A Mouthful of Dust
The Singing Hills Cycle, Book 6Nghi Vo
Tordotcom
**** (Good)
DESCRIPTION:
The cleric Chih and their neixin - talking hoopoe - companion Almost Brilliant have come to Baolin to record stories of the famine demon that devastated the region almost twenty years ago. Though now it's a thriving town known for its sweet leopard melons and succulent pork dishes, in those days the people were reduced to eating mud and dust and even each other, and the scars linger... as do the unquiet ghosts, tied to secrets that some people don't want in the Singing Hills archives.
REVIEW:
The Singing Hills novellas are a nice break between longer works, bite-sized tales one can finish in a single sitting yet not too simplistic or shallow to enjoy. They can also be read in most any order, mostly connected by Chih and Almost Brilliant, reminiscent of older TV shows that were more episodic adventures and less massive mytharcs to unravel, with only a few passing references to prior adventures. Here, the cleric and their bird companion have been tasked with recording tales of the region, mostly about the famine demon (in this world, there is indeed a demon at the heart of famine, a monstrous thing ever hungry for anything it has not consumed before) but also about anything else they happen upon, being curious by nature. This, naturally, does not sit well with those in power who still have shameful secrets about their actions in the face of terrible times... but hunger is a monster, whether or not a physical actual demon is involved, and when it comes to survival people can be amazed - and revolted - by what they find themselves capable of. Not for the first time, the Singing Hills abbey duo get on the wrong side of a powerful person, both because of their vocation and because of Chih's tendency to tug on loose threads in tales to see where they lead, and are mostly witnesses as a tale that started long before their arrival comes at last to its conclusion. It made for a quick and satisfying meal.
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