A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark (2022)
In the interest of keeping an open mind, instead of methodically reading the Nebula award winners from the 60’s and 70’s, why not the winner from 2022? Fast forward then to A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark. After preliminary research, this book falls within Clark’s ‘Dead Djinn Universe’ but can stand up on its own. A supernatural detective story at its core, it follows the exploits of Fatma, a young woman agent working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. Immediately ‘young detective Harry Potter vibes’ comes to mind but thankfully it unfolded as a bit more mature. While advertised as a steampunk novel (not my genre), that wasn’t overdone or too obvious but I could see this easily making its way into the anime/cosplay universe.
Fatma’s world is one in which djinns (genies) exist alongside humans in 1912 Cairo. There are reports that the enigmatic and fabled Al-Jahiz has returned, a mystic from the past who is responsible for the rift in the world that allowed the djinns in to begin with. A hermetic Brotherhood of mostly rich English men secretly worship Al-Jahiz and Fatma is hired to investigate after a meeting of the Brotherhood ends in a mass murder by a mysterious masked man claiming to be Al-Jahiz returned. The investigation ensues, leading to an impressive final showdown and the antagonist is revealed to close out the book.
While not familiar with this author, his knowledge of and reference to Cairo, Egyptian history and the small details surrounding Middle Eastern fashion and food were never lost. This book is unique because all of the supernatural elements are entwined within an unorthodox setting and time, early 1900’s Cairo. Super original. More fantasy than sci-fi but that didn’t stop me from rippin’ through it. Clark, you have my attention…