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    Djinn City
    Djinn City
    Djinn City
    Audiobook16 hours

    Djinn City

    Written by Saad Z Hossain

    Narrated by Fajer Al-Kaisi

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    From the author of the cult classic Escape from Baghdad!, comes one of The Guardian's Best Fantasy Books of the Year

    Indelbed is a lonely kid living in a crumbling mansion in the super dense, super chaotic third world capital Of Bangladesh. His father, Dr. Kaikobad, is the black sheep of their clan, the once illustrious Khan Rahman family. A drunken loutish widower, he refuses to allow Indelbed go to school, and the only thing Indelbed knows about his mother is the official cause of her early demise: "Death by Indelbed."

    But when Dr. Kaikobad falls into a supernatural coma, Indelbed and his older cousin, the wise-cracking slacker Rais, learn that Indelbed's dad was in fact a magician—and a trusted emissary to the Djinn world. And the Djinns, as it turns out, are displeased. A "hunt" has been announced, and ten year-old Indelbed is the prey. Still reeling from the fact that genies actually exist, Indelbed finds himself on the run. Soon, the boys are at the center of a great Djinn controversy, one tied to the continuing fallout from an ancient war, with ramifications for the future of life as we know it.

    Saad Z. Hossain updates the supernatural creatures of Arabian mythology—a superior but by no means perfect species pushed to the brink by the staggering ineptitude of the human race. Djinn City is a darkly comedic fanlasy adventure, and a stirring follow-up to Hossain's 2015 novel Escape from Baghdad!, which NPR called "a hilarious and searing indictment of the project we euphemistically call 'nation-building.'"

    Editor's Note

    Richly imagined…

    Steampunk and magic meet Arabian mythology in this tale of Indelbed, a lonely boy from a distinguished Bangladeshi family that’s seen better days. But when he discovers his eccentric, alcoholic father is actually a magician and his late mother was a djinn, he and his rascally cousin Rais embark on a harrowing journey to learn the ways of the djinn in this richly imagined fantasy adventure.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherEverand Productions
    Release dateOct 27, 2020
    ISBN9781094411835
    Author

    Saad Z Hossain

    Saad Z Hossain writes in a niche genre of fantasy, science fiction and black comedy with an action-adventure twist. He is the author of Escape from Baghdad! and Djinn City. He was published in the anthologies The Apex Book of World SF: Volume 4 and The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories. He lives and works in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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    Reviews for Djinn City

    4/5

    482 ratings46 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Unique and well written, would love a continuation of it!
    • 5/5
      This book creates entire worlds …at once amazing ,outlandish …and believable .
      ItiCarrying the reader along in a relentless tide of imagination sharing the breathless ride with a mixture of characters …some so real…
      they could be your next door neighbours yet others so strange in both form and motivation they stretch one’s creativity of visualisation but somehow never one’s belief , wrapped as we are in a cosy bubble of suspended reality, bouncing along in the wake of the Authors multifaceted vision. A triumph sure to become a classic .
      Well written and expertly narrated.
      Phew ! What a journey ..su.ch a lot to take in ..once I have taken time to absorb and savour this great work of fantasy fiction …I look forward to reading (or listening to ) more ripping Yarns from this Author Highly Recommend
    • 5/5
      The characters, their conversations, their relatability. This was a surprisingly great book. I love the exploration and modernization of the mythology. And the narrator. Give that man an award or something. He kept it engaging without over doing it. On to Cyber Mage!
    • 5/5
      I loved this book - not many authors talented enough or brave enough to attempt satire anymore.
    • 4/5
      Delicious adventure that enveloped me step by step.
      At some points it was a little slow, but the story is full of magic, intrigue, violence, politics, sarcasm... A wonderful understanding of the human condition and nature.
      I really enjoyed it.
    • 2/5
      Die Geschichte beginnt interessant und verliert am Ende komplett die Struktur. Schade!
    • 5/5
      Great book I would highly recommend. Feels like a Neal Stephenson book
    • 5/5
      I truly enjoyed this book. The ending didn't seem like an ending, though. I hope there are more or that this will continue in a series.
    • 4/5
      very enjoyable story, the non- ending was s disappointed though
    • 4/5
      Really solid fantasy. This should appeal to Gaiman fans or anyone who enjoys a fantasy set in modern times. Definitely want to read more from the author.
    • 3/5
      Not so thrilling story. A bit boring and slow many times
    • 5/5
      If people are mad that the ending, it’s because they want MORE- this was a lavish tapestry of characters, politics, and discovery. I hope this author keeps writing.
    • 4/5
      I love this book. But the ending! If there is no sequel then it's a waste of time. 16 hours for some seriously literary blue balls. But still it's a good listen.
    • 5/5
      Very fun read! Imaginative story, new magic, cool concepts. Superb
    • 4/5
      It was a great book until the end. I really hope he plans to write a second book cuz if not that was an incredibly unsatisfactory ending. If there is a book 2 in the works then great cliff hanger!
    • 3/5
      I’m sure this is a decent story, but I only made it a third of the way through. There are a lot of unnecessary comments being made by someone who wants to portray themself as anti-conservative, but the comments themselves are rather conservative. Makes me not really care one way or the other about the writer’s stance. All I can see is the gross language.
    • 5/5
      I loved it. It’s a beautifully written with many levels of the story. I thought the ending was perfect. Instead of wrapping everything up in a neat bow, it leaves the reader thinking about the different directions that the story could go in.
    • 5/5
      What a wonderful writer! I can’t wait to read everything else he’s written. So erudite and creativity.
    • 4/5
      The book was OK, but it wasn’t one of my favorites.
    • 5/5
      Can't wait for the sequel, really enjoyed this one, Thanks

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      very dense plot and characters. i enjoyed the process of listening to this book!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      Waiting the entire book for something good to happen. The kind of story I’d imagine a depressed politician would write, with a month’s supply of LSD.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Now this is a new take on fantasy. The author creates a world of magic and then slowly reveals how weird and mismanaged it is. The Djinn are really interesting and have such a unique way of operating, and it drives he narrative in such an interesting direction. Highly recommend, although I hope to God there's a sequel.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      It is pretty good, love the brutal description or reality of the cast system, and poverty, but also of the very clever irony. Towards the end is a bit too convoluted for my taste, but all around is an excellent book

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Great book it would make a very colorful adventure movie .

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I liked it a lot. A good combination of humor and magic, the description claims it is steampunk which was sort of a turn off for me but the only actual steampunk machines are the Djinn's creations. Hoping for a sequel
    • 5/5
      I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the wild journey it takes you on. It's modern fantasy based in modern, non-western traditions and folklore that brings up interesting political and societal issues while keeping the plot and characters moving. It's also very funny at times.

      Great narration, too.

      If you're one who can't deal with waiting for a sequel to know what happens, you'll probably be mad like some other reviewers. But, really, no one would be that angry about not getting a resolution if they hadn't truly enjoyed the lead-up.
    • 2/5
      It had a lot going for it. Interesting start, but then it ended without a resolution. It stopped mid-story and left the reader hanging on all three plot lines. So disappointing!

      I do not recommend this book to those who like to see things wrapped up, which is mostly everybody.

      Other than that, it was a good idea. It needs a sequel that is an actual sequel.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Fantastic writing and such well done story telling. The universe of djinn was very interesting as well as the descriptions of the characters and places. The resolution of some the characters was a little lackluster and left me wanting more for them (more horrible, more descriptive, more satisfying). I think this was done intentionally by the author to offer some sort of commentary on unfairness or the pain of being so close to victory and having the rug swept out from under your feet by the circumstances of life.... but it wasn't what I was hoping for. I was rooting for several characters whose story lines left me disheartened. It makes sense for the writing style and the type of dry humor in the book, but a girl can hope. And get her hopes dashed.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 3/5
      Centered on Bangladesh, the story follows members of a family of emissaries to the djinn—humans who know about and negotiate with the djinn, who look down on humans and some of whom plan to exterminate a substantial portion of humanity. One child is kidnapped, believing himself betrayed by the rest of his family, and becomes an apprentice to a very dangerous djinn, while his older cousin finds a new purpose in trying to fight the extermination plot. The ending involved a lot of betrayal and unfinished business; there is as yet no sequel, so it was kind of a downer.