Despite the high-tech blasters, beam swords, and battle cruisers of the Thousand Worlds, it’s the traditional magic and mythology that keep the galaxy running. In Dragon Pearl, Yoon Ha Lee introduced readers to the numerous animal spirits that inhabit the Thousand Worlds and the planets outside its borders. To prepare you for Tiger Honor, we’ve created a primer for all the animal spirits you’ll need to know when you dive back into this rich and diverse universe.
Tiger Spirits
At the center of Tiger Honor is Cadet Sebin, a member of the Juhwang Clan from the world of Yonggi. As a tiger spirit, Sebin can shift between human and feline form. Tiger spirits are known across the galaxy for their ferocious strength, sharp senses, and cunning intellect. They possess strong family bonds and value their honor above all else. Tiger spirits are natural leaders, but sometimes they let their power go to their head. And don’t even get us started on the size of their hairballs.
Dragon Spirits
Dragon spirits are arguably the most potent supernatural creatures in the entire galaxy. Their vast magical powers allow them to control the weather and terraform planets. In Dragon Pearl we met cadet Hanuel, who proved that dragon spirits can be heroic, friendly, and down-to-earth once you get to know them. We also heard tales of the powerful Dragon Society, an influential terraforming organization you do not want to cross. Just goes to show that political power and influence are more threatening than any type of magic you can imagine.
Fox Spirits
Fox spirits, also known as gumiho, are rare across the Thousand Worlds. So much so that many people think they’ve gone extinct. In reality, many of them simply spend most of their time in human form. As we learned by following Min’s story in Dragon Pearl, fox spirits can not only shift between animal and human form, but they can also transform into other animals, as well as inanimate objects. Because they’re physically weaker than tiger spirits, gumiho usually rely on trickery to gain the upper hand against their opponents. That’s partially why they developed such a nasty reputation and were discouraged from practicing their magic openly.
That, and also most people were sick of fox spirits using their Charm ability to convince others to do their bidding. Typically, it goes a little something like this:
You WILL read Tiger Honor, on sale January 4th. You WILL read Tiger Honor, on sale January 4th. You WILL read Tiger Honor, on sale January 4th. You WILL read Tiger Honor, on sale January 4th.
