(no subject)

[skygiants]

Although ostensibly set in a secondary world, the technology and global politics of Fonda Lee's Jade City are extremely recognizable and contemporary. The major fantasy element is that Kekon, the particular island nation where this book is set, has a natural resource of magical jade that can grant supernatural powers to a genetic subset of the island's population. But Kekon itself is part of a bigger world, and my favorite thing about the book is how seamlessly the fact of the existence of magical jade is integrated into the larger geopolitical worldbuilding - imports/exports, internal and external alliances, cultural and technological shifts, and international jade-based research projects all make up part of the undercurrents driving the book's plot.

Jade City's actual plot focuses primarily on three siblings, plus an adopted cousin:

- Kaul Lan, the head of one of the two major clan organizations that officially run the jade market and unofficially control most of Kekon's other businesses as well; reasonable, level-headed, The King Who Saw Both Sides Of Every Question, Possibly Too Many Sides
- Kaul Hilo, Lan's younger brother, A Hothead who runs the fighting arm of the clan; very good at military strategy, not very good at all at diplomacy or seeing things from anyone else's point of view, judgy af
- Kaul Shae, Lan and Hilo's sister; once a fiercely competitive fighter expected to eventually run the business arm of the clan, now just returned from a stint at a Western university and extremely dubious about the entire concept of being Part Of A Crime Family Jade Clan Organization, also judgy af
- Anden Emery, the gay teen cousin (every family's got one), a mixed-race kid adopted into the family after his extremely powerful mother lost her grip on reality and died from the long-term effects of jade overexposure; generally expected by everyone to step straight up to Hilo's side as soon as he graduates from jade training high school

At the beginning of the story, the rival Ayt clan has just begun making pointedly aggressive attacks against the Kauls as the result of various complex socioeconomic factors surrounding Kekon and its global position. Events rapidly spiral out of control, pushing all the siblings (plus Anden) into positions and decisions they're not in the least ready for.

It's a super compelling read, and I found it really novel and exciting to read a fantasy epic that felt so ... grounded, I guess? Like, the world of this book isn't either Something Vaguely Historical With Magic or Urban Fantasy! Fairies And Vampires Lurk In Corners!; it's complex and contemporary and recognizable and I really enjoyed it.

Comments

[lilysea]

I really liked this book! ^_^

I am looking forward to the sequal!

[skygiants]

Me too! I'm so curious to see where it'll go next.

[sovay]

lost her grip on reality and died from the long-term effects of jade overexposure

Is this a common problem?

[skygiants]

Sort of? If I remember right, the general idea is that everyone has a certain amount of jade that they can use safely (and for most non-Kekonese people that amount is zero) but for people who CAN use quite a lot the risk of overexposure is also greater. A big part of the plot involves an experimental/currently-illegal drug that is meant to mitigate the negative side effects of jade use.

[sovay]

A big part of the plot involves an experimental/currently-illegal drug that is meant to mitigate the negative side effects of jade use.

That's an interesting variation on the idea of magic as inherently corrosive/addictive/just generally bad for you. I'm not sure I've seen a version where anyone tried to treat it.

[thistleingrey]

If I can stand to read it, I really want to read this book.

(Judgy af is about where I am lately. If it clicks, yay?)

[skygiants]

I will look forward to your thoughts, if you do!

[allchildren]

This is a very good rec, as "grounded" and "recognizable" are the only types of adjective that can tempt me into epic fantasy, generally. (See the epiphany that overran my Sorcerer to the Crown review for more.)

[skygiants]

This is an extremely appropriate comment, as I think I found out about this book from Zen Cho raving about it on Twitter. :D

[larryhammer]

I loved the sample, and have this high in my TBR queue. Of all the Western-written inspired by wuxia/xuanhuan (Chinese fantasy) I've sampled recently, this is definitely looking the best. (I've just, well, been reading to much xuanhuan to get to it.)

[skygiants]

If I knew where to read more xuanhuan in English, I would do so! :D

[larryhammer]

*rolls up sleeves*

Novel Updates is the Manga Updates of the Asian* novel translations world, which tracks all online chapter releases it can, both licensed and fan-made. It has excellent search capabilities, including filtering by country of origin, genre, audience, tags, and whether a novel is completed. Most of what I read these days, I find through there. ETA: Those that I didn't were from this list of Chinese romance novel translations.

Individual translation sites that I've especially liked include Gravity Tales, Volare Novels, Wuxiaworld, and Dreams of Jianghu. The big elephant in the ring is Qidian International, the English language extension of one of the largest Chinese webnovel publishers.

Hope that helps.

* As in, all eastern Asia -- not just Japan and China. Indonesia has an especially active online presence in both fiction and comics.

[skygiants]

Ooh, thank you, it does! Do you have any particular recommendations of xuanhuan available there?

[larryhammer]

Way of Choices is my top rec, despite not getting back to it. Like lots of genres, there's a lot of variety, and you may find yourself sampling different styles and subgenres to find what you like.

(I am curious about the novel version of Nirvana in Fire but haven't started it pending a completed translation.)

[musesfool]

I just finished reading this yesterday and I enjoyed it SO MUCH.

[skygiants]

I'm very excited for the next one! Gonna be great when Hilo blows his top about his girlfriend becoming the organization's top undercover agent!