Some of the characters in The Avatar have their own special kinds of unhappiness. For instance, Ira Quick is a government official who seeks fulfillment through public power—a fulfillment he does not enjoy in his personal life. "On the crudest level," he muses, "hearing a crowd cheer me, seeing them adore me, beats taking a woman to bed." Even so, no amount of public acclaim makes Quick feel complete, a whole man.

On the other hand, Joelle Ky yearns for simpler fulfillment: companionship with intellectual equals. She has the ability to link her mind with that of a computer and feels that ordinary human beings are not fit companions for her. Whereas Quick wants to curtail Brodersen's activities because he views them as threats to social stability, Ky hopes that through Brodersen's efforts she will meet The Others and find in them sympathy for her unusual...