Group Re-Read: #44 The Unexpected

[Terenia]

Summary
The Animorphs have been split up before. And they've had to fight battles without one another. But this time is very different. Not only is Cassie totally alone. She's managed to find herself in Australia. In the rural Outback. The other Animorphs and Ax don't even know she's there. Cassie doesn't have any idea where she's going, or if she can even survive the rugged terrain. But she does know she has to get to a town or village and contact her family and friends. Because she just realized that there's someone else who is also new to the Outback. Visser Three.




Questions
1) Why do you think that AppleGrant opted to give Cassie a solo mission?
2) Let's play a game: how many incorrect things can you find in this book?
3) This book ranks quite high on most people's 'dislike' list. Anyone want to venture a theory as to why?
4) Anything else?

Sorry guys....I really have NOTHING as far as questions are concerned this time around....on the plus side, the next book ends the really-bad-ghost-writer-era!

Next week: #45 The Revelation

[VisserZer0]

1) She had one in #29 as well when all the other Ani's came down with Yamphut. I know, it doesn't really answer the question.

3) It serves no purpose at all. There were other books like this (such as #11 and #14) but those were by KA and they were better. They also had some useful information such as Sario Rips.

#2 coming in a different post (when I have time to scan the book for KASUs).

[anijen21]

1) Why do you think that AppleGrant opted to give Cassie a solo mission?

Because the first two just weren't enough

Actually, it's kind of an interesting question--Cassie is supposed to be the most intuitive, socially intellectual member of the group, and yet, during her narrations, she's most often separate from them. Wouldn't it have been more interesting to use her as the external insight into the other characters? Was that just too hard to write consistently? Or is it just total bull****?

I go for option three, myself

2) Let's play a game: how many incorrect things can you find in this book?

What do you mean by that? I mean, I'd love to play "how many stupid things" can you find in this book...if the Yeerks *freeze frame* everyone on the plane, including, apparently, the pilots, how does it continue to fly, and what does traffic control feel about the fact that their questions aren't getting answered? Also, how does an entire plane full of people feel about the fact that they arrive in Sydney hours before they're supposed to, assuming that they don't all realize they had a collective, simultaneous blackout like in Flash Forward?

And Visser Three standing outside a mud hut, giving Cassie arbitrary ultimatums for no clear reason...smh, smh.

3) This book ranks quite high on most people's 'dislike' list. Anyone want to venture a theory as to why?

Timing and content

4) Anything else?

This was the point where it was most clear the sci-fi aspect of the series should have overtaken the animal aspect of the series. In one of their answers in the Q&A (lol OK it was to my question) they said they wished they hadn't used all the "cool animals" so quickly--and honestly, this book just felt like an excuse to use the last "cool animal" that the disintegration of Pangea kept them from using. I'd have much rather had another off-planet adventure, or some more alien character development than a ****ing walkabout.

[Gafrash]

1) Why do you think that AppleGrant opted to give Cassie a solo mission?

Yeah, even, as VisserZer0 put it, after the mission to rescue Aftran. Why would she opt for Cassie having another one? Where the others have had solo stunts, Cassie seems to get these stories dedicated to her solo missions. Can't understand it.
You could argue that Rachel will be getting her solo, soon in The Return, but AGAIN, there's Cassie in the corner of the plot. What gives?!

2) Let's play a game: how many incorrect things can you find in this book?

I think KA got the feel of the desert right, and in depicting the humans inhabiting it, but I wasn't really sold on the way she portrayed a kangaroo morph. Kangaroos are known for being vicious, but I seriously don't think they are a match for Hork-Bajirs, even with water around.
But I think the biggest blooper is having boomerangs taking out Controllers. I mean, really?! KA might as well have had the roos K.O.-ing Controllers with boxing gloves, while she was at it.

...What do you mean by that? I mean, I'd love to play "how many stupid things" can you find in this book...if the Yeerks *freeze frame* everyone on the plane, including, apparently, the pilots, how does it continue to fly, and what does traffic control feel about the fact that their questions aren't getting answered? Also, how does an entire plane full of people feel about the fact that they arrive in Sydney hours before they're supposed to, assuming that they don't all realize they had a collective, simultaneous blackout like in Flash Forward?
And Visser Three standing outside a mud hut, giving Cassie arbitrary ultimatums for no clear reason...smh, smh...

Hahhaah! These are good ones.
I remember wondering if the luggage space was pressurized. Would a polar bear and them HBs not change the whole weight compensation thing.
They could have easily done this story without the Visser there. And maybe the addition of a new bad guy, such as another Sub-Visser or Inspector, would have provided more depth to this story. I think she could have played more emphasis on that dangerous female Controller who saw Cassie's face... Was I the only one crapping myself when they read that moment?!
And then, having Cassie do an army-roll and 'accidentally' vaporizing a Hork-Bajir was another cheap shot, after all the character development in the series, don't yas think?!

3) This book ranks quite high on most people's 'dislike' list. Anyone want to venture a theory as to why?

Just because it had the feel of a filler for the sake of a filler. It's almost as if the authors were thinking: "We've done underwater, we've done the artic pole, have we done desert?! Not quite?! What's a cool morph that could be acquired in a desert? OOOH! KANGAROOS! Let's pull something that involves kangaroos, just because they are kangaroos!!!"

4) Anything else?

If you ignore the whole venture-inside-a-plane thing that already been previously done, even that opening mission itself had an 'already-been-done-before' feel to it. Reminiscent of back in The Forgotten, where they tried to get a hold of that BugFighter. Just very little of this book felt new and relevant to the long-run. And this may add to the 'dislike' factor, me thinks.

Sorry guys....I really have NOTHING as far as questions are concerned this time around....on the plus side, the next book ends the really-bad-ghost-writer-era!

Can't blame ya!

[RYTX]

1) dk
2) page 1, page 2 page 3......
3) What everyone has said and, as I promised I would I will now b!tch about:
the opening mission, yeah.
Zero point to it, and as far as I'm concerned, you don't have a start, well, you don't have a leg to stand on. Why in God's name could they possibily need this. As said, they've tried to get a fighter before. We still have alien tech in the form of super toilet out in the desert. What what what reason did they have to keep scrapes of yeerk tech from the Yeerks when at this point they have plenty of alien crap and stand to gain nothing from it.
Enrages me.
Thank you

[Gafrash]

You crack me up, RYTX-man! So true!

[Terenia]

This book is evil.


There, I said it. It is evil. I don't even care that I'm supposed to remain impartial since I'm the person in charge. Evilevilevil. DIE.

/endrant.

[VisserZer0]

I didn't think it was that bad, really. Aside from the fact that it serves no purpose.

[Gafrash]

Let's focus on the positives. However mediocre the story was, we got a touristy description of Downunder, we got insight of a new morph (however bad I think that was done), we saw Cassie handle herself well by herself (yet again!), we got to see a boomerang-airstrike deliver some serious damage onto Controllers (?!?), and we got a friendly Chee to saving the day (I always wanted a scene where Erek blatantly masks an Animorph in front of the Yeerks, missed opportunity here).
All in all, a fitting book in the Animorphs Universe.


Did we get any more insight in the war?
What could be said that were Cassie's lesson learned?
Did the Yeerks' technology get exposed?
But I reckon, had the dingo-cross Tjala taken a more Sam-The-I-Am-Legend-German-Shephard role, this book would have been right up there in my top list!!!

Damn, I am really bad at this +ive thinking stuff.

[Unknown User]

#44 was okay in my humble opinion, I think there were worse books. As far as positives go, Cassie has never been my favorite Animorph, she has seemed whiny and annoying to me at times, but this book did give me some insight into her character that I hadn't really noticed before.

[AniDragon]

Hm.... Well, I'll admit it, this is the first Animorphs book that I didn't read immediately after getting it. Even by reading the back, I just wasn't that interested. It took me about 3 months before I finally picked it up, and it was just as bad as I expected.

Then I read 45, which I had also put off because I had to read them in order, of course, and I kicked myself over the fact that I waited so long to read it.

[Gafrash]

#44 was okay in my humble opinion, I think there were worse books. As far as positives go, Cassie has never been my favorite Animorph, she has seemed whiny and annoying to me at times, but this book did give me some insight into her character that I hadn't really noticed before.

Care to elaborate? What aspect of Cassie did you exclusively get from this story?

[JFalcon]

1) Why do you think that AppleGrant opted to give Cassie a solo mission?

I like to think it's because somewhere deep down inside they were preparing her for her future of being the last animorph. This was their way of telling us "don't worry, when The One comes to earth Cassie will have our backs."

2) Let's play a game: how many incorrect things can you find in this book?

42. 

3) This book ranks quite high on most people's 'dislike' list. Anyone want to venture a theory as to why?

For me it was boring, and just had an overall "wrong" feeling. I remember as a kid I just didn't care for it at all, and I think I even started skimming it at points out of sheer boredom.

4) Anything else?

Well on the subject of finding the book's positives the cover is a nice color, and 4 is my favorite number so 44 is like . . . y'know, double 4s. w00t.

[dolphin4077]

#44 was okay in my humble opinion, I think there were worse books. As far as positives go, Cassie has never been my favorite Animorph, she has seemed whiny and annoying to me at times, but this book did give me some insight into her character that I hadn't really noticed before.

The only insight I got into Cassie's character was that she wasn't as in love with Jake as I thought she was. 

As for everything else in this book, gotta agree with everyone about how boring, useless, and evil this book was. 

[Aluminator (Kit)]

Yay! Everyone's favorite book! Oh, good times...

1) Why do you think that AppleGrant opted to give Cassie a solo mission?

... because they really like Cassie? I have no idea. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there were two entire books devoted to solo Cassie missions, whereas nobody else got more than maybe a few chapters on their own at any given time.

2) Let's play a game: how many incorrect things can you find in this book?

Tons. Visser 3's more of an idiot than usual (<There might be an Andalite around here... I'm going to yell at these people's village until it comes out, or I realize it's not actually here! Hey! It actually worked!>). The Yeerks have a stunning technology that would come in remarkably handy in catching them some Andalite bandits. Getting cut by a piece of a Yeerk spacecraft causes insane alien infection. It goes on.

3) This book ranks quite high on most people's 'dislike' list. Anyone want to venture a theory as to why?

Might have something to do with the lack of moving the plot forward. Might have something to do with the previous question. Might have something to do with the almost-total lack of Jake. And Marco. And Rachel and Tobias and Ax. Might have something to do with all of that together.

4) Anything else?

I actually found this book to be more enjoyable than many of the prior ghostwritten books. When this qualifies as "good" for that middle third of the series, it's really no wonder I lost interest in Animorphs.