of Djinn has been on my radar since it came out, but then it was nominated for the Nebula AND the Hugo Awards, and so right to the top of my TBR it went. And I loved it! This book was just plain fun: easy to read, imaginative, and fast-paced — with a great big heart.
The story is a magical whodunit police procedural set in Cairo, but in a world shaped by an alternate history in which a man named al-Jahiz brought magic back into the world. Cairo is now a major world power, and our main character, Fatma, is one of the only women agents at the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities division (and she’s damn good at it). When an old rich British man who was leading a secret brotherhood winds up dead, and a person claiming to be al-Jahiz takes credit, Fatma is called onto the case. We also get to meet her gorgeous lover, her new agency partner, and some other truly delightful friends.
This is P. Djèlí Clark’s first full-length novel, but it’s not the first story set in this “Dead Djinn Universe” — there are a few prequel novellas. That said, A Master of Djinn is a standalone and can be read without having read the novellas — I am proof of that! While there were a couple of moments where I could tell he was referencing a previous story, and I’m sure there were probably things like inside jokes between characters I missed, all the info I needed to love this book was included.
Still, I loved the universe and the characters so much that it seems like I’ll be going back to read those novellas after all. ;)
TL;DR REVIEW:
A Master of Djinn is a whodunit magical police procedural set in a Cairo shaped by alternate history, and it’s SO fun with a ton of heart. Now I need to go back and read the prequel novellas!
For you if: You like mystery AND fantasy novels, and/or books that feature Arabic mythology.
FULL REVIEW:
A Master of Djinn has been on my radar since it came out, but then it was nominated for the Nebula AND the Hugo Awards, and so right to the top of my TBR it went. And I loved it! This book was just plain fun: easy to read, imaginative, and fast-paced — with a great big heart.
The story is a magical whodunit police procedural set in Cairo, but in a world shaped by an alternate history in which a man named al-Jahiz brought magic back into the world. Cairo is now a major world power, and our main character, Fatma, is one of the only women agents at the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities division (and she’s damn good at it). When an old rich British man who was leading a secret brotherhood winds up dead, and a person claiming to be al-Jahiz takes credit, Fatma is called onto the case. We also get to meet her gorgeous lover, her new agency partner, and some other truly delightful friends.
This is P. Djèlí Clark’s first full-length novel, but it’s not the first story set in this “Dead Djinn Universe” — there are a few prequel novellas. That said, A Master of Djinn is a standalone and can be read without having read the novellas — I am proof of that! While there were a couple of moments where I could tell he was referencing a previous story, and I’m sure there were probably things like inside jokes between characters I missed, all the info I needed to love this book was included.
Still, I loved the universe and the characters so much that it seems like I’ll be going back to read those novellas after all. ;)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Violence