<p><b>WINNER OF THE NEBULA AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL</b><br><b>WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD FOR BEST FIRST NOVEL <br><br></b><b>''Clever, wickedly fun . . . with an excellent balance of humour and heart. I loved it'' </b>S. A. Chakraborty, author of<i> The </i><i>City of Brass</i><br><b><br>Cairo, 1912:</b> Though Fatma el-Sha''arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she''s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer.<br><br>So when someone murders a secret brotherhood dedicated to one of the most famous men in history, Al-Jahiz, Agent Fatma is called onto the case. Al-Jahiz transformed the world fifty years ago when he opened up the veil between the magical and mundane realms, before vanishing into the unknown. This murderer claims to be Al-Jahiz, returned to condemn the modern age for its social oppressions. His dangerous magical abilities instigate unrest in the streets of Ca