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A review by jcreads85
Mammoths at the Gates by Nghi Vo
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? It's complicated
5.0
Singing Hills! We finally got a story focused on Cleric Chih and their home, the Singing Hills Abbey.
Unlike the previous novellas, this one did not rely on the story within the story but was very present tense. Cleric Chih is reunited with family and friends after 3 years of travel only to find their mentor has passed away just weeks prior.
This novella was about grief, change, and accepting change in others, and finding home in found families. But, of course, much like the previous two novellas, we wouldn’t be content without a little adventure and moments of intensity. Because instead of being left to grieve their mentor in peace, family from the North has arrived to the gates with war mammoths to claim the body.
We do come to learn that these grandchildren arriving to make their claim are driven by their own grief and loss, just not of our dead cleric. I rather liked the added element of diplomacy, word battles, and collision of different cultures.
And like all the other novellas, this one does get weird. But I think it’s why I like them. They are fantastical and share with us a world of magic, shapeshifters, spirits, and magical talking “birds”, the neixin (people of their own right). There are elements of truth, but really these have even great escapes and an enjoyable journey. Can’t wait until the next one!
Unlike the previous novellas, this one did not rely on the story within the story but was very present tense. Cleric Chih is reunited with family and friends after 3 years of travel only to find their mentor has passed away just weeks prior.
This novella was about grief, change, and accepting change in others, and finding home in found families. But, of course, much like the previous two novellas, we wouldn’t be content without a little adventure and moments of intensity. Because instead of being left to grieve their mentor in peace, family from the North has arrived to the gates with war mammoths to claim the body.
We do come to learn that these grandchildren arriving to make their claim are driven by their own grief and loss, just not of our dead cleric. I rather liked the added element of diplomacy, word battles, and collision of different cultures.
And like all the other novellas, this one does get weird. But I think it’s why I like them. They are fantastical and share with us a world of magic, shapeshifters, spirits, and magical talking “birds”, the neixin (people of their own right). There are elements of truth, but really these have even great escapes and an enjoyable journey. Can’t wait until the next one!