A Master of Djinn

by P. Djèlí Clark, Rebeca Cardeñoso, Sofía Sanz · 2021

In an alternate 1912 Cairo where steam dirigibles share the sky with jinn, angels, and secret cults, Fatma el‑Sha’arawi is the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities’ youngest and most daring agent. Fresh from averting a cosmic catastrophe, she is summoned when a clandestine brotherhood devoted to the legendary al‑Jahiz is incinerated by a mysterious fire. The killer claims to be al‑Jahiz himself— the mystic who tore open the veil between magic and the mundane four decades earlier and vanished without a trace. As his alleged return sparks riots and threatens to spill beyond Egypt’s borders, Fatma must navigate a labyrinth of political intrigue, ancient sorcery, and personal ghosts. With the help of her eclectic colleagues and a figure from her past, she races to uncover whether the impostor is a dangerous charlatan or the very figure history thought lost, before Cairo’s streets become a battlefield for a new age of magic.