Group Re-Read: Week 7, #7 The Stranger

[Terenia]

Summary
Okay. Rachel and the other Animorphs have finally found the new entrance to the Yeerk Pool. They've even found a way to sneak in. The infamous roach morph. But they don't count on roaches being a Taxxon delicacy. This time escape doesn't look so good.
And then everything stops. Everything. The feasting Taxxon, the human-Controllers, the Hork-Bajir. Time. Rachel, Cassie, Marco, Jake, Tobias and Ax are in for their wildest trip ever. They're going to get the chance to decide whether they want to stay on Earth and fight the Yeerks. Or go to another planet. And the guy giving them the choice says he can save them. Now all they have to do is make the choice...[/b]

Questions
1) How the HECK have the Animorphs not been caught as humans yet? Is Taxxon innards really goopy enough to confuse Andalite and human?

2) This is only our second narration by Rachel, but already there are some changes in her personality. What do you think has changed? Is the change more obvious in her than the other Ani's? Why/why not? Who might be more affected?

3) On a similar note, this book is where Rachel acquires her infamous grizzly morph. Why do you think KA made the decision to abandon the elephant? Why do you think that Rachel rarely uses the elephant after she gets the grizzly? Does this symbolize anything or is it just more convenient?

4) The Ellimist provides a possible future Earth. Do you think it is a realistic possibility? Also, what do you think changed to make it "five humans and an Andalite" rather than "six humans" (I have a theory, but I want to hear what you say first)?

5) We see the Animorphs completely admit defeat two times in the series. This is one of them (Jake in MM4 being the other, although that's really just Jake). In fact this is the only time when they collectively agree to give up. What do you think about their decision?


Next week we will be reading Megamorphs #1: Elfangor's Gift. NOT #8.

[RYTX]

1) Yes. Taxxon goop must be some foul stuff
3) I love the change to grizzly, it's more pratical which is why I think it happened. Elephants are amazing but the bear is symbolic of raw strength that is contained, honestly a beautiful thing for Rachel
4) I stand by that Ellimist did not show any future. He got an idea, but the whole in the story himself and wanted them to call him on it. It was a little skit for them, even he can't see how things will end
5) Didn't like the decision, but the result was fine, so I forgive it. For now

and now I must say, imo, this is where the series takes off. Up till now they do some minor damage, take out a handful of controllers, some ships, disrupt some of the Visser's more zany schemes, but this is the book where they stop being a thorn in the side and become a threat. The step from sabotage to opposition.
Kinda interesting that that comes with the arrival of the bear...

[Chad32]

Grizzlies are about as strong as elephants, while also being more maneuverable and agile. I say it's generally a better choice.

I think the main reason they haven't been discovered as Humans is because no one wants to contradict what the oh so violent and arrogant Visser Three thinks. However, it is a bit unrealistic.

I don't mind their decision to quit. They were young and inexperienced, and chances were extremely low that they'd actually succeed.

I don't really understand that part where they talk to Visser Three. It confused me.

[Hylian Dan]

I really love this book.

In symbolic terms (as opposed to more practical terms), the chapter when Rachel acquires the grizzly makes it pretty clear why she sticks with that morph:

I reached a trembling human hand down to touch the rough coat of the grizzly bear. His
nearsighted eyes watched me. I was nothing to him. I could not hurt him. He could destroy
me without bothering even to wake up fully.
He was beyond fear. Beyond doubt. Beyond pain.
"It must be nice," I whispered to him.
I touched him and felt his power flow into me. And yet, as I absorbed his DNA and imagined
myself becoming this fearless creature, I still could not forget the look in my father's eyes, or
the quaver in his voice saying, "But, gee, Rachel, I think it could be okay, you know?"
I could already feel the emptiness his moving would leave in my life. He could say he'd come
back every other week. He could say we'd still see each other just as much. But I knew it
wouldn't be that way.
I could imagine him packing up to go.
I could remember the screams in the Yeerk pool.
I could remember Tobias trying to joke about college.
Too much. Things that were small and personal, and things that were huge, all swirled
together in my head. Nothing made sense. It was too much stuff. Too much fear and guilt and
loneliness. Too many decisions. Too much.
You know, there are days when I just don't feel brave and fearless. There are days when I just
want to go to a ball game with my dad and eat popcorn and tune out everything else that's
going on. Be a normal kid.
But that wasn't the life I had. Not anymore.


It's sort of like in book 1 when Tobias talks about the depressed hawk he'd acquired, who had broken his wing and been trapped in a cage, and Tobias wished the bird could be free.

[Phoenix004]

1) How the HECK have the Animorphs not been caught as humans yet? Is Taxxon innards really goopy enough to confuse Andalite and human?

Well it is pretty nasty stuff, but you're forgetting that there was an Andalite in there (Ax) and that the others would have morphed battle morphs pretty quickly. Not to mention the fact that the Controllers knew (or thought they knew) that the bandits were Andalites, so they saw what they wanted to see.

2) This is only our second narration by Rachel, but already there are some changes in her personality. What do you think has changed? Is the change more obvious in her than the other Ani's? Why/why not? Who might be more affected?

To be honest, I thought most of the changes in Rachel's personality happened in books not narrated by her. According to the others she's the fearless Xena and becomes very aggressive as the series goes on, but in a lot of her books I just can't see that most of the time. She's just somebody who puts on a brave face and acts fearless and aggressive to hide how scared she is.

3) On a similar note, this book is where Rachel acquires her infamous grizzly morph. Why do you think KA made the decision to abandon the elephant? Why do you think that Rachel rarely uses the elephant after she gets the grizzly? Does this symbolize anything or is it just more convenient?

I think it is more convenient as her Elephant morph is sometimes too big to be ideal in a battle situation. I also agree with what Hylian Dan said (nice passage) and it seems to suit her more.

4) The Ellimist provides a possible future Earth. Do you think it is a realistic possibility? Also, what do you think changed to make it "five humans and an Andalite" rather than "six humans" (I have a theory, but I want to hear what you say first)?

Assuming that the Animorphs failed, it's a realistic possible future.

5) We see the Animorphs completely admit defeat two times in the series. This is one of them (Jake in MM4 being the other, although that's really just Jake). In fact this is the only time when they collectively agree to give up. What do you think about their decision?

I don't blame them at all, especially after all the horrors they've been through. However, you should remember that they only agreed to give up because they thought that the Ellimist had shown them that future vision as a warning that they would lose the war.

[Terenia]

4) The Ellimist provides a possible future Earth. Do you think it is a realistic possibility? Also, what do you think changed to make it "five humans and an Andalite" rather than "six humans" (I have a theory, but I want to hear what you say first)?


Okay, here's my AU theory.

In this alternate universe Ax is never saved. For whatever reason, Cassie and Tobias ignore his calls, or maybe he dies when the Dome hits the ocean or starves underwater or whatever.

So the Animorphs go on for awhile and suddenly a la #20, the blue box turns up! David joins the Ani's and guess what the little rat does? Betray's them, of course! So now you have a group of six humans who end up losing the war because David not only betrays them but allows the Yeerks to discover their true identity, resulting in the Ellimist's version of the future.


Yeah, I know it is entirely convoluted. But it could happen.

[V2113]

1) How the HECK have the Animorphs not been caught as humans yet? Is Taxxon innards really goopy enough to confuse Andalite and human?
They probably just noticed arms and top body, didn't pay attention to the head, and were too busy puking their heads off from the smell to pay ANY attention to how they looked.

2) This is only our second narration by Rachel, but already there are some changes in her personality. What do you think has changed? Is the change more obvious in her than the other Ani's? Why/why not? Who might be more affected?

I agree with Phoenix here. She's just someone who puts on a brave face to hide her scared-ness. I think the most obvious parts are these:

If David had hurt Tobias, I would . . .
 
But what was the point in making threats? I didn't need to make threats. I knew what I would do. So did Jake. That's why he'd sent Ax for me...




<Ax? Tell me something. When Jake sent you to get help, why did you come for me and not Marco or Cassie?>
 
<Prince Jake was specific. Get Rachel.>
 
<Did he say why?>
 
Ax hesitated a moment. Then he said, <Jake told me Tobias was probably dead. I said this was a terrible thing. And Prince Jake said, "Yes. If David's killed Tobias, we may have to do a terrible thing, too. Get Rachel.">
 
But it definitely made me feel strange. Jake had called for me specifically. Because he wanted someone who would do precisely what I was planning to do.
 
Like I say, I'm not big on feelings, but something about that felt wrong...



But still, somewhere in the back of my mind, it bothered me that Jake had sent Ax to get me. Me, specifically. Once he knew that extreme measures might be taken, he said, "Get Rachel."
 
What did that mean? Was that how Jake thought of me? As some crazed, violent nut who would do anything?
 
No, of course not. He just knew I was good in a fight. That's all. It didn't mean anything.
 
Besides, wasn't it true? another part of my mind argued. Wasn't it true? Wasn't I just the person to call if you needed to kill an Animorph? ...


I got up.
 
"Rachel, what are you doing?" Cassie asked. She put out a hand to grab my arm.
 
But Jake said, "Let her go."
 
I followed David's back as he wove through the kids just coming in. In the empty hallway outside, David began to change subtly. He was demorphing. By the time he reached the door to the quad, he was himself again. He must have been close to the two-hour limit to risk it.
 
I caught up with him as he started to trot across the grass. I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. I was keyed up, throbbing with barely contained rage.
 
"You looking for a fight right here?" he asked.
 
"Why not?" I snapped.
 
He laughed, a little uncertainly. "You would never morph here in the open."
 
"I don't need a morph to handle you."
 
"You know, maybe you forget this sometimes, but you are a girl, Rachel."
 
"And you're a worm," I shot back. "Want to see who wins that fight?"
 
"Pretty upset over that Bird-boy, aren't you? What, did you like him or something?" He grinned. "That's it, isn't it? Aww, how sweet. Too bad. But you know, birds have a short life span."
 
"So do worms."
 
"What are you doing? Trying to scare me?"
 
"Nah. I wouldn't want to scare you. I just want to tell you something. You rat us out to Visser Three, we'll know. We have sources inside the Yeerk organization."
 
He made a snorting noise. "Yeah, right."
 
"How do you think we knew the Yeerks were moving against the President and the others? How do you think we learned that one of those heads of state was a Controller?"
 
David looked a little less ****y. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he realized I was telling the truth. We hadn't told David about Erek and the other Chee.
 
"So see, you sell us out to Visser Three, we will know," I said.

He shrugged. "Big deal. Nothing you can do about it."
 
"Yeah, you're probably right," I said. "Even if we were warned, we wouldn't last long." I leaned close, close enough to whisper in his ear. "But some of us would last a while, you little creep. Long enough to make sure that your parents . . . well, use your imagination."
 
He stepped back, drew back his fist, and swung on me. I dodged the blow. I grabbed his head with one arm and jammed the fork against his ear.
 
I fought a nauseating urge to twist the fork, to make him scream in pain.
 
"You want a war between you and us, that's one thing. We'll play that out," I said. "But you try and sell us out to Visser Three, and your little family will never get put back together again. Never!"
 
This time I was the one to turn and walk away.
 
I was shaking. The muscles in my neck were twitching. Suddenly I had a raging headache. My ears were ringing.
 
I was exhausted, yes. But it was more than that. I was high on adrenaline. High on the rush of power and violence.
 
What had I just done? In all the time we'd been fighting the Yeerks, I'd never made a threat like that. What was the matter with me?
 
I felt... not exactly ashamed. But I knew I never wanted to talk to Cassie about what I'd just told David. Or Tobias. Or even Marco.
 
And as for Jake, I found myself filled with a terrifying surge of pure, utter hatred for him. I couldn't begin to explain it. But I swear at that moment I hated Jake far more than I did David.
 
I should have gone back to the cafeteria. I should have told them all what had happened. But Jake already knew, didn't he? Jake, the smart, determined leader, already knew all about me.
 
And I couldn't face him. I couldn't face what he knew about me.

I found that the book where she is questioning herself most is book 22. I looked through and found the ones that show this the best.

4) The Ellimist provides a possible future Earth. Do you think it is a realistic possibility? Also, what do you think changed to make it "five humans and an Andalite" rather than "six humans" (I have a theory, but I want to hear what you say first)

It is a very possible future. The only impossibility is Tobias getting EATEN!!!!! i hate that part. Barbecue sauce. Now just that word sickens me. It also could be one of many possible futures. Hey, there could be a possivle future where Earth got blown up so Yeerks decided to infest Vogons and killed themselves after hearing their endless poetry in their heads day after day afer day after day... That was a very good suggestion too.

5) We see the Animorphs completely admit defeat two times in the series. This is one of them (Jake in MM4 being the other, although that's really just Jake). In fact this is the only time when they collectively agree to give up. What do you think about their decision?

I think it was a reasonable decision. Rachel had many problems going on at once and she wanted Tobias for a boyfriend not lunch, Cassie wanted to save the human race (or at least some of it), Marco wanted his mom back, Ax voted with "Prince Jake"so technically his decision didn't count, Tobias was tired of being a hawk, Jake would probably have voted yes in the long run but he only voted yes because everyone else did. He found no reason to say no when even the bird and Xena were giving up. If I were an Animorph, I'd probably've voted no. I'd just make sure that Tobias stayed away from fires and YFH (Yeerk Fried Hawk, Kentucky Fried Chicken).

[Phoenix004]

I agree, #22 was definitely the book where she questioned herself the most. Still, I do like the issue involving her dad that she goes through in #7. She's supposed to be the brave fearless Xena, yet she considers moving away from it all to be with her dad.

[V2113]

I think that was a really sweet point. Back when Rachel was more like me and less violent.