No, this book has nothing to do with Cameron’s more widely-known movie, although critics have noted a similarity between the movie and an earlier Anderson story, “Call Me Joe.” As for The Avatar, it’s a political story of time-space portals (Tipler cylinders known in the book as T-machines) left behind by the “Others.” Wealthy Daniel Broderson wants to use results of a portal exploration team for the benefit of all mankind, while the authoritarian leaders of Earth thinks that mankind isn’t ready for the full truth.

The title avatar of Anderson’s book is present as one of the portal exploration team members right from the start of the goings-on, but the name avatar isn’t used until the conclusion of the book—and the meaning of the word is the one that predates our modern digital view.
For us, approximately eight Terrestrial years have passed. It turns out that the T-machine is indeed a time machine of sorts, as well as a space transporter. The Betans—the beings whom we followed—calculated our course to bring us out near the date when we left.

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  1. The Avatar by Poul Anderson (Berkley Putnam, October 1978).
    2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Poul Anderson