Dragon Pearl

Novel written by Yoon Ha Lee From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dragon Pearl

Dragon Pearl is a middle grade novel written by Yoon Ha Lee and published on January 15, 2019, by Disney Hyperion under their "Rick Riordan Presents" publishing imprint.[1] The book is a mix of Korean mythology and science fiction as the main character travels the galaxy.[2][3] A short story by Lee about the characters in the book was featured in the anthology book The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities.[4]

Quick Facts Author, Cover artist ...
Dragon Pearl
Hardcover art
AuthorYoon Ha Lee
Cover artistVivienne To
LanguageEnglish
SeriesThousand Worlds #1
Subjectinvestigation • epic journeymagic powersspace flightinterstellar travelKorean mythossibling relationshipimpersonation
GenreScience fiction, mythology
PublisherRick Riordan Presents
Publication date
January 15, 2019
Publication placeUnited States
Media type
  • Hardcover, e-book, and audiobook
  • Later released in paperback
Pages312
ISBN9781368013352
OCLC1059522670
Followed byTiger Honor 
Close

Like its fellow "Rick Riordan Presents" books, the novel was praised for its diverse representation and plot and characterization. A sequel, Tiger Honor, was published in January 2022.

Plot

The main character Min, a teenage fox spirit (gumiho), runs away from her home, which is crowded with family members all staying in the same house, in order to figure out what happened to her lost brother, Jun, who was a cadet in the Space Forces before his disappearance.[2] After she leaves her home planet, Jinju, on a freighter ship, she begins uncovering more secrets. She finds the ship her brother was stationed on, leading her to pose as a recently deceased cadet on that ship so that she is enabled in her continued investigation. Meanwhile, she communicates with a dead cadet, Bae Jang, to whom she promises vengeance, in order to maintain her secret. When Min befriends two cadets on the ship, a dragon and a goblin disguised as humans, she learns that they are quickly approaching the Ghost Sector, in which the lost Dragon Pearl is said to have been laid to rest.[5]

Release

Summarize
Perspective

It was released in hardcover, audiobook, and e-book format on January 15, 2019. Rick Riordan Presents made a paperback edition available in English on January 7, 2020. The book has been translated and printed in other languages, including Polish, Indonesian, Ukrainian, and Italian.

More information Date Published, Publisher ...
Date Published Publisher Format Edition Language Pages ISBN
Jan 15, 2019 Rick Riordan Hardcover 1st ed English 312 ISBN 978-1368013352
Thorndike Press Hardcover Large print English 515 ISBN 978-1432860981
Rick Riordan ebook English 312 ISBN 978-1368015196
Disney Hyperion Kindle English 320 ASIN B07D9WRHNH
Random House Audiobook English N/A ISBN 978-1987156973
Jan 7, 2020 Rick Riordan Paperback English 320 ISBN 978-1368014748
Close

Translations

More information Date Published, Publisher ...
Date Published Publisher Format Edition Language Pages ISBN
Mar 13, 2019 Galeria Książki Paperback Polish 352 ISBN 978-8366173019
2020 Noura Books Paperback Indonesian 412 ISBN 978-6023857708
May 13, 2020 Giunti Editore Hardcover Italian 336 ISBN 978-8809879133
2021 Жорж Hardcover Ukrainian 372 ISBN 978-6177853205
Close

Reception

Summarize
Perspective

The Laughing Place reviewed the main character, Min, as likeable and fun, and even said that Lee has "crafted such a finely tuned narrative that Dragon Pearl can stand alone as an excellent story or be the start of a lengthy space saga."[2] Colleen Mondor of Locus comparing the book to the Perils of Pauline serial in the early 1900s, stating that it "nailed what the younger action crowd craves. If the story gets a bit thin along the way, that's okay, as the plot barrels along at such a breakneck pace you hardly notice."[6] A review on Publishers Weekly said, "in this highly original novel ... Lee offers a perfect balance of space opera and Korean mythology with enough complexity to appeal to teens."[5]

Reviews on Common Sense Media were also complimentary, saying that the "combination of space opera and Korean folklore finds the right, enjoyable balance" and "the book ends on a perfect note of closure, but most readers would welcome Min's further adventures."[7] The Quiet Pond called the book a "delightful adventure" and provided five reasons why it should be read, including its diverse background of Korean mythology, the mix of genres including space opera, and its "awesome" protagonist."[8] Talking of Min's situation after she gets word of her brother's disappearance, Kirkus Reviews said "it's a Rick Riordan trademark to thrust mythological figures into new settings." The review site also called the book "A high-octane, science-fiction thriller painted with a Korean brush and a brilliant example of how different cultures can have unique but accessible cosmology and universal appeal."[9]

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.