There are usually two types of hardcore Avatar fans. You have the ones who have watched every season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Legend of Korra. Then you have the Avatar fans like me, who have done that, but have ALSO delved into the many things outside of the cartoons, such as the comics, the video games, and even the fan fiction. Well, of the outside content, I now think that my favorite is the Chronicles of the Avatar novels, of which there are now six (with more on the way).
In fact - and this may shock the first type of Avatar fan - but now that I've read all the novels, I think I actually like them better than the TV shows, and for a number of reasons. Here are just a few.
The Books Never Shy Away From The Violence, Unlike The Kids Shows
I may catch hell for this, but I think The Legend of Korra is a better series than Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now, I don't think that it's WAY better, as I also love the latter. However, I just like that TLoK is a more “adult” show, and we often see that through how it handles violence.
Like, I know the genocide in ATLA is no secret, but it's more of an implied violence. That said, in TLoK, when Zaheer uses airbending to literally kill the Earth Queen, well, that's a form of violence that we just don’t see in ATLA.
The Chronicles of the Avatar books push things even further. Characters are murdered left and right, such as in the penultimate book, The Reckoning of Roku (which I’ve already talked about) where we see the lengths - such as murder - that a young Prince Sozin will go through in order to get ahead. We see even more death in the most recent book, The Awakening of Roku, where a woman is using poison to drive animals and people crazy to the point that they’ll kill without even realizing it.
Which is all really intriguing stuff! Because that’s the thing about these Chronicles of the Avatar novels. They’re not violent just for violence sake. They actually use it to show that the world of Avatar is just as dangerous as you would imagine it being, given that some people have literal superpowers, and might use them for evil. The shows give us a bit of that, but the books go full throttle, which I appreciate.
The Books Help Push Diversity Even Further Than The Already Diverse Cartoons
Another reason why I prefer TLoK to ATLA is because of how the former handled diversity, namely with the final episode and “Korrasami.” Now, I remember watching the series finale as it aired with my wife. Well, when Korra and Asami held hands and peered into each other’s eyes, I remember turning to my wife and asking, “Wait. Are they implying that they’re gay?” to which my wife couldn’t answer.
Which makes sense, because back in 2014 when the series ended, cartoons “for kids” just didn’t DO that. So, to have the chutzpah to even imply that Korra and Asami were gay, well, it was groundbreaking. And, it still is. However, while the comics go more in depth with gay relationships, the Chronicles of the Avatar novels don’t shy away from them AT ALL, which I greatly appreciate.
We learn in the Kyoshi books that Kyoshi was bisexual, which furthers the idea that Avatars really have it in their nature to be so. In fact, we see multiple instances of gay characters in the novels.
That said, I think the most progressive book might be the most recent one, as there’s a trans character. Now, I don’t know what the plans are for all of the upcoming movies and shows we’re slated to get from Avatar Studios, but I just wonder if they would put trans characters in them, given that, again, they’re meant for kids. I mean, maybe they will, but until that time comes, I respect the hell out of these novels, since they took the first step.
The Books Also Give Bigger Insight Into The Past That The Shows Have Merely Touched Upon
One thing I really love about the shows is when they go into the history of the former Avatars. We see a great deal of that when either Aang or Korra encounter their former selves, and that’s all really cool stuff. But, being a MEGA Avatar fan, I want MORE of that than just what the shows are willing to give us.
Thankfully, the novels go super in depth into what the world was like when Avatars Kyoshi, Yangchen, and Roku (and Kuruk, to a certain extent) went through back in their periods. We see actual spirits that the Avatars had to deal with, as well as the politics of the time. We also get to see what led to some Avatars being the way they are in the present, such as Avatar Kuruk, where we learn a great deal about why he died so young, which was kind of a mystery on the shows.
We also learn that there have been mistaken Avatars in the past, which is something that isn’t even touched upon in the shows. This is one of the many reasons why I think the books are superior to the cartoons. There can only be so much covered in the shows, and the focus has to be on the current Avatar. But, in the books, we see the lives of other Avatars, and it makes the world feel that much bigger.
Seriously, there’s so much more to the world of Avatar that is added with these books, and as a massive fan, I appreciate every last detail.
In The End, If You Are A Fan Of Avatar, Then You NEED To Read These Books. They’re Canon!
Look, I get it. You love Avatar, but you don’t love reading. When it comes to the neverending debate of sub vs. dub, you’re in the dub camp, 100%. To you, watching something is preferable to reading something, and fine. I’m not going to argue whether you’re right or wrong. Everybody has their preferences, and that happens to be yours.
But, be that as it may, I think you should make an exception for these Chronicles of the Avatar novels, which again, I think are actually superior to the two cartoon series that we’ve already gotten. Because I know you love Avatar. You’ve watched both series multiple times over, and you wish there was more of it. However, you are severely missing a huge part of the story by not reading these books, because they’re canon!
Like, I know you’re familiar with Gyatso from the show as he was Avatar Aang’s mentor. However, you don’t REALLY know him until you read these books. For instance, we get to see him as Avatar Roku’s best friend and as a part of his Team Avatar. I also know you’re familiar with Avatar Yangchen as she was the airbending Avatar prior to Aang. But, you don’t know the kind of Avatar she really was (or the fact that she’s used Zaheer’s methods of depriving people of air to breathe).
You’re missing ALL of these things, and you shouldn’t because you LOVE the world of Avatar, which is why you need to read these books, even if you don’t love reading. They’re just that good!
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