Thoughts about the Last Book

[sherrilina]

Well this a topic from the old board that I wanted to bring over here, beginning with this quote from ThermalRider:

I was never really bothered by the addition of the One right at the end. To me it just shows that it's never really over, there is always something else around the corner. There is no Harry Potter "All was well. period, end of story" That just doesn't happen. There is always something else. That being said, I didn't like what happened to Ax at all. That didn't feel right to me.

I agree, what happened to Ax was the worst part IMO of the last book, and the only thing that I really, really hated and wished were different.  I mean, there's more than that sure--I was very sad/upset that C/J didn't happen (since they were my OTP of the series), that Jake and Tobias were so depressed, that Rachel had died, that it ended on a cliffhanger, etc when I first read it, and while they still sadden me, I have come to accept them now as I've re-read them while older, and can understand why they happened, and that it fits.  But if they had to go out fighting (rather a la "Not Fade Away" on "Angel"), why did Ax have to be destroyed like that?!  If not for that, I would have been much less disturbed about it all....

What do you guys think? And for those who read HP, how did you think the Ani ending compared to Deathly Hallows?

[Duff]

omg dont even get me started on the deathly hallows ending, that whole thing was just awful, in pretty much every single way, i spent the next couple of hours pretending that it was the amazing life changing ending i had hoped for lol it took some time to admit it

animorphs however, was perfect, although i agree i wasnt a fan of how things ended for ax, it made for an excellent and emotional way for the team to be brought together again, really the only way for them to be brought together. Jake would have gone for any old reason, he had a death wish, but marco and tobias? no way, not for anything less than one of their own

[sherrilina]

omg dont even get me started on the deathly hallows ending, that whole thing was just awful, in pretty much every single way, i spent the next couple of hours pretending that it was the amazing life changing ending i had hoped for lol it took some time to admit it

animorphs however, was perfect, although i agree i wasnt a fan of how things ended for ax, it made for an excellent and emotional way for the team to be brought together again, really the only way for them to be brought together. Jake would have gone for any old reason, he had a death wish, but marco and tobias? no way, not for anything less than one of their own

Lol, yeah, the ending of DH was a little weak, though it cracked me up when Hylian Dan said on the other forum

Would you have preferred, "Ax was happy to have avenged his brother by killing the Visser. Tobias was sad, but with his mom and his friends there for him, he was able to work his way through the pain. He led a human life and everyone idolized him. Jake and Cassie named their baby Rachel. All was well."

So true! :p Though if it were truly JK Rowling-esque the baby would be named Rachel Elfangor Berenson!

And yeah, sure, it had to be Ax they were rescuing, but did he have to have his body taken over by that thing?  Why couldn't he have just been kidnapped, or something less permanent, so there'd still be hope? That's all I ask....

[Duff]

there is still hope, nobody said it was permanent, it leaves plenty for fanfic writers to sink their teeth into, the mystery of the one and his/her/its powers

[ThermalRider]

I think the Animorphs ending was waaaaayyyy above Harry Potter's ending. I mean in DH, they're walking around in the woods for the first half of the book, essentially not doing anything. Then you have a quick build up and then a huge climactic good vs. evil fight to end all others. And then it's over and "All is well." I mean that book has no falling action at all. And sure plenty of people died, but then everything is hunky-dorey. I don't think so. I love HP but still, Animorphs has it beat hands down.

I think that that's one of the things that really seperates the two books though. Harry Potter is all about Good vs. Evil and it basically describes it in black and white. Animorphs is all about shades of gray and how there is good and evil but it's a lot harder to define.

[CounterInstinct]

I agree. The Beginning > Deathly Hallows.

Anyway, I liked the ending pretty much. It just goes straight to the fact that wars aren't pretty. Good and Evil aren't identified in shades of white and black. People die. Relationships get destroyed. People you love die. There is no climactic final battle. Everything is ruthless and bloody.

If Animorphs ended with Jake and Cassie together naming their twin children Rachel and Elfangor and All was well and they lived happily ever after..... 

[ThermalRider]

I agree. If that would have been the case I think most people would have had a "That's it?" reaction.

[Duff]

Then you have a quick build up and then a huge climactic good vs. evil fight to end all others.

...what climactic battle? all that ending up happening was voldy attacked, the curse rebounded and "with a flash, voldemort was dead." WTF!
but theres a time and a place for that kind of discussion

animorphs ending trumps all others, for its awesomeness in all areas of awesome

[ANna]

I agree. The Beginning > Deathly Hallows.

definately.

The Harry Potter ending was too happy ever after. Didn't seem real.

The Animorphs ending was sooooooo much better. Much more realistic. Although I didn't much like it being left on a cliff hanger but it fit.

animorphs ending trumps all others, for its awesomeness in all areas of awesome

hehe true that

[zaprowsdower]

When I first read the end I remember I was in the bathroom of a hotel. I hated the book's guts then . I still wish it was less of a cliffhangar, she sorta owed it to the fans who stuck with the whole series. Still, I appreciate that she kept it true-true to the characters, true to the reality of war and its effects.

[Terenia]

The ending itself was imperfect, but the sentiment was dead on. I agree with a messy, bloody, anti-climatic ending that shows that the war is never truly over. I don't know how I feel about The One being used to show that, or about Ax being taken. That said, I do love that KA had the guts to not tie up the ending in the usual cookie-cutter way that is so tempting for authors (like JK).

[CounterInstinct]

OT: Terenia, your signature scares me. 

Anyway, yeah, K.A even addressed a letter to Anifans explaining why she made it end that way...

[ThermalRider]

.

...what climactic battle? all that ending up happening was voldy attacked, the curse rebounded and "with a flash, voldemort was dead." WTF!

I meant the whole battle at Hogwarts and such. I consider that whole thing to be part of the battle.

I remember that letter from K.A. It was nice that she sent it out that way and gave her side of the story, but I remember the first time I read that book, her letter didn't comfort me too much

[esplin]

phst id name my kid after elfangor.

[ThermalRider]

phst id name my kid after elfangor.

You and me both. Well maybe not Elfangor. Maybe Alan Fangor.