/lit/ - Literature

>>23220688
Djinn City, Djinn #1 - Saad Z. Hossain (2017)

This is the first book of four in Hossain's Djinn universe, along with four works of short fiction. I started with the second published book and then the fourth, so reading the first was an interesting experience because much is explained about the Djinn that isn't repeated again. Now that I've read all four books, I know that despite being described as standalones, the order in which they're read does matter, but not to where you must start here. Chronologically the next book is Cyber Mage. Each book is different, so if you like one you may not necessarily like the others.

I believe that one of the most important functions of writing these is to give the reader an idea of whether this would be something they'd be interested in or if they're wasting their time. How a story ends can be very important and may ruin everything that came before for some readers. Djinn City has an abrupt ending that's also narratively complete. If you need closure and resolution, you won't find it here. Even if you read everything currently in the setting there remains a few unresolved storylines.

This is a science fantasy tragicomedy with a considerable amount of social and political satire. The story is mostly set roughly around the time of its publication, 2017, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. There are several other places visited, but everything revolves around Dhaka, which happens to be where the author lives. The fantasy mostly comes from the djinn, which aren't the standard sort, and the fantastical things they do to stay amused. Science fiction is presented through the Djinn as well, who have quite advanced technology, though also through some lengthy infodumps. The satire seemed to be more of a general sort rather than needing to know Bangladeshi cultural references or similar. The comedy tends towards the dark, absurd, and wry with a bit of meta.

There are three viewpoint characters. Indelbed, a young boy of who wants much more out of life than what his father allows for him, though that soon becomes the least of his suffering. Kaikobad, his father, explores the deep past of Djinn history. Rais, his adult cousin, learns that Djinn exist and devotes his life to be being involved with them as much as possible, which leads to adventure. How this book ends each character's story could've definitely have been more satisfying, but I also believe it to be a bold choice. I wouldn't want it to be common, though it's fine to read a few that end this way.

The plot is that the villain, a djinn, wants to kill a lot of humans without them having any idea it's anything other than natural disasters literally because of lore reasons. Djinn culture is complicated, though ancient Roman concepts are a primary influence, and they're extremely litigative. There's a lot of questionable narrative choices and flaws, but how everything is executed and written is quite agreeable to my preferences.

Rating: 4/5