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A review by soilacanread_
A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark
4.0
Watch my review on YouTube here.
Re-read in May 2020
Re-read in November 2021 and bumped up eating from 4 to 5 stars
My rating:
1. Writing Style ⭐
2. Plot ⭐
3. Worldbuilding ⭐
4. Characters ⭐
5. Un-put-downable-ness ⭐
The end of the world is coming tonight. And Fatma el-Sha'arawi is determined to put a stop to it.
Dapper, bowler-hat-wearing, cane-wielding Agent el-Sha'arawi in her bespoke suit is prowling the streets of early 20th century steam-punk Cairo this evening following the scent of a murder. A Djinn has been killed. And as part of her job with the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, she teams up with Inspector Aasim Sharif of the Cairo Police to find the culprit. But something is off kilter with this case. There may be more laying under the surface...
Is this what I've been waiting for my whole life? This is the type of high fantasy I. AM. HERE. FOR.
The reason I like The Infernal Devices trilogy out of all of Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunters books is because it has a similar thread to this book. The setting, mostly. An Era gone by combined with the technology of future generations. This book certainly scratched my itch for such stories. I also got serious Black Panther vibes of f*** the colonialists with this one lol.
If you've read those books, there's some parallels to be drawn, but this is way more high concept. It would have done great as a graphic novel, now that I think about it. I mean just look at the book cover!
Djinns, ghuls, angels, alchemy, automatons... This book has it all. And Clarke seems to subscribe to an opposite philosophy than Tolkien when it comes to world building. Less is more. I don't begrudge this. The book is just 41 pages but packs a serious punch and nothing suffers for it. Not the worldbuilding, characterization or plot.
We love a knowledgeable, colored woman! Agent el-Sha'arawi is portrayed as an intelligent woman, who still cares about how she looks, which is usually portrayed as a bad thing when writers are trying to do the whole 'strong female protagonist' thing. I say good for her and her British suits!
I was also super pumped to see so many religions put on display that are off the mainstream or twisted by the mainstream these days. Islam, Coptic Christianity, and even older Egyptian religions like the Cult of Hathor and Ulama. The book was also very unapologetic in displaying Egyptian customs, especially Arabic ones. Refreshing to see in this post 9/11 world we live in.
A lot of other cultures were dropped in as well in terms of cafés, restaurants (or types of food in general) and origins of certain characters. Abyssinian (Ethiopian), Nubian (Sudanese) etc.
It was a very enriching experience reading this. Like drinking a thick savory soup.
More, please.
Re-read in May 2020
Re-read in November 2021 and bumped up eating from 4 to 5 stars
My rating:
1. Writing Style ⭐
2. Plot ⭐
3. Worldbuilding ⭐
4. Characters ⭐
5. Un-put-downable-ness ⭐
“Always wanted to know—why the Englishman’s suit?” He gestured at her clothing. “We kept them out, thanks to the djinn. Sent them running back to their cold, dreary little island. So why dress like them?”
Fatma flicked the rim of the black bowler she’d donned, crossing a leg to show off a pair of caramel wing tips. “Jealous I can out-dress you?”
The end of the world is coming tonight. And Fatma el-Sha'arawi is determined to put a stop to it.
Dapper, bowler-hat-wearing, cane-wielding Agent el-Sha'arawi in her bespoke suit is prowling the streets of early 20th century steam-punk Cairo this evening following the scent of a murder. A Djinn has been killed. And as part of her job with the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, she teams up with Inspector Aasim Sharif of the Cairo Police to find the culprit. But something is off kilter with this case. There may be more laying under the surface...
Is this what I've been waiting for my whole life? This is the type of high fantasy I. AM. HERE. FOR.
The reason I like The Infernal Devices trilogy out of all of Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunters books is because it has a similar thread to this book. The setting, mostly. An Era gone by combined with the technology of future generations. This book certainly scratched my itch for such stories. I also got serious Black Panther vibes of f*** the colonialists with this one lol.
If you've read those books, there's some parallels to be drawn, but this is way more high concept. It would have done great as a graphic novel, now that I think about it. I mean just look at the book cover!
Djinns, ghuls, angels, alchemy, automatons... This book has it all. And Clarke seems to subscribe to an opposite philosophy than Tolkien when it comes to world building. Less is more. I don't begrudge this. The book is just 41 pages but packs a serious punch and nothing suffers for it. Not the worldbuilding, characterization or plot.
We love a knowledgeable, colored woman! Agent el-Sha'arawi is portrayed as an intelligent woman, who still cares about how she looks, which is usually portrayed as a bad thing when writers are trying to do the whole 'strong female protagonist' thing. I say good for her and her British suits!
I was also super pumped to see so many religions put on display that are off the mainstream or twisted by the mainstream these days. Islam, Coptic Christianity, and even older Egyptian religions like the Cult of Hathor and Ulama. The book was also very unapologetic in displaying Egyptian customs, especially Arabic ones. Refreshing to see in this post 9/11 world we live in.
A lot of other cultures were dropped in as well in terms of cafés, restaurants (or types of food in general) and origins of certain characters. Abyssinian (Ethiopian), Nubian (Sudanese) etc.
It was a very enriching experience reading this. Like drinking a thick savory soup.
More, please.