Recently the book club that I’m in decided to read the Kyoshi novels. These are books written about the Avatar universe by a separate author, one who wasn’t involved with the show. It’s really cool to see what he’s done with Kyoshi’s backstory, she’s one of the most beloved characters but we don’t get to see very much of her within the tv series.
Kyoshi grows up in a world that didn’t have an Avatar for a while. After fruitless searching, the friends of Kuruk, the previous Avatar, identify Yun as the Avatar since he was a powerful earth bender and seemed to know things that only the reincarnation of the Avatar should know. So, Kyoshi is a servant in the Avatar’s household, until one mission where she demonstrates that she is also a very powerful earth bender. Tragically, one of the supposed mentors to the Avatar then brings her and Yun to a spirit who confirms that Kyoshi is the next Avatar. This mentor then leaves Yun with the spirit, murders Kyoshi’s father figure, and threatens Kyoshi. She runs off with her fire-bending bodyguard Rangi. They go to a group of outlaws that Kyoshi’s parents belonged to for help, and those outlaws end up training Kyoshi. By the end of the book, Kyoshi confronts her previous mentor and shows herself to be a bending master. Miraculously, Yun reappears and kills his old mentor. However, circumstances make it seem like Kyoshi is a criminal who destroyed the building this happened in. She then goes to the Air Nomads for sanctuary.
Alright so despite the fact that this is a book based on a children’s show, there’s a lot going on here. There’s plenty of questions about how a leader should act. Because despite her previous mentor’s flaws, he does take care of those in his charge. Or so it seems. Halfway through we learn that he’s a master of blackmail and manipulation, sullying his reputation and making the choice to kill him clearer. There’s also a lot of discussion about tradition, how Kyoshi has to do things the proper way to be a proper Avatar, and is breaking that by going to the outlaws. Traditions inherently have power to them, even the Avatar is a form of tradition, and seeing how those bonds hold the different characters is interesting.
Some of my favorite aspects of the book have to do with Kyoshi’s character and how the author used the information from the show to create this story. Kyoshi seems like a badass who kills without hesitation in the show, which is partially why she’s a fan favorite. But at the beginning of the story, they don’t even think that she can earth bend. Or when she can, it’s very clumsy and without control. Seeing her grow and change is a great part of the story. Plus a lot of the book is her learning about justice and how she as the Avatar continually has to make choices about who is right and wrong. You can see how this, combined with how she is viewed as an outlaw, make the severe Avatar that we meet later on.
And then there’s the gay. Kyoshi and Rangi start up a relationship about ¾ of the way through the book. It’s really sweet and shows how those two find comfort and family in each other when they cannot find it anywhere else. There’s some mentions of homophobia in the book, but nothing severe. Still, it’s interesting that homophobia in any form exists within this universe.
There’s one other book in this series, which I am very
excited to read. I particularly want to find out what Yun’s deal is, now that
he’s back from the spirit that kept him captive. Will Kyoshi be able to save
the Yun that she knew? Or is he gone forever? Plus seeing her continual growth
as the Avatar, and all of those adventures that she is bound to go on. It
should be a fun time!
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