The Fire Opal Mechanism by Fran Wilde (Tor.com June, 2019) ![](https://i2.wp.com/blog.onlinewritingworkshop.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/1-fire-opal-fran-2-188x300.jpg?resize=188%2C300)
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.