Episode 164: Why Fantasy Goes To Extremes (With Nghi Vo)

A detail from the cover of The City in Glass by Nghi Vo

Lately, it feels as though a lot of fantasy books come in two kinds: cozy, or extremely dark. During a scary time in the world, we seek either comforting sweetness, or violent catharsis. To find out more, we talked to Nghi Vo, whose recent books include The City in Glass and The Brides of High Hill. Plus we talk about how to include white characters in a story without centering whiteness.

References, Links, & Etc.

Here's Nghi Vo's website. Here she is on Instagram and Bluesky.

Nghi Vo's latest book is The City in Glass. She's also the author of the novels Siren Queen and The Chosen and the Beautiful, as well as the acclaimed novellas of the Singing Hills Cycle.

Other works discussed:

The Blueprint by Rae Giana Rashad

The City We Became by NK Jemisin

Babel: or the Necessity of Violence by RF Kuang

The Reformatory by Tananarive Due

Frederick Jackson Turner’s Frontier Thesis

Love and Theft by Eric Lott

Rebecca Roanhorse’s award-winning story “Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience.”