The Haunting of Tram Car 015

P. Djeli Clark hat mit dem Dead-Djinn-Universum ein wirklich unterhaltsames, interessantes, dicht gewobenes Setting geschaffen. Ich hoffe, da kommen noch viel, viel mehr Teile. Dies hier ist Teil 0.3, spielt also vor dem vollen Roman A Master of Djinn. Das hatte ich bereits vorher gelesen. Und die dortige Heldin Agent Fatman hat hier auch einen Auftritt.

Aber wir begleiten hier zwei Agenten des Ministeriums für Alchemie, Zauberer und übernatürliche Wesen, weil eine Straßenbahn verhext ist. Seit aber der Ägypter Al-Jahiz ca. 1860 die Grenzen zwischen den Welten. Ägypten ist deswegen eine Supermacht und Straßenbahnen schweben hier an Seilen und werden von einem niederen Djinn angetrieben. Und eine dieser Straßenbahnen wird von einem Djinn oder etwas ähnlichem als Zuhause benutzt und dieser hat eine Passagierin angegriffen. Agent Hamed und Agent Onsi müssen das klären.

Das Buch spielt in Kairo 1912. Die Welt ist anders, denn durch die Djinns und Zauberei ist Ägypten eine Weltmacht geworden, während die Länder in Europa und Amerika hinter her hängen. So kämpfen die Frauen in Ägypten um ihr Wahlrecht und machen es der Welt vor, wie man das angeht. Alles aus unserer Welt also leicht getwistet.

Clarks Dialoge sind meisterhaft unterhaltsam und voller Argumente über Kleinigkeiten und große Dinge. Die Handlung geht zügig voran, der Plot ist spannend. Und am Beispiel des Wahlrechts für Frauen und auch des allgemeinen Umgangs mit Frauen werden sehr moderne Themen diskutiert.

Gleichzeitig ist da die Zauberwelt mit Zaubern, Flüchen, Verwünschungen, höheren und niederen Djinns, belebten und manchmal auch beseelten Robotern und einiges mehr. Zudem ist Kairo 1912 ein Ort, den ich gerne selber besuchen würde - denn dies Kairo existiert heute nicht mehr und auch die Welt, in der dies Kairo war, existiert nicht mehr. Sie erscheint mir als rein und jungfräulich, denn in unserer Welt gab's dann zwei Weltkriege. Und das ist es, was mir auch gefällt an diesem Buch.

Die Geschichte hat insgesamt 130 Seiten, denn es ist ja nur Teil 0.3, also eine der Vorgeschichten, die P. Djeli Clark letztendlich dazu bewegten, später einen vollen Roman zu schreiben.

Ich mag's sehr und halte Ausschau nach Fortsetzungen.

I had to get over the fact that Agent Fatma isn't the protagonist in this one but two other agents of the Ministry - an experienced one and his new partner fresh from the academy. A classic setting. Together, they have to overcome plenty of difficulties to solve what at first appears to be a low stakes case that escalates. Clark does a really good job of making these characters come to life. I also like the connections to the previous story and its protagonists. Even though it's only a short tale he also manages to weave a lot of political background and worldbuilding into it.

Was fun to read. In the beginning it was mostly "things happening to the protagonist who's a detective" and less of a detective story, but still enjoyable and the people happening to the protagonist were pretty cool. Also had an interesting setting and got even better in the end.

Read the German translation.

Wanted something short, and remembered this novella set in 1900s Cairo but with djinn and magic, and I loved how atmospheric it was with the setting, and how the plot was perfect for the size, also the author mixed "real" life subject matters with the fantasy and it was well done^^

God, this was such a fun little romp. It was somehow Alternate History, Science Fiction, Fantasy and a little bit of Horror all at the same time, with an amusing buddy-cop dynamic laid on top of it. All in 130 pages!

Unsurprisingly it was pretty reminiscent of the only other book by this author that I've read, [b:Ring Shout|49247242|Ring Shout|P. Djèlí Clark|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1580134382l/49247242.SY75.jpg|74693559]. Completely different setting and era and vibe, but what they had in common was a desire to tell a story quickly, and leave out anything that wasn't necessary. Sure, there was maybe a paragraph or two of exposition here and there to flesh out the worldbuilding (which I was wholly enraptured with by the way; I haven't enjoyed a setting this much since I read [b:Noor|57632292|Noor|Nnedi Okorafor|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1618407986l/57632292.SY75.jpg|90269668]), but it was never so long as to affect the pace of the story. The personable protagonist, Hamed, plays the experienced agent who's saddled with bringing a starry-eyed new recruit up to speed, and he was a fun foil to a cast of brief but distinct side characters. And I loved the Islamic spin on all of the descriptions and details.

I think a short review is fitting for a short book, but yeah. Really enjoyed this one and I'm interested to see where the rest of this series goes. If you're looking for a quick little adventure, pick this one up.

Another fascinating story set in the same setting (but after the events) of the author's story, "A Dead Djinn in Cairo", this one has two agents of the Egyptian Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities looking into the possible haunting of an aerial tram car. But what starts off as a possible 'simple' possession by a djinn evolves into something much darker, as further investigations start to reveal the true nature of the spirit occupying the tram car.

Woven into the tale is a background of female emancipation with a vote to be taken to give women the vote, which would give the agents more food for thought in the involvement of women in their work in the future. Quite a number of interesting secondary women characters are in the story, providing some humour and alternative viewpoints.

In the end, the agents solve the case, but not without some dramatic crisis points in the story.

I was surprised by how funny and engaging I found this brief paranormal mystery to be for such a short read. I loved how much culture, history, and fantastical world building was integrated into the story while also telling a captivating story. All of the characters were lovable and quirky in their own unique ways. While not exactly believable, I loved how the story was paced and how dialogue was written. I do think the book benefited from being so short as I don't think the charm of the characters would have lasted for a full length novel. Not sure who would like this kind of book as its a sort of mix between urban fantasy, paranormal, and crime mystery, but I definitely enjoyed it!

I am really starting to like Clark’s writing, at least with each installment of the Dead Djinn Universe that I read. My issue with the first one I read was that it was a tad short and felt it could’ve been further developed; this is exactly what I get in The Haunting of Tram Car 015. We follow two agents this time, Hamed and Onsi, as they work to investigate a rather mundane task (for them): a spirit haunting a tram car. Now, as a person who loves public transit, I found this particularly exciting—I mean, aerial tram cars! How steampunky and cool is that?

With the longer length, Clark also managed to give us more exposition on the characters and the world. As usual, the world is expertly crafted and feels very lived in. Both Hamed and Onsi’s personalities were clear and strong; I especially enjoyed Onsi and his ramblings on philosophy or history. The writing hints at these subtle themes, for example artificial intelligence and the rights of machines, which could be very promising in a full-length work. Clark also deftly ties together vastly different elements of the story—if he mentions something, even offhand, it’s likely that it will be important to the resolution.

Without trying too hard, I didn’t anticipate the ending and was pleased by how the agents solve the mystery of the haunting. Letting Clark’s prose usher you along the narrative is the best way to go with his stories. The worldbuilding of the supernatural and fantasy elements worked really well again, and the characters were interesting and well-written. And I really wouldn’t mind if Clark wrote a whole digression on philosophy or history… in any case, I’m looking forward to reading Clark’s full length work, A Master of Djinn, which only came out a few months ago. It follows Fatma from a previous installment and looks quite promising.

There is nothing more refreshing than a book that is truly completely new. And this is: Clark imagines a Cairo in which the late industrial revolution was marked by the emergence of djinn and magic. And rather than handle this as a fantastical event, the world simply adapts to this as a newfangled technology: you know, kids run off to the continent to take "alchemical classes" and in my day, high-bred kids just took Latin. And by the way, the steampunk aerial trams are also powered by magic.

Mix this with a strong sense of place: Cairo here is presented as a melting pot of Western Asian, Middle East and African cultures. (Me: Is it Afrofuturism if it's set in Egypt? Jon: Is it about either Cairo or Alexandria being the best in Africa at something? Me: Cairo is the hub of the African dirigible system...so...yes). And then add in some bureaucratic procedural elements in the form of a pair of police officers whose job is to take in magical hijinks. Plus a heaping dose of suffragettes (the Egyptian feminist society in this alternate history gaining a much early right to vote) and the result is completely delightful.

This book is SHORT -- most novella's feel short because there isn't enough space to develop an interesting set of characters/plot/setting, but Clark really excels here. Just to illustrate how quickly he sketches the scene for you, three pages in you know that the world has gone through a recent technical revolution, the main character is cynical because hauntings are too mundane and his partner is overly eager. Indeed, this novella feels short because there is so much developed and so many interesting questions like, should tram cars be emancipated? How are djinns similar and different from ethno-specific folklore beings? What rights do non-binary gendered beings have in this world? And while the story comes to a satisfying conclusion, these existential questions are unanswered. I hope Clark continues to write a lot in this setting.

This was fun. I'm so looking forward to a full length novel in this series!

Great world-building, fun character dynamic. Something felt somewhat short for me, but I don't know what (may be more of a "my mood" issue than a "this book" issue.)

This is, in yet another pattern, really really good. Definitely liking this author's approaches to storytelling, and this was very well put together.