A Master of Djinn

Summary

Taking place in a turn of the 19th century Egypt that hasn’t been colonized by Egypt, the world is now populated not just by humans but by supernatural entities, including the titular djinn. The man who joined our world to the supernatural, Al-Jahiz, disappeared 30 years ago, leaving these entities to co-exist in his wake. Fatma, an agent at the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, has been tasked with tracking down someone claiming to be Al-Jahiz resurrected after the murder of 29 members of an elite and conspiratorial social club who were bent on bringing Al-Jahiz back from the dead.

What follows is a cinematic procession of twists and turns as the murders evolve into a plot for world domination.

Thoughts

A compelling world, but with a plot that feels like Men in Black put into a blender and replacing aliens with supernatural entities. Feels a bit like a screenplay, and the plot moves like a movie.