CW: pervasive violence, a few explicit sex scenes, living under economic imperialism
Jade City (The Green Bone Saga #1) on IndieBound
I really enjoyed book 1 of The Green Bone Saga – it’s been on my TBR list for a few years, and being nominated for Best Series Hugo bumped it to the top (so many books that sound great are on that list, I feel like I’m half a decade behind). It’s a great blend of martial arts and gangster stories, often putting me in mind of Guy Ritchie films.
One theme that I thought was handled excellently is people trying to succeed in positions they’re not suited to. Lan is a peacetime Pillar in a clan on the path to war; Hilo is a hands-on fighter & captain struggling to delegate and lead a bureaucracy; Anden is coming of age surrounded by people with plans for him trying to figure out what it is that he wants. Hilo’s struggles with management resonated with me personally (though not the violence he’d prefer not to delegate), as over the last couple years I’ve increasingly felt like an individual contributor trapped in a middle-management role. These storylines made me realize how many books and tv/movies are about people doing things they’re good at, with occasional comedic detours, rather than someone forced into a role they feel inadequate for.
As a reader, I found it interesting the way I reacted differently to the violence and the sex. I think part of my reaction is personal taste, but it also made me think of Brad Guigar‘s discussion of his decision to go into NSFW comics. He’s often commented on the discrepancy between how folks in the U.S. are comfortable with children seeing horrific violence in media, but object to anything more than a chaste kiss. When you think about it, it’s odd that many fantasy books have staggering amounts of explicit violence but no on-page sex.
I’m looking forward to reading the rest of this series this summer.
