A Dead Djinn in Cairo

P. Djèlí Clark
A Dead Djinn in Cairo Cover

A Dead Djinn in Cairo

kcarlson1152
8/27/2017
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I enjoyed this short steampunk murder mystery and I must admit it was nice to read a non-Western European steampunk story. The Egyptian setting gave a warmth that is missing from a genre often set amidst underground tunnels and pea-soup fogs. Also, the meshing of the old ways and "modern" word that is present in Egypt today was also incorporated into this setting which made it feel more authentic (a man riding a donkey amidst the steampunk conveyances, the city slum located in the ancient City of the Dead, the wide variety of clothing, the Muslim & Coptic authorities integrating their faiths into this strange new world).

The plot was well paced and the denouement fit the story well. I must say that the big bad seemed like an echo of Lovecraft's Cthulhu and Great Old Ones which works well for the setting but threw me a little as a reader. This story stood nicely on its own but I would like to read more stories or novels set in this universe since it has so much potential.