Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rise of Kyoshi

(Redirected from The Rise of Kyoshi) 2019 novel by F.C. Yee and Michael Dante DiMartino

Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rise of Kyoshi

Author	F.C. Yee Michael Dante DiMartino
Illustrator	Jung Shan Chang
Language	English
Series	Chronicles of the Avatar
Genre	Fantasy
Publisher	Amulet Books
Publication date	July 16, 2019
Publication place	United States
ISBN	978-1-419-73504-2
Followed by	The Shadow of Kyoshi

Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Rise of Kyoshi is an American fantasy novel and the first young adult novel written by American authors F.C. Yee and Avatar co-creator Michael Dante DiMartino in the Chronicles of the Avatar novel series, published in July 2019. It is based on the character Kyoshi and the Avatar franchise created by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko. It is a New York Times bestseller.

Set in the world of the animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender, it takes place 400 years prior to the series and follows the life of Kyoshi, an Avatar born in the Earth Kingdom, two generations before Avatar Aang, and three before Avatar Korra.

The second book in the series, titled The Shadow of Kyoshi, was released on July 21, 2020.

Synopsis

Seven years after the death of 33-year-old Avatar Kuruk of the Northern Water Tribe, his companions Jianzhu and Kelsang, a powerful Earth Kingdom sage and an Air Nomad, respectively, search the Earth Kingdom for the next Avatar. They come to Yokoya village to try and find the Avatar among the children there. Kyoshi, then a homeless outcast child left in the village by her outlaw parents, briefly participates in their test, but runs off midway through it, unused to displays of kindness. She is later taken in by Kelsang, who becomes a father figure to her.

Nine years later, young Kyoshi works as a servant in a mansion built to accommodate Yun, an Earth Kingdom teenager whom Jianzhu has identified as the Avatar, and who is one of Kyoshi's friends. Yun's identity as the mighty Avatar is thrown into question after Kyoshi performs a feat of Avatar-level earthbending during a confrontation with pirates. Jianzhu, Yun, and Kyoshi seek the counsel of a spirit who confirms Kyoshi is the true Avatar, then attacks Yun; Jianzhu abandons Yun to die and murders Kelsang when he confronts him. The resultant trauma causes Kyoshi to go into the mighty Avatar State and nearly kill Jianzhu. She swears vengeance and flees the mansion with her friend Rangi, a teenage firebender serving as Yun's bodyguard.

Kyoshi follows the instructions left in a journal left by her parents to enlist the aid of the Flying Opera Company, her parents' former outlaw gang now consisting of the earthbenders Lek and Wong, the waterbender Kirima, and the immortal assassin Lao Ge. They take her to the outlaw town Hujiang, where they are strong-armed into helping a powerful crime syndicate calling itself the Autumn Bloom Society break one of its members out of prison in Zigan. Over the course of the next month, Kyoshi and Rangi confess their love for each other, Kyoshi reveals herself as the Avatar to the Flying Opera Company, and her bending companions teach her to master the four elements. Lao Ge teaches her how to prolong her own life and enlists her aid in assassinating the corrupt governor of Zigan, Te Sihung.

Kyoshi and the Autumn Bloom besiege Zigan and rescue the prisoner, and Kyoshi spares Governor Te after discovering he is only a teenager. The prisoner is revealed to be Xu Ping An, a ruthless gang lord who terrorized the Earth Kingdom years ago before apparently being defeated by Jianzhu. When Xu attacks and attempts to murder an innocent family of farmers, Kyoshi unleashes the Avatar State and kills him in a duel. Meanwhile, Jianzhu seeks to bring the Avatar back under his control; he poisons several Earth Kingdom nobles and Rangi's mother Hei-Ran, then sends assassins who capture Rangi and kill Lek. Kyoshi confronts Jianzhu, who is killed by a surviving Yun. In the aftermath, Kirima and Wong decide to lie low, Rangi travels to the Northern Water Tribe to seek healing for Hei-Ran, Lao Ge vanishes, and Kyoshi travels to the Southern Air Temple to reveal herself as the Avatar. There, she is approached by the spirit of Avatar Kuruk.

Reception

Entertainment Weekly called it a "stunning revitalization of Avatar storytelling", and observed how the use of prose enabled a deeper exploration of the worldbuilding. Kirkus Reviews lauded Yee's use of "political entanglements (and) complex cultural identities", but noted that familiarity with the source material was necessary for "full enjoyment".

References

"Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers". The New York Times. August 11, 2019. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
Haasch, Palmer (July 24, 2019). "The Rise of Kyoshi author F.C. Yee on penning a new entry in the Avatar canon". Polygon. Archived from the original on June 17, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
Yee, F. C.; Dimartino, Michael Dante (2020). Avatar, The Last Airbender: The Shadow of Kyoshi (The Kyoshi Novels Book 2) Hardcover – July 21, 2020. Amulet Books. ISBN 978-1419735059.
Holub, Christian (July 16, 2019). "How The Rise of Kyoshi YA novel finds new things to love about Avatar: The Last Airbender". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
"The Rise of Kyoshi". Kirkus Reviews. June 23, 2019. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Last Airbender
(The Legend of Aang)

Episodes	Book 1: Water "The Boy in the Iceberg" "The Siege of the North" Book 2: Earth "Zuko Alone" "The Chase" "The Secret of the Fire Nation" "City of Walls and Secrets" "The Tales of Ba Sing Se" "Appa's Lost Days" "The Crossroads of Destiny" Book 3: Fire "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" "The Day of Black Sun" "The Firebending Masters" "The Ember Island Players" "Sozin's Comet"
Comics	The Lost Adventures The Promise The Search The Rift Smoke and Shadow North and South Imbalance Katara and the Pirate's Silver Team Avatar Tales
Characters	Aang Appa Zuko Katara Sokka Toph Beifong Iroh Azula
Video games	Avatar: The Last Airbender The Burning Earth Into the Inferno
Other	Trading card game Lego theme World
Live-action adaptations	Film Soundtrack Zuko's Story Video game TV series

The Legend of Korra

Episodes	Book 1: Air "Welcome to Republic City" "Out of the Past" "Endgame" Book 2: Spirits "Rebel Spirit" "The Southern Lights" "Civil Wars" "Beginnings" "Light in the Dark" Book 3: Change "Venom of the Red Lotus" Book 4: Balance "Korra Alone"
Comics	Turf Wars Ruins of the Empire
Characters	Korra Asami Sato Bolin Mako Tenzin Lin Beifong Zaheer Kuvira
Video games	The Legend of Korra

Chronicles of the Avatar

Category

Portals:

Categories: