P. Djèlí Clark

The Angel of Khan el-Khalili

Joy KBA

Maya Johnson

I really liked the world building in this short story. Even though the twist in this was predicable, I still enjoyed this story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️3.5/5 Stars

Lia Yuliana

Update 03/12/2021

Find my reviews on :  An Ode to Fiction
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    They are not angels. All angels are in Heaven with God.
  


The Angel of Khan el-Khalili is the second prequel short story in the Dead Djinn Universe after A Dead Djinn in Cairo and The Haunting of Tram Car 015. The story takes place in Cairo the year of 1912 following our protagonist that is out to seek The Angel of Khan el-Khalili to help her sister Aisha. Arriving at the place where the angel that calls themselves Seeker, the girl is asked to pay the price to save her sister Aisha.
Since I read A Dead Djinn in Cairo I fell in love with P. Djèlí Clark's prose and incredibly vivid writing. Clark's writing style stands out to me as the best amongst other short story writers I've read. The world Clark creates, especially the world of the Dead Djinn Universe is remarkable with it's bright and vibrant imagery of modern steam punk Cairo the hub of technological advancements in the world. In this world there are beings such as the Djinns, the Angels, and many others. The Angel in this short is as mysterious, enigmatic, and slightly cruel in their actions. Truly, this short story carries a lot of weight and nuance that ugh automatic five stars from me. To all of you that haven't read P. Djèlí Clark's stories you should! Because Clark is a master in his craft. Highly recommend!


  
    “Atonement,” you answer, “is gained through asking for forgiveness. And I pray for it every day. You can’t give me that. Pain isn’t absolution. Whatever you think you’ve taken from me, you haven’t unburdened me of anything.”

eden

this is written in 2nd pov but i really liked it

Fraser Simons

A fantastic short story about a young girl who seeks out an Angel in Cairo in order to procure a miracle that will save her sister. 

Very tightly paced, not a word wasted. Great worldbuilding, great dialogue. It’s told in 2nd person—something in vogue right now I don’t particularly care for. It can work very well in specific situations. I’m not sure it added anything to this. But it was a very cool and interesting story. I really like this world. Can’t wait to get to the novel.

Cheryl Hedlund

Another atmospheric short story set in the Dead Djinn Universe.  I listened to Levar Burton read it on his podcast. His wonderful performance added to the experience.  The writing creates such atmosphere and brings two characters to life in such a small story.  It astounds and delights me. Neither of these characters appear in the other works published so far in this series.  It is quite self-contained while being clearly in the same world and sharing themes.  This is an emotional story and has a lot to reflect on.  It would hold up well to rereading.  Just for the prose, I would like to see this on the page.

Cerys

Personally didn't think it was as good as 'A Dead Djinn in Cairo', however, I fully understand that these novellas are to place you into the world that Djeli Clark has created. This novella looks more towards the 'Angels' that are in this world and I think that the main Angel within this story is going to reappear that or the main character. However, I still think the writing of Djeli Clark is well done.