Just a few more weeks, my dear.” A few more weeks and he would be on an airship heading home. How he would welcome seeing his “dreary little isle,” where it was a sensibly cold and rainy November. He’d walk its narrow streets and savor every foul scent. For Christmas, he would get smashingly drunk—on good, hard English whisky! Only the Pure of Heart: The Ring of Sulayman only reveals its true form to someone who has pure motives. Obfuscating Stupidity: Abigail Worthington acts like a hysterical, somewhat airheaded woman. However, she is actually the mastermind behind the murders, and almost succeeds in her plan of world domination. The two of you are making a mistake,” Khalid warned. His dark face was like a storm, and the white hair that surrounded it bristling clouds. “Take this deal and go your own way. By the Merciful, it isn’t wise—”

Government Agency of Fiction: The Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities, the Egyptian agency in charge of dealing with all things magic. Motive Rant: Abigail explains why she had committed all her misdeeds aftr being discovered as the main imposter, laying things out at length. 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 fifty 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. He looked down at the fire wreathing his arms, devouring the flesh beneath his unmarred robes. Beside him, the woman shrieked, her death cries mingling into the terrible cacophony. Somewhere past the pain, past the horror, before the last bits of him were given to the flames, Archibald grieved for his London, for Christmas, for dear Georgiana and dreams that would not be.Big Bad: It turns out that Abigail Worthington is the leader of the Al-Jahiz conspiracy, having murdered her own father along with his followers, caused many more crimes and plotting to retake the lands that have broke away from the British Empire, dreaming of possible becoming queen herself. 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… The Marid didn’t react right away. Finally, he closed both his eyes, at the same time widening the third on his forehead until it flared with brilliance. When he reopened his remaining eyes they looked startled. 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. Didn’t return to that world right away. First off, remember that academic life? That summer 2016 was filled with all sorts of planning for relocation (goodbye DC, hello New England!) and getting acclimated as a junior scholar and professor at a new campus. That summer, I did do some writing–only in wholly different worlds, that I was also glad to see get their time to shine.

Sword Cane: Fatma has one, which serves as her personal weapon. It fits with her personal style of wearing a bowler hat and fine Western men's suit. Halfway Discussion goes live around the middle of each month (except in rare cases where we decide to only have a single discussion).I suppose I would have preferred the slower pace to continue, to allow breathing room for development of not just Fatma and Hadia’s partnership and friendship but also for a bit more of an exploration of the world and side stories and characters: Siwi and Zagros, and Ahmad’s transformation into crocodile god, and tenuous coexistence of Islam and “idolatry” (especially in the light of Fatma and Siri’s relationship), and the female thieves gang outside of a single scene. And give me more of Hadia besides “badass in hijab” with endless cousins. A slate of 5 themed books will be announced. A live Google form will also be included for voting which lasts for a week.

Ahmad has a habit of stalking out of the shadows whenever he wants to hold a conversation with Agent Fatma, not realizing his crocodilian features make his appearance more of a Jump Scare than a Stealth Hi/Bye. When he apologizes, he asks if he's being creepy and always gets an affirmative.

Fatma frowned. People had very strange ideas about what went on at the Ministry. “You don’t know what you’re doing. And you’re not leaving here. Not with that. Now hand it over. Last time I’m going to ask.” Like most, they’d probably wagered on her opponent, who sat across the octagonal table. All of seventeen, she guessed, with a face even more boyish than her own. But he had already men twice his age. More important, he was a he, which still held weight even in Cairo’s flaunted modernity—which explained the smile on his dark lips. And the plot itself suffers a bit from bit too much messy scattering and a bit of a pacing inconsistencies.

Aywa,” Gamal sighed. “What I want to know is what’s so special about it? Saeed and I find lots of junk. Every day, wallahi. Everything people throw into the Nile comes up again. We sell them to rich people like you. But no one’s ever offered so much, wallahi. I’ve heard other things—” Horned Humanoid: Djinn often look like this, with a generally humanoid body but also large horns. Siti does too in her djinn form. Who dares trespass this house!” No answer came from six sets of unblinking eyes. Lord Worthington rapped the table in anger. “This is the sacred place of the Brotherhood of Al-Jahiz! Be on your way, or I shall have the authorities lay hands upon you at once!”Always Identical Twins: It turns out Fatma's doorkeeper is really two identical twin brothers, who can do double the work this way, with one always on duty. They get twice the usual pay since together they're better than any other doorkeeper in Cairo. Something on Gamal’s face snapped. Snarling through clenched teeth, he drew the blade across the wax seal, which broke and fell away. I only seek to serve, Mr. Dalton.” Moustafa spoke in clipped English, taking the gloves and folding them within his blue robes. Ultimately, it’s better than most of what you will find out there. But it doesn’t live up to his body of work. Clark deftly explores colonialism and the history of Cairo with an immersive setting that acts as another character in this delightful combination of mystery, fantasy, and romance. Give this to alternate history enthusiasts and mystery readers who enjoy a dose of the magical. " - Booklist, starred review