Nghi Vo has a beautiful way with words. I cannot repeat that enough. It is a pleasure simply to hear her prose when read aloud, and I am sad when I finish each of her stories because I just want them to keep going.

One day not so long ago, her Singing Hills Cycle series appeared in my feed alongside fantasy epics such as The Lord of the Rings, The Name of the Wind, and A Game of Thrones. I was ready for a fantasy not written by old white men, and I had heard that it won a Hugo Award in 2021, so I gave it a try. And I am so glad I did.

The Empress of Salt and Fortune unfolds as a story within a story. As such it has a wandering feel that hides an emotional journey.

The story is layered with elegant lore, magic, and complex relationships that we only see glimpses of, but they are masterfully woven into a compelling story.

My only complaint is that I wish it was five times as long. As a novella, it is significantly shorter than the rolling epics I usually read, but the fresh poingnancy of it was worth it.

Due to my desire for more, I turned to one of Nghi Vo’s longer novels, The Chosen and the Beautiful, which is a retelling of The Great Gatsby. I adore the classic, have read it half a dozen times, frequently taught it to my 10th grade English class, and have watched one or other of the films another half a dozen times. So I was certain I would enjoy this.

Even so, it caught me by surprise because it is the best and most magical fanfiction I have ever read. It retells The Great Gatsby from Jordan Baker’s perspective in an alternate reality in which she is Asian, magic is commonplace, and Gatsby sold his soul to a demon.

Besides being beautifully written, this fresh take on the classic explores many of the dark corners that I had come to wonder about: the women’s roles & experiences, Gatsby’s mystical nature, and the bisexual undertones throughout.

Vo captures Jordan’s character and adds intricate backstory that somehow both fits the classic and feels new and exciting. She seemlessly blends dialogue from the original with new plots, questions, and dangers.

Vo’s stories have been a pleasure to enjoy, and I look forward to reading more of them soon.