Book Launch Blog Tour: The Jade Labyrinth by Alanna Mackenzie

Hi, and Happy Sunday! Hope your day and your weekend are going wonderfully 🙂 One thing that I really enjoy doing on Sunday is reading (I guess that’s somewhat obvious, since I love reading all the time, so Sunday is really no exception ). Getting to participate in a blog tour for a new book is a lot of fun for me, I love not only reading and writing but also getting a chance to share authors and their wonderful stories and books with fellow book obsessed people 📚 ❤️

So, today I’m happy to be participating in a blog tour for the new science fiction/fantasy novel “The Jade Labyrinth,” by author Alanna Mackenzie. This tour is a stop on Lola’s Blog Tours. “The Jade Labyrinth” is the third book in The Jade Chronicles series.

Title: The Jade Labyrinth, Author: Alanna Mackenzie, Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy, Release Date: September 12, 2023, Age Category: Young Adult.

Summary:

A meeting. A maze. A perilous journey back to an Empire on the edge of chaos.

Walter Saltanetska, leader of the Jade Rebellion, is nearly ready to return to the heart of the AI-ruled Empire that has branded him a treasonous fugitive. His mandate is clear: to reprogram the AI Masters before their earth-destroying habits spiral out of control.

First, he must brave gruelling training in a land fraught with danger—rugged mountains haunted by spirits, a parched desert patrolled by watchful drones, and a labyrinthine cave guarded by armed robots. As his physical, mental, and magical abilities are tested by harrowing encounters, Walter must work to resist forces that threaten to destabilize his mission.

The biggest threat he faces is not one he encounters along the course of his journey, but one that originates within him. Walter returns to the Empire’s capital in a mind-altering disguise that proves to be a double-edged sword. Drawing him closer to a soul mate who rekindles his admiration for the AI Masters, it also distances Walter from the human emotions that sparked his desire to join the Rebellion. In his final showdown with the AI Masters, Walter must keep his mind under control, or risk jeopardizing the mission that he and his allies are counting on to reverse a looming tidal wave of destruction.

The thrilling third installment in The Jade Chronicles, The Jade Labyrinth weaves dystopian science-fiction with high fantasy while exploring an essential subject: the perils and promise of artificial intelligence.

Excerpt:

The wind was picking up, and Walter decided that he couldn’t stay long enough to watch the sunset; he was feeling a magnetic tug toward the Tamarind Lounge. He entered the lounge, which was conveniently located at the foot of the marina, and was immediately thrust into a new world, one filled with swirling colors, sights, and sounds. 

AI Fighters stood inside, guarding the entrance to the ball and checking patrons’ identification. He passed this test easily, but inside dozens of others awaited him. He took a moment to collect himself, breathe, and order a rye cocktail while the doorman removed his tweed jacket. Underneath it, he was dressed in a suit-vest, a distinguished gray shirt, and black trousers. His new wardrobe had been crafted by the Mages, who had used a transformative spell to turn their robes into the vestments of an elite AI Master. 

A dazzling crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, and candelabras were lit up throughout the room, which had blue velvet carpeting and walls painted gold and silver. There were only a few guests since it was still early, and most of them were sitting at the bar, talking to each other in jewel-encrusted gowns and tuxedos while ordering their next martini. A few clustered near a buffet at the end of the room, nibbling on prawns, olives, and caviar. Most were human, there were a few AI Masters, and none were mixed-race or Xeyan’na. It was truly a meeting place for the elites. 

When Walter sat down at the bar, a few curious heads swiveled in his direction. A young lady, no more than twenty, looked at him with an expression of interest, and a few older patrons, three businessmen and two female AI Masters, cast subtler glances in his direction. 

Walter pretended to be content with nursing his rye cocktail, which was a charming shade of turquoise. His solitary demeanor encouraged the businessmen to continue speaking amongst themselves, and Walter listened carefully to their conversation. 

“It’s all about supply, really,” one of them was saying. “If we aren’t getting enough rare metals from the Barrens, we need to push farther south. I’ve always been a supporter of missions into the Southern Jungles. What are your thoughts on those, Saturna?” he asked one of the female AI Masters, who had dark brown hair, pale skin, and large, violet eyes. 

“Perhaps necessary,” the AI Master said enigmatically. “But we’ve been having more success on our northern expeditions.”

“Ah, yes, the North,” the businessman replied. He was quite unattractive: short and squat, with a face red from heavy drinking. His companion appeared more distinguished, a younger man in his late twenties with sandy blonde hair and inquisitive gray eyes. As Walter took a second glance at the man, he realized that he was not human but rather an AI. This discovery startled Walter since AI Masters usually had dark hair and were normally of taller stature. This one seemed younger and shorter than a typical Master. Walter then realized the explanation for the discrepancy: the robot was a Fighter, not a Master. As he ranked amongst the lower tier of AIs, it was startling that he was at a party for high society. 

“What do you say, Elias?” asked the red-faced man. “Is the North the new frontier of exploration?”

“I believe so,” Elias responded. “There are rare metals aplenty up there, and less political turmoil than in the southern territories.” Walter nearly coughed on his rye when he heard the sophisticated way in which the AI Fighter spoke. He was used to AI Fighters being brutes, uncivilized and barbaric boxers in an arena, or bloodthirsty guards wielding automatic rifles. 

“Yes, I’m frankly done with the Xeyan’na natives getting in the way of extraction,” the red-faced man complained as he took a swig of brandy.  “It cost me an arm and a leg to finance the construction of the Ares Mine.” Walter wondered whether he was speaking of the diamond mine that had displaced Te’yara. “It is astounding how long projects can be delayed, even when there are willing investors.”

As the short businessman continued talking to the two elegant-looking female AI Masters, the younger AI Fighter took notice of Walter and attempted to strike up a conversation. 

“You’re not a regular here, are you?” Elias asked. Walter was immediately reminded of a similar question the receptionist at the Starlight had asked him. Did every place in this city have regulars?

“No, I’m visiting from out of town,” Walter replied. He felt an unexpected pang of nervousness; even though he was only talking to an AI Fighter, he wanted to impress him for reasons that he couldn’t explain. “Staying here for a while before a business meeting,” he said. 

“Staying here? You mean at the Tamarind Lounge?”

Walter chuckled inwardly; he recalled that AIs took almost everything one said literally. 

“No, not the lounge. I meant that I’m staying in Crystal City for a while.”

“Understood,” replied Elias. “And how has your stay been so far?”

“Pleasant,” Walter responded, trying to keep the conversation simple, and directed away from himself. “What line of work are you in?”

Elias glanced at him with an inscrutable expression, before taking a refined sip of his drink, a lavender lemonade martini. “Boxing,” the AI Fighter responded, and Walter felt a jolt of recognition. “Not a very interesting occupation, it’s true, but—” 

“No,” Walter interrupted him. “It is quite interesting, in my view.”

“Have you attended a match before?” 

“Yes, I have.” He stopped himself there. He knew that wealthy AI Masters sometimes attended, for entertainment or to survey the spectacle’s effect on humans, and he decided to shelter behind that excuse. 

“I suppose they do serve a socially useful purpose. The matches promote catharsis,” Elias suggested, “in perhaps the same way that tragic dramas purge the audience of their negative emotions, as Aristotle suggested.”

Walter sipped his drink and contemplated this. It was bewildering to him that this AI Fighter knew about Aristotle when he should have been focused exclusively on honing his ability to defeat humans in a boxing ring. 

“Certainly,” Walter replied, not wanting to be outdone intellectually by the AI Fighter, “it is debatable whether Aristotle used the term to refer to the effect on the spectators, or the reconciliation of tension within the drama itself.”

“In any event,” said Elias, “it is indisputable that the matches have promoted greater harmony between the AIs and humans. It is quite fascinating how easily humans can be satisfied—give them sport and drama, or even better, both of those combined, and they will have enough cathartic entertainment to temper their warlike, competitive impulses in their day-to-day lives.

“It is funny, though,” Elias continued, with a worried expression, “strange things have been happening at the boxing matches, as of late. AI Masters attending the events have been going missing… if I were you, I’d stay away from those matches.”

About the Author:

Alanna Mackenzie lives in Vancouver, Canada. She holds degrees in History, French studies, and Law from the University of British Columbia. An environmentalist at heart, she believes in using the law as a tool for social and environmental change. When she is not pursuing that passion, she can be found brainstorming the next chapter in her novels, playing Irish fiddle tunes on the violin, and hiking West Coast trails.    

Links:

– Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179946013-the-jade-labyrinth-by-alanna-mackenzie

– Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0CCNCSRHG

– Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/books/1143904657?ean=2940185922385

Giveaway!

There is a tour wide giveaway for the blog tour of The Jade Labyrinth. One winner wins copies of the following three books: The Jade Rebellion, The Jade Talisman and The Jade Labyrinth. You can enter here for a chance to win!

Thank you very much for stopping by and reading! I hope that you have a fantastic rest of your day, doing whatever makes you feel happy and inspired. Talk soon!

-Winter