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...
This was a fun and poignant murder mystery. P. Djèlí Clark's A Master of Djinn is set in a pre-WWI steampunk version of Cairo and sees the protagonist attempt to solve a gruesome murder while navigating her relationship with a new colleague and the blossoming romance with a mysterious woman. Scattered throughout are references to a novella and two novelettes set in the same city; while I hadn't read these three works before, the lack of knowledge didn't impede my enjoyment of the novel, because the mentions were detailled enough that one could keep reading while not worrying to have missed some information, and tantalizing enough to make me add the three works to my to-read list.
The world painted by the author is incredibly immersive and detailled, an alternate take on history after a monumental change that is only a few decades old: the appearance of djinn in the world. The djinn are fascinating characters, and their incorporation in the daily life, and the change that it brings on things like faith and international politics, is one of the more interesting parts of the novel. I was a little blindsided by the sudden appearance of other supernatural entities, but I seem to understand that they were better explained in one of the novelettes.
Fatma, though hailed by everyone around her as an incredible detective, isn't hyper-competent, and I appreciated that. She's human and she makes mistakes, even mistakes that could hinder the investigation, but she's sharp when it counts, and profound, and funny; she's well-rounded and incredibly likable. There's an incredible attention to detail in even the smaller characters, and this helps paint a vivid mosaic an an interesting story. I enjoyed immensely the romance with Siti, but more than that, the way Siti's character helped explore the issues of racism in the story.
The novel seems to be a stand-alone story, but I got the impression that there could be many more adventures, and I'll eagerly consume anything that comes next; the setting was simply delightful, reminding me of the Bartimeus trilogy in more than one nostalgic occasion.
A Master of Djinn is a perfect read for mystery lovers.
✨ 4 stars
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