An interesting collection that I'm still dipping in and out of, but finding some of the stories entertaining. I usually prefer one story rather than an anthology yet this works.

Fans of short stories, speculative fiction, and literary fiction rejoice! E. Lily Yu’s “Jewel Box” blends fantasy, science fiction, folklore, and fable in a gorgeously written set of short stories. These are truly some of the best I’ve ever read. They’re hard-hitting, incisive, and profoundly beautiful. I loved the variety of the different stories and also how Yu’s voice came through so strongly in all of them. If you’re looking for great short stories that will really make you think, send you to new worlds, and reexamine themes from your childhood stories, “Jewel Box” should be your next read! My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I found out about this book when looking online for read-alikes for Ken Liu's 'The Paper Menagerie'. I was not disappointed in what I found! I really liked the tone of the short stories, which to me was like old school fairy tales. Not all of them have happy endings. Someone must suffer in the end. These stories were so unique and believable to me that they could've been ones that were passed down through families and told to children. There was also a good variance of fantasy and science fiction short stories. A few of my favorites in particular were "Ilse, Who Saw Clearly", The Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight", and "The Cat's Tale". I had never read anything by this author before, but she has such beautiful descriptions, and now I just want to read more of her work.

[arc review]
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
Jewel Box: Stories releases October 24, 2023

This is probably the most unique collection of short stories I’ve read — some featuring body horror, magical elements, or set in a dystopian world.
I found myself in a rare occurrence where I came out enjoying all 22 short stories, which is unheard of for me. I definitely recommend picking this up and experiencing it for yourself!

Some standouts:
<b>the lamp at the turning:</b>
a short story from the perspective of a sentient streetlamp who grew fond of one particular man that regularly passed by.
<b>the cartographer wasps and the anarchist bees:</b>
a mesmerizing world where the inside of wasp nests contain articulate maps of the provinces.
<b>music for the underworld:</b>
holograms, faraday cages, and an unsettling ending.
<b>green glass: a love story:</b>
a woman who so desperately wants vanilla ice cream served at her wedding, but they live in a dystopian world where there’s no longer local access to things like cow milk, eggs, or pure vanilla unless you want to risk radioactive chemicals or cancer.
<b>Ilse, who saw clearly: </b>
by way of alliteration, no one can distinguish whether this travelling man is trying to sell ice or eyes.
<b>the urashima effect:</b>
features time dilation and left me feeling melancholic.
<b>braid of days and wake of nights</b>:
undergoing chemo and finding a unicorn.

"The strange, the sublime, and the monstrous confront one another with astonishing consequences in this collection of twenty-two stories from award-winning writer E. Lily Yu.

In the village of Yiwei, a fallen wasp nest unfurls into a beautifully accurate map. In a field in Louisiana, birdwatchers forge an indelible connection over a shared glimpse of a Vermilion Flycatcher, and fall. In Nineveh, a judge who prides himself on impartiality finds himself questioned by a mysterious god. On a nameless shore, a small monster searches for refuge and finds unexpected courage.

At turns bittersweet and boundary-breaking, poignant and profound, these twenty-two stories sing, as the oldest fables do, of what it means to be alive in this strange, terrible, beautiful world. For readers who loved the intelligence and compassion in Kim Fu's Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century and the dreamlike prose of Kelly Link's Magic for Beginners, this collection introduces the short fiction of E. Lily Yu, winner of the Astounding Award for Best New Writer and author of the Washington Book Award-winning novel On Fragile Waves, praised by the New York Times Book Review as "devastating and perfect.""

I usually avoid short stories but these sound too profound to be missed.

A very unique collection of very unique stories. Like most collections, it contains both the stories I loved and stories I didn't get into. Still, it shows how imaginative the author is. E. Lily Yu has a distinct voice and a knack for evocative writing.

The short story collection that actually has SHORT stories? What? Its truly a rare and beautiful thing. This collection is eclectic, fun, serious, fantastical, dark, eye-popping, thought-provoking and I loved the majority of them. Some just fell short unfortunately.

this story collection was alright, some stories were interesting but a few were too long and complex for me

*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an early copy of this book*
Why I Read It: I read a story by E. Lily Yu in another anthology (New Suns, which I highly recommend) and while their story wasn't one I particularly liked, I was at least curious enough to see what more they had to offer. I've also been in the mood for short story collections, maybe it's because they are bite sized narratives and tend to be more thematic in nature (which I generally like).

Overall Thoughts: There is a decent range of genres in this collection but several of the stories share similar aspects such as a fable/ fairytale nature to them accompanied by a darker tone (in fact multiple stories are quite sad). Unfortunately I did not like many of the endings, either they were very abrupt or they did not connect with the rest of the narrative. As such there were only a few standouts, and while there weren't many the ones that did stand out were very good.

Stories: Some have been omitted because I don't have complete enough thoughts to comment on them (Except for the Three Variations on the Theme of Imperial Attire, which I reviewed in another collection).
The Pilgrim and the Angel: A contemporary story about an angel that finally grants a man's wish to see his son. I personally don't like contemporary stories I find that I bit bland and this was no exception. It was a fine story but it felt a little too light.
The Lamp at the Turning: Told from the perspective of a lamp that falls in love with a man who stops by regularly but eventually he stops coming. Strange in a way that is almost reminiscent of a children's story, this has gradually grown on me but I still wouldn't call it a favorite.
The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees: Wasps take over a bee colony and eventually bees become anarchist. Its weird in a way that I liked it, at first. How both species operate and the oppression of one and the eventual shift to anarchy was a good metaphor (even if the anarchy was a bit random and didn't go anywhere). Then, the story shifted again and goes back to the original human perspective in the end, which was so jarring and I couldn't deduce what the point of it was. This unfortunately was the start of the trend of bad endings in Yu's stories.
The Lion God and the Two Gates: A government official believes himself to be a just and good man, but the story gradually reveals his impartiality is actually indecisiveness and this may cause injustice. When he dies he is brought before a lion god and must choose between two doors. After reading this I knew it was going to be one of my favorites and it still stands out to me. I loved the fable like quality of the narrative. I loved how the story slowly unravels and brings the readers to a conclusion that worked perfectly for the story. This is what I wanted more of in this collection.
Music for the Underworld: A cyberpunk spin on Orpheus and Eurydice, the protagonist's girlfriend is taken to an underground prison after she accuses an executive of racism and sexual harassment. In order to gain entry and win her freedom he performs a show at the prison, and in the background of all of this he uploads a virtual program that can pretend to be the real girlfriend. These are the kinds of retellings I like; that clearly show homage to the original source but have their own distinct spin on it that doesn't only consist of window dressing. I admit I wasn't super into the music parts, but the overall story, and the relationship between the characters, and the subtle world building that makes it clear this is a dystopia, was done well enough so that I could tolerate the music. This is also another one where the ending, despite being bleak, worked with the narrative.
Ilse, Who Saw Clearly: After the eyes given to a town by magician melt a girl goes on a quest, and her treatment as she is completing her quest and after completing her quest are quite different. Sort of a reverse Snow Queen, I found the before and after narrative to be mildly interesting. While I didn't hate the ending of this one as I do with some of the stories in this collection, it was a bit abrupt and I couldn't tie it in with the rest of the narrative so it left me feeling unfulfilled.
The Wretched and the Beautiful: Refugee aliens arrive on Earth who are clearly not in the best of shape. Humans almost immediately begin vilifying and mistreating them, but when another race of aliens arrive they begin singing a different tune. A powerful but devastating story with a clear metaphor for the refugee crisis and possibly Nazi's. Definitely worth reading but understandably a hard one to get through.
The Urashima Effect: A man on a space mission watches videos his family prerecorded for him and his wife tells the story of Urashima the fisherman. Eventually her videos reveal to him a secret that changes the nature of his mission. Another sad one but good one. I liked how the fairytale stood well enough on its own, but when that narrative and space narrative merge it resulted in something truly sad with the thinnest thread of hope. I would have been okay with an open ended ending, like in The Lion God and the Two Gates, but I am happy with the ending I got because it's clear to me why the protagonist made the choice he did.
Braid of Days and Wake of Night: There are unicorns in Central Park and a friend is dying of cancer. Yeah, I didn't care for this one because it was too contemporary and too much of a focus on ordinary melodrama. I also didn't connect to the characters at all but I will say I did not hate this ending.
Local Stop on the Floating Train: Another clear racism metaphor but it didn't really hit me until the end, when the narrator is harassed and ejected from the titular train. Honestly, I remember only the end of this and I found it to be too abrupt. Pales in comparison to the other racism story in this collection.
The Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight: A young witch aids a knight in his quest. Sort of a play on witches, knights, and dragons with a lot of symbolism that went over my head. An unsatisfying resolution though it left me wondering if was a Wicked Witch of the West origin story (flying off with her red shoes).
The Eve of the Planet of Ys: On the eve of an apocalypse, while the privileged are prepared most others are left to fend for themselves when a sun goes nova. As their world comes down around them a woman takes a chance and saves two girls. The last of the ones that I liked, probably because its a straight forward story that leans on the more optimistic side, despite its grim setting.
Courtship Displays of the American Birder: It's a very quick story about birding. This was rushed when it shouldn't have been and not sure if this is supposed to be a romance but if it is it doesn't work. Also
The No-One Girl and the Flower Farther Shore. This is about a girl, a flower, and a gravestone. Again very short, barely counts as speculative fiction, and I'm not quite sure what was the point of it because the ending shifted the focus.
The Valley of Wounded Deer: A prince in hiding is guided to the Valley of Wounded Deer and develops a different perspective about ruling. There is a revolution that occurs in the background but its mostly about the princes religious epiphany. Rather chill but didn't leave an impact on me.
Small Monsters: Spending most of its life being devoured by bigger monsters, the small monster encounters a strange crab that might give it a new chance at life. Arguably the most surreal and weird story in this collection, its definitely grisly and a bit hard to swallow (no pun intended). While its weirdness intrigued me and there was a hopeful tone to it, I couldn't fully grasp it and it was quite a harsh narrative which prevented me from really liking this final story.

This is a fantastic selection of fable-like short stories. Very much like modern fairytales in the writing style, which is something that won't necessarily appeal to everyone but I really enjoyed. Some of my favourites were "Music for the Underworld", "Ilse, Who Saw Clearly", and "Braid of Days and Wake of Nights". The stories span a selection of subgenres, mostly sci-fi and fantasy.

I read halfway through this and decided I was not really enjoying myself, so I didn't want to read the rest. The stories were not really bad, but I felt sort of disappointed after finishing them. The one that left the biggest impact was the one with the lamppost. I think the writing style might not be for me just in general, as I had a hard time staying focused while reading. There were lots of interesting ideas here, but the execution didn't really work for me

Jewel Box: Stories from Kensington Books

Two years ago I had my heart broken by Yu’s On Fragile Waves. The beautiful prose was a sharp contrast to the tragedy held in its pages, a portrait of our world where refugees might flee war for broken sort of safety

My first experience reading E Lily Yu’s work was actually with the story “The Cartographer Wasps and the Anarchist Bees” probably around ten years ago in an anthology edited by Neil Gaiman (Unnatural Creatures). I loved it. Loved it enough to remember fondly a decade later even, which is a great feat for a short story. It’s featured in this collection as well. I was tempted to pick up this collection because of my more recent experience with On Fragile Waves. I hadn’t made the connection yet, that this was the same author who wrote the short story I was so fond of years ago. I was so excited to recognize it when I came across it again here.

I was already intrigued by Yu's debut that Erewhon published, and this was an instant request when I saw it - thanks again! Yu also does amazing things with her short stories, what she chooses to riff on in some cases (food as an opportunity to show off your wealth in climate hell, Snow Queen but with physics principles, Her prose is exquisite, and she is amazing at short stories. Pick this up when you get the chance this fall, this is going to be one of the awards nominated collections of the year.

Thank you to Kensington Books for letting me read these wonderful stories for review. I truly enjoyed reading all the different stories in Jewel Box: Stories. The stories contained are so well-written and wildly different from one another. My favorites are The Lion God and The Two Gates and The Witch of Orion Waste and the Boy Knight. The book was full of different themes that give a range of emotions for the reader to experience. Twenty-two dreamlike stories that are sure to grab any reader's attention. I enjoyed these short stories and appreciated how each was able to captivate my attention and keep me interested.

Had difficulty getting into the story, just wasn't for me. I think the style just didn't jibe with me, but nothing wrong with the book at all!

This is an aptly titled collection, as each of the stories in here are small gems, sparkling and tantalizing and unique. E. Lily Yu is a master of playing with the short story format, and her collection runs the gamut from fairy tale-esque fables to scifi thought experiments to dystopian horrorscapes, and spans various cultures and settings. Her stories alternate between hopeful and hopeless with an overarching theme of exploring human nature with all its triumphs and weaknesses. Although most of the stories are fairly short, they're so rich and dense and occasionally so depressing that I could only read one or two at a time without having to take a break.

I had read a few of the author's stories online, and am so excited they've been collected into a single volume - would recommend for any lover of short stories, especially those who enjoy Ted Chiang or Kelly Link.

Special thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

From Myths to Fairytales, another book of short stories. This book is so well done that I often wondered if the stories were connected somehow.

The endings, never boring. All had a hint of the surreal
High recommendation!

A varied collection of short stories ranging from mysticism to futuristic sci-fi that was beautifully written but didn’t grip me completely. I had a hard time staying focused and finishing the collection as whilst thought provoking the stories were a little inconsistent. I like to connect with what I’m reading on a personal level and I struggled to do that here.

I enjoyed some stories more than others, The Lamp at the Turning and The Wretched and The Beautiful were my favourite and the ones that stood out the most to me. If you’re a fan of supernatural fairytales then give this collection a try.

imaginative and well written The style varies from fairytales or myths, to more fantasy type stories while others are science fiction, some post apocalypse/natural disaster types or dystopias. My favourites were: ‘Music for the Underworld’; ‘Green Glass : A Love Story’; ‘The Urashima Effect’; ‘Local Stop on the Floating Train’ ( and ‘Ilse, who saw Clearly’

I sometimes enjoy the stories, I sometimes don't. Although they are mostly weird, in the end you'll get the intended message of what Yu's trying to convey to you.