Reviews

Djinnology: An Illuminated Compendium of Spirits and Stories from the Muslim World by Seema Yasmin

zydecovivo's review against another edition

adventurous informative mysterious slow-paced

4.25

This book is for all of us kids who grew up loving the Ology series and wanted to hear more non-European-centered stories. I knew of djinn before reading, but I am not Muslim and did not grow up in an Islamic culture.  It was interesting to hear from a variety of perspectives on what a djinn could be and how they influence our world. People familiar with the ATU Index may see some similar patterns to stories involving the fae and shapeshifters. In continuing its likeness to the Ology series, the fictional author Dr. N, mentions mysterious happenings and government conspiracies in connection with their ongoing research. I found this plot line to move slowly and not resolve as I would’ve liked. But it doesn’t take away from the fascinating stories shared from a variety of people, places, and time periods involving djinn, even in the modern day. The illustrations I found interesting, though sometimes disturbing. Also, unlike the Ology series, images are usually separated from text on their own pages rather than interspersed within the text itself. I think this, plus some more mature subjects mentioned (not graphicly so), lends this book to older teens and adults with interest in the paranormal and esoteric. I pride myself on my knowledge of such subjects, but still discovered a lot that I did not know about the djinn and Islamic folktales in general. 

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Content Warnings

Minor: Religious bigotry, Cultural appropriation, Death, War, Sexual content, Child death, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, and Islamophobia