A review by bernardom
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo

4.0

Nghi Vo's When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain is a captivating standalone novella within The Singing Hills Cycle, a collection of stories that blends myth, legend, and history into beautifully crafted tales. The novel follows the cleric Chih, a roving historian and storyteller, as they are drawn into a dangerous negotiation with three shape-shifting tiger sisters who hunger for flesh and for stories.

The novella masterfully plays with the storytelling itself. The tigers, such powerful and intelligent creatures, challenge human renditions of their own mythology, offering their own interpretations of the events retold throughout the ages. This game of multiple versions of the same event highlights how stories differ depending on who is telling them and to whom—a theme that keeps recurring throughout the book's broader exploration of truth, history, and power.

Vo's prose is lush and poetic, conjuring a world borrowed from Chinese and Vietnamese mythology. From snow-capped mountain summits to the eerie, predator chic of the tiger sisters, every detail is immersive. The tension in the book is palpable, flickering between episodes of fear and episodes of singular beauty.

Chih as an historian in a world where what is true may be bent for political purposes or other reasons provides a great sympathetic protagonist, yet the tiger sisters are the heroines. Terrible and heartbreaking, they confuse simple ideas about heroes and villains. The novella also takes on gender, queerness, and power never once being obvious.

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain is an enchanting story that blurs the lines between myth and history. Nghi Vo's beautiful prose and skillful storytelling weave a world that haunts long after the last page. Readers of folklore-based fantasy and contemplative, beautifully written stories will find much to appreciate in this brief but potent work.