Bone and Jewel Creatures [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Bear (Author)

Book Description

Dark magic is afoot in the City of Jackals...

Eighty years Bijou the Artificer has been a Wizard of Messaline, building her servants from precious scraps, living with the memory of a great love that betrayed her. She is ready to rest.

But now her former apprentice, Brazen the Enchanter, has brought her a speechless feral child poisoned by a sorcerous infection. Now, Messaline is swept by a mysterious plague. Now the seeping corpses of the dead stalk the streets.

Now, finally, Bijou's old nemesis--Bijou's old love--Kaulas the Necromancer is unleashing a reeking half-death on Bijou's people. And only Bijou and her creatures wrought of bone and jewels can save the City of Jackals from his final revenge.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Into a slim volume Bear packs the kind of intrigue, detailed world building, and passionate characters found in her longer books. Aging artificer Bijou, a wizard of Messaline, remains spry because she works the forge during the building of her beloved bone and jewel creatures. One equinox, her former apprentice Brazen brings her a feral child, poisoned by sorcery, and Bijou fashions an arm of bones and pearl for it. The child, whom Bijou calls Emeraude, turns out to be the opening salvo in a battle between Bijou and her old nemesis and former lover, who has created a plague that is poisoning the city. Bijou, of course, is the only one with any hope of saving the city from this necromancy. In the ensuing struggle, decades of betrayal are finally resolved. Because of the scale of the novella, many things are only hinted in it, so artfully that what are tantalizing glimpses of its world seem much, much larger than the page count would seem to allow. --Regina Schroeder

Product Details

• Hardcover: 133 pages
• Publisher: Subterranean Press; 1 edition (March 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596062746
• ISBN-13: 978-1596062740
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,835,918 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful novella, August 6, 2010

By 

Stefan "Stefan" (San Diego, CA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Bone and Jewel Creatures (Hardcover)

In Bone and Jewel Creatures, a beautiful new novella by Elizabeth Bear, Bijou the Artificer creates her own servants and companions by animating bones. When her former apprentice, Brazen the Enchanter, brings her a feral, mute child, she is presented with the challenge of fixing its misshapen arm... which is also infected by a mysterious disease that soon turns out be the first sign of a sorcerous plague.

At just 136 pages, Bone and Jewel Creatures packs a strong punch. Bijou is a fascinating main character -- an aging wizard surrounded by her own wondrous creatures, some of which, by themselves, make this book worth reading. The arrival of the feral child sets off a complex plot involving Bijou's past, the political history of the land, an intriguing religion, and three distinct modes of magic. There's quite a lot more material packed into this short novella than you'd initially expect -- and as with all the best novellas, you'll be satisfied with the ending while at the same time hoping for future stories set in the same world.

The story is told in gorgeous prose, frequently very lyrical and on a few occasions even surprisingly funny. The combination of the poetic style and the main character's occupation at times made me think of Bijou as an older version of Casimira from Catherynne M. Valente's Palimpsest -- and readers who enjoyed that excellent novel may well enjoy Bone and Jewel Creatures. Recommended.

4.0 out of 5 stars Magical World, May 13, 2011

By 

Kae "writer reads" (NW USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bone and Jewel Creatures (Hardcover)

Stories about wizards and sorcery aren't usually my preference; the interesting title and cover compelled me to take this from my public library shelf.
I was not sorry. Elizabeth Bear's story about a wizardry power struggle was--enchanting :-)

Protagonist Bijou, is an artificer who creates and animates creatures from bone, gem and other inanimate objects. She is old, and her thoughts and struggles with her infirmities are well told. The reader will also sense she has a "past." This aspect of mystery is enhances when her former apprentice and colleague, Brazen the Enchanter, brings her a feral child with a withered and festering arm. Bijou agrees to help the child, although she feels discomfited by the circumstances. Her worries are substantiates when she discovers a purposefully placed item in the child's rotting hand that is causing the limb deterioration. She suspects who has done this, but isn't sure why.

In this well-written novella, Bear gives three points of view: Bijou, Brazen, and the child Emeraude. Bear moves effectively from one to the other in clearly-delineated passages that add dimension to the story. The writing and vivid descriptions quickly immersed me in this magical world, from Bijou's workshop and her intricate companions she constructed, to the surrounding City of Jackals. I enjoyed the book, and the brevity seemed fitting for the story. Too much more could have been too much.