Dragon Pearl
{{short description|Novel written by Yoon Ha Lee}}
{{For-multi|the 2011 film|The Dragon Pearl|the 2017 TV series|Legend of Dragon Pearl}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Sources exist|date=December 2020}}
{{Unreliable sources|date=December 2020}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox book
| name = Dragon Pearl
| image = File:Dragon Pearl.jpg
| author = Yoon Ha Lee
| country = United States
| language = English
| genre = Science fiction, mythology
| publisher = Rick Riordan Presents
| published =
| caption = Hardcover art
| pub_date = January 15, 2019
| series = Thousand Worlds #1
| followed_by = Tiger Honor
| cover_artist = Vivienne To
| isbn = 9781368013352
| oclc = 1059522670
| media_type = {{unbulleted list|Hardcover, e-book, and audiobook|Later released in paperback}}
| subject = investigation • epic journey • magic powers • space flight • interstellar travel • Korean mythos • sibling relationship • impersonation
| pages = 312
}}
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.{{cite book |last1=Lee |first1=Yoon Ha |title=Dragon Pearl |date=2019 |publisher=Disney Electronic Content |isbn=978-1-368-01519-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ml5dDwAAQBAJ |language=en}} The book is a mix of Korean mythology and science fiction as the main character travels the galaxy.{{cite web|last1=Gowsell|first1=Bill|date=15 January 2019|title=Book Review: "Dragon Pearl" by Yoon Ha Lee|url=https://www.laughingplace.com/w/articles/2019/01/15/book-review-dragon-pearl-by-yoon-ha-lee/|website=LaughingPlace.com}}{{Cite web|title=Yoon Ha Lee {{!}} Dragon Pearl|url=https://www.yoonhalee.com/?p=933|access-date=2020-12-31|language=en-US}} A short story by Lee about the characters in the book was featured in the anthology book The Cursed Carnival and Other Calamities.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-24|title=The Latest from Athena House Jan 24, 2021 {{!}} Rick Riordan|url=https://rickriordan.com/2021/01/the-latest-from-athena-house-jan-24-2021/|access-date=2021-03-11|language=en-US}}
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. 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.{{Cite web|title=Publishers Weekly review of Dragon Pearl|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-368-01335-2}}
Release
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.
| class="wikitable"
!Date Published !Publisher !Format !Edition !Language !Pages !ISBN |
| rowspan="5" |Jan 15, 2019
|Hardcover |English |312 |{{Isbn|978-1368013352}} |
| Thorndike Press
|Hardcover |English |515 |{{Isbn|978-1432860981}} |
| Rick Riordan
| colspan="2" |ebook |English |312 |{{Isbn|978-1368015196}} |
| Disney Hyperion
| colspan="2" |Kindle |English |320 |{{ASIN|B07D9WRHNH}} |
| Random House
| colspan="2" |Audiobook |English |N/A |{{Isbn|978-1987156973}} |
| Jan 7, 2020
| colspan="2" |Paperback |English |320 |{{Isbn|978-1368014748}} |
= Translations =
| class="wikitable"
!Date Published !Publisher !Format !Edition !Language !Pages !ISBN |
| Mar 13, 2019
| colspan="2" |Paperback |Polish |352 |{{Isbn|978-8366173019}} |
| 2020
| colspan="2" |Paperback |Indonesian |412 |{{Isbn|978-6023857708}} |
| May 13, 2020
| colspan="2" |Hardcover |Italian |336 |{{Isbn|978-8809879133}} |
| 2021
|Жорж | colspan="2" |Hardcover |Ukrainian |372 |{{Isbn|978-6177853205}} |
Reception
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." 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."{{Cite web|date=2019-05-13|title=Colleen Mondor Reviews Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee|url=https://locusmag.com/2019/05/colleen-mondor-reviews-dragon-pearl-by-yoon-ha-lee/|access-date=2021-02-25|website=Locus Online|language=en-US}} 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."
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."{{Cite web|date=2019-02-02|title=Dragon Pearl - Book Review|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/dragon-pearl|access-date=2021-02-25|website=www.commonsensemedia.org|language=en}} 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."{{Cite web|date=2019-06-21|title=Five Reasons To Read: Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee – A Fun and Delightful Korean-Inspired Space Opera/Fantasy|url=https://thequietpond.com/2019/06/22/five-reasons-to-read-dragon-pearl-by-yoon-ha-lee-a-fun-and-delightful-korean-inspired-space-opera-fantasy/|access-date=2021-02-25|website=The Quiet Pond|language=en}} 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."{{Cite book|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/yoon-ha-lee/dragon-pearl/|title=DRAGON PEARL {{!}} Kirkus Reviews|language=en}}
External links
References
{{Reflist}}{{Rick Riordan Presents}}{{Locus Award Best Young Adult Book}}
Category:American science fiction novels
Category:Works based on Korean myths and legends
Category:Science fantasy novels
Category:American children's novels
Category:Children's science fiction novels