eBook, 32 pages
English language
Published May 17, 2016 by Tom Doherty Associates.
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.
Nice little noir-style story set in an intriguing, complex urban fantasy world. The scope of the story and the richness of the setting would have merited a bit more length. I'm looking forward to the other stories set in this world (my book club will read "Master of Djinn" later this year).
Love the alternate universe revealed here, with Cairo and Egypt becoming a major world power, likely due to the discovery of Djinn leading to a boom in innovation. Granted, this is a short story, so much of the how Cairo got to where it is, is not discussed. That said, the murder of the Djinn of course leads to a major conspiracy that our intrepid police detective must unravel. The book is filled with strong female protagonists and characters and a world that has had the breath of life and magic breathed into it. Definitely recommend if you like speculative fiction of this type.
A lovely amuse bouche for Clark's steampunk Cairo stories, which has certainly left me wanting more of Fatma and of this world.
