The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P Djèlí Clark

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P Djèlí Clark is a Hugo finalist novella this year. That is the main reason I read it. I didn't especially love the author's earlier novella, The Black God's Drums, and probably would have otherwise overlooked this one.

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 returns to the alternate Cairo of Clark's short fiction, where humans live and work alongside otherworldly beings; the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities handles the issues that can arise between the magical and the mundane. Senior Agent Hamed al-Nasr shows his new partner Agent Onsi the ropes of investigation when they are called to subdue a dangerous, possessed tram car. What starts off as a simple matter of exorcism, however, becomes more complicated as the origins of the demon inside are revealed.

In this story, a couple of public servants are tasked with fixing the problem of a haunted tram car in an alternate-world Cairo. Hijinks ensue. In this world, djinn exist and have helped cement Cairo and Egypt's significance on the world stage, including from a technological standpoint. (The steampunky cover is a pretty good representation of the setting, in my opinion.) Our put-upon agents have to contend with identifying the possibly dangerous being possessing the tram and then have to safely remove it. And all this is set against the backdrop of a Cairo-centred campaign to give women the vote.

I really enjoyed this novella. It was entertaining and fairly amusing the whole way through. Even though I read it in lots of small chunks, I didn't have any difficulty getting back into the story when I picked it up again. I don't think I've read any other stories set in the same world, but now that I know they exist I will keep an eye out. (I have already added "A Dead Djinn in Cairo" to my Pocket reading list, which is actually the only other story I found. If you know of others, please let me know in the comments.)

I highly recommend this novella to fans of gas lamp fantasy and alternate (fantastical) history. Especially if non-European/US settings are a draw. This novella was a great read and, for me, caps off a difficult-to-judge Hugo category.

4.5 / 5 stars

First published: Tor.com, 2019
Series: Yes, other stories set in the same world exist.
Format read: ePub
Source: Hugo voter packet