The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport Samit Basu
404 pages, Hardcover
Published October, 2023 by Tordotcom
I don’t
remember where I first heard of this novel, somewhere along the line I put a
hold on it at the library and I don’t honestly remember why. I also didn’t
remember what it was about. The discovery element is always fun, that is part
of my system, that way I get to read the books without preconceived notions
implanted by back cover descriptions. I also have to admit that if I had
been told the concept, I am not sure I would have read this one at all. A SF
re-telling of Aladdin is not something that would not have piqued my interest.
I am almost certain my desire to read more worldwide SF writers was the reason
for the library hold. I may have only looked at the title.
So
even though the concept is not an instant sell I am mostly on board with the
execution. I am not sure if my initial elevator >pitch< review sold or
turned people off. To me, it was Aladdin via Alita Battle Angel on a
cyberpunk-ish Asian-styled colony world. I like the movie Alita Battle Angel,
so that should not be taken as an insult. Samit Basu is on my list of authors to
watch, while this is not going to top my list for the year, I was really happy
that I read it.
“The jinn grants wishes. Three per user.”
“Why three?” Bador asks.
“It was judged to be an appropriate free trial period,” the jinn says.
“More wishes can be unlocked in Unlimited Mode.”
If
you want a thumbnail review, one devoid of any details let me give you the
short version first. This is a very action-oriented story, that I felt was very
good at times. In my opinion, the novel overstayed its welcome by about 70
pages. Most of which were the literary equivalent of CGI battle scenes that
feel like video games. Those can be hard to watch. Entire chapters of punches, kicks, dives and
acrobatics can be tough for an author to pull off. Sometimes I felt like
Jinn-Bot went too long without emotional stakes naturally reminding us of why
the action was happening. It is important in a film, but in a book it is
crucial.
That
said, the world-building is top-notch, and the story and character carry the
book past those moments to make an overall experience that I liked. If that
sounds critical I can say I enjoyed it more than I disliked it. The best
compliment I can give this book is I am going to read Basu’s first book The
City Inside, that is a promise. A strength of the book is something that is
blended in very naturally with the World-building, lots of subtle and natural
commentary on colonialism, the rise of post-colonial gangs and criminals
underground, the rights of AI, consequences of all these elements on a city on
an alien world.
The
setting is a bit amorphous at first. Is this the far future? Our future? Yeah
probably. Shantiport is a wonderfully alien feeling place. It comes off the page
as wet and dangerous. Lina is the daughter of a failed revolutionary, and her
brother is a bot in the body of a monkey named Bador. So as you can see
there are lots of wild and funny elements. It is more bonkers than Arthur C. Clarke's
hard SF crowd could handle, and that is a good thing. The strange factor of the
setting is the greatest asset.
For
a book that was supposed to be a SF re-telling of a classic story the plot at
times took off in all kinds of desperate directions. Making the story confusing
at times, a bad combo with the action. When Basu kept it simple the book worked
better. Switching POVS worked sometimes. Because seeing Shantiport through the
eyes of humans, bots, revolutionaries and gangs is not a bad idea. Lina and her
monkey-bot brother certainly make for an interesting view, but outside of them,
Moku the bot gave a cold inhuman look that was an interesting change of pace.
Lina was a
very interesting character because in a typical Western-style movie she would have
been an action hero designed to shoot guns and serve the male gaze. One of my favorite
moments is when this action-oriented commented on that while introducing a fair
amount of world-building-narrative wise it was cutting two carrots with one
knife.
“I am not
cute.”
“Not to
the underclasses you think you care about, definitely not. Have you ever seen
yourself? You’re augmented, capable of incredible physical feats. That body is
a masterpiece. You owe your uncanny beauty to gene-editors, your self-healing
body to bioengineers, I wouldn’t be surprised if your parents had pheromone
work done to make you extra sexy. Who knows? The common people you think you’re
championing see you as a monster, and you will live long enough to watch their
grandchildren hate you too.”
When the
story gets into the Aladdin-like scenes Basu smartly connects the wishes to the
wider world and social justice themes.
“I am
ready with my second wish,” Zohra says, rubbing her eyes.
“No you’re
not, Lina says. “Jinn just give us a few minutes.”
She turns
to Zohra.
“Breathe,”
she says. “You just managed to win back your freedom, and unlimited wealth and
access, and safety for your children too, after a terrible decade. Let’s adjust
to our new reality for a bit, find out what it means.”
Jinn-Bot
of Shanti-Port is
good to excellent SF at times. My problems with it are essentially minor
issues. Compared to some lifeless idea over substance SF it is a good example
of modern speculative fiction. Parts of the story would work better in film,
but this is exactly the internationally diverse genre fiction only the modern scene
provides. I have friends who think SF died before this century began, but this worldwide
genre is breathing new life into the scene and I am thankful.
