Publishers Weekly
★ 05/27/2019
In this ambitious fantasy, which takes place in an Asia-inspired alternate present, rival clans battle for dominance over their island home, waging an economic, political, and physical war over the course of several years. Picking up where 2017’s Jade City left off, this installment sees the Kaul family of the No Peak clan working against the ruthless Mountain clan, fending off foreign governments, and trying to stamp out smugglers and opportunists. At the heart of everything is jade, a greatly coveted gem that imbues its bearers with amazing abilities and cultural status. While Hilo, the new leader of No Peak, settles into his role, his sister Shae must prove herself as his chief strategist. Meanwhile, their cousin Anden, who refuses to wear jade for the clan, is sent overseas as a punishment and becomes entangled in local issues. Lee’s story is sweeping, leisurely, and epic, and combines political intrigue with sharply choreographed action scenes, but it’s a character-driven family drama at its heart. Conflict ranges from delicate boardroom negotiations to dramatic duels, and from assassinations to all-out war, while the increasingly complex narrative continually ups the stakes. This worthy continuation of the larger story line delivers a satisfying tale and sets the stage for the next installment. Agent: Jim McCarthy, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret. (July)
From the Publisher
"Sweeping, leisurely, and epic, and combines political intrigue with sharply choreographed action scenes, but it's a character-driven family drama at its heart.... The increasingly complex narrative continually ups the stakes. This worthy continuation of the larger story line delivers a satisfying tale and sets the stage for the next installment."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This smart and action-filled fantasy, filled with vibrant characters, weaves intricate plot threads throughout, positioning many female characters front and center.... Will leave readers breathless with anticipation."—Library Journal (starred review)
"[Lee] juggles the personal and the epic with deft, admirable skill, weaving a story that is equally sweeping and intimate; a magical, almost operatic crime and family drama that feels all the more true because all of her jade-fueled supermen (and women) come with human hearts that bend and break the same as ours.—NPR
"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
"Stylish and action-packed, full of ambitious families and guilt-ridden loves, Jade City is 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, winner of the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards
"Lee's astute worldbuilding raises the stakes for her vivid and tautly-described action scenes." —Scott Lynch, New York Times-bestselling author of The Lies of Locke Lamora, on Jade City
"Lee has upped her game in this novel, with deeper, more nail-biting intrigue and stunning, heart-pumping action scenes. Her character development is pitch-perfect."—Booklist
"Lee effortlessly injects more complexity into an already-rich universe.... Lee proves she's still a master at mafia-magic storytelling, and this second volume is deeper and more ambitious than the first."—BookPage
"A strong, thoughtful, and fast-paced follow-up, which bodes well for future volumes."—Kirkus (starred review)
"Intricate, fast-moving, and brazen, Jade City elevates the fantasy crime novel to something really special. A sharp and insightful new voice."—Elizabeth Bear, winner of the Hugo and Locus Awards
"With a powerful family of complex characters — including my favorite, Kaul Shaelinsan — Jade City beckons readers to secret family meetings and public battles between warring clans. With magical jade at stake, winning the battle for control of a city has never been more important, or more dangerous. Fonda Lee's first adult novel is a fast-hitting, tantalizing, sometimes unsettling, and always insightful book with a wealth of power at its core. A modern-day epic."—Fran Wilde, award-winning author of Updraft, Cloudbound, and Horizon
"Fast cars, brilliant characters, and gangster kung-fu! Swift, intricate, and vicious as a talon knife, Fonda Lee's Jade City will pull you into a world of deft intrigue, hard choices, and bloody loyalty. Lee's written the postcolonial Godfather hiding under the surface of the Avatar: the Last Airbender universe — and it's a fantastic read."—Max Gladstone, Hugo Award-nominated author of the Craft Sequence
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2019-07-01
In the second installment of a political fantasy thriller series where "bioenergetic jade" provides magical energy, the conflict of two warlord/organized crime clans has global implications.
In the Hong Kong-like city of Janloon, the Mountain and No Peak clans have announced a public truce while each secretly tries to undermine the other for control of the city and their nation of Kekon, the only source of the jade. As jade smugglers both inside and outside the country threaten the clans' mutual control over the mineral, political tensions rise between the neighboring nations of Espenia and Ygutan over a rebellion in Shotar, which leads both to seek more jade for their armies. Meanwhile, Hilo, the former Horn (chief enforcer) of the No Peak clan, struggles to master the tactics he needs to fill his late brother's role as Pillar (clan leader). His sister, Shae, the clan's Weather Man (chief advisor), has that tactical knowledge but lacks the clan's complete trust; she's also trying to juggle her clan responsibilities and her personal life, which includes a quiet romance with a nonclan professor. At the same time, their adopted brother, Anden, embarks on a new, jade-free life in Espenia but still manages to find trouble there, and Hilo's jade-immune wife, Wen, secretly supports the clan through her own work as a spy. If they are to prevail against the ruthless Ayt Mada, Pillar of the Mountain clan, and the various other domestic and foreign threats, terrible sacrifices will be required, made willingly or not. The first installment, Jade City (2017), leaned rather heavily, albeit effectively, on some tropes and plot points from The Godfather, and it's pleasing to see that the author has chosen a more independent path this time around. If there's any thematic link between this book and Godfather II, it's a common understanding that the outside world has a way of crashing into isolated communities and forcing them to adapt, so it's best to be on the offensive, as well as a rueful acknowledgment that despite that understanding, relationships with those outside the community might not end well.
A strong, thoughtful, and fast-paced follow-up that bodes well for future volumes.
