Rachel had an expression I've almost never seen on her face: She was hurt.
"Rachel, we can still be --"
"No, we can't," she said, cutting me off. "See, you've just said the whole world can drop dead, so long as you, Cassie, don't have to end up turning into me."
<Maybe we'll lose, maybe we'll win," I [Jake] said. <But if we win and someday it's all over, you'd better hope there are still plenty of Cassies in the world. You'd better hope that not everyone has decided it's okay to do whatever it takes to win.>
1) Does Cassie's decision to quit come as a surprise to you? She reasons that she is quitting to avoid becoming numb over the war. Do you think this is a good reason to quit? Or selfish?
...As for the deal, I thought it was a brilliant way to test both of their characters. But the more I think about it, does anyone else think it was a little weird Cassie was willing to make a huge sacrifice for an enemy but not for her friends....
Btw, anyone have any thoughts on Marco's role in this book? Why did KAA have him be the one that first finds Cassie? Personally, I thought he showed a lot of layers of character in this book.I think, maybe, K.A. opted for Marco being the one to find Cassie because of their character contrasts. It only showed, that if Marco (who had given her a somewhat hard time early in the story and at this stage was on the way to becoming calculating and somewhat ruthless) had the capacity to accept Cassie's 'project' with the enemy here, there's no reason the others shouldn't.
2) What do you think about the time Karen/Afran and Cassie spend together? What about the deal they make?It was the classic 'disarm and convert the powerful enemy' plot, wasn't it? And yet, luckily, their deal had worked out so well. Aftran, in the end, turned out not to be like the other Yeerks, ruthless and thirsty for power. I think had Cassie come across, say, Tom's Yeerk that was in Jake's head, things would have been a 'little' different. In particular to where she let the Yeerk into herself.
2. I thought their interaction was great. It was really cool to see another side of the Yeerks, especially so soon after finding out not all Andalites are good guys...Also, it is in this book that KA triggers our sympathy for the Yeerks.
3) Was it a good idea for the Animorphs to honor the deal Cassie and Aftran had? Or too risky?Waaaaaaaay too risky!
4) Quotes to comment on:This is Rachel getting offended by Cassie's indericted underlying message about her morals. And I could relate to her feeling abashed by Cassie's conduct, too. I don't think I could be best friends with someone who doesn't say it but secretly ultimately disapproves of my person. Rachel is literally the opposite of Cassie. Unlike Cassie, Rachel would have put her morals and safety before the safety of her friends on the line, any time, any day, and I say good on her!QuoteRachel had an expression I've almost never seen on her face: She was hurt.
"Rachel, we can still be --"
"No, we can't," she said, cutting me off. "See, you've just said the whole world can drop dead, so long as you, Cassie, don't have to end up turning into me."
<Maybe we'll lose, maybe we'll win," I [Jake] said. <But if we win and someday it's all over, you'd better hope there are still plenty of Cassies in the world. You'd better hope that not everyone has decided it's okay to do whatever it takes to win.>Jake had more than his responsibility at stake here. But I don't think he fully understood, nor believed, what he was stating here. Had he believed a word he said here, he wouldn't have felt so jaded by what Cassie had pulled on him in The Ultimate.
'Life is sacred. Even the life of an Enemy.'I have posted this quote on another thread, because it's something I truly took into my person from this series. It's the reason why Cassie is such an interesting complex character. I can't bring myself to hate anyone who, like Cassie, leads their life following this philosophy. EVEN inspite fighting a war.
5) Do you think Aftran's change of heart was portrayed realistically?Hmmm... Hard to say. They didn't exactly become best of friends at the end, so I would say, yes.
6) Anything else?I got some questions and ponders to add:
<Maybe we'll lose, maybe we'll win," I [Jake] said. <But if we win and someday it's all over, you'd better hope there are still plenty of Cassies in the world. You'd better hope that not everyone has decided it's okay to do whatever it takes to win.>Quote from Gafrash: Jake had more than his responsibility at stake here. But I don't think he fully understood, nor believed, what he was stating here. Had he believed a word he said here, he wouldn't have felt so jaded by what Cassie had pulled on him in The Ultimate.
Question: How could Aftran have arranged for the little girl Karen to have been truly 'freed' and, thus, kept her end of the bargain? And wouldn't the Yeerks have seen the news, with the whole 'Mushroom eating lost girl in the woods' happening at the same time and location as one of their Controllers was missing, a little too much of a coincidence?!
Quote<Maybe we'll lose, maybe we'll win," I [Jake] said. <But if we win and someday it's all over, you'd better hope there are still plenty of Cassies in the world. You'd better hope that not everyone has decided it's okay to do whatever it takes to win.>Quote from Gafrash: Jake had more than his responsibility at stake here. But I don't think he fully understood, nor believed, what he was stating here. Had he believed a word he said here, he wouldn't have felt so jaded by what Cassie had pulled on him in The Ultimate.
Actually, I think Jake was wrong about Cassie. She will do anything to win, but she'll do things in the most unexpected way because her goals are different and less straightforward; she plays a different game than the others. I think her actions in The Ultimate and The Departure prove that.
Yeah. Why would a 13-14 year old need a credit card anyway? You know, I think that may be the only time something like that is mentioned in the series.
...This was almost one of my favorite books in the series.
It was an interesting and creative plot, and was beautifully written. It was very emotional and it introduced some compelling views on the all the characters as well as their enemies.
HOWEVER
I cannot, cannot and never will come to like how this book ended.
That damn last paragraph, last line drives me into a white hot rage everytime.
"Whip out you credit card......we're adding some color"?!
It makes me sick.
It makes me think of some crappy freeze frame ending to an old movie, and for that reason alone I can never give this book the respect it truly deserves....
Yeah. Why would a 13-14 year old need a credit card anyway? You know, I think that may be the only time something like that is mentioned in the series.
To buy computer equipment for Ax, of course. ;)
I think that's what Rachel used hers for later in the series.