Jade City

“But there was no respect in taking a few gems from a sorry old man. That was what these thieves didn’t understand—jade alone didn’t make you a Green Bone. Blood and training and clan made you a jade warrior; that’s how it had always been. Hilo had both personal and clan reputation to uphold at all times. Sho Judonrhu was a drunkard, an old fool, a comical has—been of a Green Bone, but he was still a Finger in the employ of No Peak, and that made an offense against him Hilo’s concern.”

Green Bone warrior culture depends on a combination of jade power and martial arts discipline. The two work in tandem under the network of a clan to create a brotherhood bound by honor. Therefore, it is not merely jade that makes one powerful, but also the culture and society that comes with it.

“There was nothing to be done for the Kekonese boy. Angry young men were prone to jade fever; Hilo had seen it plenty of times. Poor and naive, full of feral energy and ambition, they were drawn to jade like ants to honey. They romanticized the legendary hero-bandit Green Bones that filled comic books and movies with their exploits. They noticed how people said jen with respect and a little fear, and they wanted that for themselves.”

Green Bones are revered in Kekon and hold a special place in its culture. It is also an exclusive title available to few, creating a hunger amongst the disadvantaged, like Bero, who want to be a part of something greater and escape their poor situations. However, without discipline and driven by ambition, jade corrupts its wielder.

“Hilo might be comfortable judging and executing for a first offense, but Lan was not ready to say there was no hope for the boy to find some other outlet for his ill-conceived ambition.”

This short excerpt displays the big difference between Hilo and Lan as leaders. Lan, as Pillar, errs on the side of caution and forgiveness, trying to find a peaceful solution. Hilo, as Horn, is a reactive and severe enforcer, prone to delivering swift and final justice to any who cross No Peak.

“The Horn was visible, tactical, the clan’s most formidable warrior, leader of the Fists and the Fingers who patrolled and defended clan territory and the residents within from rivals and street criminals.”

The Horn is the clan’s enforcer and the visible face of its power. While the Pillar makes the serious decisions, the Horn is tasked with protecting businesses and addressing disrespect or rival clan encroachment. This very public and visible role makes the Horn closely connected to the army of Fingers and Fists in a way the Pillar cannot be.

“The Weather Man was strategic, operational, the brain working behind the scenes through an office full of capable Luckbringers, managing the clan’s substantial flow of tribute money, patronage, and investments.”

The Weather Man is not visible but is tasked with knowing everything that could impact the clan’s business operations. It is held by someone with incredible strategic ability and does not feature any military action. When the war between No Peak and Mountain breaks out, Shae, as Weather Man, is the one to keep the clan afloat.

“The thing Tar didn’t understand was that Hilo did not envy his brother’s position in the least. Handling bitter old Grandda, the freak Doru, KJA politics, and the Royal Council…perhaps Lan had the patience for all that, but he, Hilo, certainly didn’t. Life was short. He understood and embraced the simplicity of his role: lead and manage his Fists, protect his family’s territory, defend No Peak from its enemies. Enjoy himself along the way.”

Yet again, the differences between Hilo and Lan are very apparent in their approaches to their respective duties. Hilo cannot fathom having to meet with officials and earn their favor, and instead prefers his role as Horn, where he can command men and see action, making his impact on the clan felt in real time.

“Sometimes it took Anden twice as long as other students to recover, but he was practiced now. He breathed and forced himself to relax through the disorienting sensation of the world being torn out from under his feet, everything going dim and fractured around the edges, before finally righting and settling into a duller normalcy. In under a minute he had it under control and stood back up, shouldering his bag.”

Jade withdrawal is a common side effect of removing jade and losing the abilities that accompany it. In this excerpt, Anden’s struggle with jade withdrawal foreshadows his later struggle with immense jade power. He struggles more than his classmates because his body draws more magic than it can handle from jade.

“Years ago, her involvement with the Espenians had begun with a few small, simple requests, that had led to slightly larger requests, that had led to a file folder with her name on it and nearly ruined her relationship with her grandfather. Shae had not forgotten that a single step in one direction might portend an irrevocable change in one’s path.”

When Shae returns to Kekon, she is uncertain of what the future will hold for her. In the past, her life path changed because of simple actions and events, and she is aware that any step she takes during this time of instability will likely change her life and define her future.

“As they walked, Shae felt a flutter of sensation that prickled her skin like a shift in the damp air. It grew stronger with each step she took, until it became an unmistakable tug in the gut, pulling her like a cord through the navel as they emerged from the trees onto a ledge that overlooked the entire stadium-sized pit.”

Throughout the early parts of the novel, Shae struggles to maneuver through Kekon without her jade. She is sensitive to the jade worn by others, so being surrounded by it elicits a physical reaction. Here, Shae feels as though she is being tugged toward jade, foreshadowing her eventual reunion with the clan.

“He needed to speak to Shae again as well. He hadn’t seen or spoken to her in weeks. As someone who was open and expressive with his emotions, Hilo had long harbored the vaguely resentful suspicion that he loved his family more than they loved him back, and with no one was this feeling more pronounced than with his sister.”

Hilo is often considered impulsive and difficult to work with, in large part due to his inability to keep his emotions in check. In this excerpt, he realizes that some of his insecurities about his family relationship stem from his siblings’ secretive and mercurial natures—Lan and Shae keep their thoughts and emotions hidden, while Hilo is less self-controlled.

“All Green Bones reminded Bero of those Fingers. They walked into his world carelessly to break a person’s bones or deliver them to a better life. They stirred in Bero not merely a boyhood awe and fear, but a deeply consuming resentment and envy.”

Bero is concerned with the power imbalance in Janloon, resenting how much birth plays into its warrior culture. Green Bones are heroes in Kekonese culture, the stars of comic books and boyhood adulation. However, if someone crosses them, like Bero does, their disregard for human life can be chilling and they may use their power to inflict more harm than good. Rather than rejecting this dynamic, Bero wants to be able to wield the same kind of strength.

“Their enemies were feigning peaceableness, refusing to show themselves while hiding behind the activities of common criminals who were reckless and stupid enough to do their bidding. It had the makings of a patient war based on tactics that Ayt Yu and Kaul Sen would have approved of against Shotarians, but it was entirely counter to the tradition of open duel between Green Bones in dispute with each other. It was offensive and disrespectful. It angered Lan, and he could see why it infuriated Hilo.”

The clans of Kekon began as resistance forces in a war against an oppressive occupier. After the war, Green Bone culture returned to a state of normalcy, in which tradition and respect were upheld. However, the rise of Ayt Mada—the first woman to be leader of a clan—signals a break with tradition: She is waging a war with No Peak modeled after the resistance fighting of her father, angering Hilo and Lan, who see it as an underhanded way of achieving her goals because of their strong adherence to the honor code of aisho.

“Upon Jenshu’s ascendance, the gods further proclaimed that when the rest of humankind followed Jenshu’s example and achieved the four Divine Virtues of humility, compassion, courage, and goodness, then they, too, would be welcomed back to godliness. All Deitists believe in this final promised occurrence, which they call the Return.”

These principles are supposed to guide the Green Bones and their clans: The Green Bones’ first responsibility is to the people of Kekon, and they are to be compassionate for them and courageous in their defense. They are to treat the Kekonese with goodness and express humility, when possible—just as many Kekonese do when besting each other in even minor competitions. In practice, these ideals are rarely observed, and the clan is closer to organized criminal organizations than benevolent societies.

“No hiding in the crowd now; the waning sunlight flashed on her jade bracelets and fearfully expectant eyes followed her every move. She felt sick with eagerness, and powerful in a way she hadn’t felt for years. The foreigners were right: The Kekonese were savages. Lan had not been savage, not at heart, but he was dead now.”

In this moment, Shae realizes that her hopes of a life away from No Peak have evaporated. With her jade and position in the clan, she will forever be in the spotlight and an important player in Kekonese society. Additionally, she contends with the racism of Espenians and other foreigners who look at Kekon and its unique culture as savage—a common trope used to dehumanize Asian people in the real world.

“Jade was a mysterious but natural substance, not a divine gift or the remnants of some heavenly palace. The Kekonese were genetically fortunate, like the first monkeys with opposable thumbs, but that was all; people weren’t descended from the gods, and they wouldn’t return to being gods. People were people. The power of jade didn’t make them better or closer to godliness; it just made them more powerful.”

In many Kekonese myths, the power bestowed by jade is seen as a gift from the gods and the gems are closely tied to Deitist religion. However, in this excerpt, the mysticism of jade is stripped away, and it is described for what it is: a power source. Jade is power and gives whoever wields it power, and with the advent of SN1, anyone in the world can now yield it.

“In a Green Bone clan, legacy was crucial. Lan’s authority had rested on the legacy of his grandfather and father, and Hilo’s would rest also on his brother’s. The clan was like a body: The Lantern Men were skin and muscles, the Fists and Luckbringers like heart and lungs, but the Pillar was the spine. There could be no weakness in the spine, or the body could not stand, it could not fight.”

Image is power in Jade City, so this comparison of the clan to the human body demonstrates exactly how important a strong image of the Pillar is to the success of the clan. As the clan’s spine, the Pillar is not always visible or active in the community and in battles, but must remain strong and stolid to support the entire body. If it weakens or fails, so does the rest of the body. Therefore, if the Pillar cannot project strength, the clan will crumble.

“Not all Luckbringers wore jade, and those that did usually wore less than military members of the clan, but a strong display of green meant status and respect everywhere on Kekon, and the top floor of a tower on Ship Street was no exception.”

Like her brother, Shae understands the importance of a strong image. She knows that she does not need to wear jade as the Weather Man, not having an active battle role, but does so anyway because it will make her appear more powerful. She earned the jade, and wields and wears it well; being heavily jaded also becomes important to the success of being a woman in a position of authority.

“Anden had sidled away, to watch the year-eights enviously and wonder how, since he possessed neither Hilo’s magnetism nor Lan’s gravity, he’d ever live up to being a Kaul himself.”

Anden struggles throughout the novel to feel as though he belongs with the Kauls. He is taken in by them and given the same opportunities as his older adopted siblings, but doesn’t feel like he is truly their brother. Riven by insecurities about his reaction to jade, he doesn’t know that Lan and Hilo also carry many self-doubts and thus feels alone—one of the downsides of the Green Bones’ self-repressive culture of machismo.

“Hilo’s lips rose in the lopsided insouciant smile he’s always possessed, but Anden could see that he’d changed. His youthful appearance was shot through with darker shadows that played around his eyes and mouth. There were angles to his face and fresh scars on his hands.”

Anden sees the weight of leadership bogging down Hilo, both physically as fresh scars and mentally through the pressure of being responsible for the whole clan. Hilo has shadows under his eyes and around his mouth, the consequence of too little sleep and too much on his mind.

“Janloon was at war over the death of Kaul Lan—his doing!—and there was jade being won and lost on the streets every day, but Bero was nowhere nearer to a single pebble of it for himself. Instead, he’s been forced to flee and hide, like a roach before a bright light.”

Bero is angry. He believes he deserves jade, having convinced himself that he won it in the traditional manner by besting an opponent—which is not really what happened when he chased down Lan. Bero grows increasingly resentful that he is not able to claim the jade he thinks he is owed, and has been exiled for starting a clan war. He feels more and more like his position in society prevents him from seeking a better life.

“Under Ayt’s leadership, the Mountain clan would build an international empire of jade and drugs. It would eliminate or subsume its rivals until one clan ruled Kekon. The country would foment global tensions and profit by spreading the availability of jade and shine to millions of people beyond its borders, with Green Bones sitting at the apex of a burgeoning jade pyramid they controlled.”

Ayt Mada’s plan is to control the jade and SN1 international market completely, selling both to foreigners to enable them to also wield this powerful material. Her willingness to do this shows how little regard she has for jade’s significance to Kekon—understandably, she is not as tied as the Kauls to a sexist culture that would be happy to prevent her rise to Pillar simply because she is a woman. However, her ambitions would destabilize the globe for profit.

“The young man’s face moved in a brief contortion. He hadn’t missed the way Hilo had addressed him as a fellow Green Bone and a member of the clan. He glanced over at his collapsed mother and down at the small siblings huddled around him. Hilo watched the youth’s eyes, which had been full of scorn and resentment during their first encounter, slowly clear of their stunned confusion and resolve into dark acceptance, into blackness of purpose.”

In this excerpt, Hilo expertly uses his style of leadership to sway Lott, who was thinking of not joining No Peak, into developing a hard resolve to serve Hilo. Hilo makes Lott feel important and as though he has an integral part to play in the coming conflict. Hilo knows how to earn followers’ loyalty, and he does so with a strikingly human touch of kindness—and his insistence on casting would-be allies as brothers-in-arms.

“Hilo had never shied away from any fight, and he was willing to wage a long and brutal war if that was what was required to overcome his enemies. But if defeat was on the inevitable horizon, then he held no pointless desire for any more of his Fists or Fingers to lose their limbs or jade. He would value a clean death for himself and his loved ones. It was, in truth, not so bad a trade Gont was offering him.”

Hilo’s decision to take Gont Asch up on his offer of death in exchange for his family and clan’s safety demonstrates Hilo’s growth as a leader. As Horn, he would never give up a fight until he and his forces were utterly defeated. Now, as Pillar, he considers his people and their safety, weighing it above his honor.