A Master of Djinn

A Master of Djinn employs a soft magic system—a term describing fantasy stories where the rules for magic are not well defined, leaving the author with plenty of freedom for its use in the story. However, Clark does center the magic heavily around the idea of illusions. Even outside the magic, characters use illusions and expectations to their own gain. When Abigail first appears, she speaks in “broken” Arabic, betting on Fatma’s assumptions that an Englishwomen will speak the language poorly; Abigail’s fluency is later revealed to be advanced. In short, the novel employs illusions and expectations as an allegory for how much of society functions, including corruption and social injustice as well as how citizens survive both those forces.

On the one hand, illusions and manipulating expectations assist the powerful with staying in power, perpetuating unjust systems. Abigail, as the impostor (an illusion himself), creates chaos by presenting a further illusion: pretending to be fomenting social change on behalf of a poor population. In fact, Abigail is using this distraction to take revenge on her father and steal the djinn from Egypt, with the intention of making England “great again.” That Abigail is a white woman masquerading as a Black man also draws parallels with racial and cultural appropriation.