Book Rec: Jade City

IN TODAY'S POST, we’re going to talk about Jade City, the first iteration of the Green Bone saga, and what it got right: setting. More specifically, the relationship between setting, plot and magic.

Background

The story takes place on the island nation of Kekon, which until recently was under foreign occupation because of its monopoly power as the sole producer of Jade. Jade itself grants those who wear it mystical powers; amplified strength, heightened senses, and the ability to manipulate jade energy—known as the six jade disciplines.

Following the war for independence, Kekon emerged on the global stage as a strategically valuable location and a powerful trade partner. In Kekonese culture, the jade warriors who fought for independence are heralded as the first amongst society. It is said that those who wield jade are closer to the gods. And the jade warriors belong to clans. On Kekon, two clans emerged as the foremost in the capital city of Janloon: the no peak clan and the mountain clan.

The story begins with the introduction of a foreign drug–Shine–which gives jade tolerance to people of non-Kekonese origin, raising Jade’s market value because it can be used in the military by foreign nations. The two prominent clans end up on either side of this debate. The Khals of the No Peak Clan pass legislation through the government to restrict jade exports to foreign nations, while the mountain clan begins to sell illegal jade on the black market.

The protagonist, Khal Hilo, is the second son of No Peak, the horn of the clan—the military leader and his older brother, Khal Lan, is the pillar and political head of the clan. And Khal Shae, is the banished, shameful sister who returns to Janloon after years abroad with her foreign boyfriend. The plot follows the three siblings as they try to defend what is theirs from the powerful Mountain Clan.

Fantasy Genre

Before I dive into what Jade City got right, I need to address the wider fantasy genre. Currently, the debate really centers on classical and modern fantasy. Classical fantasy refers to authors such as Tolkien, Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin, and Patrick Rothfuss. The main train of thought revolves around expansive world building and the hero’s journey. In classical, high fantasy, the hero's journey is usually linear: the hero is called to action, the hero refuses the call, a supernatural helps the hero into accepting the call… well, you get the point. I’ll examine the hero’s journey in another post, but it’s enough for you to know that classical/high fantasy is fairly homogenous in structure.

In sharp contrast, modern fantasy is pretty much anything that doesn’t follow the norms of classical fantasy. For example, in classical fantasy, a common trope is to have other races such as elves, dwarves, and dragons. This isn’t often seen in modern fantasy. Jade City is modern fantasy.

Reading Jade City is like reading the inverse of classical fantasy. Where classical fantasy often has an exploratory plot where the character or group of characters go on a journey discovering parts of the world previously unknown to them, in Jade City, the plot is not driven by exploration of the world. The world is Kekon—the capital city of Janloon. The plot is driven by the impending war between the two largest clans on the island nation. That’s what sets Jade City apart. It’s one of the few series I’ve read that accomplishes the small world trope effectively. Instead of exploring the world, Fonda Lee explores the characters themselves and she does it through putting the characters in tough situations.

A perfect example of this is when Khal Lan, the pillar of the clan, is murdered, forcing our protagonist Hilo to become the pillar of the clan–its leader. It also forces his exiled sister, Shae, to take on a leadership role in the clan to support Hilo as the clan comes under attack.

Magic System

Another important point to consider is the magic system. In fantasy, another major debate revolves around soft and hard magic systems. Soft magic systems are not constrained by strict rules, allowing the author to accomplish unbelievable feats through little or no explanation. Hard magic systems, on the other hand, are restricted by a uniform set of rules from which there is no work-around, forcing the author to get creative in problem solving. Brandon Sanderson’s laws of magic sum it up well:

#1: An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic.

#2: Limitations are more important than Powers

#3:  Expand what you already have before you add something new.

To address Sanderson’s first rule, the Jade Magic system revolves around the six jade disciplines: Strength, Steel, Perception, Lightness, Deflection and Channeling.

Strength, as its name suggests, acts as a simple strength multiplier allowing the jade warrior to accomplish feats such as punch through stone. Steel, while similar in nature, rather than acting outward, is an invisible shield that is often used to stop physical and jade channeling attacks. Perception is the jade warrior’s ability to tap into a sixth jade sense, allowing the user to sense attacks as well as intent based on jade aura. For example, a jade warrior can sense murderous intent from his opponent. A skilled user can even sense when someone is lying based on fractional changes in aura. Lightness, an extension of strength, allows the jade user to jump to unbelievable heights. He does this by making his body lighter than it usually is.

Deflection is one of the two jade abilities that lets the user project jade energy outward. Deflection is a projectile type ability. For example, throwing out a deflection to avoid bullets or throwing a deflection to knock down an enemy a distance away. One thing to note about deflection is that the greater the distance the deflection is thrown, the more energy is required from the user. Throwing a deflection toward an opponent standing ten feet away is much easier than a deflection for an opponent standing 100 feet away.

Channeling is fine-tuned jade energy often used in close proximity, usually when the user is touching an opponent. Channeling is the ability to drive one’s jade energy into another person for a variety of purposes. This is the most common discipline for jade physicians to use. They channel into an injured person to expedite healing. Channeling can also be used to wreck destruction within an opponent by channeling to stop their heart or channeling to kill their brain.

To address Sanderson’s second rule: killing an opponent remains an important aspect of jade magic. Killing an opponent result in a Jade rush—a euphoric like pleasure state.

However, two caveats of the magic system are jade withdrawal and jade over exposure. If you think of jade like a drug, jade withdrawal makes sense. And it can often be life threatening depending on how much jade a user carries. Jade over exposure refers to a natural jade tolerance the user’s body has. If more jade is worn than what a body can support, this results in the itches. The itches are a jade-related disease that’s a precursor to insanity–a fate all green bones (jade warriors) fear.

To address Sanderson’s third rule: Fonda Lee does an incredible job of keeping the magic system simple. When she does elaborate on the system, she does it incrementally; for example, the introduction of the drug Shine. Another example is the introduction of certain Jade gadgets, such as gloves that secretly house jade stones inside that can be slipped on and off. She keeps everything well rounded and easy to understand. So, when battles do happen, the audience can make sense of the fight scenes.

Characters

So, we’ve gone over the No Peak Clan and the Mountain Clan, the two major sides of this conflict. But there’s a third side of this conflict which centers around the street thug Bero. Like the thousands of other kids on the streets not born into the prominent Green Bone clans, but hungry for jade all the same, Bero represents the wider problem the two clans are on opposite sides of. The time when Kekon could remain a small, secluded nation is past. Especially with the creation of Shine. The real question is whether or not the clans can stick to their long-held traditions. As street fights spill into outright war in Janloon, the story follows Bero as he claws his way up from the bottom.

Anton, an adopted son of the Khal family, is in his final year at the Green Bone training academy. Anxious to graduate the academy and help out the family, he adds a different POV to the story: one of the naïve student not yet accepted into the upper echelons of Green Bone society.

And the story follows Khal Shae, the outcast who returned. She struggles to find her identiy in the city of her birth where she who does not wear jade is just another passerby.

And Hilo and Lan of course, who struggle to hold the clan together with the Mountain clan clipping on their heels.

Last Note

Unfortunately, the live action series was cancelled by Peacook recently with no real explanation. So, I don't think we can expect a live action adaption anytime soon, if ever. The odd thing about this is that Jade City is actually a really good fit for live action adaption. The setting is small, contained. The magic system is not super extraneous like, for example, the One Power from the Wheel of Time.

If you want an example of a very poorly adapted series, look no further than Amazon's adaption of the Wheel of Time. Really poorly done truth to tell.

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