A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P Djeli Clark

A Dead Djinn in Cairo (Fatma el-Sha’arawi, #0.5)

by P. Djèlí Clark

Alex Award-winning author P. Djèlí Clark, A Dead Djinn in Cairo is a Tor.com original historcal fantasy set in an alternate early twentieth century infused with the otherworldly.

Egypt, 1912. In Cairo, 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 a plot that could unravel time itself.

Reviewed by jamiereadthis on

4 of 5 stars

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I did the audiobook this time, because I wanted a fun comfort re-read while switching up the format and context. Suehyla El-Attar does a fabulous job. Without the direct comparison to Hamed and Onsi, the story could stand on its own, which is a thing it does well.

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Original review, January 2020:

More great world-building, but sue me, I like Hamed and Onsi more as protagonists— can’t beat comical and hapless. Fatma is great, though, and I’m still subscribing to anything set in this universe.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 5 January, 2020: Finished reading
  • 5 January, 2020: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 5 January, 2020: Reviewed