Monday, May 30, 2016

A Dead Djinn in Cairo, by P. Djeli Clark

[Single]
★★★☆☆ Average

(Historical Fantasy; A Dead Djinn in Cairo Universe) In 1912 Cairo, the police investigate the apparent murder of an immortal Djinn. (12,557 words; Time: 41m)

Recommended By: 👍BASFF.hm+1 (Q&A)


"," by (edited by Diana Pho), published on by .

Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)

Review: 2016.515 (A Word for Authors)

Pro: A nice detective story, neatly wrapped up at the end with a good fight scene. Dialog and narration are both excellent.

Con: The story was a bit predictable; once the first two dead bodies were found, it was clear which glyphs they matched and therefore who the next one would be. The investigator doesn't really solve anything; she's given the solution by Merira. And the idea of stopping the clock to stop the apocalypse was so obvious one wonders why there was any hesitation at all about attacking it at once.

Other Reviews: Search Web, Browse Review Sites (Issue 05/18/16)
P. Djèlí Clark Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline

Follow RSR on Twitter, Facebook, RSS, or E-mail.

2 comments (may contain spoilers):

  1. I thought this was a 4-star story myself. If you liked the main character, she makes an appearance at the end of The Haunting of Tram Car 015. Same world, time and setting as this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd at least give it an honorable mention if I were reviewing it today. I wonder if there's going to be a longer work in the same world?

      Delete