Mammoths at the Gate (Singing Hills Cycle #4)

Mammoths at the Gate by Nghi Vo is the fourth book of the Singing Hills Cycle - a collection of novellas that read like folk tales. 

Cleric Chih is going back to the Singing Hills monastery after four years of traveling and collecting stories. They are excited to see their neixin, Almost Brilliant, after she left to hatch eggs. 

When Chih arrives, there are two royal mammoths guarding the gate. Two sisters who want to reclaim their grandfather's body for their family, something that is not done once someone becomes a cleric. 

Chih talks his way past the giant mammoths with a promise to help talks between the sisters and the monks. They find that most of the monks are away collecting stories and that their classmate Ru has been left in charge. 

Vo's series is a collection of beautiful storytelling. These small books pack a lot in. Read these books!

Vo, Nghi. (2023). Mammoths at the Gate. New York: TOR.