Jade Legacy
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | United States |
| Products | Books |
Jade Legacy is a fantasy novel authored by American writer Fonda Lee and published by Orbit on November 30, 2021. Serving as the concluding volume in The Green Bone Saga, it follows the narrative initiated in Jade City (2017), focusing on influential figures striving to maintain peace amid competing factions—the Mountain Clan and No Peak Clan—who vie for control over jade's distribution.[1] The book garnered widespread critical praise, securing both the 2022 Locus Award for Best Fantasy Novel and the 2022 Aurora Award for Best Novel.
Plot
In the aftermath of the extensive jade dissemination following Jade War, various groups assemble in Janloon aiming to harness its mystical abilities. As global tensions shift, Kekon faces rising internal strife, with Hilo and Shae endeavoring to preserve their power while grooming their successors to carry forward the No Peak Clan's heritage. At the same time, their longstanding rivalry with the increasingly powerful Mountain Clan grows more intense.
Development history
Jade Legacy represents Lee’s third novel targeted at adult audiences. During a 2018 conversation with Lightspeed, Lee explained that the Green Bone series demands greater length and complexity compared to her previous writings, prompting a deliberate shift toward adult fiction rather than young adult genres.[2] In 2020, she disclosed that Jade Legacy covers events spanning two decades.[3][4]
Literary significance and reception
Prior to its publication, Jade Legacy attracted significant critical acclaim, receiving starred reviews from both Publishers Weekly and Library Journal, along with commendations from NPR. Publishers Weekly praised it as "expansive, intricate, and deeply rooted in Asian cultural elements," recognizing Lee’s adeptness at weaving together personal and societal struggles within a narrative of considerable depth. Kristi Chadwick of Library Journal lauded Lee’s narrative technique as "exceptional," evoking emotions that are simultaneously sorrowful and uplifting. NPR critic Jason Sheehan characterized the work as "Three decades marked by love, conflict, revenge, and betrayal," underscoring themes of closure and renewal.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Aurora Award | Best Novel | Template:Won |
| Dragon Awards | Best Fantasy Novel | Template:Sho | |
| Locus Award | Best Fantasy Novel | Template:Won |
Adaptations
In August 2020, Deadline announced that a television adaptation of Jade City, the opening book in The Green Bone Saga, was underway at Peacock, with Lee serving as a consulting producer. However, by July 2022, Peacock had discontinued the project, though Lee revealed that efforts were ongoing to find alternative platforms for the series' continuation.
External links
Additional reviews
- Review of Jade Legacy by Nadia Elbaar, featured in Locus
- Review of Jade Legacy by Adri Joy, published in Strange Horizons
- ↑ Lee, Fonda (2021-05-04). "Jade Legacy will be released on November 30". Fonda Lee. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ↑ Coleman, Christian A. (2018-01-25). "Interview: Fonda Lee". Lightspeed Magazine. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ↑ "15 new Fantasy and Science Fiction books to read in 2021". Winter is Coming. 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ↑ Lee, Fonda (2020). "Fonda Lee on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-07-26.