1. Was it okay with you that Tobias and Ax alternate narrations in the story telling? Should either of them had more books?
I understand it was the easiest way to do things, but I do wish there had been a way to get them both more narrations. I find details about each character fascinating and annot pick a favorite, but I don't like that two of them got less screen time.
2. From book one there were signs, and now Tobias and Rachel have a rather intimate relationship, despite knowing each other for only a few weeks. Where do you think their relationship comes from, and what are your thoughts on it? Are they a good couple? In what ways do they compliment each other?
Tobias is very good for Rachel. But sometimes I wonder if she is good for him. As for where their relationship came from, I have no idea. Things like that will always be a beautiful mystery, in real life and fiction.
Tobias was much more compassionate than he seems at first. I think that he kept some amount of Rachel's violence in check. His was the only opinion she really cared about, and that ended up tapering the edge of her recklessness. Of course, none of this really shows up for a while. At this point, Tobias just knows that he connects with Rachel the most, but he doesn't even think about it, let alone why.
3. Though it doesn't work out, trying to take the truck ship is the first attempt to show the masses undeniable proof the Yeerk presence. What do you think of this strategy? How would the world knowing effect the war, and the Animorphs place in it, this early on?
The way I see it, if humans knew of the invasion, Visser Three would have gone to his Plan A, Independence Day style. And we see in "Back to Before" that, while a lot of people would have died, humans would have eventually won. From the Animorphs perspective, it makes total sense. Their reasoning is that why bother being covert if you have the strength to go all-out? With their limited knowledge, that makes perfect sense. So there is nothing wrong with their logic here.
4. They did however succeed in destroying the ship. How much, if any, damage do you think this caused the Yeerks?
These first few books establish how big of a nuisance the Animorphs are going to be. It's not so much about causing damage it's more like "We're over here! Just kidding, now here! Whoops, you missed!" Significant damage? No. Annoying the hell out of Visser Three? Oh yeah. And Visser Three's frustration turns out to be a powerful ally many times.
5. What to you think of Tobias's sudden transition into life as a bird, his brief retreat from and return to humanity, and the compromise of the two lives he ends up on? Is the identity crisis he'll face in later books inherent to the situation, or a personal thing?
Have you ever tried to go on a really strict diet? No ice cream, no chocolate. No cheesy, greasy fast food. Thoughts of junk food consume your thoughts. You daydream about the taste and texture of these forbidden foods. You try to satisfy those cravings with celery sticks and crackers. It doesn't work. And when you finally give in, you don't just stop at one fun-sized bar of chocolate, you eat the entire bag. And then maybe another. That's what this part reminded me of. Tobias had been resisting for long enough for the desire to follow the hawk's instincts to build into an obsession. And when he finally broke that first time, a dam broke.
This is an identity crisis that is ongoing, but he made a huge step here.
6. For a very short time Tobias essentially leaves the Animorphs. What are your thoughts on that? Is it more forgivable than if someone else (say Cassie) left the group?
I think that this is a sneakily worded question, considering how the majority feels about Cassie.
i think that every single member of the group is vital, but no one can be perfect all the time. Every one of the characters had a couple of severe meltdowns. And we need to cut Tobias some slack. It's not like he up and left in the middle of a battle, with the others dying. They were, in comparison to many other moments, quite safe.
7. Tobias can't go on a lot of mission and has some strict limits on what he can and can't do in a fight. However, he is able to be an all day scout, and provide a lot of air surveillance and information. How important is Tobias's role? Could anyone else conceivably do it? What important contributions do you think Tobias makes to the team?
Like I said, everyone's role is vital. Tobias can track some one for 72 hours, figuring out if they're a Controller or not. He found them entrances to the Pool. Their joke about him being their Air Force was very true. He was their escape route, their Plan B, their eyes. When everyone else was a roach in a building, he could keep them updated on what was going on outside. If he had not been trapped, he would have been a roach with them and escaping would have been a hundred times harder.
And in addition to the usefulness of having a large bird with incredible vision, he had personality qualities & experiences that were incredibly useful, just like the others.
8. With the Red-Tailed Hawk, we get a very different insight to the animal mind, especially in this book; it is one of the few where the animal focuses beyond eating or not being eaten. What do you think of the portrayal of this animal in this book and throughout the series? Do you think Applegate's descriptions of its abilities and attitudes were accurate or exaggerated? What do you envision the experience of being a hawk to be like? What do you think it's strengths and weaknesses are compared to the others' combat morphs? What do you think about Tobias's interaction with the female? As a hawk? As a human?
I'll start with the combat morph question. The raptors get underestimated as battle morphs. No, they are not as good as a tiger or bear, but they are not useless. Tobias can drop from above, unnoticed until a Hork-Bajir's eyes are a bloody mess and be long gone before his target can think through the pain enough to take a swipe at him. No matter how many times he does just that, they underestimate the raptors.
I enjoy the portrayal of the raptors very much. The bit about the female is.....interesting, but not enough to explore extensively. *shrug*
I really enjoyed the hawk's opinion of cold hamburger and a soft blankets. That was interesting, especially because Tobias was trying so hard to be human.
9. What would you do if you were in Tobias's place? If you had to live your life in the body of hawk how would you go about it? Would you try to live like a bird in the wild, or sheltered and fed as Tobias does until this book? Or would it be too much; do you think suicide would ever be an option for you in this situation?
I don't think suicide is ever the right option. I know it's corny and overused, but suicide is the cowardly way out.
I think I would try to live as a bird, but that's probably because I've read these. It's hard to say what I would have done if I had never read these books.
10. Have you recently read the original, the reprint, or did you do this from memory? If you've read the reprint, how do feel about any changes?
Read the original.
11. Anything else?
Yep, two things.
When Tobias returns, he goes to Rachel first. He's talking about being a predator, killing to eat, and essentially comparing himself to the Yeerks. Rachel replies "Killing because it's the only way you can survive, because that's the way nature designed you, that's one thing. Killing because you want power or control is evil." This is interesting, and sets the stage for later, when we find out about how little the Yeerks have in their natural state. Nature designed them to be parasites, just as nature designed hawks to be predators. This is by no means the complex argument we have later, but it is a start.
Second, I realized that these first books are about each of the Animorphs finding their initial reason to fight. Perhaps that reason changes over the years, but this is about that first reason for fighting. Jake fights for Tom. Rachel fights because of how the Yeerks destroyed her friend's family. Tobias fights to rescue those that are trapped, because he knows how miserable it is. In two books, we find out Marco's reason. I can't remember if Cassie makes a "here's my reason" speech in the next book, but I kinda hope so.
