reviews_musings's review against another edition
5.0
What a fabulous little piece of treasure this book is!! We all grew up reading Alibaba and the forty thieves. And I never knew that there was a term called “steampunk” to describe a retelling of a fable or a story. I do not have any other word than “brilliant” for this book.
“Steampunk” means a genre of science fiction that has a historical setting and typically features steam-powered machinery rather than advanced technology. So, anything which is magical or ancient in the original fable is replaced by a work of engineering. A Djinn, instead of being a magical entity is a machine, an intelligent robot.
Ali is in London taking apprenticeship from his Ustaad, until one day, a falcon, with mechanical wings, leaves a box on his window sill. Troubles ensue once the mysterious box is delivered. There are thefts and attacks. Soon after, he gets the news that his father has expired and his brother Kasim commands him to come back home to take up family business.
Ali’s journey back home is filled with danger and adventure. At every step, he finds he is always on the run. Someone is on his heels to steal the box. He finds himself drawn into the world of magic and ancient secrets.
Unable to decipher the box itself, he also faces sibling rivalry with his greedy brother, who does not want even a single penny bequeathed to his brother. Ali rents a separate home, and slowly one after another, the mystery unfolds and he finds himself in front of the cave and we all get to hear the famous magic words “Open Sesame”.
And then we all know the story. There is treasure, there are thieves and there is a Djinn trapped inside the cave. Ali gets the treasure, goes back home. Kasim gets greedy and gets killed. The servant girl, who happens to be the Djinn whom Ali saves, is smart enough to fool the thieves.
And everything ends on a happy note! It is a beautiful retelling of the fable and I loved every bit of it!
We find very few books like this and I hope to read more from this author!
alisarae's review against another edition
4.0
If you were to guess that this book is a retooled tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, you would be correct. Like any good fairy tale, it is not incredibly original, but it blends Arabic, Persian, and Egyptian culture and vocabulary with some of the more famous Arabian Nights stories, creates scenes that transport the readers to the early twentieth century Arabia (if it had magic and steampunk additions), and teaches us about the nature of the Islamic faith through the patient piety of the main character Baba Ali.
The story is well structured and thoughtfully paced. Its suspense elements are not revealed too quickly, and I enjoyed guessing at the mysteries rather than being hammered over the head with their answers. The steampunk touches pump in elements of fun, and it was easy to immerse myself in the descriptions without the progression of the story being bogged down. Sometimes the characters felt a little distant to me as the reader, but they are multidimensional and interesting. Overall, the book is a light-hearted adventure story that will entertain and enlighten you.
Full review upcoming on Papercuttts.
(note: I got this book as an ARC, but that didn't affect my honest opinion)
The story is well structured and thoughtfully paced. Its suspense elements are not revealed too quickly, and I enjoyed guessing at the mysteries rather than being hammered over the head with their answers. The steampunk touches pump in elements of fun, and it was easy to immerse myself in the descriptions without the progression of the story being bogged down. Sometimes the characters felt a little distant to me as the reader, but they are multidimensional and interesting. Overall, the book is a light-hearted adventure story that will entertain and enlighten you.
Full review upcoming on Papercuttts.
(note: I got this book as an ARC, but that didn't affect my honest opinion)
marimoose's review against another edition
3.0
Full review posted at Story and Somnomancy.
Lately I’ve been breaking my stories down to things I loved, things I had love/hate relationships to, and things that didn’t fly for me. It was harder for Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn because while I liked the idea and premise of the retelling (I mean, come on, Ali Baba on an airship–how cool is that?!), I didn’t think much of the tale itself changed because of the steampunk elements. For me, it really did just feel like throwing in steampunk elements in a story that would have gone the same route without the clockwork boxes and automaton djinn. I would have liked to actually have seen Ali solve more of the problems using his tinkering, even though the original turns Ali into a background character by the second half of the story.
Then there’s Morgiana herself. I’ve always been a fan of Morgiana in the Ali Baba tale. Something to do with the fact that she manages to hold her own and rises out of her station as a slave/servant/submissivethingymajig. In this story, she’s a djinni of unknowable powers (no, seriously, I have no idea what her limits are and what she can actually do, since it’s not very clear). Trapped by the “King of Thieves” (he’s actually not called thus, but he’s certainly a leader among the thieves), Morgiana is freed by Ali and willingly serves him in his household. What gets me is the fact that she’s a djinni. With powers. I know she’s grateful to Ali and all, but really? There must have been some other rank in the household that lets her protect Ali without setting herself down as a servant. Heck, her frelling kindred-djinni was a badass clockwork falcon. Instead Morgiana gets stuck in a rather limited female robot body. I wonder as well where her personality went afterward, because she went from “dangerous-flashy-eyed-djinni” to “bland-as-a-rock.” Even Malekeh was more intriguing as a female, and she wasn’t perfect.
Which brings me to the characters. I liked a number of them, but I felt that the retelling was much too short and there were too many characters that got spread too thin as far as development went. I loved the Langstroms, and Babbage was pretty fantastic in the scenes he was in. Malekeh was a standout character, though as I said, there wasn’t much story to flesh any of the characters out besides Ali. And even then Ali wasn’t very inspiring of a character. The only thing I knew about him in the end was that he was a really good tinker and he made the body of a perfect woman in order to hold the terrible unfathomable power of a djinni. Which is a shame, really.
As far as the steampunk went…as I said, I thought it was an added bonus, but I also thought it didn’t quite reconcile with the fairy tale. The story itself wasn’t really altered, everything still happened within the pattern, and I was really hoping I’d have gotten some major changes in the tale. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
Lately I’ve been breaking my stories down to things I loved, things I had love/hate relationships to, and things that didn’t fly for me. It was harder for Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn because while I liked the idea and premise of the retelling (I mean, come on, Ali Baba on an airship–how cool is that?!), I didn’t think much of the tale itself changed because of the steampunk elements. For me, it really did just feel like throwing in steampunk elements in a story that would have gone the same route without the clockwork boxes and automaton djinn. I would have liked to actually have seen Ali solve more of the problems using his tinkering, even though the original turns Ali into a background character by the second half of the story.
Then there’s Morgiana herself. I’ve always been a fan of Morgiana in the Ali Baba tale. Something to do with the fact that she manages to hold her own and rises out of her station as a slave/servant/submissivethingymajig. In this story, she’s a djinni of unknowable powers (no, seriously, I have no idea what her limits are and what she can actually do, since it’s not very clear). Trapped by the “King of Thieves” (he’s actually not called thus, but he’s certainly a leader among the thieves), Morgiana is freed by Ali and willingly serves him in his household. What gets me is the fact that she’s a djinni. With powers. I know she’s grateful to Ali and all, but really? There must have been some other rank in the household that lets her protect Ali without setting herself down as a servant. Heck, her frelling kindred-djinni was a badass clockwork falcon. Instead Morgiana gets stuck in a rather limited female robot body. I wonder as well where her personality went afterward, because she went from “dangerous-flashy-eyed-djinni” to “bland-as-a-rock.” Even Malekeh was more intriguing as a female, and she wasn’t perfect.
Which brings me to the characters. I liked a number of them, but I felt that the retelling was much too short and there were too many characters that got spread too thin as far as development went. I loved the Langstroms, and Babbage was pretty fantastic in the scenes he was in. Malekeh was a standout character, though as I said, there wasn’t much story to flesh any of the characters out besides Ali. And even then Ali wasn’t very inspiring of a character. The only thing I knew about him in the end was that he was a really good tinker and he made the body of a perfect woman in order to hold the terrible unfathomable power of a djinni. Which is a shame, really.
As far as the steampunk went…as I said, I thought it was an added bonus, but I also thought it didn’t quite reconcile with the fairy tale. The story itself wasn’t really altered, everything still happened within the pattern, and I was really hoping I’d have gotten some major changes in the tale. But maybe that’s just wishful thinking.
ehparrish's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Gore, Death of parent, Violence, and Grief
Minor: Domestic abuse and Racism
emsee33's review against another edition
3.0
BABA ALI AND THE CLOCKWORK DJINN is a breath of fresh desert wind, and if the book suffers from some plotting and pacing missteps, it’s still a charming oasis for fantasy lovers looking to enjoy something a little less Western.
Read the rest of this review on All Things Urban Fantasy.
Read the rest of this review on All Things Urban Fantasy.
piperkitty's review against another edition
3.0
This book has a very unquie cover and made me think of a jigsaw. This is w author to me. This book starts of slow but you eventually get into the story after a few chapters. I liked the use of mechasinsm and magic. The characterisation is very well done on Ali. There are alot of unanswered question in this book about certain things which needed to be adressed.
This is a unquie twist in Ali babba and the forty theives. This story has many elements of Islamic /Middle Eastern flokelore with Djinn and more the use of how to deal with these.
This is a unquie twist in Ali babba and the forty theives. This story has many elements of Islamic /Middle Eastern flokelore with Djinn and more the use of how to deal with these.
dimples87's review against another edition
5.0
I love to use my imagination when reading books like these as I travel to other places, new and exciting. This book takes us into a magical place and teaches us some valuable lessons along the way. Prepare to be taken away as sister Scheherazade could have scarce couldn’t have dreamed of. A tale of glorious, afflicting, tenacity and of course a great tale of devotion.
As they sleep through the night to tale sweet little lies, their truth comes out in daybreak. In ancient times, there was such a thing as corruption spanned through the desert.
Ali bin-Massoud is on assignment in England far from his home as a pupil to Charles Babbage. A clockwork falcon drops off a peculiar box but it changes Ali’s life in unexpected ways. Distress, endangerment, and poachers are on his trek as Ali is summoned home for the death of his father.
It will take conviction, comprehension, devotion and serendipity and more than a little mastery with steam-driven automation. Can he unravel the mystery of the puzzle box and the clockwork djinn before time runs out? An ancient patrimony and Ali's very life depend on his victory.
As they sleep through the night to tale sweet little lies, their truth comes out in daybreak. In ancient times, there was such a thing as corruption spanned through the desert.
Ali bin-Massoud is on assignment in England far from his home as a pupil to Charles Babbage. A clockwork falcon drops off a peculiar box but it changes Ali’s life in unexpected ways. Distress, endangerment, and poachers are on his trek as Ali is summoned home for the death of his father.
It will take conviction, comprehension, devotion and serendipity and more than a little mastery with steam-driven automation. Can he unravel the mystery of the puzzle box and the clockwork djinn before time runs out? An ancient patrimony and Ali's very life depend on his victory.
carabellacullen's review against another edition
4.0
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn: A Steampunk Faerie Tale by Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed
4 Stars!!!!
I adore finding new authors. This was just right up my alley although not my usual genre but I love anything with the middle eastern theme. I found this book to be a breath of fresh air. The book is just rightly balanced with drama and just the slightest hint of romance.
I really loved that it was full of wonder and had a djinn after all what middle eastern theme wouldn't be complete without it. I loved the steampunk theme as well. The way that it brings the old with the new and entwines the British and Arabian cultures as well just brings so much to the book. I loved all the characters and was just glued to the book. I will definitely read more from
the authors in the future.
4 Stars!!!!
I adore finding new authors. This was just right up my alley although not my usual genre but I love anything with the middle eastern theme. I found this book to be a breath of fresh air. The book is just rightly balanced with drama and just the slightest hint of romance.
I really loved that it was full of wonder and had a djinn after all what middle eastern theme wouldn't be complete without it. I loved the steampunk theme as well. The way that it brings the old with the new and entwines the British and Arabian cultures as well just brings so much to the book. I loved all the characters and was just glued to the book. I will definitely read more from
the authors in the future.
katie_83's review against another edition
4.0
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn
By Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed
4 stars
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn was a really interesting read. I’ve not read many steampunk genre books before but I really like the re-telling’s of fairy tales and other storied from my childhood so I really wanted to give this book a try and I actually really enjoyed it. The writing was great, I like it when dual authors work together and you can’t tell – their writing styles complemented each other perfectly. The characters were great, well thought out and planned and the detail and descriptions were fantastic, I could definitely imagine what I was reading.
Overall I thought that this was a wonderful read, captivating and exciting the whole way through. I would definitely like to read more from these authors again in the future and I absolutely would recommend this book to other readers.
By Danielle Ackley-McPhail and Day Al-Mohamed
4 stars
Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn was a really interesting read. I’ve not read many steampunk genre books before but I really like the re-telling’s of fairy tales and other storied from my childhood so I really wanted to give this book a try and I actually really enjoyed it. The writing was great, I like it when dual authors work together and you can’t tell – their writing styles complemented each other perfectly. The characters were great, well thought out and planned and the detail and descriptions were fantastic, I could definitely imagine what I was reading.
Overall I thought that this was a wonderful read, captivating and exciting the whole way through. I would definitely like to read more from these authors again in the future and I absolutely would recommend this book to other readers.