I picked up this 2017 collection of short stories because it featured contributions of several writers whose work I’ve reviewed before and liked, and the subject of djinn (or jinn or genies, whatever term you prefer) has been popping up on my radar quite a bit lately. The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories was a brilliant way for me to start CBR11 — immensely entertaining, sometimes provocative, and an entree to the works of writers new to me but whose work I will definitely be tracking down. The stories are a wonderful mix of styles and settings and shed light not only on the nature of the djinn but on human nature as well. The djinn, created by Allah from smokeless fire, are sometimes depicted as tricky and/or evil, but in some ways they are no different from humans.
The collection features 20 short stories and one poem. In some, the djinn are front and center characters, in others, they are peripheral or their involvement is implied. Some of the stories feel like ghost stories, with definite creepy and menacing overtones. Some portray the djinn in a more compassionate way, and others demonstrate the greater menace of humans. Stories are set in the past, present and future, on earth and in space. The stories that involved technology and/or the future were especially well done in my opinion. Sami Shah’s “Reap” is about a group of US military technicians monitoring a drone in Pakistan as it performs reconnaissance in a village. Over time, they feel like they know the people there, including a large family with young children, but they are voyeurs, and what they will see before their eyes is shocking. In EJ Swift’s “The Jinn Hunter’s Apprentice,” an expensive and important space mission is in jeopardy due to bizarre occurrences aboard the ship. A young woman, the jinn hunter’s apprentice, arrives on Mars to investigate whether the djinn are involved or if this is a case of collective hallucination. “Bring Your Spoon” by Saad Z. Hossain is set in a grim future where the world is policed by drones and armed forces, and the environment is so polluted that special technology is required simply to breathe. Hanu, one of the homeless poor, and his friend the djinn Imbridor, team up with a smuggler to open a restaurant. This improbable venture meets with unexpected success and inevitably draws the attention of authorities. “Duende 2077” by Jamal Mahjoub is set in a post-apocalyptic London where a new caliphate has taken over. Detective Dhaka is called on to a murder case that is especially sensitive in nature, and Dhaka’s past plus the existence of a rebel group will complicate the investigation. After each of these stories, all I could think was that these writers need to turn their stories into novels! I wished for more! I sincerely hope that they will revisit these characters and plots in the future.
The stories that focused on interpersonal relationships, whether between lovers or family members, stood out for a variety or reasons; some because they were poignant, others because they were disturbing, all because of their treatment of the topic of possession. Djinn can take possession of a human body, usually for no good, but the matter of possession is turned on its head in some of these stories. In Kamila Shamsie’s “The Congregation,” a young man wants to be possessed by djinn, while in Helene Wecker’s “Majnun,” a djinn who has turned into an exorcist comes up against an old lover. The matter of female power and possession comes up in two stories. In Claire North’s “Hurrem and the Djinn,” the powerful men of a Sultan’s court go to the sorcerer and his assistant for help, as they are convinced that the Sultan’s favorite wife is somehow using the djinn to exert influence over the Sultan. In “The Righteous Guide of Arabsat,” by Sophia Al-Maria, set in the modern Arab world, a sheltered young man, socially awkward, suspects that his new wife (via arranged marriage) is possessed by djinn. His subsequent actions are horrific, and this story was all the more disturbing because one can imagine it actually happening. In Catherine Faris King’s “Queen of Sheba,” a woman reflects on a Christmas past and her discovery of the nature of her Auntie Opal’s work and her own unusual abilities. It’s a beautiful story, and another that made me wish for more.
Finally, I’d Iike to put a spotlight on the stories that were so dark, so provocative that they reminded me of Edgar Allen Poe and WW Jacobs (of “The Monkey’s Paw” fame). “The Sand in the Glass is Right,” by James Smythe, is the story of a rich man who jealously guards a lamp hidden away in a private room. His obsession with the lamp seems to have a deleterious effect on those around him as well as on his own health. As various narrators discuss the lamp and its owner, the reader begins to understand their twisted and tragic history together. “Message in a Bottle,” by KJ Parker, involves an investigation at a monastery known for its library full of forbidden books. As war and plague threaten the kingdom, the protagonist must figure out whether the mysterious bottle at the monastery contains the antidote to the plague or a more virulent strain that would wipe out humanity, and what should he do when he finds out? Is humanity worth saving? “Emperors of Jinn” by Usman T. Malik might be the scariest and creepiest story of them all. On a remote country estate in Lahore, a group of children find a book of spells, are told to stay out of the drawing room, and must avoid the cottage where a young woman possessed by djinn sleeps. They’re kids, so guess what happens. Maria Dahvana Headley’s “Black Powder” is a supremely creative story that spans centuries and continents and involves an old rifle, the bullets of which contain spirits that can grant wishes when shot. This story touches on white European treatment of natives as well as matters of sexuality and an angry young white man who is an “incel.”
Despite the length of this review, I’ve only touched on some of the stories in this collection, and they are all wonderful. Some guy named Neil Gaiman has one in there, too! (Excerpted from American Gods, so if you read that or saw the TV version, it’s familiar). One of my favorite contemporary authors Jy Yang has a story in here, and, as with so many of the others, it made me wish for more. Editor Amal El-Mohtar’s story involving the treatment of the marginalized and dispossessed is beautiful and creative. Kirsty Logan and Khuzali Manickavel write stories that demonstrate the cruel nature of humans vis-a-vis the outsider (in both cases a djinn) who has nowhere to turn. Monica Byrne and Nnedi Okorafor provide excellent stories as well. The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories is a superior collection and recommended for those who might like to read more widely in other cultures and who simply enjoy short stories excellently written.