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The Empress of Salt and Fortune (The Singing Hills Cycle, #1)

Nghi Vo

Start date: May 1, 2020

Finish date: May 31, 2020

Discussion: FIF

Why we're reading this: FIF Book, May 2020
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What Members Thought

Feb 07, 2021 Spencer Orey rated it really liked it

Ornate but quick, with a good point of view and some great writing flourishes to bring the world to life. Sometimes I lost track of the story, but it tied up well at the end.

23 likes · Like · see review

Apr 04, 2020 Crystal ✬ Lost in Storyland rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, asian-writers

One year after the death of In-yo, Empress of Salt and Fortune, the sites that she put under lock become declassified. On their way to the new empress’s first Dragon Court, Cleric Chih and their assistant, the neixin Almost Brilliant, make a detour to Lake Scarlet, the place where In-yo spent her years in exile before usurping the emperor’s throne. At Lake Scarlet, Chih and Almost Brilliant meet In-yo’s handmaiden, Rabbit, who tells them In-yo’s story: from her arrival at the Gleaming Palace to One year after the death of In-yo, Empress of Salt and Fortune, the sites that she put under lock become declassified. On their way to the new empress’s first Dragon Court, Cleric Chih and their assistant, the neixin Almost Brilliant, make a detour to Lake Scarlet, the place where In-yo spent her years in exile before usurping the emperor’s throne. At Lake Scarlet, Chih and Almost Brilliant meet In-yo’s handmaiden, Rabbit, who tells them In-yo’s story: from her arrival at the Gleaming Palace to her banishment at Thriving Fortune (the other name for Lake Scarlet) to her victory over the Empire’s forces. In the process, Chih will learn about the silenced, nameless women who helped In-yo rise to power.

In-yo, a princess from the far north, arrives in the Anh Empire for a political marriage. The court reviles her because they consider her people barbarians. The servants fear her as a witch or sorceress until they discover that “she [is] only a heartbroken and lonely girl, and she [becomes] of no account at all.” And they are correct, for her life—down to the last strand of hair—is subject to the emperor’s whims. Rabbit, “a rabbit-toothed girl from the provinces,” becomes a servant at the Palace of Gleaming Light to make up the difference when her county falls short on its taxes. Later, she follows In-yo into banishment as In-yo’s loyal handmaiden. Though these two women come from different classes and backgrounds, they share similarities: both are sent to a foreign place to fulfill a duty to their people, both are held in low esteem by the people in power, both have no voice of their own as a woman.

Even as Rabbit chronicles In-yo’s rise to power, she reveals the inner workings of a culture that has silenced women. And the cries of these women speak through the actions they take and the actions taken on behalf of them to place a woman (In-yo) on the highest seat of power. One may ask what will happen to In-yo’s successor, who must prove herself worthy of inheriting In-yo’s will—of inheriting the will of the women who came before her. As these women say, “Angry mothers raise daughters fierce enough to fight wolves.”

This novella tells Empress In-yo’s story. It also tells her successor’s story, her handmaiden’s story, and her peoples’ story: for whether they perpetuated or were suppressed by the system, history belongs to its people. Everyone has a part to play. From this perspective, the reliability of the narration comes into question. Given Rabbit’s close relationship with In-yo, we may assume that her perspective is biased. This raises questions about how we tell stories: What details do we choose to include? To omit? What does the storyteller want us to know about the subject of the story? How trustworthy is the storyteller? How does this challenge our perception of the characters and events?

Empress of Salt and Fortune warrants multiple readings. As one re-reads, one must question when and where Empress In-yo’s schemes began and what are the thoughts and motivations of the people surrounding her.

INITIAL THOUGHTS
Quick read. Raises questions about how we tell stories: what details do we choose to include? To omit? What does the storyteller want us to know about the subject of the story? What is the storyteller hiding? How trustworthy is the storyteller? Details that one person thinks insignificant, another thinks significant. How does this challenge our perception? More thoughts to come. ...more

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Mar 18, 2021 Erin rated it really liked it

Shelves: library, fantasy

This was a well done novella! Nghi Vo definitely was able to show how you can pack really a whole story in such a small package and I very much enjoyed reading it. This was a story told in vignettes, which is a style I would not have expected to like as I previously haven't, but I did really quite enjoy it in this one. The novella has left me intrigued to read more from this author and from this world. As is my beef with most novellas, I just wanted it to be longer so I could have gotten just a ...more

2 likes · Like · see review