★★★★☆
It took me a while to get comfortable with Jade City (2017). Initially, I found the writing inaccessible, and I struggled to warm to the characters. It was definitely worth pushing through the first 100 pages though. By the end, I was reading into the small hours, simply unable to put the book down.
Janloon is a city ruled by two feuding Yakuza-esque families, both blessed with an affinity for jade that gives them enhanced martial art abilities. Kaul Lan, the ‘Pillar’ of No Peak, struggles to maintain a fragile truce with the Mountain clan, much to the frustration of his hot-headed brother, Kaul Hilo, who is ready to go to war in defence of his family’s honour. Their sister, Kaul Shae, has returned home after several years abroad, but remains divided between loyalty to her brothers and her distaste for her family’s machismo ways. Meanwhile, Emery Anden, the Kauls’ gifted cousin, is in his last year at the Academy. With relations between the clans worsening by the day, he must prepare to join the impending battle for supremacy.
I enjoyed reading Lan and Shae’s chapters more than Hilo and Anden’s, though Hilo did grow on me in the second half of the book – of all the characters in Jade City, I think he undergoes the most development. The only chapters I truly disliked were those that follow a secondary character, Bero. Thankfully he doesn’t crop up that often, but this perspective seems to have been included only for the sake of exposition.
“All right. Take the time you need, like you said. But there’s nothing to figure out, Shae. If you don’t want to be a Kaul, you shouldn’t have come back.” He raised a finger before she could reply. “Don’t argue; I don’t want to forget that I’ve forgiven you. You want me to leave you alone for now, I will. But I’m not as patient as Lan.”
The Kauls have distinct personalities and some major differences of opinion, which makes their family dynamic complex and realistic. I liked the various conflicts they face in navigating the difficult balance between familial love and duty towards the clan. Anden’s narrative is somewhat weaker than the rest, but given that he is the youngest member of the cast, I think it’s reasonable to assume he will become a more interesting player as the series progresses.
The East Asian-inspired urban fantasy setting works well as the clans’ battleground, and there is a real sense of intrigue. We can already see the influence of bigger powers that rule the world beyond the clans’ disputed territories, suggesting that the next books will up the ante and force the characters to play for higher stakes.
I ended up liking Jade City so much that I almost forgot the things I frowned at to begin with, but I could never quite look past a particularly gratuitous sex scene in the opening chapters. This crass introduction to Hilo’s girlfriend, Wen, reads like something out of the 90s. In the context of its female characters, this is somewhat true of the entire book. I have seen several reviews that praise this series for its strong women, but so far I don’t see it. Wen is little more than a sex object, Ayt Madashi – the leader of the Mountain clan – has no real presence, and Shae essentially surrenders her autonomy, which she won at great cost, in defeated acceptance of the path her male relatives want her to follow.
All earthly conflict, so the Deitist philosophers say, stems from the original offense of the children against their parents and of siblings against one another. All human progress and virtuous striving is likewise an attempt to achieve familial forgiveness and a return to the spiritually and physically divine state, which lies latently but distantly remembered.
Jade City is a fantasy novel, so I don’t think it’s fair to expect it to read as the most gritty, realistic depiction of organised crime and gang violence. With that being said, I do think this book would have been a better one had the tone been somewhat darker. At times, the author seems determined to present the Kauls as a kind of noble Samurai clan, forgetting that they are (supposedly) the city mobsters, and therefore amoral by trade. If there is any honour to be defended here, it is surely the kind that exists among thieves.
Also, because things are so toned down from the grim reality of living in a city ruled by gang activity, there is a sense that the book takes itself too seriously. The characters see themselves as a band of ruthless tough guys, but it is difficult to believe that they would fare well outside the protections of aisho. Even once moon blades come out and blood gets spilled, I found things a little soft around the edges.
Overall though, I do think Jade City is a solid, enjoyable read, full of good ideas. Despite the book having a few aspects that aren’t to my taste, I can see why it won so many awards. I am definitely invested enough to continue with the series, and will be sinking my teeth into Jade War immediately.
Darker Fables 
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