Author Topic: Group Re-Read: Week 2, #2 The Visitor (Read 8546 times)

Terenia · « **on:** July 30, 2008, 09:57:44 PM »

Summary
If someone told you Earth was under a silent attack, there's a good chance you'd think they were pretty strange. If that same person said Earth's only means of defense depends on the actions and powers of five kids, you'd probably start to look for a quick exit. Guess what? It's all true.
Rachel and her friends knew they were in for some pretty strange stuff from the very beginning. How often do you run into a dying alien who gives you the power to morph into any animal you touch? But that was before they knew what they would be up against. Now they know. And they know what they have to do. And they know what they have to do. Before it's too late...

Discussion Questions
1) In both this book and #1 it is narrated as if the Ani's are writing this down in a journal of sorts in the future, telling their story. At what point in the war do you think they're writing all of this down? Why do you think that?

2) As this is our first time with her as a narrator, discuss Rachel's character at this early point in the series. How similar/different is she from the gung-ho adrenaline-junkie slightly psychotic warrior we see at the end of the series?

3) What do you think about Rach morphing elephant to scare off the creepy dude?

4) What do you think about Chapman and Ms. Chapman and their decisions? What do you think about Chapman now versus the Andalite Chronicles teenaged version of Chapman?

5) Do you think Melissa should have played a bigger role in the series overall?

6) The Ani's are only on their second official mission. Tobias has only been stuck in morph for about a week. What do you think about their 'performance' as the Animorphs so far?

Please feel free to answer my questions or bring up your own. I swear I won't be hurt if you think my questions are dumb. Next week we will be reading #3 The Encounter.

morfowt · « **Reply #1 on:** July 30, 2008, 10:05:27 PM »

Quote from: Terenia on July 30, 2008, 09:57:44 PM

Discussion Questions
1) In both this book and #1 it is narrated as if the Ani's are writing this down in a journal of sorts in the future, telling their story. At what point in the war do you think they're writing all of this down? Why do you think that?

2) As this is our first time with her as a narrator, discuss Rachel's character at this early point in the series. How similar/different is she from the gung-ho adrenaline-junkie slightly psychotic warrior we see at the end of the series?

3) What do you think about Rach morphing elephant to scare off the creepy dude?

4) What do you think about Chapman and Ms. Chapman and their decisions? What do you think about Chapman now versus the Andalite Chronicles teenaged version of Chapman?

5) Do you think Melissa should have played a bigger role in the series overall?

6) The Ani's are only on their second official mission. Tobias has only been stuck in morph for about a week. What do you think about their 'performance' as the Animorphs so far?

1. I'd say like between books. like the things in book 1 were written sometime between when book 1 really happened and when book 2 really happened. It's the only situation that would make sense to me.

2. You could almost say they're two different people. Right now to me, she sounds like any normal brave person in a war like this. she doesn't have that ruthless like side that she shows every now and then later on.

3. Cool. Dangerous, but cool.

4. Well hard to hate a person who sacrificed themselves for their kid. I honestly can't imagine them being the same people, even if the ellimist changed his emotions and stuff.

5. No, I don't care what anyone else says, no. she was fine the way she was.

6. um...kinda neutral actually.

I'd like to know why Marco and Cassie both used osprey. I kinda wished they each had a different bird morph.

wolfev · « **Reply #2 on:** July 30, 2008, 10:55:00 PM »

Melissa might have worked if they added her later on but not too early. Its hard to say but I think she might have worked if she had something to say. Maybe give her a chronicles book but then have her die or something.

Terenia · « **Reply #3 on:** July 30, 2008, 11:28:45 PM »

I dunno if a chronicles would work for her...although it would be nice to know more about the chapman's. I just think it's kind of interesting how KA works Melissa in at random times...like in th alternate universe in the one megamorphs book.

Quote

1. I'd say like between books. like the things in book 1 were written sometime between when book 1 really happened and when book 2 really happened. It's the only situation that would make sense to me.

Huh. That makes a whole lot of sense. I never thought of that before. Kudos!

Liz · « **Reply #4 on:** July 31, 2008, 12:31:14 AM »

I thought it was interesting how in TAC we see Chapman as this sleaze who'll sell out his planet in a second, and then in #2 he's this noble guy who sacrificed everything for his daughter. I kind of wish Chapman had gotten more development in the series. After #2, he's just shown as another one of Visser Three's lackeys for the most part.

Yorick Brown · « **Reply #5 on:** July 31, 2008, 12:40:23 AM »

I wonder if Applegate should have made Melissa an Animorph

Chad32 · « **Reply #6 on:** July 31, 2008, 09:40:06 AM »

I'm sure Rachel started hanging out with Mellisa more. It wouldn't make sense not to. She just did it "off screen" as it were. It might have been nice to give her a cameo or something in some of Rachel's narrated books. I don't mind that she wasn't given a major role.

It would have been interesting if Marco started dating Mellisa. That would probably be the best way to give her a large role in the series. Jake living with a Controller, and Marco dating someone who lives with two Controllers.

That's all I have to say.

Gafrash · « **Reply #7 on:** July 31, 2008, 10:10:32 AM »

Really wishing I had a hold of these books again... Haven't read this book in a long time, too!
Anyone remember what Chapman's (present day) physical description is meant to be like??

morfowt · « **Reply #8 on:** July 31, 2008, 05:01:04 PM »

I remember he was bald or partly bald.

Slushie Man · « **Reply #9 on:** August 01, 2008, 12:09:22 PM »

1) In both this book and #1 it is narrated as if the Ani's are writing this down in a journal of sorts in the future, telling their story. At what point in the war do you think they're writing all of this down? Why do you think that?

I say each Animorph is constantly writing stuff down in their journals/diaries as the events happen, like each day kind of thing.

2) As this is our first time with her as a narrator, discuss Rachel's character at this early point in the series. How similar/different is she from the gung-ho adrenaline-junkie slightly psychotic warrior we see at the end of the series?

We start to see the beginnings of that here, but she's still a bit more timid and casual at this stage, but we do start seeing the beginnings of who she becomes later.

3) What do you think about Rach morphing elephant to scare off the creepy dude?

It was hilarious. Although she did almost get caught by Chapman, but she heard it all from Marco and Jake anyway, and in the end it was all good.

4) What do you think about Chapman and Ms. Chapman and their decisions? What do you think about Chapman now versus the Andalite Chronicles teenaged version of Chapman?

Well back then, he was a brooding know-it-all self-obsessed teenager, hardly older then 15 at most. Now he's a full-grown adult with responsibilities and a family. Just about anyone on Earth will do whatever it takes to keep their children safe, no matter how they were like as teenagers.

5) Do you think Melissa should have played a bigger role in the series overall?

I do. When i was reading this book, I kept thinking to myself that I wish Melissa had become more of a recurring side-character, like Tom. She's in a really good position to make an interesting character.

6) The Ani's are only on their second official mission. Tobias has only been stuck in morph for about a week. What do you think about their 'performance' as the Animorphs so far?

They still have a lot of bumps to iron out, especially Jake with his refusal to leave Rachel (Come on man, you almost got stuck as a tick), but their second mission was a lot more successful then their first was, so already they're starting to learn a bit here and there.

wolfev · « **Reply #10 on:** August 03, 2008, 06:43:28 PM »

What exactly was the point of this book? Why was there a filler book as the second book? Also, why was Melissa so big if she wasn't going to be a central character? This kinda bothers me. They should have had her be an auxillary or something in the end.

Slushie Man · « **Reply #11 on:** August 03, 2008, 06:57:56 PM »

Well I understand the point of the book. It was to show how the Yeerk invasion was affecting others who weren't controllers, or know about them. Just the average every day nobodies. It was also to humanize Chapman as well, so the reader can sympathize with him. It's probably my least favorite book in the series so far, but I diffinitly wouldn't call it pointless.

morfowt · « **Reply #12 on:** August 03, 2008, 07:00:55 PM »

I probably would call it pointless. of course they'd affect non-controllers. they affect the whole world.

Slushie Man · « **Reply #13 on:** August 03, 2008, 07:05:23 PM »

Yes, but I'm talking about on a more personal level. Good writing shows, not tells, us things. That's my main beef with some movies, like they tell us how evil a character is or something, but that character doesn't actually DO anything evil in the movie, so we don't get that properly portrayed to us. Same basic concept here. Yeah, they tell us all the time stuff like that, but showing it is far more effective.

Plus, with a series with 50+ books, of course some are going to be filler. Filler books are a great opportunity for characterization, which is exactly what this book, as well the the next one, do.

morfowt · « **Reply #14 on:** August 03, 2008, 07:27:31 PM »

#3 isn't filler, but talk more about that when we get there.

Just to show us, isn't enough not to be called pointless, in my opinion. Wouldn't it being filler, mean it's pointless, or am I misunderstanding the meaning of filler?

Slushie Man · « **Reply #15 on:** August 03, 2008, 07:57:46 PM »

Filler doesn't mean pointless. filler just means it doesn't have to do with the overall story arc, and it COULD be skipped and you wouldn't be lost or confused.

However, that doesn't mean it's pointless. For instance, this book was very character-driven and we got to understand some of the characters a bit better. Rachel, of course, as well as Chapman. It was also the very beginnings of the Tobias/Rachel 'relationship'.

So no, it doesn't have any grand battle against the Yeerks, a new Andalite character, or a new Visser being introduced. Nothing that happens in it really has any impact on the overall story arc of the series, but it does have lots of characterization, which is every bit as important as any of those other things.

morfowt · « **Reply #16 on:** August 03, 2008, 08:07:48 PM »

oh ok...then none of the books (except maybe the alternamorphs) are pointless. they're all filler.

Terenia · « **Reply #17 on:** August 03, 2008, 09:22:43 PM »

Well, I dunno, I think there were a couple that tried to be filler and ended up being pointles. #2 wasn't one of them though.

I actually never liked #2, which is strange because Rachel is one of my favorite Ani's. I found it a bit anticlimactic and boring at times when I first read it (I was too young to really get into the whole characterization thing). Upon re-reading it I liked it better, but it still isn't my favorite.

Also, I get the feeling that Marco, if the Animorphs scenario hadn't played out, would have become a douche bag. His way of coping with things that scare him is to get defensive and joke around. He makes the comment about not being able to be Tobias' friend if he hunts to kill. He says a few other things as well. I just got the kind of impression that to outsiders he wouldn't come off as the kind of person you'd necessarily like being around b/c of his snide sarcasm.

Slushie Man · « **Reply #18 on:** August 03, 2008, 09:38:07 PM »

I agree with the first part of your post, but not the second. In high school, I had a friend named Drew that was pretty much the spitting image of Marco (Attitude-wise and looks-wise as well, only white instead of Hispanic), and he was loads of fun and everyone loved him, and he was one of my best friends.

Terenia · « **Reply #19 on:** August 04, 2008, 01:18:19 PM »

Maybe. I guess from the outside he seems a bit cold, which is kind of what KA was going for, I think. I'm also thinking forward to MM1 when he is the only one not invited to the one girls pool party. I think maybe his humor would have been more appreciated later on? But it would be relatively easy for someone to misconstrue his sarcasm for cruelty at times.

(Actually the reason I say this is because personality-wise I'm the closest to Marco and I often accidentally offend people when I'm being sarcastic and have to explain myself)

Chad32 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 04, 2008, 01:20:36 PM »

I think that girl was a bit of a jerk. Why refuse to invite someone just because they played a harmless prank three years ago?

morfowt · « **Reply #21 on:** August 04, 2008, 05:50:28 PM »

I don't know about her not inviting him. seems justified to me. But calling him not funny...well I approve Marco for what he did...if the veleek wasn't there.

But let's talk about that when we get to MM#1...

yunyun · « **Reply #22 on:** February 26, 2011, 04:40:04 PM »

1)i think maybe in the very begining since in 46 (i think) there's a journal of jake's great-great grandfather or whatever was keeping a journal for the war. My opiniaon

rachel91 · « **Reply #23 on:** June 22, 2011, 05:31:56 AM »

i loved when jake refuses to leave rachel. they did care about each other however strained their relationship was at times

LorenF15 · « **Reply #24 on:** July 16, 2011, 08:07:50 PM »

I never understood how Jake morphed a flea...how was he able to touch something you can barely see??

Terenia · « **Reply #25 on:** July 16, 2011, 09:48:17 PM »

I've held fleas before. Gotta get them off the dog somehow.

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Author Topic: Group Re-Read: Week 2, #2 The Visitor (Read 8546 times)