A Master of Djinn
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- Create Date：2021-05-28 09:51:12
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：P. Djèlí Clark
- ISBN：1250267684
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Summary
Nebula， Locus， and Alex Award-winner P。 Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut， A Master of Djinn
Cairo， 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 50 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 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。。。。
Cairo， 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 50 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 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。。。。
Reviews
Ola G
，
4/10 starsRTC
Molly
，
This book confirmed that I will read absolutely everything written in this universe。 Especially when there are badass lady crime-fighting agents。
Laura
，
A satisfying mystery set in a mystical alternate Cairo with the most dapper detective in fiction。 If you've read the novella and short story that preceded this first full-length novel （although you don't need to to read this） you'll be pleased with the expansion and further development of the world building。 And if you're new enjoy a book bursting with djinn， politics， and a vibrant Cairo awash with different cultures and real character。I really enjoy Fatma as the main character， she's an excell A satisfying mystery set in a mystical alternate Cairo with the most dapper detective in fiction。 If you've read the novella and short story that preceded this first full-length novel （although you don't need to to read this） you'll be pleased with the expansion and further development of the world building。 And if you're new enjoy a book bursting with djinn， politics， and a vibrant Cairo awash with different cultures and real character。I really enjoy Fatma as the main character， she's an excellent investigator with a refreshing lack of vices （unless you count her suit collection）， who isn't perfect， and has some satisfying character development in this book。 I might have guessed the villain a bit before the reveal， but it didn't take away from my enjoyment of the journey。 Thoroughly recommend if you want a lighter in tone alternate world fantasy with a good mystery and a great cast of characters， chocked full of fascinating world building。 。。。more
Clara
，
I really wanted to like this and I mostly did。 I just did not love it。 I am not sure why but I have always found Fatma one of Clark's most opaque main characters。 I think she can work well when she is not the point of view character， but I found myself not having much of a sense of her personality。 Clark spends a lot of time on describing the skin-deep aspects of her character: all the suits， all the ties， all the bowlers， but I never got a sense of how this character inhabited them， or even how I really wanted to like this and I mostly did。 I just did not love it。 I am not sure why but I have always found Fatma one of Clark's most opaque main characters。 I think she can work well when she is not the point of view character， but I found myself not having much of a sense of her personality。 Clark spends a lot of time on describing the skin-deep aspects of her character: all the suits， all the ties， all the bowlers， but I never got a sense of how this character inhabited them， or even how her gender transgressive ways affected the way people viewed her。 Does Fatma never have an uncomfortable moment of gender recognition？ How does being a woman who is often seen as a man affect the way she moves through gendered spaces？ The novel wants to use her suits to prove she is a maverick， but that's about it。 The novel does not spend that much time on how she feels even as it raises the emotional stakes。 As a result some highly emotional scenes didn't land for me， because Fatma never seems to feel as much as react。 Clark's novellas have always had action packed propulsive narratives that mean you don't linger too long。 He's less good at writing a mystery。 I would have happily watched Fatma walk around and drink coffee in this Cairo。 The city is a fun character on its own， but the mystery unravels so slowly that it is not that difficult to see what is coming。 I knew who the culprit was about 40-60 pages ahead of the reveal。 The fact that this moves at a novel pace means that there are greater opportunities to see the seams showing。 I like Clark and would definitely check back to see what else he writes。 This isn't a bad book and there is a lot of fun to be had。 Especially if you like cranky bibliophiles， and who doesn't？ But I don't know if this is going to be seen as the best thing Clark ever wrote at the end of the day。 。。。more
Caitlin
，
Master of Djinn returns to alternate 20th century Cairo with its particular blend of steampunk， Egyptian culture and djinn-fueled magic with Agent Fatma once again as the lead。 This time， Fatma must investigate the sudden immolation of a secret cult and the supposed return of the mystic responsible for bringing the djinn into the human world。 With her brand new partner Hadia， Fatma must get to the heart of the mystery even as Cairo awaits diplomats from around the world for a peace summit meant Master of Djinn returns to alternate 20th century Cairo with its particular blend of steampunk， Egyptian culture and djinn-fueled magic with Agent Fatma once again as the lead。 This time， Fatma must investigate the sudden immolation of a secret cult and the supposed return of the mystic responsible for bringing the djinn into the human world。 With her brand new partner Hadia， Fatma must get to the heart of the mystery even as Cairo awaits diplomats from around the world for a peace summit meant to keep the world from war。 So no pressure。 I knew from seeing other reviews that feelings on this one were mixed。 I was hoping that it might be different for me but unfortunately I am in the camp of those somewhat disappointed by this one。 I've really enjoyed some of the previous entries in this series but this just didn't work as well for me。 The worldbuilding is substantially expanded with the longer form and I loved getting to see more of that and getting to return to characters I loved。 The previous entries in the series are basically required reading before this but it did make seeing them pop up again even more enjoyable。 However， the pacing and some of the characterizations were uneven and frustrating and definitely impacted my enjoyment。 I know this is Clark's first full-length novel so I want to cut some slack in that regard but I really struggled with the pacing。 It seems far too slow at the beginning， like the investigation needed to be stretched out to fill time。 Once it gets going around 40-50% in， it gets exciting but I found myself wishing that some of the sections were substantially shorter。 I loved the introduction of the fancy dressed and talented Agent Fatma and the confident and clever idolator Siti in The Dead Djinn in Cairo and that's part of what I really struggled with in Master of Djinn。 While in the former Fatma comes across as smart and savvy， Fatma in Master of Djinn comes across as more than a bit dense。 Throughout the investigation， Fatma has to be literally handed answers to progress and her intelligence seems diminished to give her new partner Hadia more page time。 I liked Hadia and I liked the way she challenged Fatma's complacency but it felt like a bit of rehashing the "I don't want a new partner" theme from The Haunting of Tram Car 015。 Overall， I'd give Master of Djinn 3 stars because I still loved the setting and the worldbuilding and the way it develops some of the relationships between characters but struggled with pacing issues and suspension of disbelief in areas。 If you're a fan of the series， it's worth a read and I do hope to see more alternate stories from Clark in the future。 It just wasn't one of my favorites。 。。。more
FictionFans
，
What isn’t there to love about this book。 Let’s start with the setting。 Mr Clark was eternally rude to release a book about a place so vibrant it makes me want to book the first flight to anywhere when we’re still not really supposed to leave the house， but we suppose that’s not his fault。 This alternative version of Cairo was absolutely stunning， full of people and places who feel real。 In a phrase - we want to go to there。When we say vibrant， we mean it。 Fatma， the main character， wears the mo What isn’t there to love about this book。 Let’s start with the setting。 Mr Clark was eternally rude to release a book about a place so vibrant it makes me want to book the first flight to anywhere when we’re still not really supposed to leave the house， but we suppose that’s not his fault。 This alternative version of Cairo was absolutely stunning， full of people and places who feel real。 In a phrase - we want to go to there。When we say vibrant， we mean it。 Fatma， the main character， wears the most incredible suits and we want them all。tBeyond aesthetics though， this novel discusses some incredibly relevant social issues in a thoughtful， and detached way。 It provides insightful commentary on colonialism， racism and western-centric thinking。 The way that Fatma and Hadia， her coworker， deal with internalized misogyny stemming from being some of the only women in their field felt relevant and healthy。Fatma’s romantic relationship was also extremely satisfying。 Her and her love interest deal with serious topics and realistic conflict in a mature way that you don’t often see in romance plotlines。Above all， this book was delightfully silly。 Amidst the social issues and murder mystery intrigue， Clark drops witty lines that bring the mood back up without feeling out of place。Whether you like fantasy， steampunk， early 20th century， non-western-centric settings， or mysteries， this book has something for you。 。。。more
Jack
，
8。5/10Review to Come。
Troy
，
I read the short story last year and fell in love with the setting and the character。 Then I heard he was writing a full length novel。 Did it live up to my expectations？You bet it did！I really loved this story。 I love the way he writes。 The steampunk 1912 Cairo setting is awesome。 The main character Fatma is awesome。 The side characters are great， especially Siti。If you are at all interested the world of djinn， then I highly recommend this book。 I'm really hoping he keeps writing more books in t I read the short story last year and fell in love with the setting and the character。 Then I heard he was writing a full length novel。 Did it live up to my expectations？You bet it did！I really loved this story。 I love the way he writes。 The steampunk 1912 Cairo setting is awesome。 The main character Fatma is awesome。 The side characters are great， especially Siti。If you are at all interested the world of djinn， then I highly recommend this book。 I'm really hoping he keeps writing more books in this setting。 。。。more
Melissa Krawczyk
，
Intriguing and fantasticalI loved this alternate reality that plays out in Cairo， a city that I love。 The juxtaposition of modernity and mythology， the strong women & the call to consider how to mix with people of different faiths were all excellent。 A fun read - I look forward to more！
Kris Sellgren
，
P。 Djeli Clark is such an imaginative writer。 Here he returns to his alternate Cairo， in which the return of magic and its application to technology has catapulted Egypt into a major international power， on par with England， France， and Germany。 Clark’s 1912 Cairo crackles with an exciting mix of cultures， races， and religions， where traditional practices thrive amidst clockwork computers and robots built by djinn。 His heroine， Agent Fatma of the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy， Enchantments， and S P。 Djeli Clark is such an imaginative writer。 Here he returns to his alternate Cairo， in which the return of magic and its application to technology has catapulted Egypt into a major international power， on par with England， France， and Germany。 Clark’s 1912 Cairo crackles with an exciting mix of cultures， races， and religions， where traditional practices thrive amidst clockwork computers and robots built by djinn。 His heroine， Agent Fatma of the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy， Enchantments， and Supernatural Entities， is the first woman agent of the Ministry。 She is saddled with a rookie partner （the second woman Ministry agent） while trying to solve the murder by magic of a secret society。 The murderer is easily found， as they incite anti-government riots while claiming to be the reincarnation of a powerful magician。 The capture of this pretender is challenging， however， as they have the power to control djinn。 Soon， the Ministry is under attack， and a peace conference to prevent war in Europe is also endangered。 The first half of the novel dragged a little but the second half is non-stop action， with surprising twists and a satisfying ending。 It helps to have read Clark’s novella “A Dead Djinn in Cairo”， where Fatma’s character is introduced。 Clark has a talent for memorable characters。 。。。more
Il confine dei libri
，
Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。 Per leggere la recensione in blog cliccare qui:https://ilconfinedeilibri。blogspot。co。。。 。。。more
Margaret
，
What a terrific debut novel！ I had thoroughly enjoyed P。 Djeli Clark's earlier novella-length books A Dead Djinn in Cairo in 2016 and The Haunting of Tram Car 015 in 2019。So， I was excited to hear that the new work A Master of Djinn is a full novel！What's not to like about an alternate history steampunk Cairo in 1912 full of boilerplate eunuch servants， djinn， and magic？Agent Fatma el-Sha’arawi is one of the few women agents at the Ministry of Alchemy， Enchantments， and Supernatural Entities。 I What a terrific debut novel！ I had thoroughly enjoyed P。 Djeli Clark's earlier novella-length books A Dead Djinn in Cairo in 2016 and The Haunting of Tram Car 015 in 2019。So， I was excited to hear that the new work A Master of Djinn is a full novel！What's not to like about an alternate history steampunk Cairo in 1912 full of boilerplate eunuch servants， djinn， and magic？Agent Fatma el-Sha’arawi is one of the few women agents at the Ministry of Alchemy， Enchantments， and Supernatural Entities。 I especially enjoy stories where our protagonist is a member of what amounts to the magical police， trying to keep the ordinary （nonmagical） citizen safe from world-destroying diabolical magical creatures， etc。 To top it all off， Master of Djinn is a murder mystery！ So， Agent Fatma has to figure out whodunit and why！The very best thing about Master of Djinn is that it is labeled as Dead Djinn Universe bk 1。I can't wait for book two in this new series！！Highly recommended for those who enjoy magical police procedurals， urban fantasy， alternate history， and magical murder mysteries！ 。。。more
Blue Cline
，
i love me some good world building and lesbians in flashy suits。 i wish hadia had been given a bit more attention though， such a cool gal
Lauren Don’tGoBrekkerMyHeart
，
I did not read the short story associated with this world before delving into A Master of Djinn， but I can certainly say that I'm going to go back and read it now。 I don't know what I was expecting from this book， but it filled me with such contentment。 I've realized these last few months that I adore this genre where modernity meets magic， whether it's actual places on earth， the case of this book， or made up ones。 I'm obsessed and Clark did the genre phenomenally！Moreover， after a dynamic cast I did not read the short story associated with this world before delving into A Master of Djinn， but I can certainly say that I'm going to go back and read it now。 I don't know what I was expecting from this book， but it filled me with such contentment。 I've realized these last few months that I adore this genre where modernity meets magic， whether it's actual places on earth， the case of this book， or made up ones。 I'm obsessed and Clark did the genre phenomenally！Moreover， after a dynamic cast of characters， wonderfully fantastic lore， and wit to match， I would recommend this story to any fantasy lover。 I'm probably going to start screaming about it from the rooftops because I know plenty of people would adore it。 。。。more
Geraldo Daniel
，
Before this book， I confess I'm not really familiar with the term 'Afro-punk' or 'Afrofuturism' before。But if what I saw in this book is any indication， it's a very interesting genre to look into。It's definitely refreshing to see a novel that focuses heavily on an African （or in this case， Egyptian） perspective on many issues regarding racism， colonization， set against a background of a richly detailed and ornamented Afro-centric future。 Before this book， I confess I'm not really familiar with the term 'Afro-punk' or 'Afrofuturism' before。But if what I saw in this book is any indication， it's a very interesting genre to look into。It's definitely refreshing to see a novel that focuses heavily on an African （or in this case， Egyptian） perspective on many issues regarding racism， colonization， set against a background of a richly detailed and ornamented Afro-centric future。 。。。more
Swati
，
I would give it ten stars if I could。
GrilledCheeseSamurai （Scott）
，
I want to live in this world。 That is the highest praise that I can give this book。 It made me want to crawl into the pages and take up residence。 I don't want to be a hero or an adventurer。。。just a bookseller living his best life and eating his way through Cairo and sipping sasparilla with Fatma while listening to music。An easy 5-stars from me。 I loved the characters; I loved their story arcs and their growth through the series。 I loved their relationships with one another， and I loved the worl I want to live in this world。 That is the highest praise that I can give this book。 It made me want to crawl into the pages and take up residence。 I don't want to be a hero or an adventurer。。。just a bookseller living his best life and eating his way through Cairo and sipping sasparilla with Fatma while listening to music。An easy 5-stars from me。 I loved the characters; I loved their story arcs and their growth through the series。 I loved their relationships with one another， and I loved the world-building， magic， and all the lore that comes with it。I swear I could smell， hear， and taste this world as I read through it。I reeeeeeeeally hope I get to visit again soon。 。。。more
Dima
，
Great book。 I love the pace of storytelling， the pace， and the twists and turns。 Clearly a great author at the beginning of a great career。 My only issue is the （few） clichés that permeated the book， with the worst offender being - when you try to arrest a super powerful criminal with magical superpowers do you really need to engage in an endless battle of wits that culminates in the criminal running away？！ The other thing I found a bit annoying is the fact that many of the twists were somewhat Great book。 I love the pace of storytelling， the pace， and the twists and turns。 Clearly a great author at the beginning of a great career。 My only issue is the （few） clichés that permeated the book， with the worst offender being - when you try to arrest a super powerful criminal with magical superpowers do you really need to engage in an endless battle of wits that culminates in the criminal running away？！ The other thing I found a bit annoying is the fact that many of the twists were somewhat predictable， unfortunately。 The root cause of this is the obvious overuse of Chekhov's gun。I would also have wanted this to be a bit more gritty and dark。 Not necessarily Mark Lawrence dark， but a bit darker than this。 。。。more
Kit
，
Steampunk cairo with a suit wearing lesbian investigator - didnt know I was missing such a book in my life but now I hope to read more stories in this world in future！
Megan
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Turns out I wanted more。 I signed up for the first full length installment。I can find things to nitpick about this book - some things were very predictable， there was， perhaps a bit of manic energy - but overall I think it holds pretty well。 If you're interested in steam punk， fantasy， exploring some new culture， jump right in！ Turns out I wanted more。 I signed up for the first full length installment。I can find things to nitpick about this book - some things were very predictable， there was， perhaps a bit of manic energy - but overall I think it holds pretty well。 If you're interested in steam punk， fantasy， exploring some new culture， jump right in！ 。。。more
Joelle
，
More like 4。5， but those are minor quibbles really
CC
，
This was a fun book。 Not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny （though I found myself smirking throughout）， but mentally- this world was delightful to visualize。 I’m tempted for Hollywood to snap this up， just because I want to see this world come to life。 I don’t read a ton of murder mystery books， so I was proud of myself for guessing the key plot points early。 （But on the other hand， when I do read a murder mystery- I want be a shocking page turner。）This book felt like S。A。 Chakraborty meets a mag This was a fun book。 Not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny （though I found myself smirking throughout）， but mentally- this world was delightful to visualize。 I’m tempted for Hollywood to snap this up， just because I want to see this world come to life。 I don’t read a ton of murder mystery books， so I was proud of myself for guessing the key plot points early。 （But on the other hand， when I do read a murder mystery- I want be a shocking page turner。）This book felt like S。A。 Chakraborty meets a magical/modern/steampunkish CSI episode。 I think one thing is clear: P。 Djèlí Clark is worth a spot in your TBR。 You’ll see what I mean。 Character building + world building | 4。5/5Plot | 2。5/5 Overall | 3。5/5 。。。more
Jenny T
，
So that was awesome。 A paranormal mystery set in 1912 an alternate Cairo where the Egyptians triumphed over the English thanks to intervention by the Djinn， who now live among them。 Exactly as fun as it sounds！
Julia Biciunas
，
Quick， delightful steampunk/alt Egypt with strong and interesting female characters。
Alan Warenski
，
I loved this book。 I love the alternate Cairo Clark has set up here。 It's a refreshing， well fleshed out world he has put together， full of cool magic， monsters， great characters， and a mystery that kept me turning the pages， excited the whole way through。 Can't wait to see what comes next from P。 Djeli Clark。 I loved this book。 I love the alternate Cairo Clark has set up here。 It's a refreshing， well fleshed out world he has put together， full of cool magic， monsters， great characters， and a mystery that kept me turning the pages， excited the whole way through。 Can't wait to see what comes next from P。 Djeli Clark。 。。。more
Noelle
，
More like a 4，5/5 but this was a solid read！ I loved the atmosphere and history。 Really made me feel like I was in 1920's Cairo。 The vibes were just all there， and I really did like the mystery aspect of it。 What's up with calling most of the female side characters in this book 'the woman' though？ They have names， seems a bit weird to refer only to their sex when male characters get the description 'the djinn' or 'the inspector'。 More like a 4，5/5 but this was a solid read！ I loved the atmosphere and history。 Really made me feel like I was in 1920's Cairo。 The vibes were just all there， and I really did like the mystery aspect of it。 What's up with calling most of the female side characters in this book 'the woman' though？ They have names， seems a bit weird to refer only to their sex when male characters get the description 'the djinn' or 'the inspector'。 。。。more
David
，
Exhiliratingly original and a delight to read。
Mikah
，
Easily my most fun read of the year so far。 It’s a murder mystery， a romance， a buddy-cop comedy， a steampunk fantasy set in an alternate early-twentieth-century Cairo， and a parade of sharp suits。
Julie
，
So good！ Worth the wait。 I was very impressed with reading the shorter works set in this world of alternate history Egypt where the djinn walked among the humans， full of danger and wonder。 The protagonist， Fatma， is a lesbian magical detective and she's a total bad-ass in the best way。 It's a fun and scary adventure， but as I've come to expect from Clark， there is also a message about racism and colonialism in here， done deftly。 Hoping the there will be many more books set in this setting！ So good！ Worth the wait。 I was very impressed with reading the shorter works set in this world of alternate history Egypt where the djinn walked among the humans， full of danger and wonder。 The protagonist， Fatma， is a lesbian magical detective and she's a total bad-ass in the best way。 It's a fun and scary adventure， but as I've come to expect from Clark， there is also a message about racism and colonialism in here， done deftly。 Hoping the there will be many more books set in this setting！ 。。。more
Jean
，
Steampunk meets Arabian nights。 Things are not right with the jinn。 Ancient magic is called forth in the world to create chaos for whose purpose？ How can one government agent thwart the evil forces in play？Wonderful assortment of characters that you don't see in Western off the shelf fantasy。 A fresh set of players in a richly detailed world。 Smell strange spices， eat unusual food， wear clothes of wonderful color and texture。This would make a really good movie but， hush！， don't tell Hollywood。 T Steampunk meets Arabian nights。 Things are not right with the jinn。 Ancient magic is called forth in the world to create chaos for whose purpose？ How can one government agent thwart the evil forces in play？Wonderful assortment of characters that you don't see in Western off the shelf fantasy。 A fresh set of players in a richly detailed world。 Smell strange spices， eat unusual food， wear clothes of wonderful color and texture。This would make a really good movie but， hush！， don't tell Hollywood。 They would mash it into unrecognizable oatmeal。 Even if they managed to keep the woman main character they would make her into a white woman。 Which she should never be。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Master of Djinn
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Master of Djinn&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Master of Djinn&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0