Coffee For The Brain Book Tournament - Round 2 Decision - Iqbal vs. Eon

Next up in the Round 2 battles we had the following two novels. Here is another fantastic rationale on why the book the judges chose moved on to the next round.

Iqbal vs. Eon

"Iqbal" vs. "Eon"

The books we read were "Iqbal" by Francesco D'Adamo and "Eon" by Allison Goodman.  There is some difficulty comparing these books to eachother as they obviously have different purposes. "Iqbal" is written to educate and enlighten.  While "Eon" seems to strive mainly to entertain and ride the current wave of enthusiasm for novels with a female heroine.  "Iqbal" tells an important story but when comparing it to a novel with a similar purpose like "Night," it pales in comparison.  For example, years after reading "Night," I recollect vivid images created from the detailed writing. "Iqbal" seems to lack this quality and in fact, almost seems to have been "dummied" down to make it an easy ready.  The simplification of the story leaves out details that would have made the story more enduringl. "Eon," on the other hand, has a great deal of detail. That being said, when comparing it to, for example, "The Hunger Games," I would say that it is not as gripping. At the end of "The Hunger Games," there was no way that I wasn't rushing around the house to find the sequel.  Although, I must interject that "Mockingbird," had it been first would have ended any further book purchasing. Back to "Eon," as in this review, I found myself easily distracted when reading the book. I never put a great book down and will read a huge novel in an evening, if it merits. "Eon" didn't merit.  Not to say that it was a bad book.  

When choosing between "Iqbal" and "Eon," our choice is "Eon." While I doubt that this book will survive to the final round, considering the competition it is sure to face, I would recommend it. It is consistent with popular "tween" books now. Daniel enjoyed it and while "Iqbal" required encouragement to complete, I found "Eon" by his bed without having to put it there.  "Eon" is well written and an easy read without being "too easy."  I would buy the sequel, although I will wait for it come out in paper back.  I will offer the following disclaimer to my review. I am not much of a science fiction sort of reader, so anything that hints at that usually holds little appeal for me. I mention this because I can think of many science fiction novels that I would abandon after reading the cover. In this case, that would have been a mistake, for a quality story was hidden inside the world of the Dragoneye.  I can see this gaining popularity and a following and even becoming a movie as it has many similarities to other recent series that have found this success.