The Brides of High Hill

The Brides of High Hill is a fantasy novella by Nghi Vo and part of her Singing Hills Cycle, which follows Chih, a traveling cleric who collects stories. This time Chih joins a young bride on her journey to Doi Cao, a crumbling estate at the crossroads of dead empires, where she is to marry the aging Lord Guo. The house is full of shadowed halls, empty rooms and silent courtyards, and the lord's son is said to be mad. As the wedding draws near, Chih begins to sense that the estate holds more secrets than anyone will admit. The story is a compact, atmospheric tale about marriage, power and the stories families keep. The novella was a 2025 Hugo Award finalist.