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Fonda Lee

Jade City: 1 Paperback – 26 June 2018

by Fonda Lee (Author)

729 ratings

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In this World Fantasy Award-winning novel of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis.

*Named one of TIME's Top 100 Fantasy Books Of All Time
* World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, winner

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.

Praise for Jade City:

"An epic drama reminiscent of the best classic Hong Kong gangster films but set in a fantasy metropolis so gritty and well-imagined that you'll forget you're reading a book." --Ken Liu, Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning author

"A beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!" --Ann Leckie, Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author

"An instantly absorbing tale of blood, honor, family and magic, spiced with unexpectedly tender character beats." --NPR

The Green Bone Saga
Jade City
Jade War
Jade Legacy

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Product details

Publisher : Orbit; Reprint edition (26 June 2018)
Language : English
Paperback : 560 pages
ISBN-10 : 0316440884
ISBN-13 : 978-0316440882
Dimensions : 13.97 x 3.81 x 20.96 cm

Best Sellers Rank: 452,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 4,309 in Organised Crime Thrillers
- 5,956 in Fantasy Action & Adventure
- 6,739 in Historical Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
729 ratings

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Review

Jade City has it all: a beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!--Ann Leckie, author of the Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award winning novel Ancillary Justice

Jade City is an addictive read with intense martial arts action and high-stakes character drama. I'll never look at jade the same way again.--Beth Cato, author of Breath of Earth and The Clockwork Dagger

Jade City is an instantly absorbing tale of blood, honor, family and magic, spiced with unexpectedly tender character beats.--NPR

A sweeping saga of ambition, loyalty, and family in a gritty, densely-imagined island city. Fonda Lee explores the tension between what is owed to family, country, and yourself in a high-stakes, high-octane game of power and control.--p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Calibri; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000}span.s1 {font-kerning: none}Tina Connolly, Nebula-nominated author of Ironskin

An absolutely blistering read. The characters are perfectly three dimensional. The plot is thrilling and the action sequences are damn near perfect.... I cannot recommend Jade City highly enough.--The Eloquent Page

An ambitious statement.... Unforgettable.--Book Page

An atmospheric, gritty noir tale of family loyalties, martial arts and power struggles in a city that feels so real it becomes a character in its own right. Jade City is epic drama writ large.--Aliette de Bodard, winner of the Nebula, Locus, and British Science Fiction Awards

An intriguing confluence of history, culture, and biology.... It'll be interesting to see what course Lee charts next.--Kirkus

As this ambitious and complex story unfolds, Lee (Exo) skillfully juggles a huge cast. Her action scenes are flashy, brutal, and cinematic, while the family dynamics hold their own weight and significance. This is an engaging blend of crime drama and Asian martial arts film tropes.... an intense, satisfying experience.--Publishers Weekly

Compelling characters and intricate worldbuilding.... I want to spend more time in Kekon.--Hank Green

About the Author

Fonda Lee is the World Fantasy Award-winning author of Jade City and the award-winning YA science fiction novels Zeroboxer, Exo, and Cross Fire. Born and raised in Canada, Lee is a black belt martial artist, a former corporate strategist, and action movie aficionado who now lives in Portland, Oregon with her family.

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Jack Snowball

Alternative Hong Kong mafia's with Kung Fu Magic

Reviewed in Australia on 27 March 2019

Like, that's kind of what the book is about? Not sure I like this headline business.

Anyway, Jade City was an impressive story to me. Solid 8/10. You've got an island setting with two rival mafia factions and the tenuous balance between them. You have people who, when touching jade, develop superhuman powers; faster reflexes, harder bodies, strength, even blasting people with...the force? Not sure on that last one.

I loved the fact that it's set in an asian-type world. So much on my fantasy lately has been the standard old bread and butter, so this was a nice breath of fresh air. The fact that I grew up in a culture quite similar made it all that more enjoyable. The characters are strong, each with their own motives and desires, and none of them are perfect. There's no real good guys or bad guys, everyone's out to protect what they own, and them maybe a side of revenge as well.

All in all, looking forward to reading book 2.

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Aentee

A thrilling tribute to gangster dramas East and West.

Reviewed in Australia on 25 March 2019

Jade City is a boldly ambitious and culturally distinctive urban fantasy, merging gangster drama with wuxia flair to create a complex story about family, honour, and national pride. The book sets the bar sky-high on numerous fronts, whether it’s attentive character development, sensory stimulating fight scenes, or cut-throat political trade wars. However, what I loved most about Jade City is its carefully considered and provoking theme which ties jade to birthright, to power, to duty, and to family. I found the book’s exploration of identity in a nation ruled by jade and blood immensely moving and powerful.

Jade is the lifeblood of the island nation of Kekon, the precious stone has the power to imbue its wearers with superhuman strength and speed. The ability to harness the power of jade is a bloodright, exclusive to the Kekonese Greenbones. It’s this unique power that enabled Greenbone warriors to win Kekon’s independence from the Shotarian empire several decades ago. In those days, the Greenbones were strongly united by the One Mountain Clan, lead by the indomitable Kaul Sen and Ayt Yugotin. Although the Kauls and Ayts won the war together, financial temptations in times of peace fractured their alliance and created two rival clans, No Peak and The Mountains. These two clans rule Kekon from the shadows, their territory disputes and bloody battles for jade determines the fate of the nation.

At the heart of this novel are the siblings of the Kaul family: Lan, Hilo, and Shae. Each of these characters are complex, and their interactions are layered with shared history and personal machination. Lan is the eldest, the current Pillar of the No Peak clan. He is a measured and considerate leader, yet plagued by the fear that he lacks the ferocious intensity of his forefathers. Hilo is the Kaul’s fiery and magnetic second son, his lopsided smile belies the Horn’s sharp instinct for gang wars and bloodshed. Out of all the siblings, Hilo has the closest relationships to the Fists and Fingers, Greenbone warriors who have sworn allegiance to the clan. Shae is the only prominent female member of the Kaul family, her struggle to grapple control of her own identity within this patriarchal society ruled by jade and blood is riveting. While there is love between the siblings, their relationships also simmer with tension and unspoken resentment. The Kauls have some of the most interesting sibling dynamics I’ve seen in fiction.

Alongside with the Kaul siblings, there are several other point of views that flits in and out of the narrative. Among them, Anden Emery, a mixed blood boy adopted by the Kaul family, is the most compelling and promising. Anden’s biological mother met a bloody and dishonourable end due to jade overdose, and he’s taxed by the thought he will never live up to the prestigious Kaul name. His chapters also reveal the Kekonese’s aversion to the Espenian – this world’s analog of a Western nation. Homosexuality and how it is viewed within Kekonese society is also explored in Anden’s chapters, and I can’t wait to see more from his viewpoint as the series progresses.

Another thing I loved about Jade City is how it dealt with women in positions of power in this essentially patriarchal society. Shae is the leading female voice in this story, but there are other women of note who employs various ways to exert influence within Kekon. Ayt Mada, the Pillar of The Mountain and the main villain of the novel, was an absolutely fascinating character with her ruthless cunning and ambitious goals for Kekon. On the other hand, we have Hilo’s beautiful lover, Wen – who is kept from most of the action due to being a stone-eye – a Kekonese who is naturally inert to jade. I am also hopeful to see the series expand on Wen’s role, as she is so incisively perceptive and has a natural knack for politics.

Jade City is populated by a cast of distinctive and memorable characters from all walks of life, but what brings the novel to life is the fully realised and immersive world building. Kekon is at once familiar, seeming to recall real-life Asian island nations such as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan – while also existing as a unique and improbable country where jade grants superpower. There are so many details weaved into the world building, from the way jade is revered, to the political climate and Kekon’s emerging economic wealth, to the holidays and traditions that these characters celebrate. The way Jade City uses multiple cultural influences to create a world all its own reminds me of another of my favourite reads of 2017 – Ken Liu’s silkpunk The Grace of Kings. Kekon feels real and authentic, and I can’t wait to re-enter this vividly imagined world with the sequel.

The series also has incredible potential to reach beyond Kekon and envelop the world at large. Within this novel, readers can already see tendrils of future international conflicts with the looming shadow of Espenia and Ygotan. While citizens of these nations have no natural ability to wield jade, their avarice for the precious stone is fuelled by the emergence of a drug which enables foreigners to activate jade. What unfolds is a complex and compelling discussion about heritage, identity, and choice. At the same time, it allows Jade City to explore an intricate political plotline that is as page-turning as its heart-stopping fight scenes.

Bottom Line: This is easily one of my favourite books of 2017, and I wish more people were reading it so you can all discuss the characters with me. Please let me know in the comments below if you’ve read Jade City or Fonda Lee’s other novels (Zeroboxer and EXO). I have a copy of both her previous works and can’t wait to start!

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5 stars - compelling and fascinating

Reviewed in Australia on 7 October 2020

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A compelling story in a fascinating world with great characters. The plot is well structured and includes some very interesting twists and turns. Looking forward to reading the sequel.

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Crouching Tiger Hidden Godfather fails to launch

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 December 2018

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Not great.
I was going to give a grudging 5*, but then I got to the end and wanted to throw my kindle at the wall.
To be honest I felt cheated out of the gate because what the blurb doesn't mention is that this is book one in a "saga". You have to read the front matter to find out. I suspect this says something about the level of confidence in the series.
I pushed on because I liked the heavily advertised magical McGuffin and the writing isn't bad, just tangled in a very particular voice. It reads like a translation by someone who learned English from David Carradine's dialogue in Kung Fu.
In the end, though, it's a failed crack at a not-bad idea that's more or less knocked off from the Matrix. The secondary world setting is a tiny, oriental island nation in a reimagined retro seventies where wearing magical gems turns certain people into Jet Li kung fu movie super-heroes. Guerilla fighters (with super-powers) have just ejected the invading force of a bigger foreign country, and - as you do - become a pair of competing criminal gangs who act as the de facto government. Meanwhile ... the ex-invaders have developed a drug that allows normal people to use the gems too.
Out of either embarrassment or a limited special effects budget, the first half quickly pushes the magical chop-socky idea aside. Instead the writer focuses on building a mountain of "necessary impurities" to the gem's magical powers, because nothing says magical kung fu action like imaginary drug addiction. Or mining company audits, which is also a thing.
It then turns out that there's no plot or protagonist, just an overlapped confusion of competing point of view characters wandering aimlessly in different directions. It's supposed to be the foundation of a saga of rival gangster dynasties, but the issues within the "good" side are mostly resolved early on and the "bad" side only raises its paper tiger head to bring some narrative drive to the third act. It lacks the substance to support its ambition, and regardless the local in-fighting makes no sense when the wider world offers much more serious threats, which are just hand-waved away.
Another review has pointed out that this is basically a YA book, which is apparently the sinking genre ship from which the writer is trying to jump. There's even circumstantial evidence that this started as a YA story about two boys on opposite sides of the tracks, one taken arbitrarily into the bosom of a rich family while the other struggles under a cloud of fatally jealous envy at their privileges.
It has the psychological depth of an Enid Blyton adventure. Regardless of their given ages, the main characters are thinly drawn cartoons of late teen children. Relationships are playground alliances. Adults are universally stupid and either mean, cruel, dull, officious, deviant or deceptive. The one exception lives on the child-adult border and is, in every sense, "too good for this world".
All the boys are, basically, bullies. The tragically inevitable outsider is adopted, troubled and gay, and lives in the shadow of a Terrible Destiny - basically everything AND the kitchen sink. The female lead is a tragically inevitable Mary Sue, not just undervalued by the boys as a fighter but also better than all of them, and also an academic whiz-kid, and also the only member of the cast with the cosmopolitan advantages of foreign travel, further education and hard-knocks experience in affairs of the heart. There's another sibling whose entire personality is hit-stab-kill and who lives in a perpetual rage, until the plot requires a complete reboot.
The third act ends a long way short of the final page. There's a bolted on second climax that I think is a holdover from the original pure quill YA story. The troubled, adopted outsider graduates from kung fu school and throws an arbitrary, childish tantrum that wreaks the kind of pointless havoc among established alliances only possible among such stick-figure characters.
... And so, I wanted to throw my kindle at the wall.
To add insult to injury this is also an Orbit book, so the final 5 per cent is a chunk of a different book by another author that I don't want to read. I don't begrudge the daily deal price I paid for Jade City, but I would like my 4p back for the padding.

15 people found this helpful

Georgiana89

Great premise and worldbuilding

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 17 September 2018

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Jade City is set in what sometimes feels like the early twentieth century and sometimes like the modern day, and sometimes a fantasy world, sometimes a fairly realistic one. It’s set somewhere a bit like Hong Kong, which is controlled by two rival gang families who can do magic using jade and who also control the island through both business and criminal enterprises. The plot revolves around the scheming and power struggles both within and between the two families.

The best thing about this book is the worldbuilding. It takes an interesting premise and makes it totally believable and fleshed out. Everything from the different ways of manipulating jade to the island’s history to the main family’s business structures is lovingly explained.

I had mixed feelings about the main characters. They were interesting, but I never felt that invested in them. Similarly, there was a good plot overall, but I thought it was a little slow-paced overall when there was so much potential for drama.

It’s a good read overall though, and I’ll be picking up the sequel when it’s out.

3 people found this helpful

Christopher Meadows

Intriguing, clever and action-packed...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 March 2018

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ade City is the start of a new series by Fonda Lee. It feels like a blend of eighties kung-fu movies, gangster shows, and cunningly wrought, emotional family drama, blended together into one very appetising cocktail.

The world of Jade City is one with several layers. It’s set on an island which overthrew colonial rule a generation ago. There’s a legacy of occupation here, one where immediate family, clan and associates are all bound together strongly. The social strings which tie these groups together are forged in a legacy of struggle against an external oppressor. With that oppressor vanquished – or at least temporarily removed from the equation – the society is out of equilibrium. The text isn’t afraid to embrace the exploration of clan based societies after declaring independence, and it’s all the better for it. This is a land where the government is beholden to families, and those families drive the political agenda. If there are a few institutions not under familial control, they’re the exception. This is problematic, and the text addresses it to some degree - the melting pot of post-independence prosperity is on the boil, as a second generation comes into power, and attempts to work out how to keep it. That generation has a certain familiarity, leaping offstage and screen at the reader.

The leaders of the central clans, children of fighters for independence, are clever, ruthless people. They have a trade in Jade, which grants greater physical power to its owners – superhuman speed, strength, acuity. They’re ready to do anything to protect this trade from outsiders, and from each other. The thematic blend is one of gangster flicks and kung-fu movies, where the hard-souled line of “Just business” meet the operatic acrobatics of combat as-art. Which is to say, that the leaders of these clans, these owners of socio-economic respectability, are deadly. Fast-paced, hard-souled killers, skating on the edges of respectability. This isn’t a generation willing to settle down into rich respectability, but one determined to flex its economic muscle along with the physical, in the name of family destiny.

If the idea of gangster families running an island for profit, and defending their privileges with supernatural martial arts sings out to you, then this is probably the right book.

That the action is backed by some strong and nuanced character work is certainly not incidental. We follow one of the two ruling clans of the nascent nation, watching the conflicts between those who created independence, those who have to live in it, and those who have to live with them. It’s a family drama, in some ways, filled with past slights and future hopes. Still, the people with whom we spent our time are, between being terrifying exemplars of superhuman strength and agility, no less human than the rest of us. The youngest of the family has returned from a sojourn abroad, somewhat chastited and perhaps even more unrepentant, determined to cut her own path away from the family business. The middle child is fast, impulsive, unforgiving, a trained killer in the service of the family, with a ready smile and a hard loyalty for those he follows, and those he leads. Their elder brother is cool, collected and troubled, living up to the example of a father gently shuffled out of the way, working forever to live up to the image of a national hero.

The interaction between family members, and their followers, is masterful. It shows off the bonds of loyalty and obligation, and doesn’t flinch awy from troubled waters. This is a family. It’s complicated, damaged, full of anger and unrealised ambition alongside the love – but one with a warmth and loyalty at the heart which keep the characters sympathetic and human.

Plot-wise, it’s…well, there’s a lot going on. Territory seizures. Hand to hand fighting. The question of sovereignty and how a nation should be governed (and by whom). There’s old grudges to be settled, heroism, and new feuds being started. Jealousy and rage are here in spades, alongside faith, trust and humanity. It’s a complex stew of characters with emotional depth and their own motives, mixed in with some kick-ass fight scenes and moments of tension with a razor’s edge.
This is a wonderfully drawn work, bringing a flawed, powerful family to life within an imaginatively detailed world, embracing some hard-hitting, bloodily realised action. It’s a very exciting work – you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

3 people found this helpful

MaxoJaxo

This book totally exceeded all my expectations

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 5 November 2020

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This book had been on my radar for a while but i always found other things took priority. Eventually i ordered it. Nearly everything I thought I knew was either totally or mostly, wrong. I knew it was set in a vaguely Japanese type culture but not a kinda contemporary one. I thought it was a fantasy novel, a la David Eddings or David Gemmel. I was expecting a pre-industrial medieval society, Gandalf type magic users and dragons living in the mountains.
I have never been so pleased to be so wrong about so much.
This is an excellent story set in a mostly modern day society rooted in clan bonds that explains the intricacies of a culture based around yakuza like family bloodlines. Those able to wield abilities rise higher than most.
Quickly became invested in the characters and the story and I'm hoping that after posting this review I can order a sequel. It can't arrive quickly enough.
Easily one of the best books i've read this year. 11/10

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Great Gangster Fantasy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 January 2019

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I wasn't sure I wanted to read Chinese gangster fantasy, but I'd heard good things (won the World Fantasy Award, after all) and by the end of the first chapter I was hooked. The author weaves a compelling story in a new and refreshing setting (to me, anyway), full of action, tension, twists and turns. The characters are subtly drawn, with their paths not always taking them where expected, or, at least, not in the manner they hoped. Though fairly self-contained, you can tell it's a first book because everything is still in the balance at the end, and I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

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