Jade City, Fonda Lee
Jade City, Fonda Lee
1 Rating(s)
List: $38.99 | Sale: $27.30
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Jade City

Author: Fonda Lee

Narrator: Andrew Kishino

Unabridged: 19 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Orbit

Published: 11/07/2017


Synopsis

In this World Fantasy Award-winning novel of magic and kungfu, four siblings battle rival clans for honor and power in an Asia-inspired fantasy metropolis. 

*Named one of TIME's Top 100 Fantasy Book Of All Time
​* World Fantasy Award for Best Novel, winner
* Aurora Award for Best Novel, winner
* Nebula Award for Best Novel, nominee
* Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel, finalist

Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for -- and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.

Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon's bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.

When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone -- even foreigners -- wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones -- and of Kekon itself.

Praise for Jade City: 

"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, Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Award-winning author

"A beautifully realized setting, a great cast of characters, and dramatic action scenes. What a fun, gripping read!" --Ann Leckie, Hugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke Award-winning author

"An instantly absorbing tale of blood, honor, family and magic, spiced with unexpectedly tender character beats." --NPR

The Green Bone Saga
Jade City
Jade War
Jade Legacy

About Fonda Lee

Fonda Lee is the author of Exo, which was a Junior Library Guild selection, and Zeroboxer, which was an Andre Norton Award finalist, a Junior Library Guild selection, and an ALA Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. After spending years as a corporate strategist for Fortune 500 companies, she is now a writer and black belt martial artist living in Portland, Oregon. You can visit her online at www.fondalee.com.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Petrik on September 27, 2022

Incredible, the multiple nominees and awards this book has won are all well deserved. Jade City is the first book in The Green Bone Saga, and it is also Fonda Lee’s adult fantasy debut. Ever since I knew about the existence of this novel, it has always been a book I wanted to read. As usual, the unbe......more

Goodreads review by Regan on June 09, 2023

Definitely worth the hype WOW......more

Goodreads review by ELLIAS (elliasreads) on July 06, 2024

pre-read: the most recommended fantasy book to me, y'all better not disappoint.... post-read: :/ honestly super conflicted because on paper it had everything i wanted to read in a book but i could not for the life of me connect with any of the characters, and if i'm going off no plot and vibes......more

Goodreads review by Emily on July 14, 2023

This is such a good fantasy series! The magic system is great, the worldbuilding is interesting but more importantly, I ended up way more emotionally invested in the characters than I expected. Recommend!......more

Goodreads review by jessica on December 08, 2021

this has been getting a lot of love on social media lately. my friends average rating for it is 4.12, so i decided to give it a go. i will start off with the positives and mention how extremely well-written this is as far as prose and narrative structure goes. its very detailed and descriptive in a w......more


Quotes

"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

"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

"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

"Lee draws on her Chinese heritage, passion for gangster stories, and strong writing to launch a Godfather-inspired fantasy series that mixes bold martial-arts action and vivid worldbuilding. The result is terrific."—Library Journal (Pick of the Month, starred review)

"As this ambitious and complex story unfolds, Lee (Exo) skillfully juggles a huge cast. Her action scenes are flashy, brutal, and cinematic, while the family dynamics hold their own weight and significance. This is an engaging blend of crime drama and Asian martial arts film tropes.... an intense, satisfying experience."—Publishers Weekly

"Compelling characters and intricate worldbuilding.... I want to spend more time in Kekon."—Hank Green

"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

"Jade City is an instantly absorbing tale of blood, honor, family and magic, spiced with unexpectedly tender character beats."—NPR

"Lee has a supreme talent for world-building.... Jade City is a fierce, energetic and stylish story that will keep you engrossed from start to end."—Culturefly


Awards

  • Nebula Award
  • World Fantasy Award
  • Aurora Award
  • Locus Award