Avatars (series)

Lore & Background

The trilogy begins with So This Is How It Ends, released on October 1, 2006. Five seemingly normal teenagers—Kali, Tigre, Gus, Diana, and Amon—are transferred to the future on an unspecified date in late 2012. They hear voices guiding them to a Gathering place, where they learn they are avatars of gods from different pantheons and must fight each other to become the ruler of all gods and humans.

Shadow Falling, released on October 1, 2007, continues the story. The avatars must decide whether to fight or find a way back to their own time, while defending themselves from other avatars who want to fight. Two new avatars are introduced. Kingdom of Twilight, released on October 1, 2008, follows Gus, Kali, and Tigre as they take Diana's body to Africa, seeking help from African gods Obatala and Orunmila. They also meet Oya, who helps Tigre develop his powers. Diana's travels in the underworlds of different pantheons are also depicted.

Reader's Guide

The Avatars trilogy received mostly positive reviews. KLIATT gave starred reviews to the first and third books, praising Sutherland as an innovative and eloquent writer who creates complex characters and handles a complicated plot with ease. School Library Journal noted that readers would be drawn to the well-written characters and intrigued by the cliff-hanger ending. Booklist praised the first book for building a frightening vision shot through with genuine humor. The first book was selected by the New York Public Library for their Books for the Teen Age List 2007.

The second book was called a strong middle book that neatly bridges the action, with Kirkus noting that gamers with a literary bent might be drawn in. The third book's ending was described as surprising and wholly satisfactory, with a serious and thoughtful edge. VOYA remarked that readers would reward the saga's ending with a satisfying round of applause. The series explores themes of destiny, choice, and conflict among gods and humans, featuring avatars from Hindu, Greco-Roman, Mesoamerican, Polynesian, Egyptian, Norse, and Sumerian pantheons.

Did You Know?

• The first book, So This Is How It Ends, was released on October 1, 2006.
• The story begins in late 2012, but the books do not specify a precise calendar date for the transportation event.
• Two new avatars are introduced in the second book, Shadow Falling.
• The third book features African gods Obatala, Orunmila, and Oya.