When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain

From Hugo, Locus, and Ignyte Finalist, Crawford Award Winner, and Bestselling Author Nghi Vo

"A stunning gem of a novella that explores the complexity and layers of storytelling and celebrates the wonder of queer love. I could read about Chih recording tales forever."—Samantha Shannon,New York Timesbestselling author ofThe Priory of the Orange Tree

"Dangerous, subtle, unexpected and familiar, angry and ferocious and hopeful. . . .The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."—NPR

The cleric Chih finds themself and their companions at the mercy of a band of fierce tigers who ache with hunger. To stay alive until the mammoths can save them, Chih must unwind the intricate, layered story of the tiger and her scholar lover—a woman of courage, intelligence, and beauty—and discover how truth can survive becoming history.

Nghi Vo returns to the empire of Ahn and The Singing Hills Cycle inWhen the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, a mesmerizing, lush standalone follow-up toThe Empress of Salt and Fortune.

The Singing Hills Cycle

The Empress of Salt and Fortune
When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain
Into the Riverlands

The novellas of The Singing Hills Cycle are linked by the cleric Chih, but may be read in any order, with each story serving as an entrypoint.