Avatar:The Reckoning of Roku

"Curse a world that would provide a friend only to snatch him away ..."

— Caption for The Reckoning of Roku.

<infobox theme-source="nation"> <image source="image" /> <title source="name"><default>The Reckoning of Roku</default></title> <group> <header>Creative</header> <label>Author</label> <label>Art by</label> <label>Coloring by</label> <label>Lettering by</label> </group> <group> <header>Publication</header> <label>Issue</label> <label>Publisher</label> <label>Date of publication</label> <label>ISBN</label> <label>Series</label> <label>Pages</label> <label>Last novel</label> <label>Next novel</label> </group> <navigation></navigation> <header>Image gallery (0)</header> </infobox> The Reckoning of Roku is the fifth novel in the Chronicles of the Avatar series and the first to focus on the life of Avatar Roku. Written by Randy Ribay in his debut for the franchise, it was released on July 23, 2024.

Overview

Roku never expected to be the Avatar. Even his best friend, Crown Prince Sozin of the Fire Nation, doubts the accuracy of the Fire Sages' announcement. After all, Sozin is the strongest Firebender of their generation, while Roku struggles to grasp basic airbending principles — even after months of training under Sister Disha, his airbending master.

When Sozin requests the new Avatar's aid in preventing the Earth Kingdom from claiming a remote Fire Nation island, it doesn't surprise Roku that Sister Disha advises him to decline. Convinced the Earth King's aggressive expansion of territory points to a more insidious agenda, Roku steals away with the help of an irritating young Airbender named Gyatso. As the reluctant companions delve deeper into their wayward mission, they realize the fog-shrouded island harbors a secret that could lead to catastrophe in the wrong hands.

Plagued by self-doubt but eager to confront the dangers ahead, Avatar Roku must learn where to place his trust and what it means to be a spirit of no nation . . . even if the lesson comes at a great personal cost.

Chapters

Prologue 1. "A Spirit of No Nation" 2. "The Letting Go" 3. "A Way Through" 4. "A Visitor" 5. "A Clever Turn of Phrase" 6. "A Quick End to the Era of Roku" 7. "To the Rest of Us" 8. "Ash in the Air" 9. "Knowledge to Destroy" 10. "A Lovely, Meandering Tour" 11. "Swear to the Spirits" 12. "Not Really a Bird Guy" 13. "A Rat-Snake's Underbelly" 14. "A Hurt So Deep" 15. "Bones in the Earth" 16. "Under the Altered Sky" 17. "Delicate Political Maneuvering" 18. "Another False Avatar" 19. "Control" 20. "A Mutual Exchange of Information" 21. "Roku, Alone" 22. "Terrifying and Tempting" 23. "All for Nothing" 24. "Sharp Knife" 25. "Embers Going Gray" 26. "Infested with Such Decay" 27. "The Path of Least Resistance" 28. "Local Elements" 29. "Marauding Bands of Airbenders" 30. "The Difference" 31. "Not Alone" 32. "Fires Meant to Forge" 33. "The Plan" 34. "Fulcrum" 35. "The Teeth of the Trap" 36. "Favored by the Spirits" 37. "The Machine" 38. "Exhale" 39. "That Oh-So-Smooth Melon" 40. "Hide from the World, and Hope for the Best" 41. "The Dirt-Eaters" 42. "Not Enough" 43. "Beyond Repair" 44. "A Spirit of All Nations" 45. "Her Final Act" 46. "That Near-Miss with Destiny" 47. "Fading Warmth" 48. "Two Wicks" 49. "Come Back for the Body" 50. "Let Go" 51. "Leverage" 52. "Something Meaningful" 53. "Ever-Shifting Currents" Epilogue

Production notes

Series continuity

• Background on the episode "The Avatar and the Fire Lord" is shown from Sozin's perspective on why Roku received the royal artifact.
• Information from The Rise of Kyoshi, The Shadow of Kyoshi, and The Legacy of Yangchen is mentioned in this novel. This includes the mention of Kyoshi growing up as an orphan, Yun as the false Avatar, his bending the pigment of paint off of the Fire Avatars' portraits in the Fire Nation Royal Palace, and Yangchen being banished from the Northern Air Temple.
  • The daofei are mentioned in this novel and are still relevant centuries after the events of The Rise of Kyoshi.

Goofs

• The original release contained an error concerning the timeline of Sozin's Comet, mistakenly stating that it would pass in 44 years time; this error will be corrected to 66 years in future reprints of the book.

Trivia

• The novel is the first in the Chronicles of the Avatar series not to be written by F. C. Yee.
• The cover art for the novel is the first in the series to be illustrated by a different artist than Rola Chang.
• The release of the novel was originally delayed from its July 23 release to August 20, before being moved back to its original date.
• Barnes & Noble released an exclusive edition of the book which includes a luxe metallic cover, a unique foil case stamp, and an eight-page cut scene with comments from the author.
• Nancy Wu narrates the audiobook version.

References

pl:The Reckoning of Roku