This novella takes place in Cairo in 1912. Agent Hamed Nasr and his new partner, Agent Onsi Youssef, work for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities. Their newest case appears, initially, to involve a haunted tram car. However, they soon realize that there's something else going on. Unfortunately, knowing what they're dealing with isn't the same as actually solving the problem, considering the shoestring budget the Ministry has given them. The agents find themselves having to get a bit creative, with the assistance of some local women.

This was decent, and featured a few aspects that made me want to read more by this author. It's steampunk that, for once, isn't set in London. In fact, London didn't even come across as being particularly important - magic first entered this world via the work of a Sudanese man, who used a combination of alchemy and machinery to open a doorway to the world of the djinn. And although the book starred two male agents, women's suffrage was constantly in the background, and women played an important part in dealing with the being in the tram car. The few appearances of "boilerplate eunuchs" (robots) also fascinated me - some appeared to possess this world's version of artificial intelligence.

I'd happily read more stories starring Hamed, the experienced and somewhat grumpy agent, and Onsi, his shinier and more cheerful new partner, although I'd really love to read a full novel set in this world. From what I can tell, there's currently just one other story, "A Dead Djinn in Cairo," which stars Fatma el'Sha'arawi, the one female agent in the Ministry.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

Finished! The rest is an excerpt.

The best thing about this is that it's steampunk urban fantasy set in Cairo, rather than the usual London. A crusty experienced Ministry agent is forced to partner up with a cheerful newbie who went to school in Oxford and ends up grudgingly liking his new partner. There's a female agent who makes a brief appearance - apparently she has her own story, "A Dead Djinn in Cairo," which I need to see about reading at some point.

A couple agents from the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities are sent to deal with a supposedly haunted tram car, which turns out to actually be possessed by a djinn. Now they're trying to figure out how to get the djinn, who they can't see or speak to, to leave.

The quickest and easiest option is also the most expensive, and their budget is crap, so they're looking into an alternative. Unfortunately, the person they've gone to see only works with people, not tram cars, so one of the agents is attempting to explain that, actually, tram cars are really a lot like people. Which immediately painted him into a bit of a corner, because if tram cars are people, then they're slaves, which the person they're seeking help from also has issues with.

I'm enjoying this so far. I wonder if the author's The Black God's Drums is set in the same world?