The tall tales which Andrés Ibáñez has brought together in “The Scent of Cardamom” are audacious and earthy, subtle and surprising. There are stories of compassionate bandits, of cruel widows, of vengeful women: delicate tales of blood and honour. They lead us to encounters with a daughter of Judge Wang who is possessed by one of the most intrepid gentleman thieves in the locale; with a woman seduced by a fox as she loses hope that her husband will return home after many years away fighting in a faraway war; and with Chi Hsin Mien, a man with such insatiable carnal appetites that his three wives are kept in a constant state of despair. These are stories of transformations and meetings, of invisible bridges and intrigues, of wise dogs and beautiful courtesans in a floating world.