They Twinkle Like Jewels
Written by Philip Jose Farmer
www.ink2quill.com

“They Twinkle Like Jewels” is a Scifi gem of a short story written by Philip Jose Farmer. I would also place this short story in the genre of horror. It is one of his lesser known stories but a gem nonetheless. Philip Jose Farmer is the author of the Riverworld Series which includes “To Your Scattered Bodies Go” and “The Fabulous Riverboat”. These are 2 books that I highly recommend for those Scifi lovers looking for originality. He has won many prestigious awards and is considered a master in the Sicfi genre.

They Twinkle Like Jewels Amazon webpage

Philip Jose Farmer Amazon webpage

“They Twinkle Like Jewels” is the story of Jack Crane, a man on the run from pursuers he knows very little about. They were called Bohas agents and are as mysterious as their true motives. The story begins with Jack hiding from Bohas agents. While hiding he notices a worm caught and eaten by a wasp and this turns out to be a sinister foreshadowing of things to come. He heard that a new camp was just opened a few miles away from town and so he knows the situation is much more perilous than before. This revelation heightens his fear and need to escape but at the same time Jack is a man looking for answers to questions surrounding the Bohas and events going on. His quest for answers leads him into the belly of the beast and we learn that this quest for answers began when he was a child and a strange man came to visit his father. He assumed that this man was a salesman but he was not. And the ‘man’s’ motives are sinister indeed.

I loved this story for all its themes and foreshadowing, like I said above, the beginning scene where he watches a worm get caught and eaten by a wasp is some of the best example of foreshadowing I’ve ever read. Also, more importantly is the description of‘new camps’ opening up nearby like a virus spreading out to humanity. This is so symbolic of the spread of Nazism where populations of people were ‘disappeared’ or more accurately ‘genocided’. So, many writers, especially in the Scifi genre will include these themes of genocide from WWII, that will hopefully serve as lessons to future peoples. We see these historical references in stories up until the 1990s when the people directly influenced by the horrors of genocide were still alive. The same is true with references to the Vietnam War. Films like “Rambo” are a criticism of the Vietnam War and not a film promoting American fascism as some think. We really can’t speak enough about these horrible points in our history in order to learn from them. I wish more new storytellers would put these themes back into their stories for the sake of the people we love today and all our descendants.

As it turns out, Jack is on a journey that started in his childhood with the visit of the strange ‘salesman’ who supposedly came to see his father. That scene in the story reveals so much about an invading force on humanity. I don’t want to give away any spoilers so I won’t say more. Suffice it to say that the scene really has an “Invasion Of The Body Snatchers” feel about it.

I love the ideas that Philip Jose Farmer comes up with in his works. I loved “The Riverworld Series” where he explores the themes of death and reincarnation and the purpose of life. In this short story we also have the famous and little talked about theme of higher intelligent lifeforms taking advantage of the lower intelligent life. Jack must wrestle with this terrifying thought.

So, definitely read “They Twinkled Like Jewels” because it’s a great story with a very good ending written by a master in the genre. This is another great Scifi story that deserves to be turned into a miniseries for the masses.

John Ink2Quill

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