annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
The Book of Gems is the third book/novella in a fantasy series with elements of horror by Fran Wilde. Released 20th June 2023 by Macmillan on their Tor imprint, it's 142 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
The prose is compelling and surprisingly lush given the short form novella length. The author is particularly adept at characterization and setting. There's an overarching sense of creeping dread (much like, though not at all derivative of, Lovecraft... expecting jump scares every couple pages with increasing sense of dread).
Although it's the third in the series (and there are ancillary stories in collections and anthologies floating around), it works fine as a standalone. The novellas are all standalones featuring different MCs and different time periods. This one does a great job of presenting themes of artifact and cultural misappropriation.
Four stars. Well written and satisfying.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
