It's not the notes that you play. It's the notes that you don't play that make the song. Empress is a stunning little puzzle box of a story. A cleric-historian named Chih visits a lake-side villa that has been declassified, removed from a sorcerous veil that blocked all interaction for decades. There she finds an elderly lady, Rabbit, once handmaiden to the titular Empress. The narrative plays out as Rabbit tells her memories, each prompted by an object found in the villa.

The story fragments are about a royalty, married into a foreign land and then cast aside once her husband's dynastic and diplomatic need are met. It's about two women from opposite ends of society, and their unlikely love. And it is about subterfuge, rebellion, and victory. Each page is a gem. And the setting, while inspired by Southeast Asia, floats on fantastic heights. I love the cruel northern mammoth cavalry of the Empress, the strange red glow of the lake, the way a broken-hearted person can become a kingfisher.

Vo draws immediate comparison to Aliette de Bodard, but this story impressed me far more. Read it.

***

Updates: Still perfect