A Master of Djinn
ISBN: 9780356516882
Description
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.
Reviewed on 21st July 2024
Clark’s first novel drops us into a parallel early-20th-century Egypt, several decades after the Djinn and other supernatural beings returned to the world. There we meet Fatma, an agent of the government ministry responsible for the supernatural, as she’s assigned to investigate some mysterious deaths.
It’s a really interesting world filled with new twists on which supernatural beings have what powers, what problems, and look out for which people. And a really solid set of nuanced and interesting characters surviving in a world that both is and isn’t our own.
I understand that while this is the first novel, there are already several shorter works that Clark has set in this universe and with these characters. The novel refers back to these a bit too frequently and relies on devices sourced from these to continue its plot. I found this a bit frustrating having not read those other works, as without all the context these elements felt a bit like cop outs. So I’d recommend making the effort to seek those out before reading this.
Overall though a really nice visit to a book set in a different place, culture, and time, with the added bonus of some fantasy worldbuilding.