Dragon Pearl

Dragon Pearl is a standalone novel written by Yoon Ha Lee and published by Rick Riordan Presents. It was released on January 15, 2019.

Synopsis
A standalone middle grade novel starring Min, a teenage fox spirit whose brother is missing and thought to have deserted the Thousand Worlds Space Forces in order to find the pearl of the title, an artifact that may have the power to save their struggling space colony.

Development
When writing Dragon Pearl, Yoon Ha Lee reread Folk Tales from Korea by Zong In-Sob which he was entertained by as a child. It contains information on things that include gumiho (fox spirit) stories and the legend of Hong Gildong. Lee also read parts of Hong-Key Yoon’s The Culture of Fengshui in Korea as inspiration for the mystical star ships and Religions of Korea in Practice, a collection of essays edited by Robert E. Buswell Jr., for background on the smallpox spirits.

On October 28th, Rick Riordan said this book was unlike any of the other books in his imprint. He said the book is like Star Wars combined with Korean mythology, only better, and gave sneak peaks at the book every Sunday calling it #SciFiSunday.

An Investigator Shows Up
This story takes place on the backwater planet of Jinju. Min is a teenaged fox spirit that can shapeshift into anything. She can also manipulate human emotions and make people see things that aren’t there. But she wants to join the Space Forces like her older brother, Jun, but fox spirits hide their true nature due to lasting prejudice. One day, Jun disappears and apparently abandoned his post to guard a relic that can transform worlds: the Dragon Pearl. Min decides to runaway from home before she can be shifted to the boondocks.

Min lives with her mother and four aunties, it will be two more years before she can take the Space Forces exam. She really wanted to sleep on the ancient quilt with everybody else, her oldest cousin Bora was snoring too loud. Legend has it, a Shaman used the Dragon Pearl to make Jinju, though Min didn't think the pearl existed. But then an investigator of the Thousand Worlds revealing Jun's disappearance and treachery. He has a message from him to Min, he says he made a lot of friends, exploring new worlds like dad, but has lots of chores. Min wonders what he said about "friends" and their dad, he died seven years ago and was a skilled technician, not an explorer. Min denies knowing anything about this, she refused to believe that Jun would steal the Pearl to help Jinju.

Her mother decides to invite the investigator for dinner. After being ask to get the table ready, Min transforms into a table for mom to put the food on. She discovered that Kim was using Charm on the suspicious investigator, who threatened to open a general investigation into their family. Min got mad and suddenly transformed back into a human and attacked the man despite her mother's protests. He realizes that they were foxes and attack Min because if they'd go rogue in the Space Forces it would be really bad and the population would become paranoid about others being foxes. Min turned into a block of metal and crushed his foot, after returning to her human form again she knocked the man out with a saucepan. The noise attracts the aunties, Min's mother makes her clean up the mess while she and the aunties take the investigator to their rug. While they discuss Min's potential fate about this, Bora and her brother Manshik come in. Min tries to overhear something her Auntie Areum is saying but Bora makes more of a mess, Min's mother, Seonmi, comes in saying she will have a long discussion with her later and sends Bora and Manshik to the hydroponics dome.

Min hears her mother and aunties talking about what to do with the investigator. The other cousins Bora and Manshik, so Min takes a sonic shower before thinking things over. Bora comes in the bathroom and makes a bet with her cousin: if Jun comes back within a year, she'll do all of Min's chores for the next six months, if not it will be vice versa. Min decides to runaway from home to find some answers. She packs faded clothes, her breathing masks, an outdated data-slate, and a picture of their family into a patched-up backpack. She told Manshik she was just taking clothes to the laundry room, but once she stepped outside she didn't look back.

Running Away to Hongok
Min headed for the city of Hongok on a hover-scooter and shifted into a slightly older version of herself, she was under the alias of Kim Bora. She was hoping to get to the spaceport to get on a ship to someone from the Space Forces so she can Charm them to get information about Jun. She enters through the West Gate which was flanked two statues of Haetae, but not before a guard's cohort told the officer to leave her alone.

Min finds a directory where two children were playing with the holograms, she headed for the Market District only to run into a guard named Eunhee attracting some more who surrounded her. They notice emerald rings Min wore, she decides to have them take her to the spaceport. But first, they take her to a restaurant for some tea. Min learns that the investigator at her house came from a special courier vessel with a classified port of origin. Min brings up a planet named Maesil but Eunhee says that's old news, many ships are gathering in the Ghost Sector despite the fact that a planet within it called the Fourth Colony had its entire population perish due to angering disease spirits, now the planet is said to bring bad luck to anyone who lands on it. A spiky haired guard mentions rumors of a tiger captain named Hwan, Min decides to make a run for it upon hearing that the guards don't trust supernaturals. Eunhee takes her to the bathroom to wash her hands, Min trips her, enters the private room, changes into a chair, and then a waiter to escape. But several blocks away, she realized she left her backpack containing her jades behind.

Working for Nari
Soon Min arrived at the spaceport, the person in line in front of her has pins that tell which worlds they've been to. Among the Thousands Worlds are Madang, fabled for it gardens, Cheongok, a ocean planet with archipelagos where the dragons sends their descendants to learn the art of weather-craft, and Jaebo, known for its staggering wealth where the rulers of the Thousands Worlds governed from the Pearled Halls. After Min managed to get past security, she found a message scratched on a digital information kiosk that said DON'T PLAY DICE AT NARI'S. The closest ship heading for the Ghost Sector was a freighter called the Red Azalea. It said that a captain named Captain Hye was willing to take on "working passengers", but she could be found at Nari's.

When she arrived, she sneezed at the approach of the female owner. Nari recognized Min despite her trying to say that she was Kim Bora. Nari smelled like a fox, she was actually Seonmi's cousin who grew up with her and Min's aunties. She reveals that she and Seonmi started this gambling business together, but Seonmi left it to start a family. The family cut tie to her for this "tainted" business, she wants Min to work for her instead looking for Hye, all she has to do is make sure people are having a good time using Charm. After putting on a fancier outfit, Min is introduced to a bouncer named Yong who informs her that Hye is at the high stakes table. A gambler wanted some more cheongju (rice wine), Min decides to get Hye some gukhwaju (chrysanthemum wine) as well. The bartender reveals that the refreshments cause the customers to lose the lots of money they won, that way no one ever suspects that the games are rigged. Upon finding Hye, Min tells her that Nari will cancel her debt if she takes her colleague off-planet. But the captain was escorted to Nari's office, Yong allowed Min to leave.

Aboard the Red Azalea
Following directions, Min arrived at the Red Azalea dock at the spaceport. She yelled that Captain Hye was in trouble, a man named Byung-Ho believes this and has her work as copilot. All she has to do is keep the indicators in the blue zone instead of the red, blue is for heaven, a voice tells them not to take off but Byung-Ho ignores it and goes anyway. Byung-Ho tells "Bora" that she must be tough/desperate for heading to the Ghost Sector, they'll be heading towards a Gate that will take them to Gingko Station. When going through, Min sees a vision of her dad turning into a tiger. No one can leave the ship while in Gate space, but now the Red Azalea has to recharge. Unfortunately, four mercenary ships arrive soon after while they're stuck in-system, and the unlucky number four signified death. Min takes control of the ship, Byung-Ho has already sent for a battle cruiser. They get hit by a disabling shot, Min quickly heads to the engine room and makes repairs. But soon the Red Azalea has been infiltrated, Min and Byung-Ho grab some weapons and investigate, the last thing Min remembers before losing consciousness was witnessing a sun grenade go off after dodging two bolts of lightning.

Working on the Pale Lightning
Min woke up on in an infirmary, but she was not on the Red Azalea anymore. A ghost named Bae Jang is next to her, he reveals that they were save Min and Byung-Ho when he got killed, his training cruise was the Pale Lightning! Min gets an idea: as a fox she can disguise herself as Jang so she can find out more about her brother and he can complete his training. Jang says there are other supernaturals like Min on the ship but most of the crew is human, he accepts this proposal.

Characters

 * Min
 * Jun
 * Bae Jang
 * Haneul
 * Sujin
 * Captain Hwan
 * Kim Seonmi
 * Chul
 * Byung-Ho
 * Nari
 * Pilot
 * Bora
 * Seok
 * Eunhee

Chapters
The book consists of thirty-eight chapters. Each chapter has a picture above the name of the number that alternates between a fox, tiger, dragon, and dokkaebi.

Trivia

 * This is the first book covered under the Rick Riordan/Rick Riordan Presents banner to not be Urban Fantasy, but Science Fantasy (specifically Space Opera).
 * Similarly it is the first book under the Rick Riordan/Rick Riordan Presents banner to not star a human or a human hybrid protagonist, as Min is identified as a Fox Spirit.
 * The book is dedicated to Arabelle Sophie Betzwieser, Lee's favorite "Dragon".
 * The planet Maesil is named after the Korean name for Prunus mume.
 * Following the announcement of a sequel to The Storm Runner, Dragon Pearl became the first stand alone Rick Riordan Presents title.