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book cover for A Mouthful of Dust

A Mouthful of Dust

Narrated by Cindy Kay

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Book 6 of Singing Hills Cycle
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Pub Date Oct 07 2025 | Archive Date Oct 07 2025
Tantor Media | Tantor Audio

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Description

Wandering Cleric Chih of Singing Hills and their hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant come to the river town of Baolin chasing stories of a legendary famine. Amid tales of dishes served to royalty and desserts made of dust, they discover the secrets of what happens when hunger stalks the land and what the powerful will do to hide their crimes.

Trapped in the mansion of a sinister magistrate, Chih and Almost Brilliant must learn what happened in Baolin when the famine came to call, and they must do so quickly . . . because the things in the shadows are only growing hungrier.

The Singing Hills Cycle has been shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, the Locus Award, and the Ignyte Award, and has won the Crawford Award and the Hugo Award.

The novellas are standalone stories linked by the Cleric Chih, and may be enjoyed in any order.

Wandering Cleric Chih of Singing Hills and their hoopoe companion Almost Brilliant come to the river town of Baolin chasing stories of a legendary famine. Amid tales of dishes served to royalty and...


Advance Praise

"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

"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)

"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

"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 view

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

"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

"Spellbinding...


Available Editions

EDITION Audiobook, Unabridged
ISBN 9798331994105
PRICE $10.99 (USD)
DURATION 2 Hours, 14 Minutes

Available on NetGalley

NetGalley Shelf App (AUDIO)

Average rating from 69 members


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