It is said they bring corruption to the art and do not have the physical strength or depth of character needed to commune with an energy dragon.

Women have no place in the world of the dragon magic. So Eona has to hope she is chosen and can keep her identity secret while serving as an apprentice and eventually Dragoneye. Yet not being chosen is also hazardous since Eona’s master will no longer have a use for her and she may end up sold to a new master, or worse. If it is discovered that a girl has the audacity to try to become a Dragoneye, she will be killed according to the law, which forbids females from attaining this position. However, Eon and his master are playing a very dangerous game in the quest to make him the Rat Dragon apprentice – for Eon is actually not a twelve-year-old boy but Eona, a sixteen year old girl. It is not very often that a person can see one energy dragon, but Eon can see all of them except for the Mirror Dragon, who has been missing for 500 years. The boy considered least likely to be chosen is Eon, a cripple who is only in consideration due to his very rare gift. It is nearing the end of training for the candidates who will appear before the Rat Dragon, the keeper of ambition. In exchange for this power, much of the man’s Hua, or energy, is depleted by the end of his 24-year bond with his energy dragon. No one understands the reasoning behind the dragon’s choice of a new boy to replace the old one, who uses the power to control the earth in ways such as preventing earthquakes and monsoons. At the same time, a new apprentice is chosen by the energy dragon from among twelve candidates and the cycle continues. This conclusion to the story is also known as Eona: Return of the Dragoneye and The Necklace of the Gods.Įvery twelve years, one of the twelve energy dragons becomes ascendant, and the Dragoneye for that dragon steps down to be replaced by his apprentice. A sequel, Eona, was just released this week. It has also been published under several different titles: Eon, Eon: Dragoneye Reborn, Eon: Rise of the Dragoneye, and The Two Pearls of Wisdom. This novel has received several awards and honors: it is the winner of the Aurealis Award, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Locus Recommended Reading Selection, a James Tiptree, Jr., Award Finalist, a CBCA Notable Book, and a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. Eon by Alison Goodman has been published as both an adult and a young adult novel in different parts of the world.

Eon alison goodman