The Machineries of the Empire series lives rent-free in my mind. Its memorable world and characters consume my thoughts and Hexarchate Stories allowed me to scratch that itch for more after finishing Revenant Gun last year.

Hexarchate Stories is a collection of flash fiction, short stories, and novellas set in the Machineries universe. The tales follow central characters from the original trilogy Shuos Jedao and Kel Cheris—though there are a handful of other perspectives. In the collection, Lee writes slice-of-life tales centred on the childhoods of Jedao and Cheris. However, the collection also includes chaotic military campaigns, art heists, and poetry.

This collection is a perfect microcosm of what made the Machineries trilogy stand out to me. Yoon Ha Lee’s character writing particularly shone in this outing. As someone drawn to the flashbacks scattered throughout the trilogy this collection provided me with the exact types of stories I was hankering for. It was delightful to see characters I already loved in a slice-of-life context. Whether it was Jedao and his brother searching for a lost cat or Cheris befriending servitors on the beach the quiet character moments were heartwarming to read.

A bonus of this collection was the author’s notes at the end of every story. In these Lee explained the origins of aspects of his world and characters and provided a fascinating context to the story. From minor to major details getting a peek behind the curtain for the various inspirations of the world was exciting.

Hexarchate Stories was a fun read. I loved spending more time with my favourite characters and learning more about the Machineries universe. It was definitely a great way to cap off the series.