Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman (Viking, $19.99, 9780670062270/0670062278, 544 pp., ages 12-up, December 2008)

There will be no spoilers in this review, but there are plenty of surprises in this book. The thoughtfully imagined world and riveting adventure Goodman brought to her debut Singing the Dogstar Blues she now brings to the ancient past in Asia. The author never names the country, but it is ruled by an emperor who derives much of his power from the Dragoneye Council. The Council consists of men who have each joined their Hua ("the natural energy that exists in all things") with one of the 12 dragons, which correspond with "one of the heavenly animals in the twelve-year cycle of power that has run in the same sequence since the beginning of time," the animals of the Chinese zodiac. Each New Year, the cycle begins again, and its corresponding dragon doubles its power for the next 12 months. But there are only 11 dragons. The Dragon Dragon, or "Mirror Dragon," has been missing for 500 years.

The human characters' desire to bend this intricate structure to their own will sets in motion the twists and turns of Goodman's plot. As the book begins, it is the eve of the Rat Dragon's ascension. A dozen 12-year-old candidates prepare for a ceremony--presided over by the Emperor himself--at which one of them will be chosen as the Rat Dragoneye apprentice, who will then be trained by the current Dragoneye, Lord Ido, in order to step into his place. The 12 are trained tirelessly by the Swordmaster to perform the ceremonial Approach Sequence, but it is the Dragon itself who chooses the apprentice and joins its energy with the human's Hua. Only this time, there is a girl among the 12, disguised as a boy. She is a 16-year-old who goes by the name of Eon; her true name is Eona. Eon and her master, a former Tiger Dragoneye, risk death if her gender is discovered. ("Women have no place in the world of the dragon magic. 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.") But if Eon is chosen, the gains are great in both wealth and prestige, for herself and her master. Although Eon is lame in one leg, she is allowed to compete because she is the only one among the 12 candidates who has "full dragon sight." She can see all of the dragons--except for the missing Mirror Dragon.

The mystery of the Mirror Dragon is central to the book, but it is not the only one. In the course of the tale, Goodman brilliantly examines complexities of sexuality. What makes a man masculine? A woman feminine? Some of the Dragoneyes take Sun drug to increase their "Sun" or male power, while Eon takes a "ghostmaker's tea" to suppress her "Moon" or female energy (to keep her from menstruating before the ceremony). The author further explores these questions through the ancient roles of the eunuch, or Moon Shadow, and the Contraire (a woman born in a man's body), prized by some and ostracized by others. Goodman also raises questions of identity bound up in heritage: How much of who we are is given to us by birthright and how much of our destiny do we make ourselves? Every character's journey in this book involves making life-or-death choices. As Eon's master tells her, "You cannot gain the dragon's power without giving something valuable in return." This is the first in what the publisher is calling "a duology," but it is satisfyingly complete on its own. The best way to begin is when you can read it straight through to the end (and then you'll want to start over to see how well Goodman planted the seeds for her many revelations).--Jennifer M. Brown