A Master of Djinn by P Djeli Clark

I would like to thank Nazia from Orbit for an advance copy of this novel in exchange for a fair and honest review

Publisher – Orbit

Published – Out Now

Price – £8.99 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook

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 fifty 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 . . .

Fantasy is often a blend of the old and new. Each author is taking the myths of the past or older tales to create their own block in the wall of fantasy. The Lord of the Rings borrows from all sorts of myths, contemporary fantasy tales like The City We Became take older ideas of cosmic horror and throws that into modern New York and each time the change are what the make the genre live. In P Djeli Clark’s exciting and brilliant A Master of Djinn we get a very refreshing fantasy delivering adventure and a unique sense of wonder as old and new worlds collide.

It is Cairo 1912 but not as we know it. Egypt is one of the new powers on the scene thanks to forty years earlier a mysterious wise man known as Al-Jahiz tore a hole in reality to the Kaf and made a gateway to the world of magic. Egypt has embraced this with a population of Djinn and sorcery that now means it has pushed back it’s western conquerors, new buildings, walking automata, airships and even mysterious Angels walking the world. But with magic comes murder and a mysterious masked man calling himself Ah-Jahiz walks into a secret Brotherhood of the wealthy and powerful and burns them all alive while reclaiming his fabled sword.

This attracts the attention of Egypt’s Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities who investigate the weird and strange. Enter Agent Fatma who specialises in the weird cases now saddled with a over keen rookie and the murder leads to even more stranger discoveries, revolution in Cairo, the threat of WW2, ancient Djinn myths and powerful entities conspiring all mean Cairo may face its biggest challenge yet.

Clark has created an absolutely brilliant fantasy city that combines the mythology of Africa, the Middle East and Europe combined with steampunk technology and an early twentieth century swagger reminiscent of the roaring twenties of the 1920s US.  It starts with a bit of noir as wealthy industrialists gather to plot and then we have people burned alive with their clothes completely unharmed. This is a world that knows magic is real and happily only just working out the rules of it so we like Fatma have to put the pieces together. But what starts as a murder investigation also has swordfights in cemeteries, infamous gangs of thieves, Gods, mysterious Djinn who can hide secrets or try to kill you and ravenous Ghuls who just want to eat your flesh. It never gets dull and we are constantly on the move trying to find out what is going on.

Fatma is a delight a woman who loves to be unique striding around in her many many colourful suits and bowlers good at putting the pieces together and not afraid to fight. Pairing her with a rookie Agents is a classic trope but when it is in the shape of Hadia – handy with a knife, devout yet liberal and a proud feminist we have an unusual double act that do compliment each other’s personality. Completing the trio is the mysterious Siti now Fatma’s girlfriend and happy to investigate the shadowy side of Cairo’s magical communities and also fight with her silver claw gloves. They’re a trio reflecting the modern side of Cairo that is trying to find it’s balance now magic is everywhere and they really work well as a team against some powerful enemies.

A highlight for me in this tale is Clark’s Cairo. In any real city you’ll notice it is composed of a multitude of different communities and buildings reflecting different eras a city lived in. A lot of fantasy stories tend to make every city feel like it has all arrived in one shape and at one time. What really impresses me here is the depth that Cairo offers. You feel the history, the way the current city’s communities work together or fight against each other and although this is a version of 1912 we may recognise as the story progresses signs of rabble-rousers happy to stir up crowds to suit their own power games or how racism exists even in an African country which is a reminder these issues have always been around us. I also liked exploring how a new African power that can aid against colonisers in France and the UK helps change the dynamics of the entire world. One plotline explores how Egypt is hosting a peace conference with the European powers to prevent a possible World War.

The story is fascinating and goes from looks like a murder investigation to something both epic in terms of fantasy but also moves into a political thriller as we start to find the agenda of the culprit. It’s a fine mystery with lots of interesting clues and has a truly impressive mythic finale on the streets of Cairo that you wouldn’t expect from the earlier chapters.

Every street, building or character has a story to it (new or old) it’s a mosaic of Story that fantasy lovers will love to explore, and you feel by the end that this Cairo and its wider world has many many more stories to tell us. If you enjoy tales that mix old and new and want to have a smile on your face as you race across rooftops and search mysterious buildings with our characters, then you absolutely need to read this. One of the delights of 2021 and strongly recommended.