Review: Jade City by Fonda Lee

Blurb:

• One of TIME's 100 best fantasy books of all time 
• One of the best fantasy books of 2017 according to NPR, B&N, Locus,The Verge, and more! 
• World Fantasy Award winner 
• Aurora Award winner 

FAMILY IS DUTY. MAGIC IS POWER. HONOR IS EVERYTHING.

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for—and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone—even foreigners—wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones—and of Kekon itself.

A modern classic and word-of-mouth sensation, Jade City is the World Fantasy Award-winning story of magic and kungfu, where four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asian-inspired fantasy metropolis. 

Review:

I’ve been meaning to read Jade City ever since it was released seven years ago. Seven years on my TBR, and I knew almost nothing about it except that it’s highly rated and loved. I like to dive into stories blind, or knowing as little as possible. About a week into January, I accidentally read somewhere that Jade City is like Fantasy Godfather, which finally pushed me to start reading.

Man, I really wish I had read this one sooner.

What I liked:

Godfather is a gold standard for gangster films, and for cinema as a whole. However, reading Jade City had me thinking of other Asian gangster films that I have come to love over the years. Particularly Takeshi Kitano’s Outrage series, and the Infernal Affairs series (which was remade as The Departed by Martin Scorsese). The inter-gang conflicts in Janloon, the traditional crime family hierarchy influenced by history and culture of Kekon, all with a dash of fantasy world-building make up for a fully-realized world that sets the stage for a compelling crime drama in Jade City. 

An urban fantasy world inspired by several Asian cultures, Kekon, especially Janloon, lives and breathes like few fantasy cities. The city itself has a personality, bruising and healing with every unfolding event of the book. From its twofold government to its clan hierarchies and politics, to even the seedy underbelly of smugglers, small-time crooks and more, Janloon felt like a real destination that you could book a flight to (although, you’d be cautioned against, depending on clan wars). The way Lee uses this setting to add layers to the story, reflecting upon the dynamics of the changing powers. This isn’t the traditional fantasy world of ancient or medieval times. It’s not even a hyper-modern sci-fi city. Rather, it’s in a transitory stage of recent independence, with the next generation of Green Bones coming into power against the backdrop of new technological advancements. Neither has Janloon embraced modernity to its fullest, nor do the traditions absolutely dictate character decisions (not always).

With the setting itself being so deep and layered, it’s no surprise that the characters come to us fully realized as well. While the book starts off like your usual crime family drama on the cusp of gang war, it doesn’t take long for Lee to subvert our expectations. From Shae’s reluctant easing into her position, to Hilo’s emotional depth, to even Kaul Sen’s fading glory, Lee’s characters feel like real people that you’d find in and around you. Each has a history, each has a past, and each is dealing with their respective demons. None of the characters remain two-dimensional tropes that they might seem to be in the beginning. Their individual growth that culminates along a compelling emotional journey makes Jade City a special read. 

While the plot itself isn’t all that complicated, the setting and the characters more than make up for the plot’s simplicity. In fact, the time we spend immersed in the world of Janloon and the Green Bones constantly has a sense of impending doom in its backdrop. It’s a gangster-epic, after all, and no gangster epic is complete without its share of gratuitous violence. The violence in Jade City, however, isn’t as gratuitous as it is cruel. There’s no glory to the duels. Instead, a constant reminder of pain and turmoil hovers over each one. Seriously, if you’ve seen Kitano’s Outrage trilogy, you know what I’m talking about. The violence and the action are edge-of-your-seat captivating, and equally brutal. 

Lastly, the magic system: Kekonese Jade might not feel like the most unique of magic items, but the way Lee uses it gives it its unique personality. Jade brings with it tremendous traditional value, deeply ingrained in the culture and heritage of Kekon. Even the way people react to Jade the first time they experience it is as visceral as it is rousing and daunting. This is mostly a hard magic system, where—at least in book 1—the rules and intricacies don’t get as much attention as you’d see in a Sanderson novel. This intentional stepping back from Jade genuinely makes the magic all the more mysterious and fascinating. I can’t wait to see what Lee has in store for us in the sequels. 

What I didn’t like:

Apart from a few dull moments and awkward pacing in places, there was literally only one thing that I did not enjoy about Jade City. SPOILER ALERT!

I didn’t like the way Lan’s death was handled. Given the gravity of the situation, his decision to go visit the Lilac Divine all alone was equally irresponsible and unconvincing. Despite his shaky mindset owing to all that newly acquired jade, it felt very unlikely that the Pillar of the clan at war would be so careless. If Hilo had done this, I might be inclined to believe it, but not Lan. Given all the character nuances and rich world-building, this one relatively insignificant oversight of such a significant plot point broke my suspension of disbelief. Everything that happens before and after this event was absolutely beautiful. Even the mental distress Lan feels as he fights off his would-be assassins, only to then succumb to random chance was a poetic finish to his character. If only his being alone were justified better, the event wouldn’t feel like forced plot convenience.

Conclusion:

Jade City read like a book 1 in a planned trilogy. It ends with a solid and satisfying finale, but leaves you with just the right amount of tease for what’s to come. The battle is done, but the war is still pending. And seriously I can’t wait to dive back into this world. I don’t remember the last time I finished a whole series/trilogy in a single year (I think it was The First Law in 2020). I might just do that this year with The Green Bone Saga. 

TL;DR:

WHAT I LIKED: Characters, setting, magic system, and blend of gangster genre with fantasy

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE: A few dull moments, and one unusually plot convenient death