Djinn City by Saad Hossain

Nov 21, 2017 K.J. Charles added it

Shelves: fantasy, fun-fun-fun, horror-with-laughs

An absolute barnstormer of a read, set in Bangladesh. This looks on the surface like an urban fantasy novel--boy with weird father in crumbling mansion discovers strange supernatural world of djinn, moving into adventure quest. Except a) the plot diverges wildly from anything you expect, and b) it's not only a fantasy, it's simultaneously the darkest possible satire, of Bangladesh, humanity, and the effects of wealth and power. (Author's previous book, the excellent Escape from Baghdad!, is also ...more

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May 14, 2018 Kristen Burns rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2018-books, review-copy, own-physical, cover-love, funny, djinn-genies, dragons, fantasy, paranormal-urban-fantasy, reviewed

3.5 Stars

Review:
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This has not influenced my review.*

Djinns! So many djinns! YES!

A couple years ago I read some urban fantasy books about djinns and decided they just weren't for me. But I became interested in them again lately, so I decided to give this book a try, and apparently the problem was the books themselves, not djinns, because this version was super interesting!

The author clearly put a lot of thought into the djinn aspect, and that was ...more

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Feb 21, 2018 Aimal (Bookshelves & Paperbacks) rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2-stars, 2018, asian-author, indigenous-or-authors-of-color, contemporary, expected-more, fantasy, multi-pov, new-adult, owned

I'm confused about this. Because it started off great, and it's incredibly imaginative, well-written, and laugh-out-loud funny. It takes the largely untapped lore of djinn and weaves something incredible out of it. Politics, djinn currency, airships, giant sea monsters, dragons, enchanted vases and glasses, and a decent amount of fascinating genetic science... the world-building gives Harry Potter some competition.

But as the novel progressed, I felt like it was doing too much. Instead of remaini ...more

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Oct 26, 2018 Nadine rated it it was ok

Escape from Baghdad! was such a delight, I was so hopeful I'd like the authors second novel at least as much. There is a book buried within this one that could have been that book for me. I loved the character of Indelbed, who had such an innocent, self-deprecating nature - the perfect raw material to go through trials and become a heartfelt hero. He was the real beating heart of the book, and his story line was great. The Rais story line, on the other hand, was cartoony, with lots of action but ...more

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Jan 26, 2018 Kirby rated it liked it

Great fantasy book that doesn’t have a single elf dwarf goblin orc or troll in it. So refreshing. The ending however leads me to believe the author passed out and his agent sent it off for publishing without consulting the author or reading the manuscript.

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Jan 20, 2018 Queen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bookcase-a, read-in-2018

Love the worldbuilding and plot twists! Solid page turner of a novel. Though I enjoyed it, be warned that it ends on a major cliffhanger with no sequel in sight.

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Nov 29, 2017 Ezra rated it it was amazing

Special note: I was sent this book by Unnamed Press. I'm giving an honest review.

I have read a little bit of another djinn series (The Bartimaeus trilogy) before, which I enjoyed, so I was very excited about this book. It was interesting to see the difference between these books and their presentation of djinn mythology, such as who holds the power (djinn or humans).

Djinn City was very lyrically written (which I enjoyed and am very familiar with because of my mother's writing). It read like poe ...more

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Mar 01, 2018 Vanessa Price rated it did not like it

Did not finish at 30% through.

I hate giving up on books and I've only done it a few other times, but it took me almost TWO WEEKS to get not even half way through, and I just decided I didn't care anymore. My problem was mainly the excess of word vomit that was the world building. Very little happened in the story to the point that I read because the characters spent all their time describing the world and the very complicated politics in the world of the djinns. It was all pretty hard to digest, ...more

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Apr 22, 2018 Ming rated it really liked it

A thoroughly enjoyable read. It was funny, smart, and inventive. I liked the setting and the characters. I wasn't sure how a story about djinns or genies would go but I was very engaged in this story. The worldbuilding was clever and not too far-fetched or technical (ok, the section on genetics was more detailed than I would have liked so I skimmed it.)

The ending didn't go as I wanted but it was reasonable given everything that led up to it.

I would definitely read other books by this author. Hi ...more

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Apr 24, 2018 Anato rated it really liked it

Shelves: bangladeshi-fiction, south-asian-fiction, sci-fi-fantasy

I loved this book - great story, great dark comedy tone and a vividly built world without losing sight of the plot. I liked how the fantastical elements of the story are woven into mundane Dhaka life. The harshness - of the characters and the environment - felt realistic. Also, this isn't just a story about Indelbed, but a whole host of characters and it's all the better for it. I do hope the writer publishes a sequel.

I really wanted to give this 5 stars but had to hold back because of a few iss ...more

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Jun 06, 2018 Bryan Wigmore rated it liked it

Not often I give a book three stars but then put the author's other title straight on my "to read" list. The writing voice here is mostly lively, erudite and fun, there are some fascinating ideas, and the djinn and their society and history are very well worked out. At the same time, the djinn all seem rather ridiculous (which is a neat idea, but doesn't allow for much of the sense of awe that I like in fantasy), and all speak in much the same voice: the same voice as most of the humans, in fact ...more

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Jan 18, 2018 Elisia rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, sci-fi

I LOVED this book. Until I got about 3/4 through. By the time I got almost to the end, it was a disaster, and I am quite unsatisfied with, not only the turn of events, but also how everything just seemed thrown together. Plot changes and character shifts because the story had to go some place in the author's mind?

I don't know. It's worth a read, I'm just let down.

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Jul 31, 2018 Mona rated it it was amazing

I found myself savouring each page, not wanting the book to end. A masterpiece. Brilliant. At times laugh out loud. Dark. Magical. The characters will stay with you after you put the book down. Now to wait for the sequel ..... sigh.

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Mar 05, 2018 Sarah rated it really liked it

Wonky last 1/4- definitely just chopped off for a sequel

First 3/4 are amazing though

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Jun 26, 2018 Heather added it

This book is long. This book is dense. Try to just breezily rush through this and you will miss things. This book is also smart and sarcastic and snarky and everything else I love.

Indelbed is adorable. He's from the embarrassing part of a prominent family. He's pretty much being ignored by his alcoholic father who is in turn ignored by the extended family. He's just going about his life the best he can hoping that maybe someday one of his aunts will notice that things are really not ok in

This book is long. This book is dense. Try to just breezily rush through this and you will miss things. This book is also smart and sarcastic and snarky and everything else I love.

Indelbed is adorable. He's from the embarrassing part of a prominent family. He's pretty much being ignored by his alcoholic father who is in turn ignored by the extended family. He's just going about his life the best he can hoping that maybe someday one of his aunts will notice that things are really not ok in his life when he gets kidnapped by a djinn.

From here there are three stories taking place.

Indelbed is thrown in a murder pit where he lives with a djinn prisoner for 10 years while they plot an ambitious escape.
Indelbed's father is in a coma and his spirit is watching the history of an epic battle through the memories of the people who were there.
Indelbed's aunt Juny and cousin Rais find out that djinn are real and set out to figure out what happened to Indelbed.

I liked storylines 3 and 1 the best. Along the way there are wyrms that the prisoners tame in hopes that one will grow into a dragon to help them escape. There are also djinn airships and submarines and hidden bases in the sky. Djinns don't physically fight amongst themselves any more. Now they engage in legal wrangling that can go on for decades. Breach of contract is their greatest sin.

It is a very hard book to describe. It is one where the pleasure is in the journey, not the destination. In fact, I'm quite annoyed by the end of this book. Mostly I'm annoyed by the lack of ending of this book. Obviously this is set up to have a sequel because the book just stops. Storyline 3 turns in a whole new direction about to have an adventure in the last pages. It isn't even a cliffhanger. It is a "Hey, let's go look at this new thing......" and we're out of pages. The other two stories are likewise incomplete. I actually kept looking for more pages of book because it was just, "Now we are done."This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story ...more

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Oct 20, 2018 Jill rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018reads

Pretty much gonna read anything with djinns these days, thanks to the Djinni & the Golem. This one was fun — better than Alif the Unseen in a more rollicking adventure kind of way, not as good as Golem & the Djinni which is really literary.

But this was super fun (if shallow on the character development end), and: there will be sequels!

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Jul 28, 2018 Paro (Peekabook) rated it it was amazing

When you think about YA fantasy novel. They all fall under the same type. Something terrible is going to happen to this world and then enters the hero to save the day. But what really makes this book different is that there is quite a few number of characters that play a big role throughout this whole book and don’t forget about the Djinns. This is one of the best science fiction and urban fantasy novel I have read in a long time. Saad Z Hossain is a wonderful story teller and the book was able ...more

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Aug 03, 2017 Mehrangez rated it it was amazing

Shelves: epic-win, fantasy, fantasy-urban, spirituality-and-religion, bangladesh, asia

Saad Hossain knocks it out of the park with this, his second novel, a worthy follow-up to the excellent Escape from Baghdad!. This is an epic win: a fun, unique fantasy adventure that will appeal to fans of Tim Powers and China Miéville.

The enjoyably bonkers plot centres around Indelbed, a forlorn Bangladeshi kid growing up in the questionable care of his decrepit, drunk father. They live in a crumbling old house in the chaotic city of Dhaka - and Dhaka grows to be a character in its own right Saad Hossain knocks it out of the park with this, his second novel, a worthy follow-up to the excellent Escape from Baghdad!. This is an epic win: a fun, unique fantasy adventure that will appeal to fans of Tim Powers and China Miéville.

The enjoyably bonkers plot centres around Indelbed, a forlorn Bangladeshi kid growing up in the questionable care of his decrepit, drunk father. They live in a crumbling old house in the chaotic city of Dhaka - and Dhaka grows to be a character in its own right in this novel. (As an aside: As someone from Dhaka, it's freaking delightful for me to read a novel set there.) When he's ten, Indelbed realises his true, supernatural parentage - his mother was a djinn and his drunk loser father in actuality a powerful emissary to the djinn world. And yes, it might sound a little "you're a wizard Harry" for some, but the author takes this trope-y beginning to places that I for one was definitely not expecting.

Hossain's cast of characters is wide and richly drawn (I developed a soft spot for Rais, the spoiled underachiever who becomes reluctant emissary to the djinns) and his plot ranges from Dhaka to London with stops in Siberia and the bottom of the ocean. It's a challenge to build such an intricate fantasy world while still maintaining an emotional connection with the material. So when I say that towards the end of the novel I actually had to set the book aside for a couple of days because I was so emotionally devastated, it's a compliment of the highest order. This book has a heart of darkness beneath the chaos, the wisecracks, the magic and adventure.

Fair warning: it leaves you hanging (and how!) and I wouldn't be surprised if a sequel turned up eventually. I very much hope that this isn't the last time we encounter Indelbed, Rais, Maria & Co.

I wouldn't necessarily recommend this to readers who like their narratives straightforward or who like to see (view spoiler). But to anyone who likes the idea of seeing urban fantasy tropes turned upside down: I'm pretty sure you'll love this. ...more

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Dec 29, 2017 Mike rated it liked it

Shelves: different-fantasy

This is an interesting and enjoyable book that builds a fascinating lore while telling a pretty good story. There's some humor, but I didn't find it as funny as a lot of reviewers apparently did. The biggest knock against this book is that it just ends. Like suddenly stops dead with no resolution. I'm assuming there's a sequel (I haven't been able to find definitive info one way or another), but that would have been nice to know going into it.

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Dec 07, 2017 Johnalexander rated it liked it

Thoroughly recommended.

I really enjoyed this read. A touch of China Miéville and Brandon Sanderson...yet 100% Saad Hossain. Top quality.

I give it a solid 4/5. And, yes, I took away one star for being a cliffhanger...and not being up front about it. Bad Publisher!

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Jan 22, 2018 Isha rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own

Named as one of the Guardian’s best books of the year, Djinn City evokes the supernatural world of djinns who are permeated in the popular imagination either through the cartoons like Aladdin or television series like I Dream of Jeannie where genies are subservient to their human masters or through movies where they are characterized as evil, dark characters whose very existence is to afflict agony and torment humankind. In both the scenarios, their world circles around the human world. However, Named as one of the Guardian’s best books of the year, Djinn City evokes the supernatural world of djinns who are permeated in the popular imagination either through the cartoons like Aladdin or television series like I Dream of Jeannie where genies are subservient to their human masters or through movies where they are characterized as evil, dark characters whose very existence is to afflict agony and torment humankind. In both the scenarios, their world circles around the human world. However, Hossain’s djinns are not run-of-the-mill djinns – they are not cardboard characters with simplistic shades of black or white, good or evil – they operate with aspirations and motives of their own.

An imaginative potpourri of supernatural politics, adventure, science fiction fantasy and ancient war, thrown in with dark humor and satire, Djinn City is set in a modern-day Bangladesh. Opening with a story of Indelbed who lives in a so-called decrepit mansion in Dhaka along with his father, Dr. Kaikobad, the black sheep of the Khan Rahman Clan; the author quickly moves on to introduce the dramatis personae of the Rahman Clan, especially, Rais – the more fortunate cousin of Indelbed who has been raised with all the privileges that come along with the name of Khan Rahman.

As Dr. Kaikobad, ‘a physician as well as a PhD in mathematics, with a near-genius IQ’ who ‘had started life with all the trappings of wealth and success’ but had wasted everything in a few short decades – falls into a magical coma – the world of Indelbed and Rais turns topsy-turvy. The once mythical world of djinns comes alive with all its politics, conspiracy, cunning, and devilry and like his father, Indelbed also falls prey to the scheming and plotting of djinns. Thrown in the murder pit with villainous djinn, Indelbed discovers that he is no less than half-djinn himself. While Indelbed learns a little magic and tips of survival in the murder pit, Rais moves on to become a human emissary to the djinn world. In the meanwhile, Dr. Kaikobad explores another realm altogether – an eternal First City of Gangaridai where the great ancient war is still being fought. As Kaikobad witnesses the ancient war, Rais prepares for the war fast approaching, the war unleashed by some djinns to eradicate humans from the Asian continent to free up some space for the djinns.

Developed with the skill of a master storyteller, the novel is replete with bad-ass djinns, invisible flying machines, dragons nurtured in pits, submarines, supernatural courts and more. The world of djinns is an allegorical representation of the human society – brutal, fickle, selfish, ruthless and cruel – filled with racial hatred for hybrids, divided between conservatives and liberals. However, the greatest achievement of Hossain lies in character development – whether humans or djinns – and the plot which is largely driven by the characters.

Awash with multifaceted characters – from Dr. Kaikobad, a drunkard and a wastrel of human world turns out to be highly respectful in the djinn-dom to Indelbed, a naïve kid who metamorphoses quite literally into a monster to Rais who grows from being an irresponsible kid to the one who carries the heavy task of saving the mankind. Not just the central characters, even the peripheral characters are well molded. Juny, the stone cold aunt is the one who fights for the protection of Indelbed. Likewise, the djinns are fleshed out with intricacy, who though vain and shallow are not simplistic – Givaras the Broken, the Maker – the mad Frankenstein who creates the monster also fights for the survival of the djinns, “They call me Maker…The field is what makes us djinn. So I gave the field to other things. I made djinns…” Bahamut – nihilistic djinn – turns out to be the one who has spent the last ten millennia guarding the door between this world and the other world. Nevertheless, what the novel reveals at the end is a rather pessimistic vision of the world – there are no heroes, only survivors – and even if, some turn out to be heroes, they do not necessarily make it to the finish line.

All in all, a work of great imagination packed with adventure, ample twists and cliff-hangers, Djinn City is a dark fantasy that binds the reader to the end. A real page-turner!

P.S: A review copy of the book had been sent by the publisher in return for an honest and unbiased review

...more

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Apr 13, 2018 Vivek Anandh rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: 400, fiction, owned

When can a fiction be called a success?
I have a simple answer for this. It succeeds only when it succeeds in obeying its own construction of the world. When a fictional work is written the author constructs an artificial world with each word that writes. That world is possessed of its own intrinsic qualities that are unique to it. It does not matter whether you call is a science fiction or not. Every fictional story has its own laws of physics that it must obey. In that world there can be no gra When can a fiction be called a success?
I have a simple answer for this. It succeeds only when it succeeds in obeying its own construction of the world. When a fictional work is written the author constructs an artificial world with each word that writes. That world is possessed of its own intrinsic qualities that are unique to it. It does not matter whether you call is a science fiction or not. Every fictional story has its own laws of physics that it must obey. In that world there can be no gravity if the author wants it that way. But if the author makes an apple to the ground in that world, the fiction fails. This is where most of the stories, how much ever laden it is with potential, simply fails.
This book easily passes that muster. This is a world where magical creatures called Djinns, possessing superhuman abilities, lives amongst us humans. They interact with the external world of humans through their emissaries (a diplomat), for they detest any direct interaction with creatures that are beneath them - humans in fact. They are the ‘chosen’ one, they are made of fire, they are immortal. At least that is what they choose to believe while manipulating the external world of humans with their powers. The artificial construct of the world of Djinns is well thought out with its own such peculiarities and nuances. It is readily believable, for it all makes sense when you find yourself entering into that parallel world slowly and steadily with each passing pages. Most important of all, it obeys its own physics. The author’s imagination succeeds in making you believe in the existence of the Djinns in the world convincingly.
However, it still lacks something else. A fiction cannot merely revel in its success of making you believe in its world. That is only a part of the craft of storytelling. The other part is the story itself. With too many open-ended threads of stories and purposeless characters, this falls short of the mark. The buildup to the climax of the story starts from the very first page, but nothing really moves for three-quarters of the book, leading to a frustrating climax.
The character of Kaikobad, who is introduced as a prime mover in the story has a meandering presence throughout the chapters. Every single Djinn in the book owes a favor or two to him. He is the greatest emissary of all. He is the best of humans that the Djinns have seen. But alas! What purpose does it all serve in the end? He neither plays a role in determining the course of the story nor is he of any use in understanding the world of Djinns in the initial chapters where the world of Djinns is introduced to the readers through the actions taken by other characters to save him from a Djinn induced coma. He does not recover from the coma ever. But we travel with his conscience throughout. We think that the author saves the best for the end of the meal. It is an expectant that is built up that eventually fails stupendously. One cannot be more disappointed.
There are other important characters who do not serve any useful purpose whatsoever. Look at Kaikobad’s son. The useless Indelbed. He is useless both for other characters within the story and for the story itself. The everlasting buildup to his metamorphosis as the dragon is the frustrating of all when it serves no useful purpose other than helping a child criminal to burn the dead bodies to crispy perfection with the powers of being a dragon. Things only get better when he kills other characters, who you think might play a role in the climax, in his mad rampage.
Yes! there are interesting twists and turns in the story and the world buildup that could prove to be a page-turner for many. But the bigger requirement of a better storytelling would not care for it. This is yet another of those ‘could have been great’ stories.

Disappointing! ...more

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Jan 10, 2018 Siddhi Palande rated it it was amazing

We all have heard about Djinns in the folk lore or in horror films but it takes a lot to spine a fantasy around the lore. Saad Z. Hossain's Djinn City is such one-of-a-kind novel. It is published by Aleph Book Co. and is 456 pages long.

The novel begins with focusing on the character Indelbed's disappearance. He is kidnapped by Djinns because he is a half bred. He is trapped in a murder pit where roam dangerous flesh eating beasts. On the other side of the world, Indelbed's aunt, Juny, and his c We all have heard about Djinns in the folk lore or in horror films but it takes a lot to spine a fantasy around the lore. Saad Z. Hossain's Djinn City is such one-of-a-kind novel. It is published by Aleph Book Co. and is 456 pages long.

The novel begins with focusing on the character Indelbed's disappearance. He is kidnapped by Djinns because he is a half bred. He is trapped in a murder pit where roam dangerous flesh eating beasts. On the other side of the world, Indelbed's aunt, Juny, and his cousin, Rais are searching for him. Their search leads them to the mysterious Djinn world. While unraveling the mysteries, the duo come across great many epics that take us to the stone age, ice age and back. They uncover the reality of their family and why Djinn Matteras kidnapped their cousin. In the murder pit, Indelbed has found a mentor in one of the most hated Djinns of Djinndom, Givaras the broken. Givaras is about to create a dragon from a half bred, and innocent Indelbed trusting him, plays along. What more does the story have to lure you, if not the name, you ask? Lots and lots more, I say.

The precision of the pen is evident throughout the novel. One gets to enter the Djinn world like you have never before. It is a breather, a fresh, unread and unheard fantasy.

At one point you do feel that the novel has drawn inspiration from Harry Potter series with characters like Beltrex presented as Djinn. And then there's this whole Djinn universe and the Djinn schooling that Givaras gives to Indelbed.
Language icily slices down the gory events . For instance, "a narrow kiss of red on the Ambassador's white shirt," "he flopped to his side, a thin quantity of blood discreetly watered the grass." And you get to read words like Djinndom and Djinnkind making you believe in this fictional world.

What I loved about the novel was it isn't peculiar. The author offers a pinch of mythology, a slice of adventure, a bit of drama, dash of magic to whisk a story that is magical, alluring yet dark.

When a dancer is told to use the space one understands but here the author uses different dimensions and different universes making a thorough use of his imagination! We travel in the dark dungeons of murder pit, we fly along in Golgoras' aircraft and even take a dip in the ocean to meet Bahamut, yet another Djinn.

If you think Djinns live in a lamp, you are proven wrong by the author. The scientific explanations to the lineage adds more reality to the drama.

All-in-all the novel is enchanting with a wonderful cliffhanger climax which makes me want to read more. Waiting for the second in the series.

Rating 4.5 stars
On the scale of readability it scores 10 on 10. ...more

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Jan 08, 2018 Ashwini Ganesh rated it really liked it

PLOT:
Indelbed is a lonely kid living in a crumbling mansion in super chaotic Dhaka with his father, Dr. Kaikobad. His father is the black sheep of their clan, the once illustrious Khan Rahman family. He is a drunkard and doesn’t allow his son to go to school, and worse, Indelbed knows nothing about his mother except the official cause of her early demise: ‘Death by Indelbed’. But when Dr. Kaikobad falls into a supernatural coma, his relatives confess that Indelbed’s mom was a djinn and his dad w PLOT:
Indelbed is a lonely kid living in a crumbling mansion in super chaotic Dhaka with his father, Dr. Kaikobad. His father is the black sheep of their clan, the once illustrious Khan Rahman family. He is a drunkard and doesn’t allow his son to go to school, and worse, Indelbed knows nothing about his mother except the official cause of her early demise: ‘Death by Indelbed’. But when Dr. Kaikobad falls into a supernatural coma, his relatives confess that Indelbed’s mom was a djinn and his dad was, in fact, a trusted emissary to the djinn world. That makes Indelbed a half-breed, which is rare, and now a hunt is announced with him as prey. His life turns upside down in a day. His relatives decide to move him to a place where he will be safe from the djinns. Things happen and he is kidnapped by a djinn and delivered to a prison, a murder pit. Indelbed’s life changes forever.

Presumed dead, Indelbed’s relatives move on with their lives except his aunt, Juny and cousin, Rais. They set out on a journey to find the truth and find themselves at the centre of a great djinn controversy. What follows is a dark adventure with battle, betrayal, genies, dragon and a lot more magical elements.

CHARACTERS:
Character development is such a huge plus in this book. Indelbed, the protagonist’s transformation from an innocent kid to a monster is done so well. The things he hears and sees changes him, and breaks him. Juny, Indelbed’s aunt is another character I fell in love with. I didn’t like her much in the first few pages but the character took such a turn after a point. The boundaries she breaks to bring Indelbed back makes you respect her. Rais, Indelbed’s cousin, gives up everything in search of the truth behind Indelbed’s disappearance. There are other characters that will make it to your favourites’ list too.

WRITING:
The writing is exquisite. I did learn a lot of new words from this novel. Each chapter describes the events happening with a group of characters. I really liked this approach as it gives you the complete picture, and at the same time you’re not overloaded with information and facts. The truth unfolds beautifully. Till the very end, I did not realise that the story ends in a cliff hanger and I can’t wait for the sequel.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. Its a solid 4-star read, but I wasn’t able to find time to read it without any break, and hence I felt it to be a little lengthy and slow at some places. I highly recommend this book. If you love dark fantasy with adventures then this is the right choice for you. ...more

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Jun 01, 2018 Pauline rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, contemporary-fantasy

Three stars sounds like a moderate, middling review, but in this case, it means I have a sort of love-hate relationship with the story.

I found Djinn City instantly addicting, but I became frustrated with it increasingly as it went along. It's well-written, suspenseful, engrossing, and sometimes hilarious, with a diverse cast of interesting characters and interesting perspectives on social structures and family dynamics, but it gets very dark, much darker than I had bargained for, given the comic Three stars sounds like a moderate, middling review, but in this case, it means I have a sort of love-hate relationship with the story.

I found Djinn City instantly addicting, but I became frustrated with it increasingly as it went along. It's well-written, suspenseful, engrossing, and sometimes hilarious, with a diverse cast of interesting characters and interesting perspectives on social structures and family dynamics, but it gets very dark, much darker than I had bargained for, given the comic tone that pervades much of the writing. In most stories, if you start with a character who's poor, neglected, and helpless, things are going to get better; it's the characters who start out on top of the world who need to get knocked on their asses to make the plot interesting. Djinn City's initial point-of-view character, Indelbed, starts out poor, neglected, and helpless and goes downhill from there. Other characters' plotlines seem to promise more hope, but ultimately disappoint. The story is in many ways elegantly done, but to my tastes, unsatisfying. If I want to confront hopeless situations, I'll read news, not fantasy. Just my personal preference; your mileage may vary.

Also, the ending left me unsatisfied; on one hand, it seemed so unsettled that I half expect to find this is Part 1 of 3; on the other, the situation at the end doesn't seem to have much room left for anything satisfying to emerge in a sequel. (Sorry for the vagueness; trying to avoid spoilers.)

The book is not what it seems to be, in many ways. For starters, the cover blurb makes it sound like either middle grades or teen fantasy, sort of a what-to-read-after-Harry-Potter choice. This is decidedly NOT a children's book; although it begins with a 10-year-old point-of-view character, Indelbed, the story quickly zooms ahead ten years in time; also, Indelbed is not the only point-of-view character, and all the rest are adults from page 1 on. The subject matter includes not only kid-inappropriate topics (sexual blackmail, horrific violence) but complex philosophical and scientific discussions that seem to call for adult readership.

In most ways the story seems to be fantasy, with magicians and djinni; but it's arguably science fiction, as it elaborately invents details of djinn genetics to account for the evolution of this rare species of hominid.

It's an interesting mix of disparate elements. I'm not sure what to make of it. If there's a sequel, I'm not sure whether I'll grab it off the shelf or pass it up. ...more

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May 25, 2018 Tshepiso rated it liked it

Shelves: adult-novels

3.5 stars

Djinn City was a book with a solid beginning, fantastic middle, and lackluster end. I'm so disapointed that it didn't live up to all that was set up to be.

There was a lot to love about this book. I loved the writing this book. Hossain's writing style was convoluted at times (I did look up plenty of words while reading it) but the choice of pretentious diction created a charming tone reminiscent of Claire North's The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August. Every excessively fancy word used ...more

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Oct 06, 2018 Jessie rated it liked it

I rounded down from a 3.5 stars because of the number of issues I had with a book whose storyline I often found engaging.

About a young boy who is half-djinn, his family, and really, all of djinn-dom and the fate of the human race, I found myself hooked about halfway through the book. And then! The end of the book was so abrupt with so little resolution I can’t tell if the author couldn’t figure out how to finish the book, or if he was hoping to get to write a sequel (which was one of my critici ...more

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Feb 13, 2019 Sarah Haque rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, owned, thriller

It started off great. Khan Rahman family faces a disaster when one of the family members fell into a coma without any apparent reason. Dr. Kaikobad lived quite a lonely life anyway, with his son and butler at an old house at Wari.Some rumours are confirmed and their lives started to revolve around djinns.

The concept is new and it's not conventional paranormal stuff. It was more like a sci-fi in a cover of a fantasy, that's a heads up beforehand.

The plot and world building is remarkable in one ...more

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