Review of A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark

Umm, all I really want to say is give me more, please! I don’t remember how A Master of Djinn got on my to-read list, but I devoured this alternate history fantasy novel set in a 1912 Cairo where djinn walk the Earth. P. Djèlí Clark and his protagonist, Fatma el-Sha’arawi,

In this world, a mysterious figure named al-Jahiz returned magic to the world a half-century prior, changing everything. Djinn of varying abilities and appearances live alongside humans, and the geopolitics of the region have been altered forever. Fatma el-Sha’arawi is an agent of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities. In a prior novella, which I did not read, Fatma saved the world by stopping an angel from building a machine that would tear a hole in reality. Despite this, she must still battle sexism and colourism to be taken seriously as a Ministry agent. Now unwillingly encumbered by a partner, an eager new lady agent, Fatma must investigate the brutal killing of twenty-four white men in a secret society that Orientalisted too close to the sun. The killer is obvious: a mysterious masked figure who claims to be al-Jahiz returned.

A Master of Djinn reminds me a lot of the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series (see Phoenix Rising) and also Steeplejack. The former shares alternate history, steampunk vibes, and supernatural entities; the latter is also about colonialism, class, and race in an industrial urban setting. Both have excellent female protagonists!

I love the differences between Fatma and Hadia, the way both are feminists yet not alike at all in personality or temperament. Clark manages Fatma’s initial wariness and reluctance to partner with Hadia very well. I enjoyed watching the professional relationship between these two bloom, as well as the subtleties in their relationships with faith (both are Muslim, but Hadia is hijabi while Fatma is not).

Similarly, I was happy with the sapphic representation in this story! The romance between Fatma and Siti isn’t a huge part of the plot (my preference), yet it is sweet and a source of strength for both characters. There’s a twist regarding Siti that I did not see coming, and the conflict it creates for the two of them felt really natural and was also handled well.

In contrast, the twist regarding the identity of the killer was pretty clearly telegraphed from very early on. That’s right: we have a rare instance of Kara figuring out whodunnit! It didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the story, especially since the whodunnit is actually a subplot, and the climax comes in the form of an epic battle against the villain, culminating in the unleashing of forces beyond anyone’s control. As far as final battles go, this one was really well-realized for a novel—I can’t visualize very well when I read, and I was still very drawn in to the idea of all these djinn massing and heading for the palace while Fatma and her allies rush to save the day (and the world).

A Master of Djinn has three strengths going for it: incredible worldbuilding, fun and sympathetic characters, and a strong murder mystery. Any one of these attributes alone would make it a strong novel; all three make it a stand-out. Clark hasn’t returned to this universe yet, but I really hope he does: I would jump on another story of Fatma, Hadia, and Siti.