Into the Riverlands, by Nghi Vo

[mrissa]

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Cleric Chih and their hoopoe with perfect recall, Almost Brilliant, are traveling and, as is their wont, collecting people's favorite stories. They agree to skip the ferry and take a faster road with four new companions: a young martial artist and her sworn sister and a curmudgeonly middle-aged couple. But "faster" is not necessarily "easier," and her companions are not what they immediately seem--and the stories they tell are not necessarily just stories.

This novella is a charming addition to the Singing Hills Cycle. I think it would actually be fine to begin here and go back--I think it stands reasonably well alone, and its opening tells you what you need to know about the protagonist. I devoured it in one sitting. I don't actually want Vo not to write her other stories, because I like those too, but I immediately wanted more. I'm here for as many more as she's got.