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May. 27th, 2018 12:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsAlthough 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 ACrime 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.
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
- 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.
