A history stitched in blood—return to the world of the Hugo award-winning Singing Hills series by USA Today bestselling author Nghi Vo.

A celebration of the life and reign of the notorious Empress of Salt of Fortune has brought the Cleric Chih and Almost Brilliant to the Palace of Gleaming Light in Anh, where Chih becomes intrigued with the forgotten stories of the little wives of the women’s quarter. Amid a forest of priceless robes and the seamsters’ chatter in the Hall of Needles, they learn of an attempt by one such wife to assassinate the empress during the tumultuous early days of her rule.

Who was Sei of Ue County, and what could have driven her to so desperate and treasonous an attack? Was it jealousy over the stolen affections of another wife? Or revenge by the daughter of a conquered country against a tyrant?

What begins as a line of embroidery on a discarded robe deepens into a mystery as Chih digs further into the labyrinthine politics of the women’s quarter—and the empire of Anh itself.

The novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle are standalone stories linked by the Cleric Chih, and may be read in any order.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain

Into the Riverlands

Mammoths at the Gates

The Brides of High Hill

A Mouthful of Dust

A Long and Speaking Silence

The Judgment of Needles

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.



Praise for this book

Praise for the Singing Hills Cycle



"A delicious bonbon of a novella about stories and their unreliable narrators, who wink at their listeners (or readers), fully expecting us to catch on."—The Wall Street Journal

"Dangerous, subtle, unexpected and familiar, angry and ferocious and hopeful. . . . A remarkable accomplishment of storytelling."—NPR

"Spellbinding. . . . Vo expertly weaves myths and histories of this fantastical land throughout, while also offering readers a deeper understanding of Chih themself, a character who may have been left as a framing device in lesser hands. The result is a pitch-perfect series installment."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Rides the knife edge between telling a story and being in the middle of it and explores how tales become legends. . . . Highly recommended for . . . anyone who likes high fantasy inspired by Imperial China or wuxia movies and stories."—Library Journal, starred review

"Vo's debut has it all: from sapphic love to cruel betrayals; from political intrigue to lakes that glow red to ghosts that continue to walk old paths."—Booklist, starred review

"A stunning feminist fantasy."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Gorgeous. Cruel. Perfect."—Seanan McGuire

"So good I want to marry it."—Martha Wells

"A quiet, wrenching tale of resistance, resilience, and court intrigue."—R. F. Kuang

“A stunning gem . . . celebrates the wonder of queer love. I could read about Chih recording tales forever.”—Samantha Shannon

"This fourth entry in the “Singing Hills Cycle” series, after Into the Riverlands, is every bit as beautiful and thought-provoking as its predecessors. Highly recommended for fans of the previous books in the series and for anyone who loves their fantasy colored with myth, legend, and bittersweet truth."—Library Journal, starred review

"A glorious, beautifully-written tale that is both tragic and triumphant, unfolding a secret history through the ordinary artifacts of everyday life."—Kate Elliott

"An epic in miniature, beautifully realised."—Zen Cho

"With its themes of friendship, loyalty, continuity, and loss, [Mammoths at the Gates's] main strengths derive from an appealing cast of characters, some of whom, like Chih, have grown more complex over the four volumes of the series. . . . Adds considerable emotional resonance to an already impressive series."—Locus

"Both tear-jerking and gut-punching."—The Washington Post

"A thrilling, wuxia-style addition to the series."—BuzzFeed




About the AuthorNghi Vo is the USA Today bestselling author of Siren Queen, The Chosen and the Beautiful, Don't Sleep with the Dead, The City in Glass, and The Scarlet Ball, as well as the acclaimed novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle, which began with The Empress of Salt and Fortune. Her work has been nominated for the Nebula, Locus, and Lambda Literary Awards and the LA Times and Ursula K. Le Guin Prizes, and has won the Crawford, Ignyte, and Hugo Awards. Born in Illinois, she now lives on the shores of Lake Michigan. She believes in the ritual of lipstick, the power of stories, and the right to change your mind.
Title: The Judgment of Needles
Author(s): Nghi Vo
Volume: 8
ISBN: 9781250386458
Copyright 2027
Release Date: May 04, 2027
Publisher: Tor Publishing Group
Countries: United States, Canada | Learn more about available countries
Language: English
Format: None available | Learn More about our supported formats
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