Jade City

Turns out I have a yen for stories about crime families. This scratches the same itch as McDonald's Luna series for me. But instead of Ian McDonald's nightmare vision of a libertarian moon, Fonda Lee sets her story in a fantasy version of 70's Hong Kong, infused with kung fu and magical jade.

The story follows several members of one crime family as their personal goals clash with the demands of the clan and a looming clan war. It's impossible not to get caught up in the lives and (spectacularly written) fight scenes of these bigger than life yet still very relatable characters and that got me through some of the weaker parts of the book: Except for a few interesting religious ideas, the world building doesn't go much further than its initial premise. The moral difference between the clans is so clear-cut they might as well have been wearing black and white hats. And maybe worst of all for this kind of story, the plots and coups in the gang war feel rather simple and lacking in chutzpah.

But the characters are clearly the star of the story and I'm eager to find out what happens next, especially as it seems later books will expand the scope of the action.