So This is How it Ends (Avatars, Book 1) [Hardcover]

Tui T. Sutherland (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2006

Something was different. She stepped hesitantly out of the subway car, her boots sounding even louder now. What was it?

The graffiti. Had that been there before?

Emblazoned across the far wall in huge silver letters:

The end has come.

In New York, Kali wakes to an empty subway car, and an even emptier city. Venus and Gus survive an earthquake in Los Angeles and realize they have to deal with more than just the aftershocks. In Chile, Tigre finds himself in an unfamiliar jungle, and strangely not alone. And Amon, in Egypt, can see his path but is blind to the full picture.

They are suddenly trapped in a deserted world, five teenagers with no hope of escape. Why have they survived? What force—or intelligence—connects them? Drawn inexorably toward one another, they only know their future involves an experience outside anything they could have imagined. Fantasy newcomer Tui T. Sutherland creates a future in which teens have the power to complete the destruction of Earth—or to save it.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–This creepy, futuristic title opens on the lives of five teens from various parts of the world. Through alternating narratives, readers learn that they all have strange powers that affect those around them in various ways. Then they suddenly find themselves among the few humans alive–what has felt like a day to them has been 75 years to the rest of the world. Lured to New York City by mysterious voices inside their heads, they discover why they are the only teens left and what it will mean to the world. Dealing with robotic crystal monsters, genetically altered animals, and old people with no hope, these young people must come to terms with what being an avatar means and how their powers will play out. The end of the world takes on a very different twist from series such as Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins's Left Behind (Tyndale House) or K. A. Applegate's Animorphs (Scholastic). Readers will be drawn to the well-written characters and intrigued by the unexpected, cliff-hanger ending.–June H. Keuhn, Corning East High School, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

A girl in New York has been the center of major accidents all her life. Teenage brothers lose their parents in a car crash; they move to L.A and work as lighting technicians. In Chile, a boy fond of animals works with a vet from the U.S. When the apocalypse comes in 2012, these young people, along with a teenage pop singer, are flung forward 75 years into a world where they appear to be the only normal humans. Sutherland creates compelling, fully fleshed characters in these stranded, inquiring kids, who draw together to face the hazards of huge crystal monsters and aged, desperate humans, and she builds a frightening vision shot through with well-placed and genuine humor. The suspense will suck in experienced sf readers as well as those new to the genre. The complexities of time travel and possibilities of biotechnology run amok are realized with verve, making this a good choice for discussion, and the cliff-hanging end promises a ready audience for the next volume in the new Avatars series. Francisca Goldsmith
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Eos (October 10, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060750243
• ISBN-13: 978-0060750244
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #747,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, January 12, 2007

By 

TeensReadToo "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So This is How it Ends (Avatars, Book 1) (Hardcover)

Kali lives in New York, and has a tendency to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe. Tigre lives in Chile. He likes animals better then people, but rainstorms make him a little twitchy and he usually ends up running in them. Sort-of. Venus is a perfect teenage pop-star that everyone adores. Almost. Amon is an Egyptian boy who thinks he's got it all figured out. And Gus is a normal teenager who lives in LA with his older brother.

You'd never imagine that any of them would ever have anything to do with each other. Much less something in common. Or that there was any way that most of them would ever meet. Most of them would agree with you.

But when the world seems to end, they are the ones left standing.

I just have to say, this was a really good book. In fact, the main reason I didn't give it a Gold Award was because the ending cliffhanger was so huge and dramatic and cliffhangery that I threw the book. It's just mean to do that when I don't have access to the next book! So, I suppose I'm being selfish in withholding the Gold Award, but it's frustrating! That, however, is a horrible reason to not read this book. Just be forewarned, and maybe have the next book coming soon.

Two more things;

Aside from the fact that there is a TV show called Avatar, and a movie in production called The Avatar, neither of which have anything to do with this story, I could totally see this as a movie. *Hint, Hint*

Tui Sutherland's website is adorable and hilarious, and I definitely recommend checking it out.

And no, I don't know her, but I bet she's cool.

Reviewed by: Carrie Spellman

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Imaginative, but it doesn't stand alone, February 20, 2008

By 

Torah Cottrill (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So This is How it Ends (Avatars, Book 1) (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

This is a well written, end-of-the-world scenario involving teens with unusual talents. I enjoyed the language (it really is well written) and found the plot imaginative. This is Book One of a series, however, and this book does not stand alone --- no plot conclusion is reached, so the end is unsatisfying. The best multi-book series can make each book complete in itself, and this one isn't, which is the biggest reason I don't give a higher rating.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic start to the Avatars trilogy, February 28, 2011

By 

Mairelon - See all my reviews

This review is from: So This is How it Ends (Avatars, Book 1) (Bk. 1) (Paperback)

Five teenagers end up seventy-five years in the future, in a post-apocalyptic world. Humans are on the verge of extinction, as no babies have been born in the last seventy-five years.

***Spoilers***

It turns out that the five teens are avatars, the reincarnations of gods from the Greek, Egyptian, Meso-american, Hindu, and Polynesian pantheons. The gods brought their avatars to the future so they can fight the final battle to determine which pantheon will rule the world. The winning avatar will absorb the powers of the losing avatars to become the most powerful god ever.

This is a fantastic start to an awesome series that combines fantasy, mystery, and sci-fi with mythology.