In the Club 05/26/21

Welcome to The Dead Djinn universe, a fantastic series in an alternative, steampunk Cairo in 1912 where djinn and humans exist alongside one another. Special Investigator Fatma el Sha-arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities and she’s just been tasked with investigating the killing of an entire brotherhood. That brotherhood was dedicated to al-Jahiz, the famed Sudanese mystic who tore a hole in the veil between the magical and mundane worlds decades ago before disappearing, and the man claiming responsibility for the killings claims to be al-Jahiz returned. Together with her new partner—a partner she didn’t ask for and isn’t sure she wants—and her lover, Fatma sets out to solve the case and uncover the truth about this self-professed prophet.

Book Club Bonus: Holy shiitake mushrooms, friends. This book is one of the most searing indictments of colonialism I have read in awhile. Discuss the symbolism of magic and the djinn as they correlate to discussions about white supremacy.

In this suspenseful, atmospheric mystery set in Joseon, Korea, Min Hwani and her sister disappeared as children. They were later found unconscious in a nearby forest next to what looked like a grizzly murder scene, but their family hasn’t been the same ever since. Years later in the mid 1400s, their detective father learns that 13 other girls have disappeared in that same forest and travels to their hometown on the island of Jeju—and now he’s gone missing too. Min Hwani sets out find her father and get to the bottom of these mysterious disappearances, but the secrets she unburies suggest the answer could lie within her own buried memories.

Book Club Bonus: There is a good convo to be had here on the constraints of filial piety. Also discuss women’s lack of bodily agency at the time and the dangerous mix that is obsessive protection and misogyny.

Constellation magic on the Underground Railroad! In this speculative historical fantasy set after the end of the Civil War, Hetty Rhodes is a former conductor on the Underground Railroad who used both wits and magic to shepherd dozens of people north to safety. She and her husband Benjy have settled in Philadelphia where they dedicate themselves to solving murders and mysteries that white authorities won’t investigate. When Hetty and Benjy find one of their own slain in an alley, they bury the body, head off in search of answers, and soon find that the secrets and lives of Philadelphia’s Black elite leave them with more questions instead. To solve this mystery, they’ll need to confront some ugly truths, including ones about their friends—and each other. This is the first in a series!

Book Club Bonus: Discuss the importance of community in this book, and also in communities of color in present day and throughout history. Examine the idea of community as protection, as survival, as care, as companionship, and as combatting the injustice of a system that was never meant to serve you.