A Master of Djinn: 1 (Dead Djinn Universe)

Product Information

Over a two week period, I got it done. Called it, The Haunting of Tram Car 015. Unlike The Angel of Khan el-Kalili, this story was of a lighter fare. It was meant to be a bit silly, even absurd in some ways . It featured two new characters–Hamed and Onsi–but returned us to the Ministry of of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. This more enhanced and fleshed out Cairo is stirring with suffragettes, secret societies, sentient automatons and more. There are also cameos from Dead Djinn, including an appearance by Fatma. Suit, bowler and all. Oh, and of course, a haunted tram car and Armenian candy. Like I said, a bit absurd. But fun. So the story is a mix of a lot of things but I think of it as a detective story set in a steampunk fantasy world. The main character, Fatma is detective a working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities and she’s investigating the murder of a brotherhood dedicated to Al-Jahiz, the man who literally changed the world when he opened the world into other realms and spiced things up. The problem is that the murderer looks to be Al-Jahiz himself! It took me a moment to get into the series, but it didn't take that long. The fact is, I like Fatma. She's got that Bowler hat and her investigation skills sharpened and the worldbuilding makes every second here worthwhile. Child by Rape: Siti says her mother was less than fifteen when her father, a djinn, seduced her, using his magic for this and impregnating her. El Cairo en un pasado alternativo, ucrónico y steampunk, en el que Egipto es una país hegemónico gracias a la magia y a los djinn, criaturas sobrenaturales con poderes mágicos que conviven con los humanos sobre todo en Egipto.

A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe, book 1) by P Djèlí Clark A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe, book 1) by P Djèlí Clark

Tyler Dean Gothic Rot and Retribution: The Fall of the House of Usher’s Unsettling Approach to Poe’s Work 4 mins ago Beneath Notice: At first, no one suspects Abigail is the lead imposter, because Al-Jahiz was male and they portrayed him as such in his “return”, but also she's a seemingly harmless woman. Plot: Seriously, this world is so enchanting. It’s one of those books where the setting kind of becomes the plot because every moment you are unsure what magic is going to pop up next. The blend of genres is seamless and was able to captivate even my short, impatient attention span. Lady Looks Like a Dude: Fatma gets mistaken for male more than once due to her gaunt face and rather masculine clothing, since she frequently wears Western men's suits. She's grown used to it. Always Identical Twins: It turns out Fatma's doorkeeper is really two identical twin brothers, who can do double the work this way, with one always on duty. They get twice the usual pay since together they're better than any other doorkeeper in Cairo.James Davis Nicoll Five SF Visions of Society Free From Rules, Regulations, or Effective Government 1 hour ago Quirky Curls: Fatma's hair is very curly, and she keeps it short, fitting with her gender nonconformity as she has a masculine style, wearing fine Western men's suits with a bowler. Clark deftly explores colonialism and the history of Cairo with an immersive setting that acts as another character in this delightful combination of mystery, fantasy, and romance. Give this to alternate history enthusiasts and mystery readers who enjoy a dose of the magical. " - Booklist, starred review So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world forty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage. Once I’d gotten through that story, I knew an entire novel set in this world was in the making. I just had to dream it up. I started thinking on ideas as early as that summer 2017. Jotted down notes, here and there. In late 2017, I sat down and sketched out the whole novel in a broad outline. The characters. The plot. The climax. All of it. Even the name– A Master of Djinn. Just had to write it, which primarily got done (once again) during the summer months. This also coincided with the arrival of my twin daughters–weeks early. The second half of summer and much of the Fall was spent between NICUs and learning how to be a new Dad–all of which was rewarding, beautiful, at times harrowing, and serious WORK. And I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. Love them little fighters!

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark - Grimdark Magazine REVIEW: A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark - Grimdark Magazine

Ultimately, it seems to me that A Master of Djinn simply doesn’t know what it wants to be: a commentary on slavery and colonialism, a discussion with the Western idea of the Orient, a murder mystery (well, this one’s easy – the twist was obvious almost from the beginning, so no mystery at all), an Urban Fantasy novel a la Kate Daniels (certainly, Kate Daniels vibe was so strong at the beginning that it actually put me off this book for a while), or maybe a shot at making further use of the bunch of loose ends and conclusions from the earlier short stories – here not so much repurposed as regurgitated. It’s a book that suffers from too many disparate ideas; it would make a few good short stories, but as one novel it just disappoints. Girly Bruiser: Siti loves to wear beautiful dresses, fighting while in them too with her silver claws. Dewdrop ( Teppe Ruins, the pond near the entrance cast Fireball on the Djinni, go in the house and give him the Trusty Staff, which is an artifact bought in Te Rya Village, then follow him and he will fish it out) (PM*) El desarrollo de la misma, eso que esperamos que nos atrape y nos enganche de principio a fin, pues tb mal. Desde el 20% más o menos, cuando ya me ha desplegado la gran ambientación, tenía ganas de acabar. Y eso es el epitafio de un libro. “Tenía ganas de acabar” es demoledor y es lo que sentía.

Read A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

Y con esta más que atractiva ambientación de base nos mete el autor en una trama en la que un fulano con aparentes poderes mágicos achicharra a una especie de logia filantrópica ubicada en esa ciudad. Y lo investiga la agente Fatma, egipcia ella pero que viste con impecables trajes ingleses, y una de las muy pocas agentes del Ministerio Egipcio de Alquimia, Encantamientos y Entidades Sobrenaturales. Y como al autor no le va lo porcentualmente mayoritario, pues además la guapa y aguerrida agente tiene novia, con “a”. O amante o algo así. Alongside her Ministry colleagues and her clever girlfriend Siti, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city – or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems…

A Master of Djinn (Literature) - TV Tropes A Master of Djinn (Literature) - TV Tropes

In an alternate Cairo infused with the otherworldly, the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities investigate disturbances between the mortal and the (possibly) divine.Ring of Power: The false Al-Jahiz it turns out has a ring which can control djinn, thus using their power for his benefit. Haida's seemingly inexhaustible supply of cousins, all of whom work for an industry that proves to be important or know a piece of information that turns out to be crucial. She's even able to get Siwa to open up about his gambling addiction because she claims a cousin of hers suffers from the same affliction. Coral ( Port Rago Canal, use Arid Heat on the bowl near Briggs' ship and go to the norther exit) (F) (PM) Police procedural stories aren’t really my thing, but the amount of inventive fantasy woven into this one kept me riveted. At every turn, Fatma encounters some new supernatural terror: blood-thirsty ghuls, illusions, fiery Ifrit, and a man who looks more and more like a crocodile every time we see him. The novel occasionally dips its toes into outright gore (a djinn who’s been forced to cut out and regrow his own tongue, for example), but for the most part it’s good inclusive fun. Clark constantly finds new ways to challenge the concept of magic and what it means for the human residents of Cairo. What would it be like to share your city with hugely powerful beings who are capable of superhuman violence, or of making you see things that aren’t real, or even of tampering with your memories? The more we learn about this world, the more Fatma’s job seems of critical importance, even as she grapples with the limitations of the Ministry’s knowledge and of her own human abilities. I did not expect to love the world building because of the steampunk element but it was simply amazing. The angels are kind of metallic creatures, there are boilerplate eunuchs too but other than that we have Ifrit and Djinn and Gods and other cool stuff that all comes together beautifully.