Day 466: Jade City

It's been a long time since I read a fantasy series quite as gripping as Fonda Lee's Green Bone Saga. Her depiction of the characters and the world flows so smoothly from action to dialogue to internal monologue, and even through large spans of time that I found myself going 'hold on, how on Earth did she do that?' and having to read it back every few pages just to experience it again. Most immediately engaging is the crux of concept, Jade, a mineral that enhances physical ability, perception, and even enables telekinetic power. It exists only on the island nation of Kekon, and gives the series' namesake Green Bones their power, both physically, and as a symbol of status. Two generations have past since they won the war for their independence from the Shotarian Empire. In the intervening time, the clans of Green Bones that once fought together against the Shotarians have been nursing new grudges against one another, and a civil war between the two largest clans is brewing in the capital, Janloon, or Jade City as the foreigners know it. The characters are varied, but most of them come from clan No Peak, one of the two most powerful clans, and are descendants or relations of Kaul Sen, the most famous Green Bone leader from the days of rebellion and imperial rule. Their rivals, The Mountain clan, are a powerful enemy whose leader has a vision of a unified Kekon, under the rule of The Mountain of course. The main conflict stems from their ambitions, but the wider world is obsessed with nation's massive Jade stockpile, the most valuable substance in the world.

Beyond the incredible world building, the character building here is top notch too, with certain character arcs leaving my jaw on the floor. Okay, one in particular. Kaul Lan's arc. If you've read the book, you know what I'm talking about. But all of the characters are engaging in their own way. Lee has this perfect blend of completely logical, yet entirely unexpected character interactions that seem inevitable in hindsight, but you know you never would have seen it coming in million years. It gives the whole story an incredible sense of momentum that never lets up. As if every moment is simultaneously preordained and spontaneously generated. Each character has a firmly grounded perspective that's powerful enough to trick you into forgetting that you either hated them or loved their enemies just minutes ago while reading the previous character's chapters. Even the villains from the Mountain, whose perspective is only shown through dialogue and backstory, are charismatic enough to make you really think about whether clan No Peak is doing the right thing sometimes. Both sides of the conflict are cunning, brutal, and just so refreshingly competent at what they do. When they do make the rare mistake, the consequences are always terrible too.

I could go on for hours about how good this series is, and I'm only halfway through! I think instead of gushing about it any longer, I'm just gonna go finish it.

Thank you for reading,

Benjamin Hawley