Eon [Paperback]

Alison Goodman (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 31, 2010

Read Alison Goodman's blogs and other content on the Penguin Community.

Eon--the award-winning crossover fantasy that soars!

Sixteen-year-old Eon has a dream, and a mission. For years, he's been studying sword-work and magic, toward one end. He and his master hope that he will be chosen as a Dragoneye-an apprentice to one of the twelve energy dragons of good fortune.

But Eon has a dangerous secret. He is actually Eona, a sixteen-year-old girl who has been masquerading as a twelve-year-old boy. Females are forbidden to use Dragon Magic; if anyone discovers she has been hiding in plain sight, her death is assured.

When Eon's secret threatens to come to light, she and her allies are plunged into grave danger and a deadly struggle for the Imperial throne. Eon must find the strength and inner power to battle those who want to take her magic...and her life.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 8 Up—In this Asian-inspired fantasy world, political power belongs to the emperor, but also to the Dragoneyes: men who harness the power of the 12 energy dragons named for animals from the Chinese zodiac. Each year, a new one comes to power, and the dragon itself chooses a new apprentice from a pool of 12-year-old boys. Physically lame Eon is thought least likely to be chosen and also has a secret: Eon is truly Eona, a 16-year-old girl. At the ceremony, the Rat Dragon chooses fellow trainee Dillon for the role of apprentice. Eon thinks that all is lost until she sees a dragon no one has seen in 400 years: the Dragon Dragon—also known as the Mirror Dragon. The Mirror Dragon chooses Eon as an apprentice, and because there is no current Mirror Dragoneye, she must serve on the Dragoneye Council herself. She is thus plunged into the dangerous world of the court, which is sharply divided between the emperor and ruthless Lord Ido, the powerful Rat Dragoneye. Fans of Tamora Pierce will appreciate both the strong female protagonist and the cast of shrewd misfits who support her. Although the pace is initially slow, patient readers will be rewarded with high-stakes action in a well-crafted fantasy universe. A second volume will follow, but this one has an ending satisfying enough that readers will not feel cheated.—Megan Honig, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Since J. K. Rowling's ascendance to the throne of young-adult fantasy (and the recent challenge to the throne waged by Stephanie Meyer and her Twilight series), the genre has made significant inroads into mainstream fiction. In Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, first published in Australia, Alison Goodman takes advantage of that interest, crafting a tale full of the elements that have become familiar to readers -- and a few that haven't, particularly her clever take on gender and identity. Goodman is a fine storyteller, turning what could have been boilerplate fantasy into something engaging and important. Only one critic commented on a lack of tension. Eon will appeal to both adolescents and adults, and readers of both types will certainly clamor for the planned sequel.
Copyright 2009 Bookmarks Publishing LLC --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Firebird; Reprint edition (August 31, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0142417114
• ISBN-13: 978-0142417119
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 6.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (173 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars beware November 30, 2010

By bree

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book has been printed with 4 different titles. Make sure you have not read it. I was disappointed to find i purchased the same book with a different title. 1.Eon, 2.Eon:the dragoneye reborn, 3.Eon: rise of the dragoneye, and 4.the two pearls of wisdom are all the same book

32 of 36 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great concept, sags a little in the middle, still worth reading December 19, 2008

By Storylover TOP 50 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

This is a very engaging novel about a young girl who is forced to live her life as a young man in order to fulfill her destiny. It is a coming of age story, like many great works of fiction in the young adult fantasy genre. Alas, this novel is certainly good, but not great: the story is exceedingly predictable. This in itself if not a reason not to read the book--there is definitely some comfort in understanding exactly what you are getting when you pick up a book--mysteriously gifted young person unfairly kept down by circumstances out of their control, young person's potential finally recognized by those around them, a dire secret keeps young person's full capacity from saving them from a certain doom, young person goes on a journey of personal discovery to become who they really are. This plot works for Harry Potter, for Star Wars, and for Snow White. So, not much there that you haven't seen before...but the trappings, and the journey itself are quite nice. I haven't read much recent YA fiction set in China (although technically, this is a made-up country, not China itself, the tone is very Chinese with occasional bits of Japanese influence thrown in), although the current Temeraire series (see Temeraire Vol 1-3 Box Set With Bonus Poster)has a very very charming Chinese dragon in it, and one novel takes place in China. The historical details are quite interesting, and nicely done. The writer has a light touch, and although I felt on occasion that she gave away too much too quickly in the beginning, overall she was very readable. Both my wife and I read this book, and we both ended up satisfied with the ending, which was very very exciting. We had a hard time putting the book down for the last 100 pages or so, and by the last page, I was out of breath. Unfortunately, we also both agreed that the middle section could have been edited down significantly to make a tighter story. The task that the heroine needed to accomplish was so obvious to readers that watching her struggle through the problem was dull and frustrating. It was important to the plot that this struggle not seem overly facile, but I think that about 250 pages in the middle might have been condensed to about 125 and it still might have been a bit saggy.

This is not going to be the next HP--there may not be another one of those for a hundred years, to be honest. But there is no shame in not being HP. This book is a fun, at times thrilling adventure, full of heart and intrigue, and with an excellent ending and very engaging characters. Eon, Lady Dala, and Ryko are all folks I would like to get to know better in the next book, and I confess that by the end, even the "villain" Lord Ido gained some real appeal as a character. I confess that I am quite looking forward to the sequel--I will be buying it as soon as I see it!

If you are a fan of young heroines, a fan of Chinese flavored fantasy, and are willing to embrace a truly fascinating vision of dragons, this book will certainly satisfy. If you are looking for true originality...well, there is enough new here to make things interesting for a time, but you may loose interest about 200 pages in. I encourage you to march on through, because the ending is a wonderful ride.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the sequel May 7, 2010

By Troy

Format:Paperback

This book is just a renamed version of Eon Dragoneye Reborn it is not the sequel.