A Master of Djinn (Dead Djinn Universe, #1) in Beyond Reality

Aug 22, 2021 Jeffrey rated it really liked it

Shelves: private-investigation, fantasy, angels, magic, female-hero, djinns, lgbtq, read-in-2021, djinn

The best type of fantasies are those that set you into a new world fully imagined and grand.

Clark's worldbuilding of a magical Egypt steampunk or not is enough to entice this reader. Throw in a murder mystery, a smart likable protagonist, her lover and partner and enough Djinns, Madrids, illusions and fireworks.

This book captured my attention.

It may have flaws, but special kudos for an author pushing the envelope to capture a different time and dimension.

...more

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Dec 02, 2022 Natalie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

I picked this book up because it was November's fantasy read for Beyond Reality book club. I had high expectations because it was a nominee for Goodreads Fantasy book of 2021. It wasn't until I was about three quarters through that I could see why people liked it.
The story follows Fatma, a special investigator with the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, who is sent to investigate the mysterious deaths of Lord Worthington and 23 members of his secret society of I picked this book up because it was November's fantasy read for Beyond Reality book club. I had high expectations because it was a nominee for Goodreads Fantasy book of 2021. It wasn't until I was about three quarters through that I could see why people liked it.
The story follows Fatma, a special investigator with the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, who is sent to investigate the mysterious deaths of Lord Worthington and 23 members of his secret society of Brotherhood. A mysterious man had appeared, declared himself al-Jahiz (a long dead sorcerer), and burned everyone from the inside out.
Fatma, who is used to working alone, is paired with a partner, Hadia, who is persistent and hard working. Also, woven seamlessly into the story is Fatma's relationship with her girlfriend Siti who is religious and a strong fighter.
Fatma, Hadia, and Siti search for clues and investigate quite a few leads which has them meet the Worthington children (Alexander and Abigail), Ahmed (a crocodile like man who lost his wife), the Forty Leopards (a group of female thieves), Rami (a knowledgeable book seller), the council of higher Angels (a powerful group of god like creatures), the king of Cairo, and other various people and creatures as well as al-Jahiz.
The creatures and supernatural beings in this story have the ability to create illusions, which for much of the story, fool Fatma and Hadia. As they dig deeper and get some help (from Rami, Dr. Hoda, the forensics specialist, and Zagros, the librarian) they put together the clues. Also complicating the search, some key Djinn (magical creatures with various powers) have been forced to be silent about who al-Jahiz is.
The story culminates in a grand battle with the imposter (al-Jahiz), all the Djinn, the Ifrit King (lord of the dead), the Nine Lords, and Rakh. The imposter, for a time, wields the Seal of Sulayman (a powerful ring that allows the wearer power over the Djinn). However, the ring needs to be controlled by someone who is pure to realize it's full power. So despite the unique setting, there are some familiar tropes.
I like that this story is set in Cairo in the late 1800s; it's very original. However the book is full of foods, clothing, creatures, weapons, etc in either Egyptian or pre-Islamic terms with little explanation of what they are. Some of the creatures are explained over the story so I got a better sense of who they are. But I had to look up most of them to understand what they were in myth (the Djinn, Ifrit, Rakh). And it's a soft magic system so I was unclear who had the power to do what until they showed their various powers. The final battle especially had me confused because I wasn't sure what the difference was between the Angels, the Djinn, the Ifrit, and the Nine Lords.
The story is action packed and the characters likable. I just felt the cultural and mythological elements were not well explained. ...more

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Dec 17, 2021 Richard rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, ebook, sffbc, sffbc-challenge-8

Clever and very entertaining. Middle Eastern Steampunk with a heart and lots of action.

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May 24, 2021 Jenny T rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, read-in-2021

So that was awesome. A paranormal mystery set in 1912 an alternate Cairo where the Egyptians triumphed over the English thanks to intervention by the Djinn, who now live among them. Exactly as fun as it sounds!

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