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The Empress of Salt and Fortune
A Fantasy Novella by Nghi Vo
Book 1 of the The Singing Hills Cycle Series
Subgenres & Tropes:
- Imperial China-Inspired,
- Court Intrigue,
- Political Fantasy,
- Feminist Fantasy,
- Story Within a Story
This book is for you if you're into...
- Feminist high fantasy with imperial intrigue and sharp political maneuvering
- Asian-inspired settings with lush period drama visuals
- Stories where overlooked women quietly rewrite history
Winner of the 2020 Crawford Award | Winner of the 2021 Hugo Award | A Hugo Award-Winning Series | A 2021 Locus Award Finalist | A 2021 Ignyte Award Finalist | A Goodreads Choice Award Finalist | A Book Riot Best Debut Fantasy of All Time.
With the heart of an Atwood tale and the visuals of a classic Asian period drama, Nghi Vo's The Empress of Salt and Fortune is a tightly and lushly written narrative about empire, storytelling, and the anger of women.
A young royal from the far north, is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully.
Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.
At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece.
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