Book 41 questions. (Spoilers)

[Aleron]

Did Jake save Cassie or the world?  I know it was intentionally left open, but what do you think?  I'm leaning towards Cassie, but most of my clues can go either way.

He leaped for "what must be valued above all else".  That can be taken to mean loved ones or freedom.

He called Cassie immediately afterward.  Either to reaffirm her safety or to confirm that it was all a dream (and she didn't actually die).

When he says "I knew what I was made of.  My limitations and my priorities."  I take that to mean Cassie, as he shows comfort that he could draw the line somewhere, ending his debate over leaving Marco and Rachel to begin with, and if he'd chosen the world it'd mean that he had no limits.   But at the same time, it could mean priorities on saving the world and the limits for which he'd go to save his friends.

Then there's Justice, the kid he identified with.  On one hand, Justice believes in saving the ones he loved first, and others second.  On the other hand, Justice would probably die if Jake saved Cassie, and who sends a kid to death?

~~~~~

Also, what are your thoughts/speculations on the entity at the end of the book?  Personally, I think it was all in Jake's head, a dream of an alternate future, which would suggest the alien had something to do with the mind (or thoughts).

[AniDragon]

Shortly after the first time I read this book, a friend of mine told me of a short story she read call "The Lady or the Tiger", which had a similar (though not quite the same) ending. This lead to much discussion on both stories, and I'm pretty sure my brain exhausted all of it's resources on the subject way back then, because my mind went completely blank after I finished reading your post.

In other words, I've thought this question to death, never came up with an answer, got frustrated, and realized that that was the whole point of it.

[Yarin]

i liked this story but what was up with the voice at the end who was that?

[Chad32]

I don't know. I started rereading the book, and I could have sword Ax and Marco escaped and became fugitives. That was wrong, though. I don't remember that book too well, I guess.

[Yarin]

i've heard its the one but im not sure the one seems really powerful but at the same time not very powerful

[Aleron]

I think they're similar, yet also different, possibly enemies, since the alien from 41 is neutral and interested in learning, while the One is EVIL.  Like energy beings who communicate through the minds of others.  Maybe they live in Z-Space or another dimension.

[Yarin]

that's an interesting way of seeing it

[Aleron]

I remember reading in the Anibase that K.A. originally wanted the aliens in Animorphs to be like those on Star Trek.  If you follow that line of thinking, the One and the Borg have a lot of similarities.

[Yarin]

that is very true