§Author· 4 books
Nghi Vo
Speculative fiction novella series like The Singing Hills Cycle and fantasy reimagining novels have earned broad recognition across the fantasy and LGBTQ literary landscapes. Nghi Vo, an American author of short stories, novellas, and novels born in Peoria, Illinois, made her debut publication in 2007 with Strange Horizons before achieving wide acclaim for her debut novella, The Empress of Salt and Fortune, which won the Hugo Award for Best Novella and the IAFA Crawford Award.
Her published body of work spans atmospheric historical fantasy, re-imagined literary classics, and intricate short fiction, connecting personal identity with epic mythology.
Career & Background
Born on December 4, 1981, in Peoria, Illinois, Nghi Vo began publishing speculative fiction in 2007, with early short stories appearing in magazines such as Strange Horizons. Over the following decade, she developed a distinct voice in short-form fiction, culminating in the 2020 release of The Empress of Salt and Fortune. The novella launched The Singing Hills Cycle, following the cleric Chih as they collect stories, oral histories, and folk memories across a rich fictional empire. This debut novella earned the Hugo Award for Best Novella and the IAFA Crawford Award, establishing Vo's prominent position in modern speculative fiction.
Vo expanded into full-length novels with the 2021 release of The Chosen and the Beautiful, a queer fantasy reimagining of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. She followed this with the 2022 pre-code Hollywood fantasy novel Siren Queen and the 2024 novel The City in Glass. Alongside her novels, she continued expanding The Singing Hills Cycle with installments including When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain, Into the Riverlands, Mammoths at the Gates, and The Brides at High Hill. Her short works have received critical distinction, including the Shirley Jackson Award for her 2022 novelette What the Dead Know and a Hugo Award nomination for On the Fox Roads, alongside short fiction such as Stitched to Skin Like Family Is published in Uncanny Magazine.
Writing Style & Themes
Vo's writing frequently centers on the power of storytelling, memory, ritual, and marginalized identities within speculative settings. Her works integrate LGBTQ themes, intricate worldbuilding, and historical or mythic structures to explore how history is recorded, altered, or remembered. Whether reshaping familiar literary traditions or crafting standalone fantasy worlds, her prose relies on vivid sensory detail, deliberate narrative framing, and deep character psychology.
Major Works
- The Empress of Salt and Fortune — Published in 2020, this debut novella in The Singing Hills Cycle won the Hugo Award for Best Novella and the IAFA Crawford Award, following a cleric gathering political histories and hidden stories in an imperial exile.
- The Chosen and the Beautiful — A 2021 fantasy novel that reimagines The Great Gatsby through the perspective of Jordan Baker as a queer, Asian adopted woman in Jazz Age New York navigating elemental magic and social prestige.
- Siren Queen — A 2022 dark historical fantasy novel following an Asian American actress navigating dark magic, ancient bargains, and systemic prejudice in pre-code era Hollywood.
- The City in Glass — A 2024 speculative novel depicting an intricate fantasy landscape centered on themes of destruction, memory, and city-building.
- The Brides at High Hill — A 2024 novella in The Singing Hills Cycle that follows Cleric Chih as they travel to a sinister estate fraught with secrets, aristocratic corruption, and ancient danger.
- Stitched to Skin Like Family Is — A 2024 speculative short story published in Uncanny Magazine exploring identity, intimacy, and body transformation.
§All Books
The Chosen and the Beautiful
Nghi Vo, 2021
85 ratings
The Brides at High Hill
Nghi Vo, 2024
45 ratings
The City in Glass
Nghi Vo, 2024
23 ratings
Stitched to Skin Like Family Is
Nghi Vo, 2024
3 ratings