The second novel in author Yoon Ha Lee’s Thousand Worlds series, this one centers on Juhwang Sebin, a nonbinary 13-year-old with a martial upbringing who can shift between human and tiger spirit forms like the rest of their Juhwang Clan. Sebin’s dream is to join the Thousand World Space Forces and captain a battle cruiser like their Uncle Hwan. When Sebin finally receives their acceptance letter, however, they also learn that Hwan has been declared a traitor for hijacking a spaceship to steal a magical artifact, the Dragon Pearl.
When Sebin’s ship is sabatoged and it seems like Hwan was the cause, Sebin must decide whether to try and clear Hwan’s name and risk being kicked out of the Space Forces, or to follow Force rules and risk becoming estranged from their family. Sebin’s crewmates are themselves shapeshifters of various sorts, becoming other creatures inspired by Korean mythology. Some characters from Dragon Pearl, the first novel in the series, also show up, but are viewed from a very different perspective.
Sebin is happily not the only nonbinary character, and such identities are seamlessly accepted. Their first-person narrative shows them grappling with a very personal moral dilemma against the sweeping backdrop of both ancient myths and futuristic space travel, making this an imaginative novel with both action and heart.
