I’ve been reading the Singing Hills Cycle novella series for so long and going strong. A Long and Speaking Silence is a fun prequel type of novella. And this one has brought me back! Keep reading this book review of A Long and Speaking Silence for my full thoughts.
Summary
Every story begins somewhere.
On the banks of the Ya-lé River, the town of Luntien gathers to celebrate the start of the rainy season, but the celebration is marred by the arrival of refugees from the sea. Everyone has a story about the foreigners newly in their midst—lazy, violent, unwanted—while the refugees themselves grieve the loss of the home they loved.
Cleric Chih, very recently still Novice Chih, is also a stranger in Luntien. A moment of carelessness and bad luck leaves them waiting tables as they struggle to establish themself as a real cleric. A cleric’s job is to listen and record, but the stories emerging in Luntien are ugly and violent, as hard to predict as the river itself. With their hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant by their side, Chih must help the refugees while also unraveling a mystery that may have roots in their own faraway home in the abbey of Singing Hills.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
A Long and Speaking Silence brought my excitement for the novella series back! I have greatly enjoyed this series and the mix of adventure and storytelling. This latest installment explores the burden of receiving stories and what it means to witness. This series is such a joy to read as we explore what it’s like to receive a story. There’s this commitment to keeping stories alive, to remembering these histories and these people. A Long and Speaking Silence is a gorgeous and expansive world. It feels like chapters or installments in this stunning saga.
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A Long and Speaking Silence will thrill fans of the series with this prequel novella, but it’s also a great entry point for new fans. You can read all of them in whatever order you want and while I normally say go in order of publication, this is a great one to start with. Find A Long and Speaking Silence on Goodreads, Storygraph, Bookshop. org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.