Novella Review – A Dead Djinn in Cairo (Fatma el-Sha’arawi, Book 1) by P. Djèlí Clark (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Steampunk
Length: 45 pages
Publisher: Tor Books
Release Date: May 18, 2016
ASIN : B01DJ0NALI
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Fatma el-Sha’arawi series
Source: Bought for Kindle
Rating: 5/5 stars
“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.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Fatma el-Sha’arawi series. Right now there are two novellas in this series with a third planned to be published in 2021. I bought this as an ebook for my Kindle.
Story (5/5): This was an amazingly entertaining story. Fatma is a woman employed with the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities in Cairo. What starts off as an odd case of a Djinn committing suicide ends up as a potentially world-ending event. This story was so much fun, was fast-paced and packed in a great mystery, wonderful action, and a lot of steampunky goodness.
Characters (5/5): I loved the characters here. Fatma el-Sha’arawi with her perfectly tailored suits and oddly down to earth attitude was incredibly entertaining. I just wanted to keep reading more about her. I enjoyed her stodgy old partner as well and many of the other characters we came across. There are a ton of interesting characters in here from Fatma herself, to a fun assassin, ghouls, djinns, and bizarre clockwork angels.
Setting (5/5): The setting was spectacular. I love that this is set in Cairo in Victorian times; it’s very exotic (to parrot Fatma) and adventurous. The way Cairo was turned into an exotic steampunk world was incredibly well done. The world-building is amazing and I cannot say enough how entertaining, exciting, and just plain fun this setting was.
Writing Style (5/5): This is my favorite kind of novella, there is so much story, world, and character built into this slim novel. I never had any trouble picturing things, everything is very well described. The writing flowed beautifully, I loved the characters, and the mystery was fascinating. I am honestly in awe of how much entertaining story was packed in here. As soon as I finished it I was immediately sad that it was over and desperate to read more about this world and these characters. I seriously hope that this series continues to grow for many years!
My Summary (5/5): Overall I absolutely loved this. I am a huge steampunk fan and this is the best steampunk story I have read in some time. I love how well balanced everything is here; you have a great mystery, lots of action, intriguing characters, great dialogue, and a fascinating world. I am just in awe of how much was packed into this slim novel and at how thoroughly I enjoyed it. Highly recommended to those who enjoy exotic settings with an excellent mystery, quirky characters and a lot of action.
