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The Gem Universe #2
The Fire Opal Mechanism
The Fire Opal Mechanism is the fast-paced and lively sequel to Fran Wilde's The Jewel and Her Lapidary
Jewels and their lapidaries and have all but passed into myth.
Jorit, broke and branded a thief, just wants to escape the Far Reaches for something better. Ania, a rumpled librarian, is trying to protect her books from the Pressmen, who value knowledge but none of the humanity that generates it.
When they stumble upon a mysterious clock powered by an ancient jewel, they may discover secrets in the past that will change the future forever.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Jewels and their lapidaries and have all but passed into myth.
Jorit, broke and branded a thief, just wants to escape the Far Reaches for something better. Ania, a rumpled librarian, is trying to protect her books from the Pressmen, who value knowledge but none of the humanity that generates it.
When they stumble upon a mysterious clock powered by an ancient jewel, they may discover secrets in the past that will change the future forever.
At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2019
15 people are currently reading
626 people want to read
About the author
Fran Wilde
116 books524 followersTwo-time Nebula Award-winner Fran Wilde has (so far) published nine novels, a poetry collection, and over 70 short stories for adults, teens, and kids. Her stories have been finalists for six Nebula Awards, a World Fantasy Award, four Hugo Awards, four Locus Awards, and a Lodestar. They include her Nebula- and Compton Crook-winning debut novel Updraft, and her Nebula-winning, Best of NPR 2019, debut Middle Grade novel Riverland. Her short stories appear in Asimov’s Science Fiction, Tor.com, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Shimmer, Nature, Uncanny Magazine, and multiple years' best anthologies.
The Managing Editor for The Sunday Morning Transport, Fran teaches or has taught for schools including Vermont College of Fine Arts’ MFA and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She writes nonfiction for publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, and Tor.com. You can find her on Instagram, Bluesky, and at franwilde.net.
The Managing Editor for The Sunday Morning Transport, Fran teaches or has taught for schools including Vermont College of Fine Arts’ MFA and St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She writes nonfiction for publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR, and Tor.com. You can find her on Instagram, Bluesky, and at franwilde.net.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
April 24, 2023
4.5 stars rounded up
Okay, based on the first novella this was not at all what I was expecting, but I really liked it. The Fire Opal Mechanism is set many years after The Jewel and Her Lapidary and has more of a steampunk, sci-fantasy vibe to it. Thematically it's a story about access to knowledge and book-banning. Which is certainly timely to be reading now. There's also a very low key sapphic relationship!
Jewels once held great magic, but now they're little more than myth. Ania is a librarian scholar trying to save some of her books from the activists taking over universities and feeding every book they can find into a press that spits out a compendium of all the knowledge in the world, supposedly available to everyone, but flattened from lack of discourse. Jorit is a broke thief trying to escape to a better life, but when she happens upon Ania at the worst possible moment, they end up on an unexpected journey together. One that will take them through time and offer the slim chance of saving the world from the worst possible outcome.
The pacing in this novella was great and it had more room to breathe (unlike the first one) which was to its benefit. The three perspectives work nicely together, the writing is great, the world is interesting, and I think the thematic aims work. Some readers might find it to be a bit on the nose, but I didn't mind. And even the time travel elements were done well. Better than a lot of official sci-fi time travel stories to be honest. The mechanics involve magic, but have limitations that make sense. I look forward to the next novella in the series! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
Okay, based on the first novella this was not at all what I was expecting, but I really liked it. The Fire Opal Mechanism is set many years after The Jewel and Her Lapidary and has more of a steampunk, sci-fantasy vibe to it. Thematically it's a story about access to knowledge and book-banning. Which is certainly timely to be reading now. There's also a very low key sapphic relationship!
Jewels once held great magic, but now they're little more than myth. Ania is a librarian scholar trying to save some of her books from the activists taking over universities and feeding every book they can find into a press that spits out a compendium of all the knowledge in the world, supposedly available to everyone, but flattened from lack of discourse. Jorit is a broke thief trying to escape to a better life, but when she happens upon Ania at the worst possible moment, they end up on an unexpected journey together. One that will take them through time and offer the slim chance of saving the world from the worst possible outcome.
The pacing in this novella was great and it had more room to breathe (unlike the first one) which was to its benefit. The three perspectives work nicely together, the writing is great, the world is interesting, and I think the thematic aims work. Some readers might find it to be a bit on the nose, but I didn't mind. And even the time travel elements were done well. Better than a lot of official sci-fi time travel stories to be honest. The mechanics involve magic, but have limitations that make sense. I look forward to the next novella in the series! I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
April 23, 2019
Mon avis en Français
My English review
I didn’t know this novel at all, and this being the second volume of a fantasy series, I was a little afraid of being lost. However, I am glad to tell you that no, that was not the case here, and I had a very good time with this short story.
Ania does everything she can to protect the books that are gradually disappearing but it’s not easy… So when she meets Jorit, who came to steal some of her books to sell them in order to escape from all this hell, she didn’t expect to go on an adventure that will take them through time and understand how they came to this!
As I said, I had a good time with this novel and its characters and I must admit that I am quite curious to discover more about this universe. The author has many ideas and we feel that there are still many more to be developed.
My English review
I didn’t know this novel at all, and this being the second volume of a fantasy series, I was a little afraid of being lost. However, I am glad to tell you that no, that was not the case here, and I had a very good time with this short story.
Ania does everything she can to protect the books that are gradually disappearing but it’s not easy… So when she meets Jorit, who came to steal some of her books to sell them in order to escape from all this hell, she didn’t expect to go on an adventure that will take them through time and understand how they came to this!
As I said, I had a good time with this novel and its characters and I must admit that I am quite curious to discover more about this universe. The author has many ideas and we feel that there are still many more to be developed.
June 2, 2019
As a longtime fan of Fran Wilde and her beautiful fiction, I cherish her new entry in her Gem Universe series. "Fire Opal Mechanism" is wonderful, and a worthy successor to "The Jewel and Her Lapidary". It's a lovely story of bravery and determination in the face of a changing world.
I appreciate the book even more as a librarian and archivist. Wilde gives us a world sundered by a violent debate over the true nature of knowledge. If all knowledge were given open and freely to all, is that a net gain for society? Or is knowledge without context or without understanding really knowledge, or just information? And how harmful is that? It's an old debate that has taken on new and vital significance in the age of the Internet, and Wilde brilliantly recasts this debate in a fantastical setting.
I think this story may well become part of a future corpus of fiction that all librarians and archivists should read in order to better understand the information universe in which we work.
I appreciate the book even more as a librarian and archivist. Wilde gives us a world sundered by a violent debate over the true nature of knowledge. If all knowledge were given open and freely to all, is that a net gain for society? Or is knowledge without context or without understanding really knowledge, or just information? And how harmful is that? It's an old debate that has taken on new and vital significance in the age of the Internet, and Wilde brilliantly recasts this debate in a fantastical setting.
I think this story may well become part of a future corpus of fiction that all librarians and archivists should read in order to better understand the information universe in which we work.
May 10, 2019
This is a beautiful puzzle of a novella, an updated spin on Farenheit 451 with a fantasy setting and time travel. As always, I really savored Wilde's prose, and her overall authorial vision is quite enchanting.
Would recommend for fans of fantasy, time travel, hero librarian stories, and f/f romances.
Would recommend for fans of fantasy, time travel, hero librarian stories, and f/f romances.
June 25, 2019
I loved this. No one can change the past, but the future is a blank book, waiting for you to write in it.
I want more books in the Jewel Series, and I'd love love love a full novel.
Wholeheartedly recommended.
I want more books in the Jewel Series, and I'd love love love a full novel.
Wholeheartedly recommended.
November 2, 2022
Having to step into this new role made her teeth ache.
A steampunk fantasy dystopia where only a single compendium of knowledge is allowed; divergent voices outlawed. Limited time travel must be understood before it can be exploited. Main characters in conflict.
But while he’d been a student, [redacted] had read several adventure novels in the library. He knew now that he only needed one good chance, and everything could turn right around.
More action in the cover art than the entire story. Well told but unengaging. The ending was completely foreshadowed and a bit flat. Wilde can and has done better.
If she’d learned nothing from antiquity, it was this: the hardest changes to see are those happening all around you, until it’s too late.
Naïve economic and political perception but typical for modern fantasy. “Perhaps there was a future without an economy that did not rely upon scarcity.”
That [redacted] could travel back in time, but only to learn how to change the present, was a sharp, cold fact.
A steampunk fantasy dystopia where only a single compendium of knowledge is allowed; divergent voices outlawed. Limited time travel must be understood before it can be exploited. Main characters in conflict.
But while he’d been a student, [redacted] had read several adventure novels in the library. He knew now that he only needed one good chance, and everything could turn right around.
More action in the cover art than the entire story. Well told but unengaging. The ending was completely foreshadowed and a bit flat. Wilde can and has done better.
If she’d learned nothing from antiquity, it was this: the hardest changes to see are those happening all around you, until it’s too late.
Naïve economic and political perception but typical for modern fantasy. “Perhaps there was a future without an economy that did not rely upon scarcity.”
That [redacted] could travel back in time, but only to learn how to change the present, was a sharp, cold fact.
June 16, 2019
Oh my gosh this book... I realized at the last page (that ending! gasp! the feels!) that I had been holding my breath the whole time, and what a beautiful, breathless journey it was. This is by far the coolest time-traveling-librarian-slash-gem-whisperer-with-a-side-of-girl-power-saves-the-world story ever. I just want to go back in time and read it again for the first time.
August 16, 2019
Another great novella by Fran Wilde. This one has a great deal to say about books, knowledge, and libraries. Excellent world building.
June 23, 2022
Rep: sapphic mcs
March 21, 2023
As a librarian in the current climate, this book was a hard read. But, after some good news today this ending felt so hopeful I damn near cried. I'm excited for the next book in this series!
April 4, 2021
I received this as an arc ages ago when I worked at Tattered Cover, likely in April of 2019 or so, a few months before the official release.
I never really had an express interest in reading this book, but I picked it up today because I wanted something I could finish in a single day, which I did!
First note, reading the first book is not necessary to understand this one. From my understanding this one takes place far in the future from the previous novella.
I enjoyed this, it was sort of a fantastical version of Fahrenheit 451. Lots of focus on knowledge, who gets to receive it, and the implications of those decisions. We follow our two female leads, librarian Ania and thief Jorit, as well as a third lead, an engineer named Xachar who becomes involved with the villains of this world, known as the Pressmen. To be honest, I think Xachar’s chapters were my favorite - I love watching someone descend into evil and corruption.
The rest of the novella was fine, more than anything else I found the world intriguing, but I wasn’t exceptionally invested in either Ania or Jorit. I just wish there had been more development of their characters and of the world at large. Also, I received this book under the pretense that it was an f/f romance, which was really not a central point of the story at all, so that was a bit disappointing.
A fun story in a cool world where magic is concentrated in gems and the people who can wield them, but not much more than that. This would make a cool setup for a show or a movie, though!
I never really had an express interest in reading this book, but I picked it up today because I wanted something I could finish in a single day, which I did!
First note, reading the first book is not necessary to understand this one. From my understanding this one takes place far in the future from the previous novella.
I enjoyed this, it was sort of a fantastical version of Fahrenheit 451. Lots of focus on knowledge, who gets to receive it, and the implications of those decisions. We follow our two female leads, librarian Ania and thief Jorit, as well as a third lead, an engineer named Xachar who becomes involved with the villains of this world, known as the Pressmen. To be honest, I think Xachar’s chapters were my favorite - I love watching someone descend into evil and corruption.
The rest of the novella was fine, more than anything else I found the world intriguing, but I wasn’t exceptionally invested in either Ania or Jorit. I just wish there had been more development of their characters and of the world at large. Also, I received this book under the pretense that it was an f/f romance, which was really not a central point of the story at all, so that was a bit disappointing.
A fun story in a cool world where magic is concentrated in gems and the people who can wield them, but not much more than that. This would make a cool setup for a show or a movie, though!
July 30, 2019
"She wished she'd thought to get a weapon. She'd sworn to protect the books. But she was a teacher, not a fighter. She'd sparred a little in primary school, but that was it. All she had now were hairpins."
I loved this.
I read a brief description of The Fire Opal Mechanism on one of those 'upcoming sci-fi' lists and was intrigued enough to try it, despite this being a standalone sequel to another story (fyi, you definitely don't have to read the first book to follow along), but had no idea what I was in for. The Pressmen are stealing the words out of all of the world's books in order to control all facts and knowledge. A librarian with a magical clock is trapped in her library until a former thief arrives, spiriting them both on a fantastic adventure to stop an authoritarian power before it's too late! The race is on!
Full of cool, intriguing ideas and characters you can cheer for. Now I want to read the previous story, The Jewel & Her Lapidary and all of Fran Wilde's other books!
I loved this.
I read a brief description of The Fire Opal Mechanism on one of those 'upcoming sci-fi' lists and was intrigued enough to try it, despite this being a standalone sequel to another story (fyi, you definitely don't have to read the first book to follow along), but had no idea what I was in for. The Pressmen are stealing the words out of all of the world's books in order to control all facts and knowledge. A librarian with a magical clock is trapped in her library until a former thief arrives, spiriting them both on a fantastic adventure to stop an authoritarian power before it's too late! The race is on!
Full of cool, intriguing ideas and characters you can cheer for. Now I want to read the previous story, The Jewel & Her Lapidary and all of Fran Wilde's other books!
July 23, 2019
Fran Wilde's novellas are so nuanced, so tightly packed with beautiful ideas, so multi-layered - to the point where I sometimes got lost in The Fire Opal Mechanism (this might as well be me and reading the book in a very hectic moment). But I fell in love with the underlying message, with the danger in heedless following even the most enchanting ideas, the questions Wilde asked. This book is as intricate as a filigree, and particularly relevant now.
June 4, 2019
4.5 Stars bumped because I just love the underlying message here.
Fran Wilde's second book in the Gemworld series takes place long after the events of her Hugo Award-nominated novelette, The Jewel and Her Lapidary. Set in the Far Reaches, we see a treacherous time where the nature of knowledge itself is explored. Ania, a librarian, working in a university library, is struggling against losing odds to safeguard her books from being destroyed and churned into pulp by a group called the Pressman who make them into the self-updating Universal Compendiums of Knowledge. Professors and students are bullied into joining the Pressman or have their minds altered if they resist. Jorit, a thief who encounters Ania in the library while trying to escape the Pressmen and steal a few books herself, flees with Ania into another era via a clock running with the titular fire opal mechanism, which permits time travel. Of course, traveling in time allows them to set things right. And if Ania and Jorit have a jewel what if there are other jewels out there. What if that's how the Pressman are updating their Compendium, they wonder?
The Fire Opal Mechanism offers some interesting thoughts on freedom of information, and about what is lost when we have knowledge without context. The Pressmen are clearly analogous to the firemen of Fahrenheit 451, collecting books to destroy and redistributing "knowledge" in a continuously updating format that is not unlike the "parlor walls" in Bradbury's novel. The obvious risks of curated knowledge, of knowledge as information without context, and of limiting information that, au courant, is unpopular or out of favor, strikes the heart of an era of fake news, media distortion of information, and governments that limit scientific discussion or offer textbooks that rewrite history changing the reasons that led to civil war.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Fran Wilde's second book in the Gemworld series takes place long after the events of her Hugo Award-nominated novelette, The Jewel and Her Lapidary. Set in the Far Reaches, we see a treacherous time where the nature of knowledge itself is explored. Ania, a librarian, working in a university library, is struggling against losing odds to safeguard her books from being destroyed and churned into pulp by a group called the Pressman who make them into the self-updating Universal Compendiums of Knowledge. Professors and students are bullied into joining the Pressman or have their minds altered if they resist. Jorit, a thief who encounters Ania in the library while trying to escape the Pressmen and steal a few books herself, flees with Ania into another era via a clock running with the titular fire opal mechanism, which permits time travel. Of course, traveling in time allows them to set things right. And if Ania and Jorit have a jewel what if there are other jewels out there. What if that's how the Pressman are updating their Compendium, they wonder?
The Fire Opal Mechanism offers some interesting thoughts on freedom of information, and about what is lost when we have knowledge without context. The Pressmen are clearly analogous to the firemen of Fahrenheit 451, collecting books to destroy and redistributing "knowledge" in a continuously updating format that is not unlike the "parlor walls" in Bradbury's novel. The obvious risks of curated knowledge, of knowledge as information without context, and of limiting information that, au courant, is unpopular or out of favor, strikes the heart of an era of fake news, media distortion of information, and governments that limit scientific discussion or offer textbooks that rewrite history changing the reasons that led to civil war.
I received an Advance Review Copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2019
3.5
Originall posted at Vampire Book Club
When the Pressmen come to the Far Reaches looking to confiscate all the books so they can form their Universal Compendiums of Knowledge, librarian Ania seems to be the only holdout, wanting to protect the knowledge her books hold rather than give it up to some faceless group to decide what garners passing along to the masses.
Meanwhile Jorit, branded a thief, is looking for a way out of the Far Reaches, and teaming up with Ania seems to be the best option she has. While barricaded in the library, hiding from the Pressmen, Jorit and Ania discover a clock powered by a powerful jewel. Just when their time is up and their discovery by the Pressmen is near, they’re transported to the past. While there, they discover what has lead the Far Reaches to its current present, and hopefully helps them find a way to preserve the future.
The Fire Opal Mechanism very much reminded me of Rachel Caine’s The Great Library series with the idea of this great power, this kind of omniscient presence making decision for the populace as a whole.
Knowledge for all—and access for all to that knowledge—is an ideal concept, but it’s negated when that knowledge is controlled and parceled out by a single entity. When someone determines what it is, exactly, that people are allowed to read. Almost like pushing their own agenda in lieu of letting people decide for themselves.
It’s an interesting concept and, for the most part, Fran Wilde does a great job of exploring it within the confines of a rather short story. I just felt like there was a little bit lacking in regards to seeing how the past has influenced where the story begins in the present.
I haven’t read the first book in the series, and while this story certainly stands well on its own—no issues following along whatsoever—I feel like the connection between the books plays a much more intrinsic part of opening up the story and really appreciating what occurs here.
I’m very interested in giving the first book a read and putting the references together to form the whole picture. As it stands, I give Fran Wilde much credit for giving us such a contemplative story that asks readers to think about what they’re reading and maybe appreciating where it comes from just a little bit more.
Originall posted at Vampire Book Club
When the Pressmen come to the Far Reaches looking to confiscate all the books so they can form their Universal Compendiums of Knowledge, librarian Ania seems to be the only holdout, wanting to protect the knowledge her books hold rather than give it up to some faceless group to decide what garners passing along to the masses.
Meanwhile Jorit, branded a thief, is looking for a way out of the Far Reaches, and teaming up with Ania seems to be the best option she has. While barricaded in the library, hiding from the Pressmen, Jorit and Ania discover a clock powered by a powerful jewel. Just when their time is up and their discovery by the Pressmen is near, they’re transported to the past. While there, they discover what has lead the Far Reaches to its current present, and hopefully helps them find a way to preserve the future.
The Fire Opal Mechanism very much reminded me of Rachel Caine’s The Great Library series with the idea of this great power, this kind of omniscient presence making decision for the populace as a whole.
Knowledge for all—and access for all to that knowledge—is an ideal concept, but it’s negated when that knowledge is controlled and parceled out by a single entity. When someone determines what it is, exactly, that people are allowed to read. Almost like pushing their own agenda in lieu of letting people decide for themselves.
It’s an interesting concept and, for the most part, Fran Wilde does a great job of exploring it within the confines of a rather short story. I just felt like there was a little bit lacking in regards to seeing how the past has influenced where the story begins in the present.
I haven’t read the first book in the series, and while this story certainly stands well on its own—no issues following along whatsoever—I feel like the connection between the books plays a much more intrinsic part of opening up the story and really appreciating what occurs here.
I’m very interested in giving the first book a read and putting the references together to form the whole picture. As it stands, I give Fran Wilde much credit for giving us such a contemplative story that asks readers to think about what they’re reading and maybe appreciating where it comes from just a little bit more.
June 3, 2019
Read the eARC provided by NetGalley
This book was such a tightly-paced timey-whimey adventure. Something goes wrong in the archives of the Pressmen, and a Librarian, a Thief, and an intern go on trial for a clock breaking down and literally stealing the ink from books.
The exploration of different time periods in the Gemworld was so well-done. The time travel went flawlessly, and the main characters were just visitors in realms where they have to be careful of what they can reference and the names things are based on the time they're in. I really liked the chemistry between them and the magic system in this book is the coolest.
If you're into libraries, heists, and fixing mistakes, definitely give The Fire Opal Mechanism a read.
This book was such a tightly-paced timey-whimey adventure. Something goes wrong in the archives of the Pressmen, and a Librarian, a Thief, and an intern go on trial for a clock breaking down and literally stealing the ink from books.
The exploration of different time periods in the Gemworld was so well-done. The time travel went flawlessly, and the main characters were just visitors in realms where they have to be careful of what they can reference and the names things are based on the time they're in. I really liked the chemistry between them and the magic system in this book is the coolest.
If you're into libraries, heists, and fixing mistakes, definitely give The Fire Opal Mechanism a read.
May 6, 2022
My review for the first book of this series begrudgingly got three stars. This book solidly deserved all three. Actually looking forward to the release of the third book now. I need to know if the author can do character development and plot alongside lore. In the first we got world- building and lore with little plot. In the second we got character development and plot with little substance. In the third I hope it all comes together with some depth.
July 13, 2019
A harrowing and mind-bending return to the world of powerful and dangerous jewels (that often have a mind of their own). I absolutely loved Jorit and Ania.
June 7, 2019
A fantastic second trip to the Jewel world, traveling through time to save knowledge and critical thought. I cannot wait for more.
June 13, 2019
'The Fire-Opal Mechanism' is a really enjoyable short story about a last librarian, a knowledge-devouring organization, and accidental time travel, along with a cute lesbian romance to tie it all together. If you like magical gems, have thoughts about the destruction of books, or want a story about resolving the sins of the past in the present, this is very worth reading.
March 22, 2019
A cracking read - very fast paced - more detail after other review commitments.
July 10, 2019
At first, I was surprised to find this book wasn’t a direct sequel to Jewel; I was hoping to know more about what happened after Lin and Sima’s stories. Well, I got what I wanted, just in a different way than expected. While this book takes place decades (centuries?) in the future – at a time where Jewels and Lapidaries seem like a myth – there is definitely a connection to the first book.
There are a lot more action, character development, and world-building in the second book and I’m here for it. Initially, it seems like there’s little to do with the time where gems could sing and there were those who could wield their power. We get a look into an all-too-possible future where a group, known as the Pressmen, seek to control knowledge by destroying all books and replacing them with their own Compendium.
This isn’t an uncommon theme in dystopias and it’s one that always sparks something within me. This is probably because I have quite a sizable hoard of books and I would certainly fight to keep them, and keep books of all kinds accessible to everyone! Reading about this sort of thing definitely instills me with rage and panic.
In this particular work, the Pressmen are collecting books to feed to their massive printing press which runs on the ink of words which have already been printed. The group plays on the fear of the public – they’ll recruit anyone they can and eliminate those who stand in their way. They offer a message of false equality; they seek to create a Compendium which will be free and accessible to all, to create a world where Knowledge is not kept behind the walls of schools, barring those who can’t afford it. On the surface, this is appealing to many, especially those who can’t afford higher education. However, the Compendium created by the Pressmen is one that can be changed and altered; it’s a book where one group controls the contents and can alter and delete as they see fit. Spooky!
Ania and Jorit find themselves reluctantly working together to fight the Pressmen and save what few books they can from the jaws of obliteration. By hiding in the clock, they discover a gem that transports them back in time. This is where the story connects back to Jewel and also gives an overview of how the Pressman gained traction and power. We get a better understanding of the powers of the gems and how they’re not as extinct as the population believes.
I like both of the characters and I enjoy that, so far, each book has a duo of ladies as the main characters. In both cases, I was getting some low-key romantic vibes too. Considering this book is much longer, we get a better look at the lives of Ania and Jorit and I think more of their personalities come through along the course of the story.
We also get some perspective from a former student turned Pressmen. His chapters give a lot of insight into the inner workings of the group and he has his own dealings with magical gems too. I liked the mix of character perspectives as well as the glimpses into different time periods of this universe.
There are a lot more action, character development, and world-building in the second book and I’m here for it. Initially, it seems like there’s little to do with the time where gems could sing and there were those who could wield their power. We get a look into an all-too-possible future where a group, known as the Pressmen, seek to control knowledge by destroying all books and replacing them with their own Compendium.
This isn’t an uncommon theme in dystopias and it’s one that always sparks something within me. This is probably because I have quite a sizable hoard of books and I would certainly fight to keep them, and keep books of all kinds accessible to everyone! Reading about this sort of thing definitely instills me with rage and panic.
In this particular work, the Pressmen are collecting books to feed to their massive printing press which runs on the ink of words which have already been printed. The group plays on the fear of the public – they’ll recruit anyone they can and eliminate those who stand in their way. They offer a message of false equality; they seek to create a Compendium which will be free and accessible to all, to create a world where Knowledge is not kept behind the walls of schools, barring those who can’t afford it. On the surface, this is appealing to many, especially those who can’t afford higher education. However, the Compendium created by the Pressmen is one that can be changed and altered; it’s a book where one group controls the contents and can alter and delete as they see fit. Spooky!
Ania and Jorit find themselves reluctantly working together to fight the Pressmen and save what few books they can from the jaws of obliteration. By hiding in the clock, they discover a gem that transports them back in time. This is where the story connects back to Jewel and also gives an overview of how the Pressman gained traction and power. We get a better understanding of the powers of the gems and how they’re not as extinct as the population believes.
I like both of the characters and I enjoy that, so far, each book has a duo of ladies as the main characters. In both cases, I was getting some low-key romantic vibes too. Considering this book is much longer, we get a better look at the lives of Ania and Jorit and I think more of their personalities come through along the course of the story.
We also get some perspective from a former student turned Pressmen. His chapters give a lot of insight into the inner workings of the group and he has his own dealings with magical gems too. I liked the mix of character perspectives as well as the glimpses into different time periods of this universe.
August 9, 2019
The Fire Opal Mechanism revels in the power of words to shape generations, detailing a world where books are being stripped of their sentences under the guise of the greater good. It’s a powerful story with many layers, beginning with a conversation on knowledge and who gets to access it.
The Pressman, an obsessed group of cultists intent on stripping the world of books, seem to have the populace’s best interests at heart. They claim to be reclaiming knowledge for the people, providing access to anything and everything instead of locking it away in universities. The reality is quite shocking as we get further into the book, revealing a dystopian future where words are gobbled up by a monster that defies logic. It’s a brilliant look at the power of books to hold their own stories, never giving up their words no matter the sway of public opinion or hatred of their content. By combining time, a love of the written word, and a hastily formed friendship, our protagonist shows how powerful knowledge can be when wielded properly.
The time travel aspect of the book is also quite fascinating, centering on a group of gemstones with mystical powers that remain shrouded at the end. We follow our protagonists to many different times, through quarrels and dire moments of panic. Above all, we see their understanding of the dark force in their world grow. This form of time travel is more personal than most, transcending a typical device or machine to inhabit a living gem. It becomes a part of the protagonist, telling her what to do and where to go. I’ve never read anything like it.
Overall, The Fire Opal Mechanism is a deftly written journey into a fascinating world on the verge of collapse. It’s an exciting trek across time that left this reader extremely satisfied and desperate to know more.
NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
The Pressman, an obsessed group of cultists intent on stripping the world of books, seem to have the populace’s best interests at heart. They claim to be reclaiming knowledge for the people, providing access to anything and everything instead of locking it away in universities. The reality is quite shocking as we get further into the book, revealing a dystopian future where words are gobbled up by a monster that defies logic. It’s a brilliant look at the power of books to hold their own stories, never giving up their words no matter the sway of public opinion or hatred of their content. By combining time, a love of the written word, and a hastily formed friendship, our protagonist shows how powerful knowledge can be when wielded properly.
The time travel aspect of the book is also quite fascinating, centering on a group of gemstones with mystical powers that remain shrouded at the end. We follow our protagonists to many different times, through quarrels and dire moments of panic. Above all, we see their understanding of the dark force in their world grow. This form of time travel is more personal than most, transcending a typical device or machine to inhabit a living gem. It becomes a part of the protagonist, telling her what to do and where to go. I’ve never read anything like it.
Overall, The Fire Opal Mechanism is a deftly written journey into a fascinating world on the verge of collapse. It’s an exciting trek across time that left this reader extremely satisfied and desperate to know more.
NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.
February 9, 2020
This book was a very enjoyable romp through a unique world where sentient gems have a mind of their own. There's a subtle f/f romance here, as well as good world-building and well-designed characters. I did not realize this was part of a series when I spotted this one, so I did not read the first book.
I gave the book 4 stars because - while a lot of fun - it felt like it could have benefited from more detail and description in several parts, rather than just a simple gloss over what happened.
I gave the book 4 stars because - while a lot of fun - it felt like it could have benefited from more detail and description in several parts, rather than just a simple gloss over what happened.
June 8, 2020
I've been meaning to get around to reading this since... December (*embarrassed grin*) and I'm so glad I finally did!
It's super adventurous and compelling. Took me three or four chapters to find my footing but after that I was totally swept up.
It's super adventurous and compelling. Took me three or four chapters to find my footing but after that I was totally swept up.
July 10, 2019
There might be a good story here, but I couldn’t get past the self-congratulatory allegory.
February 4, 2020
Loved the world building and the friendship of the characters.
October 31, 2020
This was a very creative adventure with great characters, an amazing theme, and oitstanding worldbuilding within its pages.
February 10, 2023
Information may want to be free, but there are always people and institutions working to keep it caged and under their control. At first, that argument seems to be the central tension in The Fire Opal Mechanism.
This turned out to be a whole lot more relevant to the present than I originally expected. Which was both wonderful and frightening, as it was published 4 years ago and therefore written several months at least before that.
But the impulses that move both the Pressmen’s and the Librarian Ania’s resistance to each other are always with us. Even more fascinating, those motives and that resistance turn out to be a bit of misdirection from the real problem that Ania and her reluctant ally-turned-friend, Jorit, need to resolve.
In whatever time period they can manage to solve it.
Escape Rating A-: At first, and for a rather long time thereafter, it seems as if the core of The Fire Opal Mechanism is about the freedom of information versus the censorship of it. And yet, at the beginning – the beginning that Ania and Jorit observe and not the place where they personally start – that wasn’t actually the case.
There’s more to unpack there than the reader initially has a clue about. The conflict seems so obvious. The Pressmen – the people who belong to the cult of the Great Press – have come to the last university in the Six Kingdoms to set information free by confiscating all the books and feeding them all to the machine that will literally chew them up and spit them out as part of the all-encompassing Compendium of Knowledge that the machine is producing.
That initial conflict turns out to be a bit too simplistic once Ania sees the Pressmen blow something into people’s faces that causes them to forget who they are. That the same substance erases text whenever it falls upon a book adds to those doubts. Which are stripped away entirely when someone picks up a copy of the Compendium and watches as the print turns from a faithful reproduction of an original – now consumed – work to an overtly propagandist interpretation that spouts the Pressmen’s view of history.
Which is when Ania, with Jorit tagging along, learns that the clock mechanism she has been clinging to for comfort and safety can take her and her companion back through time. Back to the origins of the Pressmen and their conflict with the universities.
Where she discovers that what she is experiencing in her present is a corruption of a past created by the Great Press that has been erased by that same object. And that the Great Press itself is the biggest and most dangerous corruption of all.
In this year of 2023, when book bans are everywhere and governments daily attempt to rewrite history to make their favored groups feel better about themselves in both the past and the present, it’s easy to become invested in the narrative of the brave librarian fighting the forces of evil repression the Pressmen represent – especially for a librarian.
But that’s far from the whole story. Just as The Fire Opal Mechanism loops Ania and Jorit back to the beginning of the conflict, it also wraps the story back to the history of the Gem Universe as a whole as experienced in the first book in the series, The Jewel and Her Lapidary.
That shifting and sifting through time changes the story from its initial, overt conflict about information wanting to be free to being a bit more of ‘the truth will set you free’ because it’s only once Ania and Jorit learn the truth about the Great Press and the origins of the Pressmen by traveling to the past that they are able to find the explosive and cathartic solution they very much need in the present.
That their harrowing journey together bonds Ania and Jorit in their own mutual truth is the sparkling icing on a very tasty and thought-provoking little book-cake.
I decided to read The Fire Opal Mechanism now because I just picked up a copy of the third book in the Gem Universe, The Book of Gems. I was planning to dive right into it, believing that I had already read the first two books in the series, only to discover that while I adored The Jewel and Her Lapidary, I hadn’t actually read this second book. So I immediately set out to rectify that situation and I’m very glad I did. The Book of Gems awaits!
Originally published at Reading Reality
This turned out to be a whole lot more relevant to the present than I originally expected. Which was both wonderful and frightening, as it was published 4 years ago and therefore written several months at least before that.
But the impulses that move both the Pressmen’s and the Librarian Ania’s resistance to each other are always with us. Even more fascinating, those motives and that resistance turn out to be a bit of misdirection from the real problem that Ania and her reluctant ally-turned-friend, Jorit, need to resolve.
In whatever time period they can manage to solve it.
Escape Rating A-: At first, and for a rather long time thereafter, it seems as if the core of The Fire Opal Mechanism is about the freedom of information versus the censorship of it. And yet, at the beginning – the beginning that Ania and Jorit observe and not the place where they personally start – that wasn’t actually the case.
There’s more to unpack there than the reader initially has a clue about. The conflict seems so obvious. The Pressmen – the people who belong to the cult of the Great Press – have come to the last university in the Six Kingdoms to set information free by confiscating all the books and feeding them all to the machine that will literally chew them up and spit them out as part of the all-encompassing Compendium of Knowledge that the machine is producing.
That initial conflict turns out to be a bit too simplistic once Ania sees the Pressmen blow something into people’s faces that causes them to forget who they are. That the same substance erases text whenever it falls upon a book adds to those doubts. Which are stripped away entirely when someone picks up a copy of the Compendium and watches as the print turns from a faithful reproduction of an original – now consumed – work to an overtly propagandist interpretation that spouts the Pressmen’s view of history.
Which is when Ania, with Jorit tagging along, learns that the clock mechanism she has been clinging to for comfort and safety can take her and her companion back through time. Back to the origins of the Pressmen and their conflict with the universities.
Where she discovers that what she is experiencing in her present is a corruption of a past created by the Great Press that has been erased by that same object. And that the Great Press itself is the biggest and most dangerous corruption of all.
In this year of 2023, when book bans are everywhere and governments daily attempt to rewrite history to make their favored groups feel better about themselves in both the past and the present, it’s easy to become invested in the narrative of the brave librarian fighting the forces of evil repression the Pressmen represent – especially for a librarian.
But that’s far from the whole story. Just as The Fire Opal Mechanism loops Ania and Jorit back to the beginning of the conflict, it also wraps the story back to the history of the Gem Universe as a whole as experienced in the first book in the series, The Jewel and Her Lapidary.
That shifting and sifting through time changes the story from its initial, overt conflict about information wanting to be free to being a bit more of ‘the truth will set you free’ because it’s only once Ania and Jorit learn the truth about the Great Press and the origins of the Pressmen by traveling to the past that they are able to find the explosive and cathartic solution they very much need in the present.
That their harrowing journey together bonds Ania and Jorit in their own mutual truth is the sparkling icing on a very tasty and thought-provoking little book-cake.
I decided to read The Fire Opal Mechanism now because I just picked up a copy of the third book in the Gem Universe, The Book of Gems. I was planning to dive right into it, believing that I had already read the first two books in the series, only to discover that while I adored The Jewel and Her Lapidary, I hadn’t actually read this second book. So I immediately set out to rectify that situation and I’m very glad I did. The Book of Gems awaits!
Originally published at Reading Reality
March 6, 2024
I really liked The Book of Gems, which was the third book in Wilde's Gem Universe series. I picked up the The Fire Opal Mechanism next, which is the second book in the series. (Our library system does not have a copy of the first book, The Jewel and Her Lapidary, so I will have to find a copy somewhere.) Unfortunately, I was not as impressed with this second book, I did not feel the same atmospheric sense of dread threatening the plucky heroine. The heroine in The Fire Opal Mechanism is Ania, a career librarian at Far Reaches University. Although Ania is indeed threatened by the evil Pressmen, I never felt the same concern for Ania as I did for Devina (the heroine of The Book of Gems).
The evil Pressman are sweeping through the Six Kingdoms. They own a monstrous, magical press, which demands that all existing books be fed into it. The press steals all the ink off of the pages of the existing books, and then spits out volume after volume of the Universal Compendiums of Knowledge. All facts that anyone would ever need to know will be in found in the Compendiums, there is no need for any other book to exist. When the Pressman reach the Far Reaches University, they demand that all books be brought out and given to their machine. Naturally Ania, a librarian, does not agree with this scheme, and so she plots how to save as many of the most important books as she can. It seems that there is a secret room behind this old clock...
There is a student named Xachar at Far Reaches University. He wishes to be useful. Will he help the professors and fellow students? No, Xachar believes in the Pressman's cause. He even volunteers to work on the mighty press, he has engineering training which might serve him well in keep the press running. One thing I did not understand is that press is powered by a malignant false gem. If the gem is false, how is it able to drive the press and work its magic?
Jorit is a young woman who has been branded a thief. In an earlier altercation that is not fully described, Jorit and her brother Morton had a run-in with the Pressman. But we are not told what occured, merely that Morton has been dragged off and not seen again, while the sign of the thief was carved onto the back of Jorit's hand. The irony is that the brand on her hand forces Jorit to become a thief, she cannot get honest work. Jorit comes to Far Reaches University, hoping to pilfer books that she can sell. Books have become scarce now that the hungry maw of the Pressman's machine has consumed so many. Jorit hopes to make enough money selling stolen books to purchase passage on a ship that will take her far from here, so she ventures into the library where Xanchar and Ania are already carrying out schemes of their own agendas.
The Fire Opal Mechanism has some time travel plot points, but they were not that well thought out.
I got the impression that while The Book of Gems could be read as a stand alone novella, The Fire Opal Mechanism assumes that the reader has some familiarity with events from the first book in the series. Perhaps that is why I did not find this installment as interesting as The Book of Gems.
The evil Pressman are sweeping through the Six Kingdoms. They own a monstrous, magical press, which demands that all existing books be fed into it. The press steals all the ink off of the pages of the existing books, and then spits out volume after volume of the Universal Compendiums of Knowledge. All facts that anyone would ever need to know will be in found in the Compendiums, there is no need for any other book to exist. When the Pressman reach the Far Reaches University, they demand that all books be brought out and given to their machine. Naturally Ania, a librarian, does not agree with this scheme, and so she plots how to save as many of the most important books as she can. It seems that there is a secret room behind this old clock...
There is a student named Xachar at Far Reaches University. He wishes to be useful. Will he help the professors and fellow students? No, Xachar believes in the Pressman's cause. He even volunteers to work on the mighty press, he has engineering training which might serve him well in keep the press running. One thing I did not understand is that press is powered by a malignant false gem. If the gem is false, how is it able to drive the press and work its magic?
Jorit is a young woman who has been branded a thief. In an earlier altercation that is not fully described, Jorit and her brother Morton had a run-in with the Pressman. But we are not told what occured, merely that Morton has been dragged off and not seen again, while the sign of the thief was carved onto the back of Jorit's hand. The irony is that the brand on her hand forces Jorit to become a thief, she cannot get honest work. Jorit comes to Far Reaches University, hoping to pilfer books that she can sell. Books have become scarce now that the hungry maw of the Pressman's machine has consumed so many. Jorit hopes to make enough money selling stolen books to purchase passage on a ship that will take her far from here, so she ventures into the library where Xanchar and Ania are already carrying out schemes of their own agendas.
The Fire Opal Mechanism has some time travel plot points, but they were not that well thought out.
I got the impression that while The Book of Gems could be read as a stand alone novella, The Fire Opal Mechanism assumes that the reader has some familiarity with events from the first book in the series. Perhaps that is why I did not find this installment as interesting as The Book of Gems.
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