Microreview [book] The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P Djeli Clark

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 is another fantastic story set in the world of “A Dead Djinn in Cairo”

19th Century Egypt provides an interesting place to put a Jonbar hinge, a point of divergence in an alternate history from our own. In our own history, 19th century Egypt made an attempt to embrace the industrial revolution and escape the colonial deprivations that Europeans ravaged on the African continent. And if that wasn’t enough, a religious-focused insurrection led by a figure known as the Mahdi severely threatened British hegemony in the Sudan and the rest of the region.

So what if both occurred, thanks to the magic returning? What if the region had a revolution based on the re-discovery of magic, and used it to not only free itself from colonial control, but to start a new revolution of magiktech that made Cairo a leading city in the world and Egypt an envied world power. This is the backstory for P Djeli Clark’s “A Dead Djinn in Cairo” and, now, his second story set in that world, The Haunting of Tram Car 015. The new novella vastly expands and re-iterates the world of the previous novella, which is not necessary to read in order to enjoy the latest story, but one can read it online for free.

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 takes place in the same alternate Cairo as the previous story and as opposed to Special Investigator Fatma el-Sha’arawi , we get a pair of different investigators from the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. Agent Hamed Nair, paired with new agent Onsi Youssef give us a pair of investigators to bounce off of each other, and I think that this already makes it a narrative stronger than the already rich prior story. Both investigators get called in, just as the title promises, to investigate a haunted tram car. The alternate Cairo of 1912 has a tram network the envy of anyone who has played Mini Metro, especially as they are powered by Djinn.

However, not only is the tram car haunted, it is a rather obscure and powerful spirit that lead the investigators to the door of the sheika Nadiyaa. In addition to her importance to the narrative of the main problems of the narrartive, she provides a perspective on yet another change that this alternate Cairo is dealing with: the question of women’s suffrage. Clark seems to be following the theory that technological change and development is a spur to social change, and it is natural that a powerful, technologically advanced Egypt would be a front line for such changes for women. I do think she could have been used a beat or two more than she was, however.

The haunting itself and what is really going on and why shows his invention, and the narrative speeds along as the agents and their ally seek to defeat the haunter. The action and adventure beats are richly done, with an excellent eye for action and adventure, just as in The Black God’s Drums. I do think the earlier issues I had with the narrative of that volume have been improved here, I did not feel quite as cheated, especially since this story does end on a more solid conclusion.

And also just like his The Black God’s Drums, in a very limited space, the author gives readers a view of a seemingly endless and rich world with ideas and stories everywhere. His alternate Cairo, like his alternate New Orleans, is a place I would love to visit and explore, and with an economy of words, Clark brings us there. In the epilogue of this story, the mission concluded, Hamed gets told a story by a fellow agent of what they have been up to themselves lately.. This is accomplished in a short paragraph of a equally interesting story to the novella we just read that in and of itself could have been an entire novella. The Haunting of Tram Car 015 is a rich and inventive story, in a world that is designed for many more such stories. I’d be delighted to read them. More, please!


***

The Math

Baseline Assessment 8/10

Bonuses : +1 for an immersive and rich world

Penalties : -1 for the slight underuse of a character who could have been used even more.

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10. Well worth your time and attention

***

Reference:  Clark, P. Djeli:  The Haunting of Tram Car 015 [Tor.com, 2019]

POSTED BY: Paul Weimer. Ubiquitous in Shadow, but I’m just this guy, you know? @princejvstin.

Microreview [book]: The Shards of Heaven by Michael Livingston

 If Dan Brown rebooted HBO’s Rome 

The Shards of Heaven is an alternate history set in Ancient Rome and Egypt (Alexandria), shortly after the assassination of Julius Caesar (Et tu Brute?!). It follows Juba, an adopted son of Caesar as he attempts to collect a series of magical objects, called the shards of heaven, to give him the power needed to avenge the death of his father (former King of Numidia). The story also follows the now legendary centurions Lucius Vorenus and Titus Pullo who are serving Mark Antony in Egypt.

Pullo and Vorenus

The Shards of Heaven truly is a wonderful book. The writing is superb and has the feel of a seasoned veteran. The story is fast-paced and gripping and the imagery is vivid and imaginative. I know there are mixed opinions of Dan Brown’s work, but it’s hard to deny that his books can be impossible to put down and leave you with a sense of wonder for history, artifacts, and travel. This is how The Shards of Heaven made me feel. It also made me miss HBO’s Rome something fierce.

With a few exceptions, character development is on point. Characters appear with a range of external and internal diversity, and even many of the characters that don’t have a POV are still well rounded and multi-faceted. And while we have varying skin tones and personality-types throughout the story, I am left wanting for gender diversity. The lack of an adult female character that speaks is stark, especially with respect to Cleopatra. She speaks briefly in the prologue, to express her indebtedness to a man for saving her child, and does not speak again until roughly half way through the book. On the few occasions where she does speak, it is always regarding her children, except for one time where she says “do this” (not a direct quote). The fact that we don’t have a POV for her is not an excuse. We have no POV for Antony, but still he is built as a lush and vibrant character. Anytime a character muses about Cleopatra, it is always about her beauty or stoicism, and she is seen as the seducer of two Roman generals first, and the Queen of Egypt second. This is very disappointing, because from what I understand Cleopatra was an intelligent and well educated woman. I also understand that it was not her looks that were the most appealing about her, but rather her affect. We get none of this.

Cleopatra and Antony 

Potential lies with Selene, Cleopatra’s 10-year daughter, though we still don't get her voice until about 100 pages in. She is adventurous and independent and makes her own density, despite the limitations presented to her. There is still too much emphasis on her appearance and budding beauty for my taste, but I am excited to read the next book in this series to see how she develops as a character. 

And I can't forget to mention how much I appreciate that this story does not ignore the Hebrew mythology that is often so overlooked during this time period. It was a breath of fresh air.

All in all, The Shards of Heaven is a wonderful read and I highly recommend it. Its only flaw really is the stark lack of gender diversity. I know women did not have a ton of rights in the time that this story is set, but that does not mean they must be silenced. Cleopatra was Queen of Egypt for Bast’s sake!

The Math

Baseline Assessment: 8/10

Bonuses: +1 for sophisticated and gripping writing style, +1 for cultural diversity

Penalties: -2 for silencing adult female characters, - 1 for reducing Cleopatra to a cold, sexual object

Nerd Coefficient: 7/10 “an enjoyable experience, but not without its flaws”

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POSTED BY: Tia

Reference: Livingston, Michael. Shards of Heaven [Tor Books, 2015]