A djinn called Siwa makes his small home look like a palace using illusion. The illusion djinn in general create utterly realistic illusions, which even fool large groups simultaneously. Reputedly, the most powerful could create whole illusionary cities. The stranger raised the sword, pointing the blade at them. The room went dim, the light filtering through shadows. That unmistakable presence emanating from the man grew stronger, building until it felt to Archibald he would fall to his knees. He turned to Lord Worthington—to find the old man burning. Bright red flames crept across his hands, shriveling and blistering the skin. But Lord Worthington didn’t seem to notice. His eyes stared out at the chamber, where every member of the Brotherhood was also burning—bodies alight in smokeless fire the color of blood. The strange flames left their clothes untouched, but singed away skin and hair as their screams filled the room. It is indeed, sir,” Archibald finished, placing the bundle atop the table. Every eye took in the dark cloth, their conversation dwindling. Even senile Pennington gawked. In an alternate history 1912 Cairo, Fatma el-Sha'arawi works for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities. The members of a secret brotherhood dedicated to Al-Jahiz, the sorcerer who released magic into the world decades ago, are murdered by someone claiming to be the returned Al-Jahiz himself. Fatma investigates the murders, trying to discover the identity of the imposter. This book was released in 2021, written by P. Djèlí Clark. It has three prequel novellas, A Dead Djinn in Cairo, The Angel of Khan el-Khalili, and The Haunting of Tram Car 015.

That made the Marid’s eyebrows rise. Djinn were big on names. They never gave their true names, instead calling themselves by geographic locations—cities, rivers, mountain ranges. Either that or majestic titles like the Queen of Magic or the Lord of Thursday. That lot were insufferable. By the look on his face, however, it seemed even mortal names held some worth. One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: Siti was conceived as the result of one tryst her djinn father had with her human mother. Obfuscating Stupidity: Abigail Worthington acts like a hysterical, somewhat airheaded woman. However, she is actually the mastermind behind the murders, and almost succeeds in her plan of world domination.

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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. Action Girl: Fatma is a female Occult Detective with a ministry which investigates the supernatural who shows keen skill with magic or mundane weapons. Siti, her lover, is a good fighter as well, along with Haida, a young woman who's partnered with her. A Master of Djinn was never in my radar before this year. But after hearing about how well-loved it is frequently across social media—but still feel a bit apprehensive about jumping into the hype—I decided to finish reading the three prequel stories first to have a taste of whether I should give Clark’s debut novel a try or not. As you can probably guess, I felt like I should, and it didn’t disappoint. It’s not mandatory to read the three prequel stories in the Dead Djinn Universe series first before reading A Master of Djinn, but they’ll be beneficial. Plus, two of them are free to read, and all of them are great anyway.

Butch Lesbian: Fatma likes to wear bowler hats, very nice suits and has a cane. She also wears her hair short and she works as a detective, being among the few women doing this. Due to this, she also gets mistaken for a handsome young man repeatedly, indicating her style makes her look bifauxnen. She's secretly lovers with Nubian woman Siti. Our protagonist Fatma el-Sha’arawi, “special investigator with the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities”is an already legendary badass despite only being in her mid-20s, who’s known for eschewing Ministry uniforms in favor of European-style men’s suits (and a bit too fixated on her looks in those suits, really). Her being on the force is the sign of tolerance and progress in this new Cairo — but there’s still room for improvement. You speak truth. Your kind has truly multiplied. Like locusts! So many more djinn in this world. Working alongside mortals. Living among them. Mating with—” Fatma agrees to keep the fact that Mahmoud the doorkeeper is actually both him and his brother (they're twins, and completely identical) secret so the owner of her building won't find out (they get double the usual pay given how efficient this makes them). The Marid snorted. “The word of a mortal? Empty and weak as water. There is no worth in that. Present me with something to bind. Something that makes your offer true.”

The call sent Archibald straight. Adjusting, he turned to find two men striding toward him. The sight of the first almost made him grimace, but he willed his face to composure. Battle Couple: Fatma and Siti, her lover, both know how to fight skillfully, doing so as a team at times.

Ahmad has a habit of stalking out of the shadows whenever he wants to hold a conversation with Agent Fatma, not realizing his crocodilian features make his appearance more of a Jump Scare than a Stealth Hi/Bye. When he apologizes, he asks if he's being creepy and always gets an affirmative. Dalton cut off as the stranger, who had stood quiet, lifted a chain-mailed hand. The sword in Lord Worthington’s grip sud denly began to hum and vibrate. The noise grew to a whine, so that the old man shook with its movement. With a sharp pull, it tore itself free, sailing through the air until it was caught by the stranger’s outstretched fingers. His hand closed around the hilt, and stepping forward, he lowered the blade at Dalton. Wolfe, Gary K.; Bourke, Liz (June 18, 2021). "Gary K. Wolfe and Liz Bourke Review A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark". Locus Online . Retrieved April 8, 2022. And the plot itself suffers a bit from bit too much messy scattering and a bit of a pacing inconsistencies.Archibald smiled tightly. Portendorf had been an English name for centuries. And it was Austrian, not German. But it was poor form to get riled by a jest. He offered greetings and a handshake. Meanwhile, Fatma – who’s run off every official partner she’s previously been assigned – has a new partner in the form of Hadia, one of the few other female agents in the Ministry and one who looks up to Fatma, an appreciation that Fatma does her best to stomp into pieces. And Fatma’s in a strange place with her lover Siti: Siti has secrets, is difficult to pin down, may or may not be interested in an actual long-term relationship, and is right in the middle of Fatma’s investigation, helpful and infuriating by turns. Tongue Trauma: The djinn Siwa is forced to repeatedly cut off his own tongue when he gets asked any question about Al-Jahiz, so he can't answer it (but gets around this by other means). 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.

Everyone Has Standards: Portendorf, though “racialist” too, thinks Dalton's theory of ancient Egyptian rulers having been Caucasian is still absurd. 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. Secret Relationship: Fatma is secretly lovers with Siti, another women, as same-sex relationships remain taboo in Egypt. Siti sneaks in and out of Fatma's apartment by the window so the building's doorkeeper, a notorious gossip, doesn't spot her going inside. A few people know and are fine with the fact, keeping their secret. Every eye in the coffee shop followed the ethereal vessel. Even the Forty Leopards looked on in wonder. Across the table, her challenger’s smile gave way to open-mouthed astonishment. When the magic was spent and the smoke cleared, he shook his head, setting down the tube of his water pipe in defeat. The crowd roared. When he reached Lord Worthington, the old man wasn’t alone. Edward Pennington was there, one of the most senior men in the company and a true believer, though half-senile. He sat between two others, nodding his wizened head as both spoke into his ears.Animal Motifs: For Siti, cats. She worships the lion goddess Sekhmet (symbolized by cats) and uses metal claws on her gloves to fight. She growls before getting into a fight. She's also described as purring often. Fatma's cat Ramses loves her as well. Her djinn form also has cat-like eyes. 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. was a big year. I’d lost my Mom to breast cancer in Spring 2014, gotten married in August 2014, and by Spring 2015 was casting around for fellowships to finish up the last year of my PhD. Landed a few. By that summer I was busily researching and dissertating in residence at the Library Company of Philadelphia. And I was planning for a two semester fellowship that would have me relocating solo to Pennsylvania for a year. Honestly, my story was out of sight, out of mind.