Group Re-read 2.0 #29 The Sickness

[RYTX]

Synopsis
Cassie is about to make a change for the better....
Aftran Nine-Four-Two is a Yeerk. A Yeerk who decided to live her life in a Yeerk Pool, so that a young girl could be free. Aftran's not just a Yeerk, she's an ally. A friend. But she's soon to be interrogated by Visser Three. And he won't stop until he knows everything she knows; which includes the truth of the Animorphs. If they're going to save her, and they must, they have to go straight to the Yeerk Pool. But Ax is sick. And it seems to be going around. Cassie's the only one not coming down with it, and will have to save Aftran alone. And she has to do it soon. Because in Ax's case the illness is fatal, and Cassie is going to have to operate. On his brain....

Question
   1. This is about as much of the Yeerk Peace Movement as we'll ever see. What do you think of the organization in this book and throughout the series? What do you think they do, and how does it contribute to preventing or lessening the hostile actions of other Yeerks? What more would you liked to have of seen from this group in the books?

   2. What did you think of Ax's illness? Details of Andalite biology are scarce, so from the bio/med views, what do you make of the condition? Why does it have such effects on other species, and why was Cassie not affected?

   3. Cassie is all alone in this book in both rescuing Aftran, and carrying out Ax's operation. What did you think of her performance in these tasks? How well does she handle being the leader of one? Could any of the others have done as well on their own?

   4. Would you, supposedly having no extensive training in the matter, be willing to cut open your friend's head, and effectively perform brain surgery to save his life? How would you muster the courage to do that?

   5. For this one time only we see another species take on the form of a Yeerk. What do you think of the Yeerks as portrayed by this experience? How does the purely instinctual morph compare to sentient Yeerks who's accounts are given throughout the series? What did you think of the Yeerks inherent responses to life in the pool, as well as taking a host?

   6. What do you think of the solution that ultimately saved Aftran's life: a Yeerk given the morphing ability, and becoming a nothlit? In this book it was Jake who proposed the idea-thoughts?

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

   8. Anything else?

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

Next week: Megamorphs #3 Elfangor's Secret

[RYTX]

   1. My search for continuity and expansion makes me hate the YPM. That we never see anything from them, intelligence, recruitment, not even coffee breaks, they were non existent as far as I'm concerned. I imagine what they must-read should-have been doing, was individual conversions of less hostile Yeerks, but really, that's a painfully slow and limiting process, and so far as we can tell totally irrelevant! The story isn't about the YPM, but if you do all this to set them up, and then do NOTHING, well, I don't know what more I could want: anything, perhaps?

   2. I certainly don't know medicine, and am not a great evolutionary mind, but it seems faulty to me to store disease at the hub of the nervous system. Moreover, since one can obviously live fine without it, and it carries such a huge risk, I'm amazed the Andalites don't have a standard procedure of removing it at birth or something. The fact that the others got sick perplexes me. Maybe the disease that pushed him over was of Earth origin, and that's what they got. As for Cassie, I know people say it's because she works with sick animals thus as a good immunity, but I really just chalk it up to more writer adoration of her.

   3. She did good. I feel like I say that a lot, but this time she did very well. Everything the Animorphs have to do kinda sucks if you put it in perspective, but doing it alone must suck more. Well done Cass.
   4. Finding meaningful hypothetical is rough, and while this isn't one of the best, I can emphatically say hell no to this one, and for once it's not about me being a two faced coward. I've dissected lots of things now, and I'll tell you it is difficult. No matter how much experience you have in first aid, how dexterous you have, pulling apart tissue is painfully tedious, and work on one part of the body is very different than in another. So I can confidently say, sorry Ax, can't help you because I'd be just as likely to kill you as exploding brain organs. edit: I've been thinking lots lately, maybe I'd try. Maybe. He is gonna die if not, but, man there is a difference b/w letting him die and killing him

   5. This was fairly cool. A creature that takes satisfaction in neuro tissure. A slug like form is not really something I'd desire, but the way this played it the Yeerk mind was certainly fascinating. I suppose, seeing as how in a few books we'll have Andalite optimism, I expected something like ambition or greed in there as well, but they keep it very simple, though now that I think about it, lacking empathy. Almost like the Howlers. The way you occupy an environment with no consideration of it's concerns. Very offensive to personal sensibilities, but highly relatable from that point of few.

   6. Good solution. Probably should have been discussing that as a long haul thing here. (Maybe something for the YPM to contemplate ) That Jake, or at least not Cassie, came up with the solution is a bit of a surprise, but Jake doesn't get enough credit for being as clever as he is. This was a good exception. Well done Jake.

[Chad32]

1) I think the YPM was a good idea, and I wish they had done a lot more with it. I don't really like seeing a race being portrayed as always chaotic evil, and I like how it shows that Yeerks can be influenced by their hosts, and show respect for them. I wish there had been more done with it. Maybe work with the Hork-Bajir to help free their kind and Humans as well. Maybe infiltrate and undermine Visser Three by pretending to be loyal to him. They could have played a big part in winning the war.

2) It was odd, and I don't think it made a lot of sense. It's possible that the illness of the others was mostly in their heads, which could be the reason why Cassie didn't get it. The anis didn't all get the same thing, since various cures were used, and they all got better at around the same time.

3) She did well in getting Aftran out, and helpign Ax. The other may not have even tied to rescue aftran, and most likely wouldn't have put Aftran in ax's head. Got to love the "No Cassie. He's screaming because he has a Yeerk in his head." part.

4) I couldn't do it. I would have had to find a surgeon, and have them do it.

5) I think it was well enough. I sympathize with them wanting to be out of the pool, and grow as a society.

6) I don't think I like the solution. I guess I can understand a Yeerk wanting an aquatic morph, but given that she's sentient, I doubt her life in the ocean would be fulfilling. I think something different could have been done.

7) It's been quite a while since I've read any Animorphs book.

[XtheoniongirlX]

I guess I can understand a Yeerk wanting an aquatic morph, but given that she's sentient, I doubt her life in the ocean would be fulfilling.

Nah. She's been through a lot, some people are perfectly satisfied living the remainder of their lives without incident and higher purpose. Obviously if she felt like she needed fulfillment she would've pushed the idea of joining the Animorphs as an ally, but it looks like she just wanted to live out her winter years in peace. It works for me, although I would've of course preferred more appearances from Aftran. I'm just glad she wasn't killed... I knew from reading the books out of order that she's never shown again in later books so I was preparing myself for an ironic killed-by-Ax-right-after-saving-his-life ending, but no. Caught me completely off-guard and was quite sweet.

It would've been nice if she had actually met Jake and the others when they forced him into a dolphin morph in the last book, even if it would've been an incredibly unlikely coincidence. I'm not sure what she'd even have to say to them.

"Guys! I've finally come up with a viable plan for taking down Visser One! Where's Rachel? I don't want to have to repeat this." Cringing all around, although Marco might possibly find some humor in it. Or not.

[Chad32]

Maybe you're right that some people may just want to retire to a nice peace after experiencing war. It just felt to me like wasted potential, and the author not wanting to change the dynamic. Not that keeping the status quo in a series is always bad. I just hope she didn't get too lonely without other sentient people to be with. Or maybe she found some island fisherman to reveal herself to, and they had adventures together on the sea.

[Tim Bruening]

RYTX link=topic=9329.msg729550#msg729550 date=1341689873]
Synopsis
Cassie is about to make a change for the better....

How is morphing a Yeer a "Change for the better"?

   2. What did you think of Ax's illness? Details of Andalite biology are scarce, so from the bio/med views, what do you make of the condition? Why does it have such effects on other species, and why was Cassie not affected?

Given that the Yamphat virus is very contagious, why didn't it sweep the entire school?  After all, Ax got sick at a school dance!

   6. What do you think of the solution that ultimately saved Aftran's life: a Yeerk given the morphing ability, and becoming a nothlit? In this book it was Jake who proposed the idea-thoughts?

There was another solution that was practically knocking at their heads like the wine glasses in a Harry Potter book: Just have Erek supply Aftran with Kandrona radiation!  In book 10, Erek explains that to fool the Yeerks, he holds a Yeerk captive in his head and keeps it supplied with Kandrona rays that he produces!  He had allowed the Yeerk to crawl in to fool the Yeerks, but rendered it unconscious and pumped it for information.  Every 3 days, he reports to the Pool and makes a holographic projection of the Yeerk leaving his head for the Pool.  Later, he makes a projection of it returning.

Cassie had been present when Erek made his revelation, and even asked him how he keeps the Yeerk alive!  Meanwhile, Erek has a perfect memory, and was at the Barn when Cassie was agonizing how to save Aftran.  Aftran was in Cassie's head in book 19, so would have had access to Cassie's memories of Erek's show and tell about how he holds a Yeerk captive.  At least ONE of them should surely have thought of the idea of having Erek keep Aftran fed!