Jade City

This book is competently written, but is not for me. I had no connection to any of the main characters and while the author made attempts to explain their motivations to make them more endearing, most of it rang untrue for me. A few of the lesser characters had far more interesting and complicated storylines, notably Doru, Wen, and Anden.

The biggest letdown for me was after 600 pages of hearing about honor, even between clans as part of some unwritten code of rules, the climax comes from winning a battle by feigning a surrender and then using that as the element of surprise to triumph. From everything I'd been told about Hilo up until then, it feels that while he would do that, it doesn't seem like he'd take satisfaction from winning in that way, yet he does.

I'm interested to know how some of the minor characters progress, but not enough to read the additional novels.

I'm not usually all that excited about either really martial fantasy or mob stories, because both tend to rely on either very flatly good/evil dichotomies, or just telling the reader that one set of characters are the good ones and should be sympathised with.

At first, this book felt like it was going down that road, since our introduction to some of the core characters is them dispensing a lot of violence for profit, against some thieves who I found myself sympathising with. But by about 1/4 of the way I was getting reeled in by the Kauls' charm even as I was never convinced by their goodness. I think that ambiguity is one of the great strengths of Lee's writing. She could so easily have brought the world another set of Atreides/Skywalkers/Gandalf-and-the-hobbits, and instead we got some much more interesting, real and complex characters fighting a much smaller war.

Along with that, Janloon feels like a living breathing city, the combination magic/technology/martial arts system strikes a good balance between epic powers and finite, human limitations, and the geopolitical background adds a little grounding without intruding too much.

Some criticisms: aesthetically I don't like magic systems being described as discrete Abilities--that can make a fight feel a bit like narration of a video game--and some of the world-building is a bit front-loaded. But overall I loved this book and I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.

Fonda Lee has given us an excellent novel in Jade City. Janloon, the titular Jade City, is the capital of Kekon, an island nation set in a secondary world with technology similar to the 1960s or 1970s. It’s a very interesting world with analogs to our own in some important ways: Kekon has won independence following years of occupation and they did so during the Many Nations War—an analog to our own World War II.

The setting is one of the things that really shines in Jade City. There can be no doubt that Fonda Lee has taken on some ambitious world building in this novel, and she has succeeded with it. Janloon feels alive and real. I’ve found myself thinking about it days after having finished the book. Part of this success is the magic system Lee has crafted. Jade, only found on Kekon, allows those with the right genetics (a sensitivity to jade, but not too much sensitivity) to become stronger, or lighter, or deflect bullets or other objects with a thought. It’s the perfect kung-fu-like magic system and it’s really cool to see it in action. Those who can use jade are called Green Bones and the novel focuses on the interactions between the two largest Green Bone clans on Kekon, No Peak and the Mountain. The best way I can think to describe it is a mashup between the anime K and 1980s kung-fu movies. The setting isn’t the only thing that shines in Jade City, however. The characters are well drawn, particularly in their foibles and failings. Their motivations are both relatable and well explained as well. I was very pleased to see this. In some ways this novel is really about the sort of dysfunction that exists in every family, only writ large because of jade and the power of the clans.

What criticisms I have are fairly minor. While the author did an excellent job of avoiding info dumps, I felt like the magic system could have done with a little more explanation for my tastes. That’s very much down to a preference for hard magic systems, however. Perhaps my largest criticism is that there were times I felt like the tension needed to be ratcheted up. It’s not that characters got a pass on pain or death. Rather, it’s that there were moments when I felt like something really bad was about to happen but then it sort of just…didn’t. The plot went in a different direction. Something not as bad happened. It’s hard to put my finger on exactly why I felt this way.

Fonda Lee’s Jade City is an absolutely wonderful read. It’s no wonder that it’s a nominee for the World Fantasy Award this year. If you love fantasy and are in the mood for something quite different from your typical fantasy, this is the book for you. The settings draws you in and the characters keep you there. 4.4/5 stars.

5 – I loved this, couldn’t put it down, move it to the top of your TBR pile
4 – I really enjoyed this, add it to the TBR pile
3 – I liked it, depending on your preferences it may be worth your time
2 – I didn’t like this book, it has significant flaws and I can’t recommend it
1 – I loathe this book with a most loathsome loathing