Case Study: Jade City by Fonda Lee

Introduction

2025/04/26

Case studies are almost like my review of a book I recently read and is fresh in memory. Some of it will be impressions and other more elaborated, however it will be reviewed through the lens of a writer. Such that what I liked, learned and would avoid doing in my writing (as a personal preference not because there is anything wrong with it).

THERE WILL BE SPOILERS FOR THE ACTUAL BOOK!

Setting, theme and tone

• Modern High-ish Fantasy
• Seems like the 1960/70s going by the technology
• Japan inspired setting
• Asian inspired society, culture and fighting styles
• Duty and honour being prominent
• Post war/regime change/independence
• Strong focus on family relationships and clan politics

Well done aspects

• Interesting magic system
• Combine magical gemstone with martial arts
• 6 magical disciplines
• Inclusion of the 'business' and political side of clan dynamics
• World is fairly fleshed out

Could be improved aspects

• Most of the book is exposition or tell instead of show
• The first 100 pages is a heavy read and the story only really starts after this
• Full chapters are sometimes dedicated to telling how an aspect of the world works. No characters and no scenes involved.
• Characters tell you who they are and who other characters are (instead of me learning about them through their actions and interactions)
• Magic felt like a background component to the actual business dealings, politics and family drama
• I agree with a review I read regarding this: One could easily swop out the jade for a magic performance enhancing drug and have the same story
• Not enough fight scenes and they weren't immersive to me
• Character decisions and agency too depended on plot mechanics and 'duty/honour system'.
• Character motivations/fears/disbeliefs to similar to each other in this regard

Lessons learned

• I may have come into reading this book with expectations that are vastly different to the story being told:
• From the recommendation reviews of the book by other authors I was expecting Avatar the Last Air Bender meets Kill Bill.
• I even read this book last in my To Be Read pile because I was concerned that it would be very violent and brutal as the reputation for gangsters are.
• However what I got was more Crime Family Drama (and Best Served Cold unexpectedly overwhelmed me with its violence and brutality instead).
• I did appreciate it not being so violent, but I also expected more badassery.
• The book did give me a lot of food for thought even though I have no interest in reading the rest of the series. This included:
• Fight scenes:
• There are only 5 major fight scenes (others are intimidation/bullying or 'off screen' scenes)
• I did not feel like I got the opportunity to experience what it feels like to be a jade warrior - it felt like I was watching the fight scene from the side lines instead of being right in the body and spirit of the fighter
• Why do they only have talon knives and moon blades?
• There are so many fantastical Asian weapons and I would have loved to see duels between characters with vastly different weapons and how that would affected their fighting styles using the 6 Jade disciplines
• Especially considering that the author has a black belt, it would have been great to see 'realistic' weapon techniques in a fantasy setting influenced by strong magic
• Jade:
• Jade feels more like a drug and a commodity rather than a prominent magical force
• Too much of the book was focus on Jade as a social, economic and political tool
• Honour and duty:
• It felt like these two components stifled character choices too much and agency became stunted.
• The acts of defiance by the women with in the oppressive/repressive system was disproportional to the amount of 'power' they held as warriors (or association with warriors, and I'm talking about actual power - not 'perks')
• I think that Shogun, Blue-eyed Samurai and The Daevabadd Series dealt with the concepts of honour, duty and female defiance in a more nuanced yet powerful way - seeing as jade warriors have more standing, the women in these stories should have proportionally more power socially.
• Where was the honour and duty in the last fight scene between Hilo and The Mountain?
• Why was it not a 'pure' clean blade duel between Hilo and Gont like it was for Lan and Gam?
• Why did the other Fists interfere after Hilo already fought off 3?
• Anden's involvement felt contrived and compromising to Hilo's status as a fighter - not to mention interference of their own in the duel.
• Mr. Une cutting off his ear and Hilo accepting it as 'a mercy' at the end of the book. If the sole purpose of the clans are to protect their people, then it should be Hilo cutting of his ear (if such things are even necessary) to give to Mr Une for failing to protect him, for putting Mr Une in a situation of violent coercion by the opposing clan and being forced to make the choice of switching sides to protect his own staff and livelihood/legacy (because he is not a fighter and cannot protect his people in any other way)
• Power:
• The power aspect of the book felt unbalanced (like when levelling in games are off)
• For example, I would have expected a Pillar to be able to moderately handle at least 1-2 Horns in a fight or 2-3 First/Second Fists before feeling it on his person. Thus, the relative 'fighting' prowess of both male leads was compromised for me (Lan's drowning after the damage done by fighting 1 First Fist and the combination of the Jade intolerance/Shine as well as Hilo being spent after fighting 3 Fists)