Synopsis:

1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer. 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 fifty 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. Alongside her Ministry colleagues and a familiar person from her past, 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 . . .

Review:

A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark is a book I had been meaning to read for a very long time, and I am so glad I finally got to it! Captivating, pacy and set in a very cool steampunky version of Cairo I was hooked from the first page.

We follow Agent Fatma as she investigates the murder of a British aristocrat and the apparent return of Al-Jahiz, a legendary figure who had managed in the past to open a portal to the supernatural world.

Fatma is a great character to follow. She is sharp and confident, but we also saw her make mistakes, which made her feel more realistic. I also liked Hadia, Angent Fatma’s new and enthusiastic partner. While a strong character on her own, I did really like the way that Hadia forced Fatma to confront a lot of her own biases.

The thing that really shone for me in this book was the worldbuilding. We have Cairo in 1912, however, it is an alternate version of it with steampunk fantasy vibes and Djinn being a fairly normal occurrence. It was so immersive, and such a change from a lot of settings I have read before. We visit temples where Old Gods are worshipped, vibrant nightclubs and a library run by a huge grumpy Djinn.

Clark’s writing really allowed the setting to come to life. His prose is clear and descriptive – though not overly so – and I could so easily picture the streets, hear the sounds and just immerse myself in my own conjured version of the tale.

Overall this book was lots of fun and wonderfully written. I know he has novellas set in the same universe (I believe with one or some of the same characters) and I fully intend to pick them up when I can!