Books That Remind You Of Avatar.

[neytirifanboy]

I don't see a topic like this, so I think it is worth starting one.

JC said he was inspired by all sorts of sci-fi books in developing Avatar. So it shows the importance of reading in developing a story.

I am currently reading "The Speaker of the Dead" from the Enders trilogy written by Orson Scott card.

The alien species, the Pequeninos has similiarties to the Na'vi. Not physically, as the Pequeninos are small and pig-like.

But they are an intelligent primitive species who live in the forest and have a strong relationship with trees. They are intelligent and can pick up human languages easily. just like the Na'vi.

Just like in Avatar, there is some friction between the Pequeninos and the humans. But unlike Avatar, the attitude of humanity is different as they wish to preserve the environment and culture of the Pequeninos.

[Empty Glass]

YES!!! I love that book! Though I'll hold off discussing it 'til you're done reading it.

By the way, there's actually four books in the series.

[neytirifanboy]

Originally Posted by Empty Glass

YES!!! I love that book! Though I'll hold off discussing it 'til you're done reading it.

By the way, there's actually four books in the series.

Good idea. I have read the first book. I will probably read the other two as well. Perhaps we can make a new thread on the topic. I wouldn't be surprised if it was some sort of minor inspiration.

Another book that reminds me of Avatar is a more recent and can't be an inspiration. It is a French book called Ellana by a contemporary French author called Pierre Bottero (who recently sadly died).

There is a trilogy of books and I have just started the third. The books take place in a fantasy LotR type world. Ellana is a very strong female character who makes you think of Dark Angel, Neytiri and Wolverine who can fight and climb.

Her parents are killed when she is young and she is adopted by a race of forest beings called the "Petits" who are reminiscient of tree climbing hobbits.

Anyway eventually she returns to the human world and her adventures begins.

The book is supposed to be for young adults. It has been compared to Harry Potter, but I thinkl it is for an older audience than that as there is plenty of violence and some significant romance.

Also, although the Ellana books have some magic, Ellana herself is not magical. She more depends on her agility and good character to win the day.

I love Ellana. She is probably the most appealing litterary heronine I have known.

[Elyannia]

Originally Posted by neytirifanboy

Good idea. I have read the first book. I will probably read the other two as well. Perhaps we can make a new thread on the topic. I wouldn't be surprised if it was some sort of minor inspiration.

Another book that reminds me of Avatar is a more recent and can't be an inspiration. It is a French book called Ellana by a contemporary French author called Pierre Bottero (who recently sadly died).

There is a trilogy of books and I have just started the third. The books take place in a fantasy LotR type world. Ellana is a very strong female character who makes you think of Dark Angel, Neytiri and Wolverine who can fight and climb.

Her parents are killed when she is young and she is adopted by a race of forest beings called the "Petits" who are reminiscient of tree climbing hobbits.

Anyway eventually she returns to the human world and her adventures begins.

The book is supposed to be for young adults. It has been compared to Harry Potter, but I thinkl it is for an older audience than that as there is plenty of violence and some significant romance.

Also, although the Ellana books have some magic, Ellana herself is not magical. She more depends on her agility and good character to win the day.

I love Ellana. She is probably the most appealing litterary heronine I have known.

That sounds really really good lol. Once I finish my huge stack of books I just recently bought I'll check this series out.

[neytirifanboy]

Originally Posted by Elyannia

That sounds really really good lol. Once I finish my huge stack of books I just recently bought I'll check this series out.

Interesting that Elyania is interested in Ellana. By the way the book is in French, so bear that in mind. But is is an easy read if French is not your mother tongue like in my case.

One advantage is the the first book is only 345 pages long which is short for a book these days. I read in really quick because I found it so enjoyable.

I know it has been said before, but you can't really talk about Avatar without comparing it to Dune. I am sure JC got at least some sort of inspiration from Dune.

There are so many points of comparison:
1. A Hero (Paul Artreides) who joins a native people and helps them defeat the occupier of their planet intent on expolitng the planets natural resources. Like Jake with the Na'vi, Paul has to prove himself to the Fremen and ends up marrying a native woman.)
2. An essential mineral that can only be found on the planet (i.e. Spice=unobtanium)
3. Strong female characters who have a huge influence on developing and protecting the hero. (Paul's mother and Fremen wife)
4. A native people who live in harmony with the land that they occupy. (Fremen=Na'vi.) Also while the Na'vi are blue, the Fremen have blue eyes.
5. The native people travel about on indigenous creatures that may otherwise be considered dangerous. (i.e the Fremen ride sand worms while the Na'vi ride Ikran - I know I am pushing that one.)

Another point of ispiration actuually relates to the difference between Pandora and Dune. In effect, they are almost opposites. I sometimes think that JC thought of Dune or other alien worlds like the Aliens planets or even Mars and decided to do exactly the opposite.

While Dune is a barren desert planet where little life survives, Pandora is lush with life. But both are dangerous to humans who stray from the protection of the main base.

[redpaintednavi]

A book that in its theme reminds of Avatar is Ursula K Leguins The Word for World is Forest (1976). It is about how people from Earth exploit natural resources and an indigenous people on a forest covered world. It is also about how the native people rises and starts to fight the intruders.

[Woodsprite]

Originally Posted by neytirifanboy

I know it has been said before, but you can't really talk about Avatar without comparing it to Dune. I am sure JC got at least some sort of inspiration from Dune.

There are so many points of comparison:
1. A Hero (Paul Artreides) who joins a native people and helps them defeat the occupier of their planet intent on expolitng the planets natural resources. Like Jake with the Na'vi, Paul has to prove himself to the Fremen and ends up marrying a native woman.)
2. An essential mineral that can only be found on the planet (i.e. Spice=unobtanium)
3. Strong female characters who have a huge influence on developing and protecting the hero. (Paul's mother and Fremen wife)
4. A native people who live in harmony with the land that they occupy. (Fremen=Na'vi.) Also while the Na'vi are blue, the Fremen have blue eyes.
5. The native people travel about on indigenous creatures that may otherwise be considered dangerous. (i.e the Fremen ride sand worms while the Na'vi ride Ikran - I know I am pushing that one.)

Another point of ispiration actuually relates to the difference between Pandora and Dune. In effect, they are almost opposites. I sometimes think that JC thought of Dune or other alien worlds like the Aliens planets or even Mars and decided to do exactly the opposite.

While Dune is a barren desert planet where little life survives, Pandora is lush with life. But both are dangerous to humans who stray from the protection of the main base.

Aw shucks, you beat me to it.

[ISV Venture Star]

Undoubtedly one of the sources. There's even a reference in the original scriptment:

the whole Pandoran race is called the Na'vi. They are all Na'vi, all around the planet, because they all seem to have the same root language. It translates, approximately, as "The Seeing People". Their word for Pandora is NA'AT, "The People's Mother". Curiously, it is the same word they have for forest. So to them, the forest is the world. Which is nearly right, since there are no deserts or veldts, and all the landmasses are uniformly covered with forest, right up to the permanent polar ice.

[Sempu]

"The Kin of Ata Are Waiting for You" by Dorothy Bryant. Fantasy rather than S-F.

[redpaintednavi]

Then we have Jungfrulig planet (Virgin Planet) from 1977, written by Swedish science fiction writer Bertil Martensson. In this book an ecologist from Earth falls in love with a blue catwoman and tries to help her against exploiters who are conducting a mining operation on the virgin planet of Batak. The exploiters are mining the planet for the very rare metal Theor+.

(wonder if Cameron reads Swedish)

[redpaintednavi]

Originally Posted by redpaintednavi

Then we have Jungfrulig planet (Virgin Planet) from 1977, written by Swedish science fiction writer Bertil Martensson. In this book an ecologist from Earth falls in love with a blue catwoman and tries to help her against exploiters who are conducting a mining operation on the virgin planet of Batak. The exploiters are mining the planet for the very rare metal Theor+.

(wonder if Cameron reads Swedish)

Maartensson has also written a prequal to Jungfrulig Planet called Det gyllene språnget (The Golden Leap) which is in many aspects even more like Avatar. In this book we meet mans first wave of colonizing other planets and his first meeting with a sentient alien species, the cat people of Catworld. In the book a conflict takes place between those who want to colonize and exploit catworld, and the cats together with some people who want to preserve it and let the cats continue to be the owners and rulers of their own world.

[rapunzel77]

I have seen some echoes of Avatar in Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis. The villains of the book travel to Mars where there are three distinct races of people living in harmony together and they have plans to exploit it for gold (or some other metal like it). They think that in order to placate one of the races that they must get a sacrifice so they kidnap a linguistics professor who ends up being the hero of the book. The attitude of the villains is similar since they think they are much more superior to the martian races and they also believe that the martian races are nothing more than beasts to be exploited and even killed at will.

[Loverofnature]

that sounds very close to avatar!

[ISV Venture Star]

Call me Joe is definitely a part of it

about an attempt to explore the surface of the planet Jupiter using remotely controlled artificial life-forms. It focuses on the feelings of the disabled man who operates the artificial body.

Call Me Joe - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[txen]

The Deathworld series of books written in the early 60's be Harry Harrison. Only humans in this book, but the world flora and fauna is even deadlier than on Pandora. One group lives more or less in equilibrium with the planet and has little technology. The other is a more tech based group and the planet is doing whatever it can to get rid of them. If I remember correctly there is a planet wide telepathic connection that driver the planets animals to get rid of this group.

A lot of parallels really. In the end an off world "hero" saves the day.

This hit me in Quaritch's initial safety brief.