BOOK REVIEW | A Master of Djinn - An alt-history Egyptian fantasy cyberpunk novel

Introduction

This novel, book one of Dead Djinn Universe, won numerous awards, including the Nebula Award (finalist for the Hugo award), Locus Award, and is listed as one of NPR’s Favorite Sci-Fi And Fantasy Books Of The Past Decade (2011-2021). Born in New York, P. Djèlí Clark spent most of his life in Trinidad and Tobago and Houston, Texas. This is his first book after Success with short stories and novellas. Indeed, this novel grew out of a short story, “A Dead Djinn in Cairo,” which is included in the back of some editions). It’s not necessary to read that short story first, but if it there, I’d advise it. It will give you a taste of the world and the characters in a bit of background, as it serves as a prequel.

Summary of the plot of Master of Djinn

The novel is sent in an alternate fantasy history, in and around Cairo. In addition to the alternate history, where a portal has been opened into magical universe is, this is also a steampunk novel. It’s full of various kinds of magic, steam punk technology, evil megalomaniacs, and fantastical battles. The Amazon description:

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 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.

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…

Plot, Character, Setting

The book is a lot of fun to read, and the characters are interesting. I would like to have seen more development of the characters, especially the main ones. No one really grows, or learned anything new about themselves. They are who they are throughout, and the primary villain is evil through and through. We never feel any sympathy for him in the least. Still, it is fine, like an entertaining movie, and it is not hard to like the main characters. They are intriguing, and most of them have their own unique voices and mannerisms. There is romance, mostly lesbian, which gets more graphic than necessary in a few places considering the themes and plot of the book.

Because the portal has been opened to other universities, there are a set of semi-magical creatures: djinn, “angels,” half-humans, crocodile men, and so on.

The descriptions of Egypt, in this alternative historical/magical/steampunk world are well done. The world comes to life and is both interesting in its similarities and differences from our real world. Most of these types of stories take place in Europe or the United States, and this is a unique twist of setting that adds interest.

Literary Aspects

There is a lot here about gender, class, and imperialism, though it is not heavy-handed or forced into the narrative. Those issues merely are there, and the characters live within them, whether accepting them or critiquing them. The badass female protagonist, who is also a lesbian, has become a bit cliché these days, but these characteristics are not much of a distraction from the main narrative, even if perhaps some of it was unnecessary.

The world that Clark has built is fairly well done, but a bit isolated from the rest of the world. After all, the opening of the portal changed the course of history and affected all nations in peoples. We get the sense that Europe is a little behind Egypt, and then America’s may be similarly situated, but we are never given the reasons why. I’m uncertain if it’s necessary, but it might make the world a little more believable. Or maybe I’m just curious.

The book is often described as an alt-history fantasy murder mystery, yet there wasn’t a lot of mystery to it. It seemed pretty obvious to this reader who the real culprit was and where this was all headed. That’s fine, but the primary character, Fatma, and others, seem to be slow in realizing what the reader already sees, even though they have all the information the reader does. Every so often the narrative moves a little slowly. Likewise, there is sometimes too much exposition about things that we already know.

The number of a battle scenes are quite well done. These are difficult to do with so many characters and things going on at the same time, and Clark handles them with aplomb. One Amazon reviewer referred to it as a sort of Marvel-like epic battle scene.

Recommendation

If you are looking for an adventurous, entertaining, and fun read, I recommend it. It is not a deeply literary book, nor is there any underlying significance. I enjoyed reading it, however, as it demanded very little of me other than to follow along with my imagination.