A Master of Djinn

Among the Abrahamic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—tradition describes God as creating two races of sentient beings: angels and humans. However, Islamic tradition believes that God created a third race of sentient beings, the djinn. These spirits are often reclusive or invisible, and their name is taken from the Arabic word meaning “hidden from sight,” although the term can also be interpreted as “demon.” The djinn typically have some level of magic power. Like humans, they are born, live, and die, unlike the immortal angels, though their lifespan is quite extensive compared to humans.

Most readers would easily recognize the djinn from their appearance—as the Westernized genie—in the Aladdin story from One Thousand and One Nights, even though that story, along with others, in the anthology is most often attributed to French authors, such as Antoine Galland and his 18th-century French translation Les mille et une nuits. Djinn make regular appearances throughout many compilations of the collection, with “The Fisherman and the Djinni” as one of the most notable tales—one to which Clark alludes in A Master of Djinn.

Beyond the One Thousand and One Nights, djinn appear regularly in the legends of the Biblical King Solomon. In the Talmud, written from the fourth through the sixth century CE, King Solomon captures demons, often imprisoning or enslaving them.