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Saturday, March 25, 2023

Week 12 Reviews: A Dead Djinn in Cairo, The Angel of Khan el-Khalili, The Haunting of Tram Car 015, A Master of Djinn




From Goodreads:
Egypt, 1912. In an alternate Cairo infused with the otherworldly, the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities investigate disturbances between the mortal and the (possibly) divine. What starts off as an odd suicide case for Special Investigator Fatma el-Sha'arawi leads her through the city's underbelly as she encounters rampaging ghouls, saucy assassins, clockwork angels, and plot that could unravel time itself.

A girl visits a bazaar in Cairo, seeking a favor from a mysterious angelic being.

This story first appeared in the anthology Clockwork Cairo: Steampunk Tales of Egypt.

In an alternate Cairo, humans live and work alongside otherworldly beings; the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities handles the issues that can arise between the magical and the mundane.

Senior Agent Hamed Nasr shows his new partner Agent Onsi Youssef the ropes of investigation when they are called to subdue a dangerous, possessed tram car. What starts off as a simple matter of exorcism, however, becomes more complicated as the origins of the demon inside are revealed.

From Goodreads:
Nebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of Djinn

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....

My Review:
These were such great reads! I loved this world where this guy opened up the fabric between worlds, and got Djinn more present, and all the other events that followed on from that. It was so interesting to read, and I had a really great time! 

This is alternative history, with the whole al-Jahiz thing, where the Djinn are here, and so-called Angels. Where England was pushed out of Egypt (yeah!) So I don't know how close to our history it is, but the women's voting rights of the short stories was really great. But oh, the casual mentions of women's places in the world, how some of the guys viewed things, oh, it was infuriating from a modern perspective! 

The short stories really set up this world, of how the world works with the magical in the world, as well as to some of these characters, a bit of Agent Fatma, but also others, so we had a greater view of this world, which was really interesting to read.

A Master of Djinn, possibly dealing with the guy who so significantly changed their world, well, if it really is him, there's the chance of causing even more change. And even if it wasn't him, whoever was going it was causing chaos, and I loved watching Agent Fatma and Siti investigate!  

Loved reading these stories, and if we get more in this series, I'll definitely read them! 

Author: P. Djèlí Clark
Series: Dead Djinn Universe #0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 1
Read: March 22nd, 23nd, 22nd, 22nd, 2023
Source: Online, Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and they're Historical Fiction 2023 Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2023 Books! 
Publisher: Tor Books, Tor.com, Tordotcom
Published: May 18th 2016, April 28th 2021, February 19th 2019, May 11th 2021

A Dead Djinn in Cairo: 
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








The Angel of Khan el-Khalili: 
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








The Haunting of Tram Car 015:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars








A Master of Djinn:
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

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