#Kaul Lan

[mythrender]

Map endpapers for the Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee The Broken Binding special edition 306mm x 234mm, LB Royal format, 2024

The Green Bone Saga is one of my favourite series of all time, so getting to make the maps, endpaper illustrations, and edges for TBB's edition of the trilogy was a dream come true.

For the maps, I wanted to use paraphernalia as storytelling: conveying a sense of the plot and cultures through items that are significant to characters, such as Anden's training band and the Duchesse car keys, or media that might exist in the world, such as pamphlets, ferry tickets, and news broadcasts.

Art director Petrik Leo and I spent lots of time discussing the little details for each map—what to include, how much to reveal without spoiling the story for new readers—and we'd go to Fonda for feedback on any new inclusions (some of the locations are shifted, compared to the original maps by Tim Paul, and the world map has new places labeled).

Close-ups of some of the paraphernalia details:

The city map of Janloon is printed as a foldout, while the other two are endpaper spreads at the back of the books. You can find plenty of beautiful photos of the books on Instagram; I'm still waiting for my set to arrive, or I'd post pics too! If you aren't a TBB subscriber, the extras will go on general sale some months from now, so keep an eye out for that.

Prints available.

[fionacreates]

Day whatever of drawing through my obsession with Jade City/Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee

Kaul Lan, oldest idiot of the Kaul siblings.

[ramblingsofalunatic]

underrated jade city moment

[austenwazright]

Niko deciding he needs to do his own thing for a while, Hilo reacting as bad as anyone would expect, in the exact same way he did with Anden when he was 20 and scared and decided he wanted to take another route, come on it's literally the same reaction, he called Anden a mongrel, he said Niko wasn't his kid, and then Anden standing up for his nephew, saying to Hilo everything he wasn't able to when he was 20 and confused and being cast out of the only family he ever knew, defending Niko when no one really bothered to defend him and bringing Lan up, Lan who's been hunting this whole fucking narrative, telling Hilo that Lan would never leave any of them behind, the last conversation he had with Lan was that he did not need to be clan or a greenbone to be family and he never once mentioned it for himself but he did it for Niko, art, this is art

[the-guild-codex-and-other-things]

The Entire Green Bone Saga Summarized in 1 Line:

“What the fuck have you done, Kaul?”

- Jade Legacy

[feysandfeels]

Fonda Lee gave us one of the sexiest moments in modern literature when, in Jade City, she had Hilo go “Heaven help me Shae, I’m going to kill them all”. But oh at what cost, at what godammend cost.

[cikebabbler]

I only had like half a book with lan but I miss him all the same :(

[tbookblurbs]

Jade City - Fonda Lee

5/5 - Irresistible world-building, politics (national and gang), intrigue, family tension, everything you could want out of an urban fantasy. MAJOR spoilers below!

Jade City is the first novel in the Green Bone saga and it is deliciously well-written. Character voices are distinct, the mistakes they make are realistic, and even when I didn't like some of the main characters or the actions they were taking, I wanted them to succeed. I was emotionally invested in the outcome of every character's fate, from the secondary characters to the Pillar of the clan, Kaul Lan. Sometimes this did mean I was invested in watching them fail (Bero) but I was invested nevertheless!

The world-building within the novel was incredibly rich. The "magic" system of jade is a very hard magic system but I really enjoyed how effortlessly it was woven into everyday life. Lee takes the time to mention, in an offhand fashion, details about Kekon and the greater world that make it that much easier to fully sink into the world she's built. I read this entire book in one long sitting.

Kekon itself really reminded me of the Philippines. The Kekonese war for independence was with Espenia (Spain) and overall the positioning of Kekon on the global stage is really reminiscent of how formerly colonized nations have to act in our global geopolitics. That said, my interpretation did mean that I don't really jive with a lot of the fanart of Lan, Hilo, and Shae. In my mind, they all have darker skin and a lot of the fanart has them pretty pale (like k-pop idol pale).

I also loved that this book took place over a realistic timeline. Weeks would go by in a few sentences before we'd get a fleshed out scene because Lee understands we don't need to see the minutia of day-to-day life. It also means that the characters were aging, falling in love, graduating school, etc. at a normal rate. There was no instantaneous love, no "I'm better than everyone else and do this without schooling" and this was, for me, really refreshing (especially after reading the All Souls Trilogy, which suffers from this).

The twist with the death of Lan was truly something I never saw coming. Up until, and even after, the point where he falls into the harbor, I was convinced that he would make it. He was so confident, so level-headed, and everyone relied on him so much that, in my head, his death never entered the realm of possibility. And thus I fell into the same trap as the other characters. Scrumptious writing here.

By far my favorite characters are Shae and Anden. They both have internal struggles with their heritage that are realistic and heartbreaking at times. Even when they make mistakes and are rightfully called out for it in other perspectives, I still have such a soft spot for the position they're both put in. It makes sense that they're also close in the book. Plus, seeing Anden struggle with wanting to come out as gay but being nervous about it and ultimately being accepted without conditions, hesitations, or reservations was really heartwarming.

Overall, this book is the combination of urban fantasy, the Godfather, and the Shanghai/Hong Kong gangster movies from the 80s. I would recommend those who love fantasy and thrillers alike, it's a amazing entry into the trilogy.

[greyscalemoon]

rip kaul lan u ate ur 31 chapters

[4amethyst]

Me I'm the horn's kitten 🙏🏽

[mythrender]

Character endpapers for the Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee The Broken Binding special edition 306mm x 234mm, LB Royal format, 2024

These are the front endpapers for the trilogy, showing the Kaul family and No Peak clan throughout the decades of the story.

Details and sketches:

Working on the art for this was a real joy, since GBS is one of the best fantasy series I've read in recent years. I was able to incorporate lots of inspiration from Southeast Asia, where I live, and Hong Kong eateries + Chinese martial arts dramas. I absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for outstanding character writing, a gripping and heart-wrenching plot that spans clan drama to political intrigue and economic warfare, and extensive worldbuilding.

The trilogy has been shipped out to TBB subscribers already, and additional sets will be available on general sale to the public some months from now.

Prints available.

[fionacreates]

Day 4 of this book won’t leave my brainspace. Hilo and Lan from Jade City by Fonda Lee.

Did I give Lan long, well groomed hair just so i can draw him with it all mussed up later? 1000% yes.

[ramblingsofalunatic]

fonda lee i'll never forgive you

[austenwazright]

How fitting for the story to start and to end at the Twice Lucky, this was one of the best book series I've ever read in my life and will forever hold place among my favorites, I'm sure I'll still find a lot of things to say about it but for now it's enough to say it will be remembered

[indie-luna]

How will I ever emotionally recover from reading jade legacy

[feysandfeels]

Being a book wife is hard because my book husband is, well, fictional, but being a book widow is even worse BECAUSE MY BOOK HUSBAND DIED!