A Master of Djinn

Abstract

A Master of Djinn is a novel set in Cairo in 1912 and follows protagonist Fatma el-Sha’arawi, the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. When, fifty years before, the mystic called al-Jahiz opened the Kaf, the door into the realm of the djinn, the world was changed forever and now the beings from that realm populate the city of Cairo, bringing with them a world of wonders. After his disappearance, a group of people formed the Hermetic Brotherhood of al-Jahiz in the hopes of uncovering the secrets behind the mystic’s wisdom, as it was said that these secrets would bring peace to the world. However, during one of the meetings, a being claiming to be al-Jahiz himself murdered the members of the brotherhood, starting a case that Fatma must investigate and solve. The investigation leads Fatma through the streets of Cairo, where she sees the wonders of this modern world, like the steam engines or the tram cars that leave electric bolts in their wake. The sky is also populated by airships with multiple propellers. In every corner of Cairo can be found machines with boilerplate parts, aeronautic motors, and gas-powered machines. It is amid this industrial world that Fatma must find the mysterious assassin that could either be the notorious al-Jahiz or someone pretending to be him.