Welcome to Litsy!

A thrilling expansion of Clark's alternative Cairo. The third novella/short story in a trilogy of prequels to A Master of Djinn, we are introduced to Agent Nasr, a no-nonsense agent reluctantly paired with a newbie. Previous stories explored how the introduction of djinn and "angels" affected the city, but a new entity haunts this entry.

I really enjoyed this, alternate supernatural history set in Cairo. I loved the side story of the mixed religion and cultural push of women's suffragettes and how it tied in so well with the "haunting". Clark has built a rich and creative world for such a slim novel, and the characters are distinct and some are relatable - grumpy older officer gave someone to roll your eyes at a bit and I was happy to see he was progressive.

My plan was to reread the novellas and then finally read the novel… and I‘m happy to announce that I have finished my reread. This audiobook has a different narrator but he was very enjoyable to listen to - so I was only disappointed momentarily. Absolutely loved visiting again.

I thought it was a bit clunky & that it was just okay.

Book 14 for #wyrdandwonder
Book 1 for my Summer Reading Challenge

I enjoyed returning to this alternate history Egypt. This time we follow another investigator when he is called about a tram car that is haunted & must figure out what kind of djinn or spirit is wreaking havoc. The characters were great & the story kept you on the edge of your seat. I think I'll go back to audio for the rest of this series though, the descriptive writing is better suited to listen to imo
#SeriesLove2023 @Andrew65 @TheSpineView

#FirstLineFridays @ShyBookOwl
The office of the Superintendent of Tram Safety & Maintenance at Ramses Station had all the decor befitting someone who had been elevated - or likely pushed along the lines of patronage into such a vaulted position.

The first half could not keep my attention. I really can't tell you much that happened during it. I almost abandoned the book because of it. However, I kept going. The last half was really good. I wish it all had been like that.

4/5⭐ I really liked how the author wove together the haunting plotline with the case for women's voting rights and how they merged in the end. The characters were fun and the world interesting. The audiobook narrator sometimes made the exciting action fall flat.

Devoured this absolutely fantastic novella in one sitting. Set in an alternate history 1912 Cairo replete with djinn, alchemy, automatons, secret societies, & mystery, this story about two agents trying to solve the haunting of a tram car fits a lot of narrative—plus strong feminist, anti-colonial, & equality messages—in its 130 pages. The author has written more stories set in this word and, needless to say, I‘ll be reading all of them. Loved it!

Saturday morning reading…

Husband joined me on this morning‘s “oh look it‘s a bookstore maybe we should stop in” walk. He exercised far more restraint than I did. In my defense, two of the three books were on sale!

This novella was from the perspective of Agent Hamed, who was a minor character in A Master of Djinn. Siti also makes an appearance as a secondary character, giving more background to her character. I liked the mystery of what exactly was wrong with tram car 015, the backdrop of Egyptian suffrage, and the plot twists. I‘m always excited for more of Clark‘s dead djinn universe :) 💛

P. Djèlí Clark‘s second short story in his Dead Djinn Universe was a peak at how the lives of other Cairenes are changed with the return of magic into the world because of Al-Jahiz. This short story was written in second-person, which was very different but an interesting perspective to experience Aliaa‘s desperation in seeking out the Angel of Khan el-Khalili. The ending was a twist I wasn‘t expecting and quite devastating. I‘m itching for more!

Life: chaos.

Started a new job last Monday! It was a crazy week, but I‘m excited for the job! 😄 That‘s one of the many things life has thrown at me recently, thus my being nearly MIA here. Hope everyone is well!!

Reading the tagged… And we picked Case Study for this month‘s #RealLifeBookGroup - looks interesting! Has anyone read it?

Happy almost Valentine‘s Day everyone! 💘💘💘

Last few days I finished reading:
- the tagged book, an excellent read, #0.3 in the Dead Djinn Universe. I really enjoyed it, I can barely wait to get the first in the series, A Master of Djinn; and
- Isis by Douglas Clegg, my way back April #BookSpin. @TheAromaOfBooks
Both picks!

Best thing is these 2 reads got my a #BookSpinBingo for July!

♥️♥️♥️ Once again, Gissy, you‘ve sent such a thoughtful package!! I love all the Mother‘s day/self-care stuff, and you were so generous to include things for little bubba — he ripped that toy open and played with it immediately 🥰🥰 The candle & coffee both smell so good, and the cookies are a special treat! I‘m also super geeked to get this book!! 😄 (and also the #cbbc #coffeebeanbookclub book, of course 😁) Thank you!! ♥️♥️♥️

Really fun story, I dig this author.

Another absolutely delightful foray into Clark‘s 1920s alternate steampunk Cairo. We meet new government agents and a new supernatural being, plus suffragettes!

#weekendreading I hope to finish the tagged book and The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora today. Still slowly working my way through The Little Drummer Girl, but I don‘t expect to finish it this weekend.

🎧This was a good short story! Not scary, it‘s set in late 1800‘s/early 1900‘s in an alternate steam punky Cairo. The Ministry sends a couple agents to investigate a haunted tram car.

The haunting is only focused on pregnant women. Speaking of women this is happening while the government is voting on giving women the right to vote.

Engaging!! Good prequel to A Master of Djinn.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really liked this blend of styles! Usually sci-fi isn‘t my thing. I didn‘t realize it was part of a series either- looks like I‘ll have to dig a little deeper.

+16 (15 for monster, 1 for post)

#scarathon2021 #TeamHendrix

The author increases the number of pages with each story, the first one was only 40 pages long, the second one is 82 pages. I am really looking forward to the third one. 😊 This one is an interesting detective story placed in the same alternative “magic” universe with Cairo as one of the centers of the world. It introduces a new detective which makes me hope that there will be more stories coming up in the future.

After reading my favourite weekly newspaper in one go, I am going to start the second of the Dead Djinn Universe (another recommendation by @julesG ).

A two novella weekend in nature is just what I needed!

I loved A DEAD DJINN IN CAIRO, and while I didn‘t love this storyline as much, I am obsessed with this world that Clark has built. I can‘t wait to pick up MASTER OF DJINN in my next bookshop.org order. 🧞‍♂️

Loved this novella and the connections to A Dead Djinn in Cairo. Counting down to the release of the full length novel, A Master of Djinn.

This is a P. Djèli Clark appreciation post...

This was a lot of fun! Set in a steampunk Cairo, this follows a seasoned investigator and his newbie partner as they try to figure out just what is haunting a magic tram car. I‘ll have to check out A Dead Djinn in Cairo.

I didn‘t take a picture of the book so here‘s a picture of the pretty flowers I‘m looking at in my backyard as I write this review.

Diving right into this novella and then I'll have to patiently wait for the full length novel until May!

Do I remember placing the order? No ?
Am I very pleased at the prospect of adding another P . Djèli Clark book to my shelves? ?

I‘m about five pages in and I love this already. The worldbuilding!

Travel to #NorthAfrica and visit an alternate Cairo, where djinns and ghosts live and occasionally wreak havoc, and the cops have to clean up the mess.

#LitsySpringBreak @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

#TBRPile 📚 Cairo, 1912: The case started as a simple one for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities — handling a possessed tram car. Soon, however, Agent Hamed Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi Youssef are exposed to a new side of Cairo stirring with suffragettes, secret societies, and sentient automatons in a race against time to protect the city from an encroaching danger...

Second installment in the series set in 1912 Steampunk Cairo. Agent Hamed and his newbie partner Onsi are on the case of a ghost or djinn haunting a tram, but turns out it is something much worse. Set in a Cairo dealing with the women‘s suffrage movement, Clark brings these stories together in a very interesting way. https://cannonballread.com/2021/01/a-dead-djinn-in-cairo-and-the-haunting-of-tra...

As a public transit user I find this book a bit disturbing 🙃

Slightly belated #NovemberWrapUp. I finished ten books last month, which is my biggest monthly number this year so far, but it includes mostly novellas and other short things.

My favorites were easily the two books I read for #BookSpin: The Citadel of Weeping Pearls and The Haunting of Tram Car 015.

#MonthlyWrapUp

this was an excellent follow-up to a dead djinn in cairo! Clark is so masterful at crafting a vibrant setting and integrating fantasy elements into a historical piece. admittedly, I wasn't as big a fan of the protagonist in this novella compared to Fatma from the short story, but he grew on me.

This was a lot of fun! In an alternate Cairo, two agents from the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities have to figure out how to get a malevolent spirit out of a tram car. The action was fun, and the descriptions of food made me hungry.

This was my #DoubleSpin pick for the month. Thank you, @TheAromaofBooks!

What an amazing and fascinating book! What a setting! What ideas! I love this. I need more! And I really need more oriental foods around here 😭 Why is all we have in this town kebap?

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

This was a great addition to the world created in the short story "A Dead Djinn in Cairo". This author is amazing, and I love everything about this book. The alternative magical Cairo is so vivid, the social justice work is integrated in a fascinating way and the Agents from the Ministry of Alchemy (Agent Hamad al-Nasr & Agent Onsi) are a wonderful investigative duo.

Loved this! Hits just the right tones of spooky and whimsical. Really a delight to read.

Whoo boy am I late to the party 🙃
But! Consider this a heads up- scifi spooky free ebook download from the author of Ring Shout (which I‘m also trying to get my hands on)
It‘s up for grabs on Tor.com- you just gotta give them your email.

#integrateyourshelf

A very fun, alternate-history ghost story is the Tor Book Club of the Month this spooky month! Available for free download in mobi or ePub format before 11:59 PM ET, October 23rd.

Available only in the US and Canada.

https://ebookclub.tor.com #torbookclub

Steampunk and spirits make for a fun, quick October read. Set in Cairo during an alternate historical timeline, invoking North African and Armenian folklore and feminism. I really enjoyed this novella!

My current #Screamathon reads. Fall weather has finally returned this week! Stew is simmering on the stove, tea is in hand, altogether I'm 100% ready for October!

@4thhouseontheleft

This is the only P Djeli Clark ebook my library has and I‘m hoping they‘ll get a copy of Ring Shout later this year. I only have a day to finish this, but it‘s just a little shorty, so I think I can do it!

A quick read novella packed with Armenian folklore, this sort of steampunk detective/ exorcism story races along start to finish.

P. Djeli Clark likes to combine a fast paced story with a lot of mythical or religious history from whichever culture he‘s representing in each book.

He always leaves me wanting more. I hope someday he‘ll try a novel. I‘d buy it!

The novella takes place in the same universe as A dead djinn in Cairo, but with a different protagonist (although she's mentioned). Two agents investigate the, well, haunting of a tram car. I really enjoy the world building, I hope there will be another novella.

I loved this alternative history version of a steampunk Cairo in the 1910s. But as a novella it felt slightly incomplete in terms of world-building, and ultimately I wished there was more to it.