Getting closer to Reading Wednesday
Sep. 13th, 2018 11:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brigdhJade City by Fonda Lee. A fantasy novel set in what is basically modern-day Hong Kong under a different name. In this island country, called Kekon, there exists the world's only source of magically powerfully jade, which grants superhero-like powers (or, more specifically, powers like fighters in a wuxia movie) to those who wear it: strength, speed, deflecting or channeling energy, the ability to read emotions, and vastly long and high jumps. Except that not just anyone can wear jade; most people on Earth are either too sensitive, and thus burn out immediately upon putting it on, or are not sensitive enough, and thus can't access the power. The Kekonese are the only race with the right balance to take advantage of jade's abilities, and even they have to spend years in training. Traditionally, jade wearers form large, semi-legal gangs, taking in protection money from those on the street while also getting involved in advantageous business deals and even bribing politicians.
Jade City focuses on one particular family, the traditional leaders of one of the largest gangs in Kekon. The main characters are the Kaul family, each taking a turn at being the POV. Lin: the oldest child who has just taken full control of the gang in his early thirties, after his grandfather is forced to step down as leader due to dementia; he's a serious and responsible man, a bit too grave, weighed down with the weight of the world. Hilo: the middle kid, in charge of the gang's fighting wing; he's impulsive and a bit dumb and quick to start a fight, but very loyal and genuinely engaged with everyone around him, high or low. Shae: the favorite child, smart and trained to take over the business wing, but who's determined to leave behind jade and her influential family and make her own way in the world, starting by leaving the country to go to university. And last but not least, Anden, adopted and the youngest, still in training to wear jade; he's desperate to prove himself due to the shame his biological family left behind, but isn't quite sure who he wants to be.
The plot starts when another gang is no longer content to maintain the long-lasting balance of many similiarly-sized gangs sharing Kekon, but wants to be the sole dominating power, even to the point of running politics from behind the scenes. It starts an underground war by attacking the Kaul family, who are quickly forced to the brink of survival, engaging in street fights and strange choices to keep from being overwhelmed.
It's a fun, suspenseful book, but it did feel a bit shallow. It took me a long time to feel engaged with any of the characters, and when I finally did, it was with Hilo, who is not at all the sort of character I normally fall for. But I loved his straightforwardness, his blunt emotional honesty, and his acceptance of himself as someone who is not particularly good at thinking or planning or machinations, but just fighting and fucking and friendliness.
Overall, fast-paced but thin (emotionally. Literally it's a 500 page hardcover). Still, I liked it enough that I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
Second Line by Poppy Z. Brite (who actually goes by Billy Martin these days, but I believe Brite is still what he uses professionally). Two novellas in the Rickey and G-Man series, stories set in New Orleans of two gay men in love who are also top chefs. Food porn and romance abounds. Second Line is the last published book in the series, but it's not a plot-heavy series so you honestly could jump in anywhere you want and wouldn't have any difficulties following along.
The two novellas are "The Value of X" and "D*U*C*K". "The Value of X" is by far the longer of the two. It starts with Rickey and G-Man as Lower Ninth Ward kids in the early 90s, both sixteen years old. Both are just starting to realize that they're gay and, moreover, might have a crush on their best friend. The novella deals with their worry about coming out to one another, hiding their relationship from their homophobic families, and dealing with being separated when Rickey gets the chance to attend the Culinary Institute of America. It's a very sweet story of young love, and honestly it had the feel of a nice long fanfic, perhaps an AU in a fandom you don't normally read – in a good way! The people who complain about how published literature doesn't meet their needs should totally read "The Value of X".
"D*U*C*K" is a shorter and slighter story. Now highly regarded chefs and co-owners of a popular restaurant, Rickey and G-Man get a chance to serve a private banquet to one of Rickey's childhood heroes, a former football star. The only catch? Every single course has to include wild duck. Meanwhile they deal with disgruntled ex-employees, the head chef of a rival restaurant, and awkward newspaper interviews.
Both are warm, charming stories, if not particularly memorable. This is a recurring problem I have with the Rickey and G-Man series: I keep accidentally rereading the same ones, because I can't remember what happened in any particular book. It's not much of a problem, though, since returning to them is like going back to a beloved comfort food. I'm very sad that Billy Martin has said that he's done with writing, because I would love more books exactly like this one.
Jade City focuses on one particular family, the traditional leaders of one of the largest gangs in Kekon. The main characters are the Kaul family, each taking a turn at being the POV. Lin: the oldest child who has just taken full control of the gang in his early thirties, after his grandfather is forced to step down as leader due to dementia; he's a serious and responsible man, a bit too grave, weighed down with the weight of the world. Hilo: the middle kid, in charge of the gang's fighting wing; he's impulsive and a bit dumb and quick to start a fight, but very loyal and genuinely engaged with everyone around him, high or low. Shae: the favorite child, smart and trained to take over the business wing, but who's determined to leave behind jade and her influential family and make her own way in the world, starting by leaving the country to go to university. And last but not least, Anden, adopted and the youngest, still in training to wear jade; he's desperate to prove himself due to the shame his biological family left behind, but isn't quite sure who he wants to be.
The plot starts when another gang is no longer content to maintain the long-lasting balance of many similiarly-sized gangs sharing Kekon, but wants to be the sole dominating power, even to the point of running politics from behind the scenes. It starts an underground war by attacking the Kaul family, who are quickly forced to the brink of survival, engaging in street fights and strange choices to keep from being overwhelmed.
It's a fun, suspenseful book, but it did feel a bit shallow. It took me a long time to feel engaged with any of the characters, and when I finally did, it was with Hilo, who is not at all the sort of character I normally fall for. But I loved his straightforwardness, his blunt emotional honesty, and his acceptance of himself as someone who is not particularly good at thinking or planning or machinations, but just fighting and fucking and friendliness.
Overall, fast-paced but thin (emotionally. Literally it's a 500 page hardcover). Still, I liked it enough that I'll definitely be reading the sequel.
Second Line by Poppy Z. Brite (who actually goes by Billy Martin these days, but I believe Brite is still what he uses professionally). Two novellas in the Rickey and G-Man series, stories set in New Orleans of two gay men in love who are also top chefs. Food porn and romance abounds. Second Line is the last published book in the series, but it's not a plot-heavy series so you honestly could jump in anywhere you want and wouldn't have any difficulties following along.
The two novellas are "The Value of X" and "D*U*C*K". "The Value of X" is by far the longer of the two. It starts with Rickey and G-Man as Lower Ninth Ward kids in the early 90s, both sixteen years old. Both are just starting to realize that they're gay and, moreover, might have a crush on their best friend. The novella deals with their worry about coming out to one another, hiding their relationship from their homophobic families, and dealing with being separated when Rickey gets the chance to attend the Culinary Institute of America. It's a very sweet story of young love, and honestly it had the feel of a nice long fanfic, perhaps an AU in a fandom you don't normally read – in a good way! The people who complain about how published literature doesn't meet their needs should totally read "The Value of X".
"D*U*C*K" is a shorter and slighter story. Now highly regarded chefs and co-owners of a popular restaurant, Rickey and G-Man get a chance to serve a private banquet to one of Rickey's childhood heroes, a former football star. The only catch? Every single course has to include wild duck. Meanwhile they deal with disgruntled ex-employees, the head chef of a rival restaurant, and awkward newspaper interviews.
Both are warm, charming stories, if not particularly memorable. This is a recurring problem I have with the Rickey and G-Man series: I keep accidentally rereading the same ones, because I can't remember what happened in any particular book. It's not much of a problem, though, since returning to them is like going back to a beloved comfort food. I'm very sad that Billy Martin has said that he's done with writing, because I would love more books exactly like this one.
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Date: 2018-09-16 05:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-09-28 08:09 pm (UTC)