Try free for 30 days

1 credit a month to use on any title, yours to keep (you’ll use your first credit on this title).
Stream or download thousands of included titles.
Access to exclusive deals and discounts.
$16.45 a month after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
A Master of Djinn cover art

A Master of Djinn

By: P. Djèlí Clark
Narrated by: Suehyla El-Attar
Try for $0.00

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.

Publisher's Summary

WINNER OF THE NEBULA AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL, 2022

WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL

Cairo, 1912: though Fatma el-Sha'arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she's certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.

So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, Al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world 50 years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be Al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Cairo that threaten to spill over onto the global stage.

Alongside her Ministry colleagues and a familiar person from her past, Agent Fatma must unravel the mystery behind this imposter to restore peace to the city—or face the possibility he could be exactly who he seems....

P. Djèlí Clark is the winner of the Nebula, Locus and Alex Awards and has been shortlisted for the Hugo Award.

©2021 P. Djèlí Clark (P)2021 Hachette Audio UK

Critic Reviews

Clever, wickedly fun . . . with an excellent balance of humour and heart. I loved it (S. A. Chakraborty, author of CITY OF BRASS)
A magical voice with a brilliantly unique setting, it will keep you completely enthralled (Ben Aaronovitch, author of RIVERS OF LONDON)
A Master of Djinn has all the tricky twists I want in a police procedural and all the djinns, magic and wonder I want from fantasy (Mary Robinette Kowal, Hugo and Nebula award-winning author of THE CALCULATING STARS)

What listeners say about A Master of Djinn

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    51
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    6
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    51
  • 4 Stars
    8
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    2
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    42
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    3
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent and Vibrant

A richly told story, set in an alternative Cairo filled with magic and automatons. A progressive female lead plotline and love interests. The narrator does a fantastic job navigating the various accents and situating the action in place. Some of the major plot points are typical fantasy tropes - an underground magic scene & magic agent investigators etc however this didn't stop me enjoying it and there was more than enough diversity in other areas to keep it interesting. Dying to go visit Cairo myself now.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Read for fun and complexity!

Loved this! Well-performed, nuanced characters and world. Highly recommend. A refreshing take on the urban fantasy concept.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fun alternative reality fantasy

A great story involving some actual history but through a setting where magical beings have returned to the world and the power balance has shifted. So great to read a story using references to magical beings from different cultures. Narration was clear, easy to distinguish characters but not overly acted.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely wonderful!

Superb narration and the most well executed Egyptian lesbian supernatural detective story I have ever read! A pleasure to listen to

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

amazing read

this isn't something i usually would've picked out for myself but i'm really glad i did! well narrated and a captivating story, i really enjoyed this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The perfect magical historical mystery

There is nothing about this story I would change. A beautifully realised world with engaging characters and a narrative that sweeps you along. My only disappointment is that there are not 10 more books set in this world for me to listen to immediately!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

trigger warnings

this book is written by someone who uses words like patriarchy and colonisers. be warned.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Audiobooks live & die by the quality of narration

And this one was stillborn by about a quarter of the way in. I felt as though the narrator was reading a children's book. Everything was so hammed up, overly theatrical that I could no longer listen. I wouldn't have a clue about how good the story was because it was massacred by poor narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Boring

The storytelling is a parade of hyped-up events without context. “Two characters who you don’t know are having sex! (Wow!)” “Random magic has been performed! (Wow!)” “We’re in a version of early 20th-century Egypt which is beating back colonialism (Wow!)”

At no stage was I convinced. Even the finale felt like a scene from a video game: big on visual effects but low on emotional impact.

I will never again let the Nebula Award guide my reading.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Great narration, just not invested in the story

The narrator was excellent, and the writing was good. I just couldn’t really care about the characters or what happened to them. It was also about six hours too long.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.