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Book of Iron is the Elizabeth Bear 2013 fantasy novella set in the same Eternal Sky universe as Bone and Jewel Creatures, with the aging Wizard Bijou this time appearing in a younger version of herself, on a desert expedition with two other practitioners to retrieve a dangerous magical text. The novella is technically a prequel and gives readers a useful introduction to both the Eternal Sky setting and Bear's particular fantasy register.
Bear's strength in Book of Iron is the careful sensory texture of the desert expedition. The geography of the journey, the small daily disciplines of the travel, the specific cultural rhythms of the three Wizards from different traditions cooperating uneasily, are rendered with the kind of patient attention that the novella form rewards. Fans of N. K. Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy or Kate Elliott's Crown of Stars series will recognize the careful fantasy worldbuilding the form is operating in.
The closing chapters land with appropriate emotional weight despite the short length.
Four stars. A satisfying fantasy novella with serious worldbuilding. Book of Iron Elizabeth Bear works either as a prequel companion to Bone and Jewel Creatures or as an independent introduction to the Eternal Sky setting. Recommended for readers of literary fantasy and for anyone curious about Bear before tackling her novel-length Range of Ghosts trilogy.
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