Children of the Lamp series by P.B. Kerr

   

I was also quickly reviewing this series by P.B. Kerr. There is a dense mythology regarding djinn that is reviewed at length in this Wikipedia article.

Here are a couple of quotes regarding djinn:

"Djinn power allows djinn to have an astral body, that allows them to enter other people's dreams and gives them access to possess people. Plus, if their physical body gets destroyed, their astral form can enter into any human spirit and in turn, the host becomes the djinn's new body still retaining all the djinn's knowledge and personality."

"Djinn can unleash an elemental on another being, elementals are mini-demons that live inside what djinn call the eight elements: water, earth, fire, air, spirit, space, time, and luck. Elementals tend to follow their creators once they carried out the deed they were created for and often help out their creator in times of crises. Dybbuk once released one by holding hands with the Gaunt kids." (Wikipedia)


Compare with a Christian definition of possession:

Christianity: Possession, in which Satan or some demon(s) takes full possession of a person's body without their knowledge or consent, so the victim is therefore morally blameless. (Wikipedia)


Compare with this definition of demon:

A demon (from Koine Greek δαιμόνιον daimonion) or daemon (British English) is a supernatural, often malevolent being prevalent in religion, occultism, literature, fiction, mythology and folklore. (Wikipedia)


Summary of Book #1 in Series "The Akhenaten Adventure":

John and Philippa Gaunt are twelve-year-old twins with a remarkably gifted mother, a very kind father, and two dogs that aren't who they seem to be. The family lives a life of luxury in New York. One day, their wisdom teeth appear simultaneously. During an operation to get the wisdom teeth removed, they both have the same dream in which their uncle, Nimrod, asks that they come to London. He tells them that they are djinn (genies). They begin the adventure of a lifetime, going from Cairo to London, using pink Ferraris, and riding camels. From New York, Egypt, and London, the twins' adventures are filled with excitement as they undergo training in the use of their newly discovered powers, but are also fraught with danger, as they battle the evil Ifrit tribe of djinn and its leader, Iblis. They must preserve the balance of good luck and bad luck in the world. (Wikipedia)


My Opinion:

There is likely to be some confusion for the Western, Christian reader regarding what is "good" and "evil;" since djinn are comparable to Christian demons that give and ask for something in return, as well as possess bodies and release power over others.

"Good" in the Christian sense is when one offers something freely, or takes something away with the host's consent. Power, in the Christian sense, is love and self-sacrifice.