A talisman. A song. A gift that bends time, and alters the course of destiny itself.
It is the year 2762 in the Empire of Khalendar, and AI Masters rule the civilized world, striving to crush all dissent. But they have not yet managed to quell the Jade Rebellion or its leader, Walter Saltanetska. The rebels have sailed beyond the Empire’s borders to the infamous isle of Vei’arash. Their mission is to find animal spirits exiled long ago by the AI Masters, and return them to the mainland. With any luck, the spirits will strengthen the fading magical powers of their allies, the Western Mages, and join the battle against their oppressive rulers.
As the rebels plunge deeper into the jungle, physical laws are upended. The plants and animals of the rainforest are inextricably linked to divine beings. An ancient shaman-god entrusts Walter with the Jade Talisman, an enchanted gemstone that warps the basic rules of time and space.
The Talisman allows Walter to gaze into a mesmerizing labyrinth of future possibilities. But the visions it offers up are troublingly dark, giving Walter insight into the potential fates of himself and his loved ones. This gift proves to be a crushing burden, and Walter desperately longs for an ordinary life. But there is no going back…
The gripping sequel to The Jade Rebellion, The Jade Talisman explores whether nature and spirituality are capable of persevering in a world dominated by the cold logic of artificial intelligence.
I wanted to get this book for one simply reason. I am a great fan of Alanna Mackennzie due to my having a good impression of her writing based on her first book and having met her and got her autograph at an author, her talent as an author based on her first book, and the fact that her first book is so far so good. This book impresses as being well worth my purchase of it. After all it completes the series of books she has written so far. It impresses me as being equally well written. As such I go on record as stating that I am very glad to have this book added to my collection.
Read Jenna Rideout's review. I fully agree with her comments. I loved the first book but the I loved the 2nd even more. In this book I got to know the characters more personally. I was continually amazed at Ms. Mackenzie's creative imagination - the book captivated me. The first novel spent more time in Crystal City and other towns while in the 2nd we explored ancient lands, their indigenous people and their spiritual magic. It is from these places and not modern civilization where the wisdom and power to change their world for the better can be found.
I was reading the book on my reader and not keeping track how near to the end I was and turned the page and the book ended. I can't wait for the next and final novel in the series. Well done. It's difficult to engage a person who rarely reads fiction - but she did it.
This is such a brilliant read. I was attracted by the cover first and when I read the blurb I really wanted to read it.
This sci-fi fantasy fiction is definitely different to the other fantasy novels. This is written so beautifully blending the past and future. It's the second book in The Jade Chronicles and I had the opportunity to read the first book too. Absolutely loved both and hope there will be more from the author.
I really liked the writing style and the world building. You can see alot of research and hard work had gone into this series. Definitely recommend.
I was granted complimentary access to The Jade Talisman as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with Lola's Blog Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
I really, REALLY wanted to find out what this book with the gorgeous cover was all about when it was on NetGalley, but I hadn't read book one and it wasn't available from my regional libraries on Libby, so I passed it up and added it to my Kindle wishlist. When both books came up for review at once on this tour, I had to say yes, right? I was so excited!
The Jade Chronicles series presents a fascinating future where AIs have taken over and magic is blended seamlessly with technology. The Jade Talisman gets to dive further into this world and explore how nature spirits have melded with technology and human interference. That stunning cover's not just a teaser!
Walter is trying to save what's left of the natural world before it's too late, and this book follows him on a journey to small communities to seek the wisdom of isolated elders. In the first book, I critiqued that I felt like I was watching everything happen at arm's length, but that was not the case in this one. The cast was far more engaging this time, and I couldn't put this book down! I spent this book walking along right beside Walter, speaking to everyone he spoke to, seeing what he saw as he saw it, and I loved it.
Please tell me this series has more coming! SFF lovers, grab both books and your favourite beverage because this world is worth exploring.
I enjoyed reading this fantasy fiction which beautifully brings together the future and past, shows the glimpse of what might happen in a world where AI rules the world and natural spirits hide away in villages and faraway mountains and a rebel leader, Walter, wants to bring the change, save the earth and seeks support from ancient wisdom.
A thoughtful & insightful sci-fi/fantasy adventure combining magic and artificial intelligence in a dystopian future. A great addition to the Jade Chronicles series.
