A Master of Djinn

The symbol of clocks is particularly present throughout this section. Fatma’s father was a watchmaker, and she reveals that she carries one that he gifted to her. Clocks and clockwork are emblematic of the steampunk genre. However, the novel places this revelation next to the theft of the Clock of Worlds. Both clocks connect Fatma with the past, but in their capacity as representatives of the genre, they symbolize the future—or rather, an alternate prediction of the future from the perspective of the past.

The Clock of Worlds, as revealed later in the novel, serves no time-telling function, meaning the name of “clock” is merely symbolic. It does, however, collapse parallel dimensions together. Combined with the pocket watch Fatma carries that symbolically collapses the past and the future together, the use of clocks creates a focal point along two axes—time and place—with Fatma at the center.

This places a lot of importance on Fatma. The future direction of world events hinges on whether she can stop the impostor’s plans, and people’s perception of the past rests on whether she can unmask al-Jahiz as a fraud. She also must, as in the past, defend multiple realms. Though some of this information has yet to be revealed, the reflection of the stakes involved and the duties heaped on the protagonist provide a brief pause in the action of the novel at this halfway point.

The summit is punctuated by the appearance of Kaiser Wilhelm II, non-fictional emperor of Germany and King of Prussia, often credited as one of the causes of World War I. His presence in the novel is superficially innocuous, at times friendly, but his possession of a goblin indicates an international arms race, a response to Egypt’s djinn. Although the action never leaves Cairo and Giza, this hints at the global stakes that will soon come into play.

Though the impostor al-Jahiz becomes more and more villainous, presumably as Abigail is further corrupted by the ring’s power, Clark has an interest in gray morality. Wilhelm is cordial, proper, and present at a peace summit, and yet students of non-fictional history will recognize him and his goals for Germany. Wilhelm is, in United States history classes, often cast as a villain, a predecessor to Adolph Hitler. On a second reading of the novel, a reader may realize that he has nearly identical ambitions to Abigail, each hoping to build up the might of their respective countries, become a major colonial power, and—in the novel at least—obtain some force of magic to rival the strength of Egypt’s djinn.

This sets up a dramatic irony in which Fatma, whose task is saving the world, nonetheless carries on polite discourse with a man who ultimately would put the world at risk.

When al-Jahiz appears, the Europeans wish to hear his message. This willingness provides a critique of international politics; from a personal perspective, the impostor has committed crimes and must be stopped. However, on an international scale, the impostor’s plan appears as business-as-usual. The double-standard precedes the first mention of the Nine Lords, suggesting a thematic connection. Like the djinn lords in the novel’s finale, Abigail under the guise of al-Jahiz attempts to show the appeal of war, but in contrast to the djinns’ ultimate decision, the world leaders don’t immediately reject the idea. The peace summit thus ironically displays tensions between nations that threaten to break.

Clark reveals a few major details in the summit scenes. The impostor clearly demonstrates the ability to control djinn, though that ability clearly has its limits. Fatma breaks through two illusions. She witnesses evidence of magic controlling the villain’s appearance. The crack in the mask, a simple symbolic punctuation, suggests that Abigail’s false persona is beginning to fall apart.

The other illusion had not been a magical one, but a mundane one. Siti had, for the duration of their relationship, withheld half of her identity, a common conflict in new relationships. While wresting control from the impostor, trying to restore Siti’s freedom, Clark includes a somewhat ambiguous detail about her eyes. Readers do not yet know how the impostor’s power works, so they can ascribe this to possible possession or perhaps a zombified loss of self. However, at the same time, Fatma looks into the eyes of someone who has lied to her and doesn’t know who she sees. She forgave Zagros immediately after recognizing he had been robbed of his self-control, but here, for a moment, she experiences a sliver of doubt. Based on her characterization to this point in the book, Fatma likely suffers more from feeling betrayed by Siti than from the physical assault.