Summary
While all five of theChronicles of the Avatarbooks are all solid reads forAvatar: The Last Airbenderfans, some of the stories rank higher than others. Of course,every reader’s criteria for what makes a good tie-in novel will vary, but, generally speaking, the most successful entries are the ones that balance standalone narratives with fun references and nods to the original series. Since the novels don’t really featureAvatar: The Last Airbender’s core characters, the best entries get a lot of mileage out of exploring how Aang’s past lives will, inevitably, shapeATLA’s story.
Avatar: The Last Airbender’sChronicles of the Avatarseries is part of the widerAvatar Legendsfranchise. Starting withThe Rise of Kyoshi, which was published in 2019, the novels chronicle the stories of the Avatars who came a few cycles before Aang. While the first four novels — the ones centering on Kyoshi and Yangchen — were written by F.C. Lee, the fifth volume, which follows a young Roku, was penned by Randy Ribay.Michael Dante DiMartino, who co-createdAvatar: The Last Airbenderwith Bryan Konietzko, advised Yee and Ribayon their novels, ensuring continuity.
Each one of the books… deepens the existing Avatar: The Last Airbender lore.
Although the sixth novel,The Awakening of Roku, will be released in 2025, readers have an almost-complete picture of how eachAvatar: The Last Airbenderduology compares. For fans who are interested in the storied history and inventive world-building of theAvatarfranchise, theChronicles of the Avatarbooks are all well worth diving into. Unlike the tie-in graphic novels and comics, which serve as continuations of Aang’s story and, in other cases,The Legend of Korra,theChronicles of the Avatarseries expands upon what little is known about Kyoshi, Yangchen, and Roku.
Again, ranking the fiveChronicles of the Avatarbooks is a challenge in that all of them are successful novels that boast compelling characters, intriguing plotlines, and world-building details. Plus, each one of the books —The Rise of Kyoshi,The Shadow of Kyoshi,The Dawn of Yangchen,The Legacy of Yangchen, andThe Reckoning of Roku— deepens the existingAvatar: The Last Airbenderlore. Ultimately,all five publishedChronicles of the Avatarstories are worth readingfor long-time fans and newcomers alike.
5The Dawn of Yangchen
The First Novel About Avatar Yangchen
In F.C. Yee’sThe Dawn of Yangchen, the incredibly composed Avatar who Aang speaks with in the original series is a younger and less experienced version of herself. Plagued by the voices of her past lives, Yangchen doesn’t believe that the world respects or adores her as much as her predecessor, Avatar Szeto. Set earlier than the otherChronicles of the Avatarbooks,Yangchen lives in an era where loyalties are bought— something that becomes tricky when she travels to the corrupt city of Bin-Er in the Earth Kingdom on political business.
…the alternating points of view mean that Yangchen’s inner struggles don’t get the space they deserve.
All of this makes for a much more cerebral read than the otherChronicles of the Avatarnovels. While there’s nothing wrong with that, and while that quality certainly reflects the character of Avatar Yangchen, it just makes for a slightly less compelling story. The mystery surrounding the shangs' weapon of mass destruction is intriguing, as is Yangchen’s unlikely friendship with an informant named Kavik. However, with multiple points of view,The Dawn of Yangchendoesn’t always feel like the Avatar’s story. Instead, the alternating points of view mean that Yangchen’s inner struggles don’t get the space they deserve.
In many ways,The Dawn of Yangchenonly scratches the surface of the young Avatar’s character. At times, the exposition-heavy approach and focus on political intrigue take away from what fans love most aboutATLA— the lore, bending, and action. Undeniably,the most frustrating element of the first Yangchen novel is the amount of time spent on Kavik’s point of view. The strange choice definitely undercuts Yangchen’s role as the novel’s protagonist.
4The Legacy of Yangchen
The Sequel To Yangchen’s First Outing
While the Kyoshi novels can stand on their own a bit more, the Yangchen novels definitely tell a more connected, overarching story. With all the exposition in the first Yangchen novel, it’s not surprising thatThe Legacy of Yangchen— which pays off all that build-up — is the superior outing. Although Bin-Er is somewhat stabilized, the looming threat of the all-destructive Unanimity weapon is driving a wedge between the Four Nations. That said,Yangchen must take what she learned about diplomacy on a microscale in the first novel and apply it to something much larger.
…some readers may find it difficult to connect with the more esoteric entry in theChronicles of the Avatarseries.
The narrative demands that Yangchen take a more active role in the story, which definitely helps the sequel surpass the first Yangchen novel. However, that more active role doesn’t necessarily equate to bending feats or fighting sequences. True to her character,Yangchen prizes brains over brawn. That certainly works for a novel that’s mired in political intrigue, and it also helps Yangchen stand apart from other Avatars, but some readers may find it difficult to connect with the more esoteric entry in theChronicles of the Avatarseries. While an improvement,The Legacy of Yangchenstill isn’t the best.
3The Reckoning of Roku
The First ATLA Novel About Avatar Roku
The newest installment in theChronicles of the Avatarbook series,The Reckoning of Rokuwas penned by different writer— National Book Award finalist Randy Ribay. Even so, it fits perfectly into the series ofATLAnovels. Of all Aang’s past lives, Roku is given the most screentime inAvatar: The Last Airbender’s timelineand story. Since he was the Avatar who lived just before Aang, Roku’s life has a more direct impact on Aang’s problems. InATLA, viewers get glimpses into key moments from Roku’s life, but the novel takes a more thorough approach to chronicling his journey.
Full of self-doubt, Roku hasn’t quite found his footing as the Avatar.
The book opens with Avatar Roku just beginning his training at the Southern Air Temple (with Aang’s future mentor, Monk Gyatso) when he’s called away to help Fire Lord Sozin with a territory dispute. Full of self-doubt, Roku hasn’t quite found his footing as the Avatar. This searing glimpse into the indecisive bender’s approachillustrates how Roku’s hesitancy helped create the conditions that, ultimately, led to the Hundred-Year War. While Roku’s story boasts the most directATLAconnections and Easter eggs, it also doesn’t have the same creative freedoms as the other Avatars' narratives.
2The Shadow of Kyoshi
The Second Avatar Kyoshi-Led Novel
The follow-up to the originalChronicles of the Avatarbook,The Shadow of Kyoshipicks up where the first novel left off. Although Kyoshi’s place as the Avatar has been confirmed, she’s without her mentors — and the Four Nations are reaching a friction point. To make matters more complicated, a new threat is emerging from the Spirit World. There’s no doubt about it: Avatar Kyoshi’s reputation precedes her, and that’s already the case inShadow of Kyoshi. Although the sequel might not reach the heights of its predecessor,it does continue Kyoshi and Rangi’s fan-favorite relationship.
…the Kyoshi duology feels very character-driven, from Kyoshi’s love for Rangi to her disdain for Avatar Kuruk.
Since Kyoshi and Rangi are a bit more settled into their dynamic, there’s not as much yearning this time around, but the couple share an incredible chemistry both on and off the battlefield. More so than the Yangchen novels, the Kyoshi duology feels very character-driven, from Kyoshi’s love for Rangi to her disdain for Avatar Kuruk. The plot of the first Kyoshi-centered novel is definitely superior, butfans who love world-building,ATLAlore, and the books' original characters will find plenty to enjoyinShadow of Kyoshi.
Although she’s known as a merciless pursuer of justice,the oft-admired Kyoshi is depicted in a more violent light than seems necessary. In fact, fighting being her go-to solution for everything is somewhat damaging to the character and feels like an underdeveloped way of illustrating her fierce determination and willingness to do what’s hard in the name of what’s right.
1The Rise of Kyoshi
The First-Ever Chronicles Of The Avatar Book
The originalChronicles of the Avatarbook is also the series' best, partially because it boasts an incredible standalone narrative.The Rise of Kyoshichronicles her journey from being a girl of “humble origins” to becoming one of history’s most beloved Avatars. Praised for its compelling queer friends-to-lovers romance between Kyoshi and the firebender bodyguard Rangi,The Rise of Kyoshiintroduces characters who are just as memorable as the personalities in the originalATLAshow. In addition to showing a world pre-Hundred-Year War,the novel transforms the meme-able, ruthless Kyoshi into a full-fledged person.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Avatar: The Last Airbender, released in 2005, follows a young boy in a war-torn world of elemental magic as he reawakens to embark on a challenging mystical quest to fulfill his destiny as the Avatar and restore peace to the world.
