Welcome back. This week I take a look at Lavie Tidhar's recent story on Tor.com: "Yiwu". This was a quick, fun read, but while I was reading it I didn't realize that Yiwu is a real city in eastern China. That little tidbit might make the story slightly more interesting for you - if you choose to read it. But there are plenty of interesting ideas in this story without knowing that it takes place in a real (albeit future) city - especially the idea of getting the wish you have always wanted!

Non-Spoiler Summary

Eshamuddin sells lottery tickets in the city of Yiwu, to anybody who can offer real coins. These aren't for your run-of-the-mill lottery, in which players only win money, no - this lottery promises to reward winners with their "true heart's desire!" Over the years he has sold 3 winning tickets, and watched as the winners were whisked off in magnificent fashion. But when he gets a new, regular client who finally wins, well, things take a really strange turn for both him and some of the people around him. The question is: are things better than before or not?

My Two Cents

• I really liked all the nifty ideas in this story! The lottery of your dreams, what some people do with their winning tickets, the giant market and how it works - to name just a few.
• I felt that this story was written well and had a good flow to it - a pacing that kept me plenty interested in what was happening.
• I couldn't help it - I found myself wondering what I would wish for if I was to win this lottery. C'mon, you know you've thought about that too, haven't you!
• The descriptions in the story were wonderful - especially when talking about places and things in the market. Very cool indeed - it totally made me want to go see some of these places and things... if that were possible. (Maybe if I win the lottery it will be!)
• Final Verdict:

Where To Find Yiwu

• You can read "Yiwu" for free online at Tor.com.

More by Lavie Tidhar If you dig this author and his writing style, here are some of his other works - maybe you'll like them too!

• "The Shangri-La Affair": a 2009 short story about a special agent who travels to Southeast Asia to find a unique virus engineered to bring peace.
• "The Night Train": a 2010 short story about a bio-medically altered bodyguard for a Southeast Asian crime lord.
• Check out his 2011 alternate history novel Osama^†, which won the 2012 World Fantasy Award for Best Novel.

† - This is an affiliate link.  Learn more on my Privacy & Disclosure page.

(This is a revised version of a post which was originally published on BestScienceFictionStories.com on Jul 17th, 2018.)