Group Re-Read 2.0 #50 The Ultimate

[RYTX]

Synopsis
Now there are no more secrets....
The Animorphs have been forced into hiding, and their families are not adapting well. It's clear the Animorphs can't hold on by themselves anymore. They need to increase their strength, build their numbers. It's time to use the blue box again.  They need people they can trust to fight, people they know haven't been targeted by the Yeerks. They know the Yeerks are waiting for them, but if they don't act, this time they'll lose everything....

Questions

   1. This book opens with them running drills, something they've never done before. What do you think of the drastic change the Animorphs have come to face, and their response to the challenge?

   2. How are the parents doing? Are their reactions to this new way of life understandable? Acceptable?

   3. What do you think of the Animorphs finally expanding their numbers? They decide on only recruiting kids, and "differently-abled" kids at that. What are your thoughts on them making this decision?

   4. On that note, what did you think of the individuals that formed the Auxiliary Animorphs? Cassie comments that they proved skillful at controlling their morphs as a result of their handicaps. Any thoughts on that concept?

   5. An aerial master of the night, the great horned owl, has been an oft utilized form throughout the series. What did you think of this animal in this book and throughout the series? Do you think the descriptions of it's attitudes and abilities were accurate, undersold or exaggerated? What do you envision the experience of being a owl to be like? Often times in the books, the group uses their diurnal raptor forms at night, rather than the owl. Why do you think that is?

   6. Tom reappears in this book, nearly capturing the Animorphs and ultimately walking away with the the blue box. What do you think about Tom emerging as an antagonist in this book? What do you think of Tom's place in the Animorphs storyline up to and beyond this point?

   7. Thoughts on the loss of the morphing cube? In Cassie's position, would you have let Jake take down Tom, go after Tom yourself, or let him get away?

   8. This is the final book narrated entirely by Cassie. How, if at all, has she changed since the beginning of the series? What is her role within the Animorphs now, and has it changed at all throughout the books? How well is she doing it? At this point, what do you like, or dislike about what has been done by and with Cassie?

   9. Approximately when is the last time you read this book? What changes do you expect or would like to see in a re-release?

   10. Anything else?

Answer, ignore and submit your own questions and comments as you please; but remember to vote!

Next week: #51 The Absolute

[Chad32]

1) Honestly they probably should have started training sessions like this a long time ago. Now that things were out in the open, changes needed to be made, though going all drill sergeant now is a bit late in the game, and drastic changes tend to have negative consequences on people.

2) I don't blame Rachel's mother for trying to get her kinds out of there. I can sympathize with cassie's parents, knowing now what kinds of things she's had to do, though ironically enough she's the one who has stayed the most the same anyway.

3) I think recruiting people that the Yeerks are least likely to have infested is a good thing, though certainly not their only option. Even if they didn't get to keep the Leeran morphs, using the Chee and YPM for information would be a viable option as well. I'm sorry that they're recruiting a bunch of people their age, but they do need the new recruits to do as they say. It would be harder to get a bunch of 25+ year olds to take orders from a 16 year old.

4) It's interesting that people who have a hard time controlling their own bodies would find it easier to control a foriegn body. I don't really remember individuals much, and I think they were underdeveloped like other non animnorph groups for the most part.

5) I think the owl has always been a great moprph, and it's abilities may have been exagerated. I remember somewhere it said an owl could fly right by you, and you wouldn't hear it. Personally I think you would if it zoomed right behind you. Maybe I'm wrong though.

6) It's good to see Tom again, and I think many people know my opinion of what happened at the end of the book. I could give a good rant about it, but the short version is that neither Jake nor Cassie were thinking straight. I think the overall story of Tom and his Yeerk was good, though I would have liked to see more of Tom's thoughts, and at least get a name of the Yeerk.

7) I would have captured him and gotten the cube back.

She has changed, though not by much. Cassie had been one of my least liked characters. 19 had one of her worst moments in it, though it has one of her best. Her plan of what to do with david was a real wtf moment. Letting the box get away was moronic, and then she just makes excuses afterwards when it looked like there was some straw of hope to grasp afterwards. Then she just abandons Jake after the war.

9) A very long time. I really didn't like the final arc much.

[RYTX]

   1. Notable though uninteresting, and I doubt beneficial.

   2. Bad. I'm very irate with Cassie's parents actually, refusing to accept that you can't always provide perfect care seems like poor ideology for a medical practitioner. It's hard to adapt to new things like this, but I thought the kids impressed as well as possible this was life and death, and that they can't or won't respond like it is is unforgivable.

   3. Expanding: excellent, and exciting seeing what happened last time. Desperate times.  I don't have any issues with using the handicapped, though I don't agree with there reasons for being exclusive with them at this moment. And that the Yeerks tapped into blind center in advance means something is horribly wrong with their plan, or the editing.

   4. James is the only one who's name I ever remember, I didn't really care too much about the others individually. (But I must point out, James lieutenants are the ones that healed: wow that seems unfitting.) I do like James though, because it's as close as Jake comes to an equal. Someone with the full brunt of leadership, and all in all James does well too. The controlling morph thing I'm a bit iffy on. I'm sure some people are stronger for dealing with such issues. Also sure that plenty aren't.

   5. I never understood why they would use hawks and such at night. Maybe faster, but I'm not sure. Anyway, owl=awesome. Weak sense of smell, weaker than human, so that would be quite the experience. I figure this much like the day raptor experience, but maybe safer as you'd be awake with the other predators. Other similarities are quite remarkable, but still, the setting difference is enough to make it an unique undertaking.

   6. Why did this not happen 40 books ago: Tom has done next to nothing for the whole of the series, when he was living with the groups leader. MASSIVE waste. Well, at least now he's doing something, and a hell of a something at that. I guess I don't have much to say on it then, this should have happened earlier, and I'm glad it is finally, instills a great bit of drama into the plot.

   7. Again, nice thickening of plot, and this really helps sew together the last few books, but man, I'm always irate about. Cassie could not have known, should not have gambled that this could turn into a good thing (and the way it was written I don't think she intended it too either.) It's disgusting, it is treason, and that she got off with it is just vile. Any option besides let him walk away, from anyone's stand point, Jake or Cassie. Letting him go was suicidal, and it was luck alone that this didn't destroy the world.

   8. She hasn't. We talk about Rachel regressing, but Cassie is the one that constantly takes these steps backwards regarding a fight. After this, though I think after 19, she lost the right to be the "moral compass" of the group. For a long time her greatest strength has been assessing emotion, and it's a great attribute. I try to be fair, Cassie has her moments, but that she makes all these reckless moves in the name of ethics, and never gets punished for it, indeed she gets rewarded, makes it impossible for me to care for Cassie. She's a different type of selfish, but selfish all the same, and I just can't stand it in her.

[Tim Bruening]

   7. Thoughts on the loss of the morphing cube? In Cassie's position, would you have let Jake take down Tom, go after Tom yourself, or let him get away?

I would thought-speak yell: <Don't kill Tom, just knock him out so that we can rescue both the morphing cube AND Tom!>.