The Haunting of Tram Car 015 - Dead Djinn Universe by P Djèlí Clark Paperback

About the Book

Cairo, 1912. The case started simply enough for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments, and Supernatural Entities: handle a possessed tram car. Soon, however, Agent Hamed Nasr and his new partner, Agent Onsi Youssef, are exposed to another side of Cairo stirring with suffragettes, secret societies, and sentient automatons. It's a race against time to protect the city from an encroaching danger that crosses the line between the magical and mundane.

Book Synopsis

P. Djèlí Clark returns to the historical fantasy universe of "A Dead Djinn in Cairo", with the otherworldly adventure novella The Haunting of Tram Car 015.

Finalist for the 2020 Hugo Award
Finalist for the 2020 Nebula Award
Finalist for the 2020 Locus Award

Cairo, 1912: The case started as a simple one for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities -- handling a possessed tram car.

Soon, however, Agent Hamed Nasr and his new partner Agent Onsi Youssef are exposed to a new side of Cairo stirring with suffragettes, secret societies, and sentient automatons in a race against time to protect the city from an encroaching danger that crosses the line between the magical and the mundane.

Review Quotes

"This novella is perfect and I loved it and you should read it.... [A]vivid, loving imagining of what a successfully decolonized Middle-East and North Africa could look like, with people looking at each other and seeing each other and their differences without the interfering, distorting lenses of whiteness and imperialism....The Haunting of Tram Car 015 is a zippy, wonderful romp, and it's made me want to seek out everything P. Djèlí Clark has written in this setting (there's a novelette on Tor.com as well, "A Dead Djinn in Cairo," from 2016)."--NPR.com

"P. Djeli Clark once again blends his brilliant imagination with a thoughtful and complex historical analysis -- not to mention plenty of heart -- to weave a breathtaking tale of cities, spirits, friendship, and society. I love this story so much and couldn't stop reading it, and I can't wait to see what Clark does next!" -- New York Times bestselling author Daniel Jose Older

"Utterly delightful, with a sly wit and a deep and satisfying take on alternate history." --Kate Elliott, Nebula and World Fantasy Award-nominated author

"The Haunting of Tram Car 015 is a witty, political, magical visit to an alternate 1912 Cairo suffused with richly imagined sights, tastes, and a dash of bureaucracy. Forget the Ministry of Magic; you want to be there when the agents of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities get to work on a case." --Nebula and Sturgeon Award-winning author Sarah Pinsker

"Fast-acting and fabulous, Clark's sequel to "A Dead Djinn in Cairo" adds fierce suffragists and squirming smugglers to his alternate Egypt, a place richly infused with alchemical steampunkery. Newly introduced Inspector Hamed and his rookie partner are sharply-focused moving pictures of persistence, doing their utmost to face down a terrifying spectral incursion. With all-encompassing craft, Clark shares the story of an investigation in which his heroes' efforts and Cairo's cosmopolitan nature work in sync to save the day." -- James Tiptree Jr. Award Winner Nisi Shawl, author of Everfair

"Clark (The Black God's Drums, 2018) continues to astound readers with his creativity and exploration of different supernatural entities. While his first book delved into African orishas in 1871 New Orleans, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 introduces djinn, Asian spirits, and automatons....This book will delight readers of all ages." -- Booklist

"Fast-paced, elegantly structured, and with an eye for the ridiculous, The Haunting of Tram Car 015 is an absolute pleasure to read. In Djèlí Clark's hands, prose, characterisation, and worldbuilding combine to create a deeply enjoyable magical alternate-history procedural. I eagerly look forward to seeing what he does next - and I have to confess, I'm hoping for a full-length novel." --Locus magazine

"This novella sequel to A Dead Djinn in Cairo keeps a tight hold through its well-crafted characters and absorbing alternate Egyptian landscape. Recommended for fans of the first book in this new series."-- Library Journal

Praise for The Black God's Drums

"A sinewy mosaic of Haitian sky pirates, wily street urchins, and orisha magic. Beguiling and bombastic!" --Scott Westerfeld, New York Times bestselling author

"Definitely do not miss this lightning fast romp through the steampunk bayous of an alternate New Orleans. Clark's story bleeds with style, elaborate language, and unforgettable characters who are pulled by the undercurrents of hidden gods."--Daniel H. Wilson, bestselling author of Robopocalypse and The Clockwork Dynasty

"International intrigue involving the Confederacy, strange science, and hoodoo magic!" --David D. Levine, author of the Andre Norton Award winning-novel Arabella of Mars

"Whether you're new to orisha magic or seasoned in the lore, Clark's retro-afrofuturistic tale will keep you engrossed in a world of airships, New Orleans, alternative history, and renegade scientists. The language and setting is so authentic you'll taste the gumbo." --Tade Thompson, author of The Murders of Molly Southbourne and the Nommo Awards-winning Rosewater

"A mesmerizing, sprawling alternate history brimming with authenticity and voice. You'll be bitterly disappointed when it's over. Clark's novella will leave you ravenous for more." --Justina Ireland, author of Dread Nation

"This mashup of history and culture has been perfectly distilled into a world fully realized and authentic. AU-THEN-TIC. Down to the sounds and tastes. Clark is a griot of the first order and The Black God's Drums is a call from the ancestors, an invitation to join in with them to celebrate story." -- Maurice Broaddus, author of Buffalo Soldier and the Knights of Breton Court trilogy

"P. Djeli Clark's novella sunk its teeth into me from the first page, with a narrative voice that perfectly captures the spirit of The Crescent City. It chilled me to the bone, warmed my heart, and had me laughing out loud--sometimes all at once." -Robyn Bennis, author of the Signal Airship series

"The Black God's Drums is a must read for fans of fantasy and alternate histories alike . . . Clark has proven time and again that he's a talent to watch, and this latest offering cements him as one of the best new fantasy authors around." --Troy L. Wiggins, executive editor of FIYAH Magazine

"A superb and elegant blend of alternate history, top-shelf worldbuilding, magic, and steampunk adventure with a unique voice to tie it all together. I can't wait for more tales in this setting!" -- Michael F. Haspil, author of Graveyard Shift

"The Black God's Drums is a fast paced tale of wit, wiles, and wisdom." -- Curtis Craddock, author of An Alchemy of Masques and Mirrors

About the Author

Born in New York and raised mostly in Houston, P. Djèlí Clark spent the formative years of his life in the homeland of his parents, Trinidad and Tobago. He is the author of the novel A Master of Djinn and the novellas The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, Ring Shout, The Black God's Drums, and The Haunting of Tram Car 015. He has won the Nebula, Locus, and Alex Awards and been nominated for the Hugo, World Fantasy, and Sturgeon Awards. His stories have appeared in online venues such as Tor.com, Daily Science Fiction, Heroic Fantasy Quarterly, Apex, Lightspeed, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, and in print anthologies, including Griots, Hidden Youth, and Clockwork Cairo. He is also a founding member of FIYAH Magazine of Black Speculative Fiction and an infrequent reviewer at Strange Horizons.