When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain

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Nghi Vo, Cindy Kay: When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain (AudiobookFormat, Tantor Audio)

audio cd

Published by Tantor Audio.

ISBN:
978-1-7052-7325-8
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3 stars (2 reviews)

6 editions

reviewed When the Tiger Came down the Mountain by Nghi Vo (The Singing Hills Cycle, #2)

Not as enjoyable

3 stars

I didn’t like this one as much as the other two in the series I’ve read. While I liked the inclusion of mammoths and one of its riders and could appreciate the classic yet tense framing for Chih’s storytelling, the story being told is ultimately kind of disturbing if you take it seriously. I’m also still unsure how I feel about shape-shifting tigers.

reviewed When the Tiger Came down the Mountain by Nghi Vo (The Singing Hills Cycle, #2)

Highly recommended

4 stars

I wasn’t quite sure how Nghi Vo would continue after her Empress of Salt and Fortune – after all, her main character Chih, the recording monk, is hardly fit to carry sustained narratives. I needn’t have worried: this never tries to burden them with that task.

Instead, we are treated (and what a treat it is) to another take on the magic of storytelling and the nature of truth. If Empress was all about the true story lying hidden, this is about how the truth of stories is negotiable. Formally consistent with, and sharing the same rich world building as its predecessor, this second instalment is as enjoyable as the first, a wonderful feat of complex storytelling happening without any of the usual fanfare.