Cairo at the turn of the last century. It's a place of wonder, full of alchemy and magic, fanciful machinery, and even Djinn living among us. It has not always been like this, it was only due to the mythical Al-Jahiz that the portal to the other world was opened and since these events about forty years ago the world was never quite the same. Only a group of colonialist foreigners seem to remember now, the Hermetic Brotherhood of Al-Jahiz.

From the very first page I loved to immerse myself in the enchanting world of A Master of Djinn. The story opens with occult mass murder and quickly turns into detective mystery as we follow Fatma el-Sha'arawi of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities as she tries to uncover what dark forces are behind the puzzling deaths. For obvious reasons my mind quickly jumped to Agatha Christie, only that P. Djèlí Clark spices things up with steampunk technology and fantastic imagery.

I think to many readers, the city of Cairo will appear quite exotic, not the least because of how skillfully foreign terms are interwoven into the descriptions of places and events. Before getting used to it, it forces you to slow down a bit – personally, I liked to use the Kindle's dictionary function to read up on things – but it rewards you with the feeling of drinking relaxing shai to escape the busy streets. It's wonderful.

As is the pacing in this book. It's a very cinematic experience, with many scenes appearing spectacularly on your mental screen. As when very early on a Djinn emerges from the bottle that held him for the past centuries. It's not the most original moments of genre fiction, yet the peculiar circumstances make it very entertaining to read. From here on expect many events of similar grandeur.

The character portrayal is certainly not as strong as the world-building. I think here too the novel is very reminiscent of blockbuster movies. Personalities are defined more by recognizable idiosyncrasies than by any potential to surprise. When asked to describe our main protagonist, Fatma, most people would probably point out that she likes to dress well and that she was very capable to get her way in male-dominated spaces. She's involved with someone, and the fun dynamics of their relationship often liven up some scenes. Don't expect in-depth or heartwarming romance, though.

I'm very of two minds about the main villain. I thought in the opening act Al-Jahiz was a very powerful symbol. However, the way the investigation is going his true identity becomes painfully obvious even to the less astute reader. To be honest, I was genuinely surprised when the reveal turned out to be exactly what you expected all along. At that point the character becomes overdrawn to a degree that borders ridicule.

Which is not to say that the over-the-top climax wasn't fun to read. It wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, but if indeed it had been a night at the movies on some hot summer day I would have left the cinema gleeful and satisfied. What remained with me is the memory of a place that makes me feel all warm and happy inside.

Rating: 4/5