Singing the Dogstar Blues (19 page)
Read Singing the Dogstar Blues Online
Authors: Alison Goodman
A lot of wonderful people have helped and supported me in the development of
Singing the Dogstar Blues
. I would like to thank:
Charmaine and Doug Goodman for their never failing support. Karen McKenzie for her friendship, sharp editing skills and honesty. Ron Gallagher for his curiosity, knowledge of science and his patience. June Wilson, Justin Healy and Tor Roxburgh for their friendship and critical input. Bonnie Buxton for her friendship and electronic cheering from Toronto. Judy Duffy and the two RMIT novel classes who listened and commented. Fran Bryson, my agent, and her assistant Lucy Williams for their faith and their energy on my behalf. Anna McFarlane, senior editor at HarperCollins, for her enthusiasm, insight and gentle editing technique. Laura Harris, commissioning editor at HarperCollins, for liking and accepting the book. Lucy Sussex for her interest in my writing and giving me my break. Gerald Murnane for his excellent teaching and advice. Chris Wilson, harp player and singer extraordinaire, for his input on the music sections. A friendly doctor at an IVF clinic who answered all my questions. Unfortunately, the piece of paper with your name on it got lost. And all my family and friends who asked âHow's the book going?' and really wanted to know.
Alison Goodman's
The Two Pearls of Wisdom
, a dazzling adventure inspired by ancient Chinese lore, was published by HarperCollins in 2008. A year earlier,
Killing the Rabbit
, a crime thriller for adults that was published in the USA by Bantam in 2007. Alison was the 1999 DJ O'Hearn Memorial Fellow at the University of Melbourne, holds a Master of Arts and teaches creative writing at postgraduate level.
Alison's first novel,
Singing the Dogstar Blues
, won the 1998 Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Novel, and was short-listed for the 1999 Victorian Premier's Literary Award for Young Adult Fiction. It was also listed as a Children's Book Council Notable Book, and an American Library Association Best Book (2004).
THE TWO PEARLS OF WISDOM
Eon is a potential Dragoneye, able to manipulate wind and water to nurture and protect the land. But Eon also has a dark secret.
He is really Eona, found by a power-hungry master of the Dragon Magic in a search for the new Dragoneye. Because females are forbidden to practise the Art, Eona endures years of study concealed as a boy. Eona becomes Eon, and a dangerous gamble is put into play.
Eon's unprecedented display of skill at the Dragoneye ceremony places him in the centre of a power struggle between the Emperor and his High Lord brother. The Emperor immediately summons Eon to court to protect his son and heir. Quickly learning to navigate the treacherous court politics, Eon makes some unexpected alliances, and a deadly enemy in a Dragoneye turned traitor.
Based on the ancient lores of Chinese astrology and Feng Shui,
The Two Pearls of Wisdom
and its sequel
The Necklace of the Gods
are compelling novels set in a world filled with false identities, dangerous politics and sexual intrigue.
Singing the Dogstar Blues
â⦠an exhilarating novel that escapes the limitation of genre.'
Australian Book Review
â⦠an original well-paced story with a feisty and engaging heroine. Here is a voice that sings.'
CBCA Notable Books Report
âA gripping tale in a fully realized world. A winner.'
Kirkus Reviews
(USA)
âThis highly entertaining novel is an unusual mixture of genres: time travel, comedic mustery thriller and realistic portrayal of familial and alien relationships ⦠intriguing and exciting.'
SLJ
(USA)
âThis wildly entertaining novel successfully mixes adventure, humor, mystery, and sf into a fast-paced, thrilling story that will appeal to a wide audience.'
Booklist
(ALA)
Winner of the Aurealis Awards, Best Young Adult Novel, 1998
Children's Book Council of Australia Notable Book, 1999
Shortlisted in the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards, Best Young Adult Fiction, 1999
Shortlisted in the Talking Book Awards, Young People's Category, 1999
An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults, 2004
Angus & Robertson
An imprint of HarperCollins
Publishers
, Australia
First published in Australia in 1998
This edition published in 2011
by HarperCollins
Publishers
Australia Pty Limited
ABN 36 009 913 517
Copyright © Alison Goodman 1998
The right of Alison Goodman to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her under the
Copyright Amendment (Moral Rights) Act 2000
.
This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the
Copyright Act 1968
, no part may be reproduced, copied, scanned, stored in a retrieval system, recorded, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
HarperCollins
Publishers
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10 East 53rd Street, New York NY 10022, USA
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication data:
Goodman, Alison.
Singing the dogstar blues / Alison Goodman.
Rev. ed.
ISBN 978 0 7322 8863 1
ISBN 978-1-74309-589-8 (epub)
A823.3