#P Djeli Clark

[novelconcepts]

Another year, another absurd amount of books read (296, because if I wasn't reading or writing this year, my brain was on fire). I was asked again for my top books of the year, so here we go: 2023's top 10, in no particular order.

This was the first book I read of the year--literally, vacated the hangout with my wife and sibling-in-laws to sit on their couch upstairs and eat through it. Do you love The Fall of the House of Usher, but wish for a nonbinary protagonist and a lot more mushrooms? This is the book for you! (T. Kingfisher is fucking rad, I made a concerted effort to only list ONE of her books on here, but honorable mention goes to The Twisted Ones for fucking me upppp.)

A gay, post-apocolyptic Pinocchio retelling involving copious robots, found family elements, and a cool-ass treehouse. Klune always hits for me with his unrepentant queer family dynamics and sense of humor. Honorable mention to the first two in the Green Creek series (although that's got a lot more...adult elements in among the werewolves, you've been warned).

I thiiiink I found this through The Homo Schedule podcast (PSA: if you missed out on Jasmin Savoy Brown and Liv Hewson doing a podcast together, now you know better), and it wrecked my shit. Tons of trigger warnings, as this is a memoir about abuse within a queer relationship, but it's so beautifully written. I personally suggest listening to the audiobook first, then standing anxiously behind someone at a book warehouse sale, hoping they'll set down the only paperback copy so you can swipe it.

A fantastical-historical reimagining in which the KKK is filled with literal monsters, and Black women are resistance fighters armed to take them out. Visceral and intense, and truly an excellent horror story.

Just. Such a soft time travel story about a daughter and her father and cherishing the time you get with loved ones. I was thoroughly unprepared for how lovely I found this one. It's very kind.

Spooky house, take-no-shit redhead, protective sibling elements, bisexual recluse with a sword who really just needs a nap. I haven't found a Harrow book yet I haven't slapped five stars on. She's so good at character and atmosphere, and I'm always surprised at how fast her stories race by.

The whole Daevabad trilogy (of which this is the first book) is just magical. A girl from the mortal world finds herself embroiled with the centuries-long prejudices and wars of djinn in a fantastical city. It's one of the rare stories of its kind that does have a love triangle, but doesn't feel like a love triangle; it's far less interested in the insufferable "who gets picked" than it is in the actual horrors these people are both perpetrating and coping with. It's an intoxicating ride.

Fuck You, TERFS: the book. Given that fact, there's obviously quite a lot of transphobia to deal with, but it's very clear that those people are wrong, and it's a super-engaging (and super-oh-god-what-comes-next) witchy time populated with queer, protective, interesting characters I'm excited to see again in the follow-up.

Have you ever wanted a haunted house story with visceral imagery and a rather lovely twist? Gailey has you covered. As much as I enjoyed The Echo Wife, I think I actually loved this one more, and it makes me so excited to see what else they've got up their sleeve.

One of my final reads for the year, when I was just churning through hardcovers at the speed of sound. I love this book. I recognize it won't be for everyone, but it takes so much of what I love about IT (one of my all-time favorite books, despite its flaws) and twists it through the lens of an author who escaped the Mormon church. It's horrific, it's fantastically abstract in places, it explores childhood and memory, imagination and abuse, and almost every character is queer. It's a great "I simply cannot sleep until I've finished" read.

#long post #book recs #t kingfisher #tj klune #carmen maria machado #p djeli clark #emma straub #alix e harrow #s.a. chakraborty #juno dawson #sarah gailey #kiersten white #plenty of others could go on this list as well but i figured i'd keep it to ten this time around #still can't believe i read just shy of 300 books in a year #bonus shoutout to the animorphs series all of which is out on audiobook now (the main books anyway) #and which honestly really do hold up well

[bookcub]

Book Rec of Djinn . . .Jinn. .. Jinni. . .

Rated on how likely the jinn would be my friend

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah- Qadir is the jinn with the largest role and I cannot decide if he would find me mildly amusing or mildly annoying. Either way, he would probably not be talkative and not view me as a threat or a priority.

5/10

The Daevabad Trilogy by SA Chakraborty- While the term djinn is a controversial one in this world, there are plenty of djinn to choose from. Nahri might be my friend, if she didn't see me as an easy mark (which is very likely). I would very much enjoy her company if she didn't have her defenses up. Ali would probably find me interesting as a human and ask me a mixture of interesting and boring questions. Both would care if I died, unlike Dara, who wouldn't care if he accidentally caused my death.

6/10

A Master of Djinn by P Djeli Clark- I don't want to cause any spoilers but our main djinn would absolutely find me adorable, if not easily manipulated. We could definitely have a few fun nights for sure.

7/10

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi- Alizah would 1000% defend me with her life and successfully save it, but I am uncertain how receptive she would be to friendship, considering how guarded she is. I, however, would absolutely put in the effort for her.

7.5/10

An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir- If I remember book two correctly, I would absolutely never become friends with this jinn. And I think they would actively want to kill me.

0/10

The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker - Ahmed would not be friends with me and be very very rude to me, although he would not kill me. I would rather be friends with Chava, the golem instead. We would be besties.

1/10

Nayra and the Djinn by Iasmin Omar Ata-

Majan is a delight and I think we are likely to get along fairly well, although certainly not to the extent Nayra and Marjan have bonded. But we could tell each other stories and reignite some of the spark in each other's lives, encouraging exploration and connection. A fun and emotional time!!

8/10

#the daevabad trilogy #the stardust thief #the golem and the jinni #nayra and the djinn #an ember in the ashes #this woven kingdom #a master of djinn #tahereh mafi #Chelsea abdullah #sabaa tahir #sa chakraborty #p djeli clark #helene wecker #iasmin omar ata #my book recs #djinn #jinni

[augustinajosefina]

A request

Please suggest books to me! Preferably in the glove kink/lesbian space atrocities, urban fantasy or dark academia genres but I'll happily try any SF/fantasy at least once.

So far I've read and loved:

Before 2023

The Imperial Radch (Ancillary Justice/Sword/Mercy) - Ann Leckie

Jean le Flambeur (The Quantum Thief/The Fractal Prince/The Causal Angel) - Hannu Rajaniemi

The Windup Girl/The Water Knife - Paolo Bagicalupi

Memory of Water/The City of Woven Streets - Emmi Itäranta

2023

The Locked Tomb (Gideon/Harrow/Nona the Ninth) - Tamsyn Muir

The Masquerade (Traitor/Monster/Tyrant Baru Cormorant) - Seth Dickinson

Teixcalaan series (A Memory Called Empire/A Desolation Called Peace) - Arkady Martine

Machineries of Empire (Ninefox Gambit/Raven Stratagem/Revenant Gun/Hexarchate Stories) - Yoon Ha Lee

The Murderbot Diaries (All Systems Red to System Collapse) - Martha Wells

The Broken Earth (The Fifth Season/The Obelisk Gate/The Stone Sky) - N. K. Jemisin

Klara And The Sun - Kazuo Ishiguro

Xuya universe (The Citadel of Weeping Pearls/The Tea Master and the Detective/Seven of Infinities plus short stories) - Aliette de Bodard

This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

The Goblin Emperor/The Witness for the Dead/Grief of Stones - Katherine Addison

Some Desperate Glory - Emily Tesh

2024

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue - V. E. Schwab

The Craft Sequence (Three Parts Dead/Two Serpents Rise/Full Fathom Five/Last First Snow/Four Roads Cross/Ruin of Angels) - Max Gladstone

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution - R. F. Kuang

The Luminous Dead - Caitlin Starling

Last Exit - Max Gladstone

Dead Country - Max Gladstone

Read and liked:

The Moonday Letters - Emmi Itäranta

Great Cities (The City We Became/The World We Make) - N. K. Jemisin

Piranesi - Susanna Clarke

Autonomous - Annalee Newitz

Dead Djinn universe (A Master of Djinn/The Haunting of Tram Car 015/A Dead Djinn in Cairo/The Angel of Khan el-Khalili) - P. Djèlí Clark

Even Though I Knew the End - C. L. Polk

Station Eternity - Mur Lafferty

The Mythic Dream - Dominik Parisien & Navah Wolfe

Shades of Magic (A Darker Shade of Magic/A Gathering of Shadows/A Conjuring of Light/Fragile Threads of Power) - V. E. Schwab

The Stars Are Legion - Kameron Hurley

Ninth House/Hell Bent - Leigh Bardugo

Machine - Elizabeth Bear

Our Wives Under the Sea - Julia Armfield

She Is A Haunting - Trang Thanh Tran

Was uncertain about:

Light From Uncommon Stars - Ryka Aoki

The Kaiju Preservation Society - John Scalzi

Paladin's Grace - T. Kingfisher

The House in the Cerulean Sea - TJ Klune

In the Vanishers Palace - Aliette de Bodard

And read and disliked:

To Be Taught, if Fortunate - Becky Chambers

A Psalm for the Wild-Built - Becky Chambers

The Priory of the Orange Tree - Samantha Shannon

The Calculating Stars - Mary Robinette Kowal

The Space Between Worlds - Micaiah Johnson

How High We Go in the Dark - Sequoia Nagamatsu

Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo

(My pride insists I add that I have, in fact, read other books as well. Just to be clear.)

#books #lesbian space atrocities #imperial radch #ann leckie #locked tomb series #the masquerade #baru cormorant #seth dickinson #teixcalaan series #arkady martine #machineries of empire #yoon ha lee #the murderbot diaries #martha wells #broken earth trilogy #nk jemisin #tamsyn muir #this is how you lose the time war #the goblin emperor #katherine addison #aliette de bodard #annalee newitz #paolo bagicalupi #some desperate glory #emily tesh #hannu rajaniemi #a master of djinn #p djeli clark #max gladstone #craft sequence

[coffeenonsense]

Can't believe it took me so long to start reading a master of djinn Fatma el-Sha'arawi is the most character ever. She's a magic investigator. She wears colorful suits and a bowler hat to fight magical crime. She gets flustered by her badass girlfriend, who wears lioness claws and regularly breaks into her house. She loves jazz. She carries a SWORD CANE. I'm actively in love with her.

#a master of djinn #p djeli clark #fatma el-sha'arawi #okay i love her #everyone should read this book

[desdasiwrites]

"You! You can’t just walk in here! This is a crime scene!”

“That would explain the dead bodies, then,” she replied. He blinked dumbly, and she sighed. Wasting good sarcasm was annoying.

– P. Djèlí Clark, A Master of Djinn

#book quote of the day #p djeli clark #a master of djinn #steampunk #historical fiction #fantasy #djinns #Fatma el-Sha’arawi #queer representation #award winning books #Cairo #Egypt #supernatural themes #book quotes #book recommendations

[haveyoureadthishorrorbookpoll]

Have you read...

In America, demons wear white hoods. In 1915, The Birth of a Nation cast a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring Hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die. Standing in their way is Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foul-mouthed sharpshooter and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to Hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on Hell is about to heat up. Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?

submit a horror book!

#Ring Shout #P. Djèlí Clark #p djeli clark #horror books #horrorbookpoll #horror #bookblr #books #thriller books #historical fiction #novella #black horror #black literature #lovecraftian #fantasy horror

[layaart]

spiderverse meme but with Fatma and Hadia

#a master of djinn #p djeli clark #p. djèlí clark #Fatma el-Sha'arawi #listen. i love them #art #books #dead djinn universe #apparently it's on sale in the US kindle store today! get it #2022 fanart

[moonshinemagpie]

60 short stories in 30 days: Was it worth it?

What I didn’t learn:

1. How to Write a Short Story

One of my main goals in reading short stories was to become better at writing them. The thing that holds me back is envisioning satisfying endings for my stories. Unlike novels, short stories often end on an unresolved discordant note that should nevertheless feel meaty enough for the reader to ponder. I struggle with that a lot, and reading 60 short stories quickly didn’t get me any closer to the end of my own short story.

But the foundational goal of “reading challenges” is to expand my reading in directions it wouldn’t otherwise go, but which enrich my life and thoughts. In that regard, the 30SFF challenge was very successful.

Keep reading for the 5 things I did learn, plus recommended reads.

#writeblr #writing #short story #short stories #shirley jackson #p djeli clark #clarkesworld #uncanny magazine #sff #literary fiction #horror #kazuo ishiguro

[kansouame]

Ring Shout

- P. Djeli Clark

#ring shout #p djeli clark #excellent book #recommend

[ofliterarynature]

April 2022 Wrap Up

Total Titles Read: 12

Favorite Reads: Ancillary Sword by Anne Leckie, A Star Shall Fall by Marie Brennan, The Affair of the the Mysterious Letter by Alexis Hall

Rereads: The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard

Bookclub: Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan

I’ve limited myself to only 3 “favorites” per month, but I would like to give a genuine shout-out to both A Master of Djinn and The Perks of Loving a Wallflower for both being wonderful reads as well! And Brennan’s Onyx Court series??? First book aside, they’ve been *so* fascinating, the third book made me cry and I suspect the last one (I’m almost finished!) will as well. And 5 stars to HOTE as always, it took me longer this time but was just as fantastic 💕

[goodreads]

#book log #2022 #wrap up #books #bec posts #p djeli clark #a master of djinn #imperial radch #Anne Leckie #Alexis hall #Marie Brennan #onyx court #the perks of loving a wallflower #the hands of the emperor #victoria goddard #wrap up 2022

[tigger8900]

A Master of Djinn, by P. Djèlí Clark

⭐⭐⭐⭐

It's 1912 in Cairo: colonial powers have been rebuked by the return of magic to the world, clockwork and airships are the height of technology, and every single member of a secret brotherhood has just been murdered. A mysterious figure claiming to be al-Jahiz — the man responsible for the resurgence of magic 40 years ago — returned openly claims responsibility, and preaches a new revolution. Fatma el-Sha'arawi — an agent with the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities — must discover the imposter's true identity and put a stop to his true plans, whatever they might be.

This started off slow, but by the end I couldn't put it down. The layers of deception and mesmerization, not to mention the foreshadowing of such, were very well done. While a few short stories and a novella have been previously published in this universe, you don't have to have read them to understand A Master of Djinn. The one thing you might have trouble with is the Angels. I don't really understand what they were. I'm also not convinced that reading the previously published material would have shed any more light on that, as I think they're supposed to be a bit unknowable.

Unfortunately, I found the steampunk setting to be underutilized. I believe it might have played a significantly larger role in the previous stories set in the universe, but in this novel the focus was largely elsewhere. It's a shame too, because we all know about steampunk London, but I was really looking forward to steampunk Cairo.

I really appreciated the dynamic between Fatma and her work partner Hadia, especially how their relationship grew over the course of the story. Most of the mysteries I've read lately have had the detective working mostly inside their own head, and it was refreshing to see a well-executed foil, even if it was reluctant at first!

This is the second P. Djèlí Clark story I've read, and I'm noticing a few patterns. First, his wry skewering of colonialism and white people who are being ignorant is very appreciated, and utilized well in this novel. And second, he seems to have a thing for writing women in sexual relationships with other women. To be clear I don't have any complaint with how they were written here, but if you're someone who avoids sapphic content written by men on principle, be advised.

#books #book review #p. djèlí clark #p djeli clark #a master of djinn #dead djinn universe #steampunk #historical fantasy #alternate history #afrofantasy

[doormouseetcappendix]

My Summer Audiobook Log pt 10

The Trees (2021) by Percival Everett read by Bill Andrew Quinn

Moon Witch, Spider King (2022) by Marlon James read by Bahni Turpin

Rosewater (2016) by Tade Thompson read by Bayo Gbadamosi

Peaces (2021) by Helen Oyeyemi read by Ben Allen, Intae Kim, Deana Taheri, Rosa Escorda, and Deepti Gutpa

Sorrowland (2021) by Rivers Solomon read by Karen Chilton 

Noor (2021) by Nnedi Okorafor read by Dele Ogundiran

Flowers From The Sea (2021) by Zin E. Rocklyn read by Amina Koroma

The Black God’s Drums (2018) by P. Djelia Clark read by Chani Waites

The Memory Librarian & And Other Stories Of Dirty Computer (2022) by Janelle Monae, Alaya Dawn, Danny Lore, Eve L. Ewing, Yohanca Delgado, and Sheree Renee Thomas. Read by Janelle Monae and Bahni Turpin. 

Black Stars: A Galaxy Of New Worlds (2022) by Chimamanada Ngozi Adiche, Nnedi Okorafor, Nisi Shawl, C.T. Rwizi, Nalo Hopkinson, and Victor LaValle. Read by Levar Burton, Naomi Ackie, Nyambi Nyambi, Indya Moore, Brian Tyree Henry 

#books #novels #afroturusim #afrosurrealism #horror #sci fi #black speculative fiction #african futurism #short stories #anthologies #new books #2022 #percival everett #marlon james #tade thompson #helen oyeyemi #rivers solomon #nnedi okorafor #p djeli clark #zin e rocklyn #janelle monae #alaya dawn #danny lore #eve l. ewing #yohanca delgado #sheree renee thomas #chimamanda ngozi adichie #nisi shawl #ct rwizi #nalo hopkinson

[girlzoot]

Sadie waves her off. “White folk don’t care ’bout pepper and spices. Like they food bland as water.”

---P Djeli Clark/Ring Shout

#spices #white folk #bland #Ring Shout #p djeli clark

[tinynavajoreads]

P. Djèlí Clark's The Angel of Khan el-Khalili read by LeVar Burton. And story of forgiveness and the weight of guilt set in a world where angels and jinn alike live among men. Give it a listen and let me know what you think.

#p djeli clark #the angel of khan el-khalili #levar burton #audio #reading #novella #a dead jinn in cairo

[wearethekat]

October Book Reviews: The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P Djeli Clark

Picked this one up from the library, since I’ve had pretty good luck with tordotcom novellas. In an alternate universe Cairo with djinn magic, bureaucrat  Hamed al-Nasr investigates the titular haunting of Tram Car 015-- which given his pitiful funding, might prove a tough nut to crack. 

Verdict: this has a fantastic and fascinating setting. Egypt free of colonialism a hundred years early! The women’s suffrage movement! The integration of djinn into society! However, I didn’t find the main character particularly sympathetic or compelling. Which tells me I really ought to go read A Master of Djnn, set as it is in the same universe except with a butch lesbian investigator protagonist. Making a note of that, rather hopelessly, since this book is cursed for me (don’t ask how many times I’ve returned it to the library unread).

#my book reviews #october book reviews #p djeli clark #the haunting of tram car 015

[thechanelmuse]

My Book Review

A Master of Djinn is a fantasy, murder mystery set in a 1912 steampunk world of Cairo, where our protagonist, Famita el-Sha’arawi, is the youngest investigator at the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, but not a rookie when it comes to the field. 

This was one of my most anticipated books that I kept putting off to crack open at the right moment. A Master of Djinn starts off great. It’s witty, weaves in alternate history, the premise is fun, and the world building is vivid. (That last point kept me locked in.) But the ultimate plot didn’t live up to my expectation and almost started to feel like a chore to get through. (I figured out the mystery waaay too early.) Plus the pacing is off, the characters are a bit flat, and the dialogue is clunky.  Maybe it still wasn’t the right moment since I was coming off a semi-reading slump 🤷🏽‍♀️. What doesn’t work for me may work for you. If Clark decides to create a sequel, I'll still give it a go nonetheless. He knows how to deliver a magical world. But hopefully the plot and other areas previously addressed will be just as rich and imaginative.

#a master of djinn #p djeli clark #thechanelmuse reviews #book reviews