This collection of twenty-two speculative tales by Yu spans from futuristic science fiction to revamped fairytales. Each story in this exceptional anthology is based on a unique “what if” scenario. For instance, what would happen if a magician came to a snowy village selling ice eyeballs (“Ilse, Who Saw Clearly”), or if a witch was overly eager to accompany a knight on his dragon-slaying mission (“The Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight”), or if a unicorn appeared in Central Park (“Braid of Days and Wake of Nights”). However, even the most creative ideas need depth, flair, and emotional resonance to truly come alive, and Yu possesses all these qualities.
In the delightful opening story, the angel Gabriel attempts to assist a Cairo man in his pilgrimage, but ends up in Miami instead (“The Pilgrim and the Angel”). Many of the tales cleverly critique society, often by modernizing or subverting classic fables or fairy tales. For example, in “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees”—a story reminiscent of “The Ant and the Grasshopper” that has been nominated for Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards—wasps that create precise maps inside their paper nests politically take over the bees in a Chinese village. “The Wretched and the Beautiful” features an alien ship landing on a beach, symbolizing the global refugee crisis. Despite the risk of these stories becoming preachy or predictable, Yu skillfully avoids such pitfalls.
Moreover, her writing is filled with surprising imagery and unique expressions—a man as thin as a goat looking in a mirror; glasses for the soul that let the wearer walk “long in clarity and loneliness thereafter.” While a title like “Jewel Box,” particularly without a corresponding story, may seem ambitious, Yu’s book justifies it: every story in this collection is indeed a precious gem.
