Scan barcode
A review by kamharellano
Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
So far, I've loved every single installment of Nghi Vo's The Singing Hills Cycle, but I think I may have found my favorite and highest rated one since the first novella! đ
After three years spent traveling and collecting stories (see The Empress of Salt and Fortune, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, and Into the Riverlands) Cleric Chih has finally come home to the Singing Hills Abbey. But what's meant to be a simple visit home becomes something more when Chih discovers their childhood mentor has passed away and there is a conflict about the burial and final rites of the body.
This way this novella handles grief is absolutely exquisite. Of course, we're shown the indescribable pain of losing a beloved member of your family. Although I've become quite fond of Chih throughout this series, I think they've never appeared as fragilely and beautifully human as they did in this book. But beyond that, Mammoths at the Gates also portrays different kinds of grief: the sadness that comes with returning home and realizing how much itâand youâhave changed, and the melancholy of realizing and acknowledging the distance that often grows between old friends.
But the subtlerâbut no less incredibleâbeauty of Mammoths at the Gates is how it clearly shows us the moments of joy that still exist between grief. New relationships. New opportunities. New life. Death and grief are the fires that clears the fields when it's time for new planting, allowing further growth to flourish.
(Also, this one delves a little bit deeper into the origin and lore of the neixin. So if Almost Brilliant and her kin have fascinated you since the beginning, definitely pick up this book!)
After three years spent traveling and collecting stories (see The Empress of Salt and Fortune, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, and Into the Riverlands) Cleric Chih has finally come home to the Singing Hills Abbey. But what's meant to be a simple visit home becomes something more when Chih discovers their childhood mentor has passed away and there is a conflict about the burial and final rites of the body.
This way this novella handles grief is absolutely exquisite. Of course, we're shown the indescribable pain of losing a beloved member of your family. Although I've become quite fond of Chih throughout this series, I think they've never appeared as fragilely and beautifully human as they did in this book. But beyond that, Mammoths at the Gates also portrays different kinds of grief: the sadness that comes with returning home and realizing how much itâand youâhave changed, and the melancholy of realizing and acknowledging the distance that often grows between old friends.
But the subtlerâbut no less incredibleâbeauty of Mammoths at the Gates is how it clearly shows us the moments of joy that still exist between grief. New relationships. New opportunities. New life. Death and grief are the fires that clears the fields when it's time for new planting, allowing further growth to flourish.
(Also, this one delves a little bit deeper into the origin and lore of the neixin. So if Almost Brilliant and her kin have fascinated you since the beginning, definitely pick up this book!)