When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (The Singing Hills Cycle, #2) in SpecFic Buddy Reads

Jul 11, 2021 Nataliya rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2021-reads

“They were Dieu’s favorite lines, and she was almost afraid to look up to see how the tiger took them. When you love a thing too much, it is a special kind of pain to show it to others and to see that it is lacking.”

Well, those lines are speaking to me right now. Because you see, I’m a bit torn. This was objectively a well-written book, no doubt, but unlike its predecessor The Empress of Salt and Fortune this one just did not resonate with me that much and left me a bit indifferent while sti

“They were Dieu’s favorite lines, and she was almost afraid to look up to see how the tiger took them. When you love a thing too much, it is a special kind of pain to show it to others and to see that it is lacking.”

Well, those lines are speaking to me right now. Because you see, I’m a bit torn. This was objectively a well-written book, no doubt, but unlike its predecessor The Empress of Salt and Fortune this one just did not resonate with me that much and left me a bit indifferent while still appreciating good quality work, written so crisply and beautifully — and yet not speaking to me in the way I was hoping to. I seem to be one of the few of my GR friends who preferred the first novella to this one, actually.

It’s only loosely related to the previous novella in this not-quite series. The only commonality is cleric Chih, traveling (by mammoth!!!) to collect stories and legends. This time they end up trapped by tigers (who can shapeshift into a human form) and Scheherazade-style must entertain those tigers with a story of a legendary love between a scholar and a tiger, with periodic corrections from tigers themselves ( “There is an addition for your books, cleric. Make a note of it so that they will find it after we eat you.” ) The alternative to this storytelling is becoming a tiger snack, obviously.

“Some people are just more… edible than others if you are a tiger.”

It’s again a story about stories, about how they are told and what that shows us about us and our nature and cultures — and those who are “others”. Perspective matters indeed, and those interludes with about disagreements in the way the story is told and “fixing” the story to suit a different viewpoint were quite interesting. The stories are not really about history but rather about how we - whichever “we” it is - see ourselves and others and how we want to be remembered. And truth is arbitrary, depending on which viewpoint is filtered through. And that intricate worldbuilding yet again manages to deftly balance rich and economical at the same time.

“She killed, for she was angry, and she did not eat what she killed, for she was heartsick.”

But - of course there’s a “but”. I am not sure exactly why this story did not connect with me on anything but purely intellectual level. Maybe it’s because the first novella in the series had a bit more painful realism to it while this one was a bit more magically surreal fairytale. Maybe it’s because I really did not care about shapeshifting tigers. Maybe it’s because the folktale narrative style tends to mostly leave me a bit cold, and I really preferred a bit more of political fantasy of the first novel and a bit less folksy whimsy of this one. And I kept wanting our characters to abandon the story that was told and go into the fascinating world surrounding them — who cares about tiger folklore, gimme mammoth herders now! Also, I prefer characters that I care for (like In-yo and Rabbit of the previous novella), and although cleric Chih has some potential, and Si-yu seems interesting, the spotlight is on the story told, and those characters for me mattered little. This was the case of framing story being more interesting and emotionally impactful than the story framed.

Full 4 stars for lovely writing, but 3 for personal enjoyment. Strong 3.5 stars overall.
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My review of Nghi Vo’s The Empress of Salt and Fortune: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more

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Feb 11, 2021 Trish rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The second story in the Singing Hills cycle is a standalone tale about the cleric Chih who travels around the kingdom of Anh to record the Singing Hills history of myths and lore. Along the way, they and their companions meet three laughing tigers.
As the tigers are very hungry, Chih needs to get creative in order to keep themselves as well as their companions alive long enough for help to arrive.
Thus begins a Sheherazade-like story with stories within the stories.

There once was a tiger with he ...more

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Oct 15, 2020 Bradley rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2020-shelf, fantasy

New silkpunk! While I really enjoyed the first of the Singing Hills Cycle books, I liked this one better.

Why? I just did, okay! lol

Seriously, it's all about the Tiger and the Scholar. The novella was written as a story within a story, but it focuses on the true kick of the core story. Beautifully written, evocative, and emotional, it first appears to be the "dangerous man tamed by the meek woman" trope, but it retains that real subtlety that tells a very different story for those willing to list ...more

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Apr 12, 2021 Di Maitland rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fabulous-writing, animals-are-characters, non-humans, lgbtq, magic, non-western, novella, nested-stories

As promised, this was even better than the first book, Empress of Salt and Fortune. It's a beautiful story beautifully written and I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone.

On her travels in the north, Cleric Chih is escorted up a mountain pass by Si-yu, a Scout, and her mammoth steed, Piluk. Arriving at a way station, they find the watchman injured and the hut surrounded my hungry tigers who shapeshift in to women at will. In the hopes of avoiding being eaten, Chih distracts the tigers with an ol As promised, this was even better than the first book, Empress of Salt and Fortune. It's a beautiful story beautifully written and I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone.

On her travels in the north, Cleric Chih is escorted up a mountain pass by Si-yu, a Scout, and her mammoth steed, Piluk. Arriving at a way station, they find the watchman injured and the hut surrounded my hungry tigers who shapeshift in to women at will. In the hopes of avoiding being eaten, Chih distracts the tigers with an old story about the Scholar Dieu and how she came to wed the tiger Ho Thi Thao.

"There is an addition for your books, cleric. Make a note of it so that they will find it after we eat you."

Both Chih's story and the story they tell are highly enjoyable - well paced and original, whilst reminding me just a little of both Arabian Nights and Beauty and the Beast. What was yet more enjoyable, though, was Vo's underlying commentary on storytelling and the influence of the storyteller. At regular intervals, the tiger Ho Sinh Loan, or her younger sisters Sinh Hoa and Sinh Cam, interrupt Chih's retelling of the story to correct her account. Sometimes, the interruptions shed light on Ho Thi Thao's behaviour or motivations, sometimes they completely alter the series of events - usually to portray Ho Thi Thao in a better, fiercer, light. Which accounting is true is anyone's guess now that the individuals themselves are long dead.

"That's right! A bundle of bones tied up with their own guts, that's what we say." "It's a tiger's term?" Chih asked. "I thought it was just what the ghosts of the examination hall did to those scholars who didn't follow the proper sacrifices..." "No, it's ours," said Sinh Loan pleasantly. "It's what we call someone who is a disappointment. Because that's what we turn them into. Please continue."

When I was at university, we studied whole modules on historiography, or the nature of history and its study. I can tell you that this story was both more enjoyable and more enlightening than many of the books I read on the subject then.

"Madam, I have come north instead to listen to your stories and to glorify you name." "Flattery, cleric," said the tiger. "It doesn't taste very good, and it has never filled a stomach." "History, madam," Chih responded hopefully. "History and your place in it."

As in the first book, When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain draws inspiration from Asian culture, though its set in a secondary world. The addition of mammoths, whatever their inspiration, was a master stroke. I mean...mammoths! How cool. I thought that the magic and the fantastical elements in the story - namely the shapeshifters - were handled in an unusual manner: neither explained nor endlessly detailed, just included for you, the reader, to accept as fact or otherwise. Likewise, the LGBTQ+ representation (Chih is non-binary and Dieu and Ho Thi Thao are lesbian lovers) was given no unnecessary emphasis and just was. I liked the understatement immensely.

Would I recommend this? Absolutely! It's a short read but packs a punch. I recommend reading it though, as the story doesn't come across quite as well on audio, no matter the talents of the narrator. Would I read it again? Absolutely. Will I be looking for more by Nghi Vo? You bet. ...more

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Aug 23, 2022 Cathy rated it really liked it

Loved the mammoths immediately! And I was oddly happy to meet Chih again, despite complaining about a lack of an emotional connection to the characters in the first book of this series, The Empress of Salt and Fortune.

We meet demons/shapeshifters in the form of tigers. And they want to eat Chih and their travel companions. Chih has to tell a story to hopefully save them, but doesn‘t get it quite right. It felt a bit like Scheherazade of One Thousand and One Nights meets Rashomon by Akira Kurosaw ...more

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Apr 09, 2023 Leticia rated it really liked it

Shelves: bipoc, aapi-authors

This started slowly but it was quite original, surprising and interesting.

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Jan 02, 2023 Lata rated it it was amazing

Shelves: bipoc-actor, auth-f, sf-f-h, bipoc-author, x2023-read

Nghi Vo returns to the Ahn Empire. Cleric Chih and their fellow travellers are menaced by a trio of hungry tigers. The prisoners must stay alive until the mammoths arrive and can drive away the tigers, so Cleric Chih must tease out the details of the story about a tiger and her scholar lover.

The prose of this novella is so lovely, telling a tale of deep emotion. I'm happy to read innumerable stories in the hypnotic series. ...more

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May 22, 2022 Alexis rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

On the list of "books you can read in one go," this series, so far, is right near the top.

Vo does really, excellently well in the novella format. She chooses stories that are easy to self-contain, and a cast that never gets overwhelming, so she dodges the "too much in too little space" that novellas sometimes get.

Here, she does something just as difficult: executing a sequel with enough of the same tone to evoke the same magic as the first, but with enough difference that it comes off as fresh.

B ...more

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Jun 21, 2021 Denise rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: women-2021

I love these stories. This one had the flavor of Aesop by way of mammoth and tiger.

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Aug 07, 2025 jovena s rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 27, 2020 Christina Pilkington rated it liked it

Shelves: genre-fantasy

Actual rating: 3.5 stars While I didn't like this novella as much as I did The Empress of Salt and Fortune, the writing was just as gorgeous and the plot just as well crafted. It's structured in the same way as the first novella in The Singing Hills Cycle- a layered story within a story. It's more of an adventure story, and I found the plot more tense and suspenseful than the first novella.

I'm very much looking forward to Nghi Vo's full length novel coming out later this year. Vo is a master at ...more

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