The Haunting of Tram Car 015 ★★★★★

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 (Click Here To Buy)

★★★★★

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djèlí Clark is a sci-fi novella about an evil spirit haunting a tram car and the detectives who are hired to remove it. I checked this book out from the library in preparation for Clark's full-length novel from this world, A Master of Djinn, which was released earlier this year. ​Agent Hamed and his junior partner Agent Onsi of the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities are called out to investigate what, at first appears to be a simple exorcism case. The year is 1912 and the setting is an alternate universe in Cairo, Egypt where humans and supernatural entities coexist (I'm thinking The Fifth Element) and women are fighting for their right to vote. After some financial concerns, the two agents settle on hiring a female djinn to complete the ceremony. It is only then they realize they are dealing with something much more sinister. An evil being that searches out pregnant women and new mothers - because it likes to eat babies. The agents then have to concoct a new plan to remove the spirit and what unfolds is a pretty wild ride!

Another novella, coming in at 130 pages, this book had the same massive world-building that I so loved in his other work. The descriptions were malevolent and sinister and combined with a police procedural in the best way. There is one book before this, A Dead Djinn in Cairo that is also set in this world and I want to check out. I have also read Ring Shout by Clark and you NEED to read that book! All of Clark's work has been published by Tor.com and I have so far enjoyed everything they published. If you liked The Haunting of Tram Car 015, I also recommend The Good House by Tananarive Due, The Graveyard Apartment by Mariko Koike, Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James, and The Sundown Motel by Simone St James. Happy reading friends, Ms.Bjork