1. I don't mind his youthful ambitions, who doesn't want a little bit of glory. I don't mind that disaster piles on disaster, and he really isn't able to deal with it. It, ironically I guess, humanizes him, and the adds complexity to the whole conflict, and he has a very realistic response. The only thing I can think of him hunting the TM for is to use it, which I would think he'd realize is probably a bad idea. I'd do the same, but after all he went through with it, suddenly coming back to it means either: he hasn't learned a thing, or he has, and has a viable plan, but that's never revealed.
2. Maybe it was a surprise the first time I read it, but I don't think it was much of one. Right now it's fine, little more than emotional consequence, but later they do stuff with it I don't like
3. I like both of these characters here. I don't think Alloran's crazy, just pissed off-at his enemies, at his superiors. Probably not much at himself. This was his most interesting in my opinion. Esplin too: cruel but not foolishly sadistic yet. Elfangor's personal enemy-that he made: Awesome. Classic. However I picture this story as the start of their war, not the height-something that unfortunately we never see.
4. Loren bears some striking similarities to Rachel imo, and the reverence to blond and blue eyed does not go unnoticed. Chapman was riveting, if a conniving s.o.b. Again, that it's this pissant teen that unleashes hell on his planet, and ultimately himself is brilliant story telling. I don't know if Loren portrays the best of human, but Chapman does an exceptional job of showing the face of human greed to the rest of the universe.
5. Poor guy. Never figured Taxxon's lived long enough for him to be in the main series, so that was a shock. The rebel Taxxons here are the one and only time the Taxxons are interesting, and I'm amazed they would rush to death like that. But a major premise of the series is Free or Dead, being enslaved to your belly can't be much better than being enslaved by Yeerks.
6. Love. The. Skrit. Na. Older than the Ellimist, on almost every world, universally considered worthless, and yet as obvious enough in this book, leave monumental ripples in their wake. Of all the things never explained in the series, this seems to be the only one done deliberately, and I love it. Expertly done.
7. I doubt it was discovered, and think all in all having it left was, more of a comfort than a consequence. By the time the war was won, it would have boosted his fame all the more. A god is a god, but one who ascends to it something more. During the war, may have bummed a few people out. Can't help but think Ax would be a little annoyed about not being told all this in advance.
8. I like the Chronicles mostly. A theme I've mentioned before makes them a bit repetitive, but they do expand the series nicely by addressing the big names, and linking them to one another.What I mind about this book is that we never really see why he was a hero to his people, a scourge to the Yeerks. Most of this book is a secret from these groups, but the level of fame the books imply suggest he did a lot more publicly than just blast fighters, but what, we never know. That happens with the others too, and that I find disappointing
9. Him giving up the TM was the right thing. I would never do it. You have to at least try to clean up your mess, to make things better. You have the power of time, how can you just let things be as they are? Even if I fail, even if I make it worse I'd have to try. Still, there's no one in any universe I'd trust with such power. I'd go for toss into volcano or ocean (once I'm done with it) Bury is too easy to stumble across, need to at least make sure there's some serious effort to find it.