Group Re-Read: Week 3, #3 The Encounter

[Terenia]

*Note: I know I'm posting these a bit erratically, and I apologize. I'm out of state right now, so I'm trying to post whenever I get the chance. Once I get back home in about a week and a half I'll be on a more regular schedule.

Summary
When Tobias, Jake, Rachel, Marco, and Cassie were given the ability to morph, they were also given one very important warning: Never stay in a morph for more than two hours. It seemed a small price to pay, since the kids know that humans everywhere are being forced to let slimy, spineless creatures creep into their brains. And the only way the kids can fight back is not to be human.
But Tobias stayed in his morph too long. And now he's a hawk - with a boy's mind - forever. Tobias knows they can't give up. That they all made a promise. So now it's four kids and a hawk against a force that is determined to destroy them. Or die trying...

Questions
1) It has been less than a month since the battle at the Yeerk Pool where Tobias lost his humanity. This entire book resolves around Tobias dealing with being a hawk and a boy. How do you think he's been handling it?

2) Kind of going off of #1, how do you think the idea of Tobias hunting for food is handled? What about the girl hawk and his suicide attempt? Realistic?

3) When Rachel and the others are in the belly of the transport ship they are convinced that they're going to die. Tobias says, <Rachel, I never told you....> and Rachel answers with <You didn't have to, Tobias. I knew. Good-bye> what do you think Tobias was going to say? That he loves her? Keep in mind they've only really known one another for a month or so...

4) Marco is so opposed to being an Animorph at this point in the series. Why do you think he keeps agreeing to come along?

5) Rachel has a picture of Tobias in her drawer. Any speculation as to how she got it since she didn't know Tobias very well just a month ago?

6) Anything else?

Significant Quotes/Moments
<Yep,> Rachel said. <It is insane.>
<Well, okay,> Marco said. <As long as we all know we're nuts. Let's do it!>

Hmm...I believe we have our first official "let's do it!" of the series. From Marco nonetheless (and an 'it's insane' from Rachel!)


Feel free to answer any of my questions, ask your own questions, or comment on the book however you want. Also feel free to go to previous weeks and revive discussions there. Next week we will be reading #4: The Message.

[morfowt]

Questions
4) Marco is so opposed to being an Animorph at this point in the series. Why do you think he keeps agreeing to come along?

I'm guessing he's going along anyway because his best friend, Jake, is going along. something about loyalty or soemthing I guess.

[Slushie Man]

1) It has been less than a month since the battle at the Yeerk Pool where Tobias lost his humanity. This entire book resolves around Tobias dealing with being a hawk and a boy. How do you think he's been handling it?

Better then I would be. Like sure, he tries to kill himself a couple times, but I mean, who wouldn't? Not only is he stuck as a hawk, but the hawk mind is starting to take over and replace his human mind.

2) Kind of going off of #1, how do you think the idea of Tobias hunting for food is handled? What about the girl hawk and his suicide attempt? Realistic?

The girl hawk I felt was a bit meh, although it is kind of important for an emotional tug on the heartstrings at the end. The rest of what you mentioned, IMO, is as realistic as you can get with a human stuck as a bird.

3) When Rachel and the others are in the belly of the transport ship they are convinced that they're going to die. Tobias says, <Rachel, I never told you....> and Rachel answers with <You didn't have to, Tobias. I knew. Good-bye> what do you think Tobias was going to say? That he loves her? Keep in mind they've only really known one another for a month or so...

Not that he loves her, but probably that he has feelings for her, at the very least. Even before they officially met, he's probably seen her around the school and may be in some of her classes.

4) Marco is so opposed to being an Animorph at this point in the series. Why do you think he keeps agreeing to come along?

Because those are all his friends, and he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he knew they died and he could have done something to help. Plus he knows the fate of the entire world is in the balance, so even though he doesn't want to do all this, he knows he has to, cause there's no one else.

5) Rachel has a picture of Tobias in her drawer. Any speculation as to how she got it since she didn't know Tobias very well just a month ago?

Could have been from before Tobias got stuck in his morph, but after they got their powers. Could be she was crushing on him before they ever actually met (See my above answer for Tobias' feelings for her), and she somehow obtained a picture of him for her to oogle over in private, like so many girls do.

6) Anything else?

Not off the top of my head, but I'm sure stuff will come up through discussions.

[morfowt]

Does the truck ship actually have an official name?

[Slushie Man]

I don't think so. It's just referred to as a Truck Ship and a Supply Ship during the book.

[Yorick Brown]

One of my least favorite books in the entire series. It was so boring and muddled and I hated Tobias' moping.

[Slushie Man]

Of course he was mopeing. He was stuck in a hawk morph, with the hawk brain taking over. ANYONE would mope. Anyone that says they wouldn't is either a liar or a full-of-themself idiot.

I loved this book. One of my favorites. It was interesting to read from the POV of someone stuck in a morph and unable to morph back out. Plus it introduced the wolf morphs, which are also my favorite morphs.

[morfowt]

I used to love this book, but I read it a thousand times already (I'm not kidding. I've read it a lot of times) that it got boring. I know exactly what gonna happen...

[Slushie Man]

Yeah, I hate it when I do that to myself with books and movies. You literally like it so much, that you end up not liking it, because you're just sick of it.

[Yorick Brown]

I didn't need to read an entire book about how a guy was crying about being stuck as a bird. It grew relentless and very annoying.

[Slushie Man]

Way to exaterate and blow things way out of proportion. He only moped about it really, during the middle. In the beginning, he was mostly fine with it, until the hawk brain started taking over, and then by the end he had a handle on it and had come to terms with it. It was only for about 3 or 4 chapters in the middle that he was truly depressed by it.

[Terenia]

I agree that Tobias' moping gets annoying, but not necessarily in this book. For this book it makes sense for him to mope. First of all, it's part of his personality. Second of all, he's stuck as a freaking bird. What bothers me about Tobias is the consistent cycle of moping and getting over it in every single one of his books. But I think that it was essential for this book, and I really enjoy it. It isn't one of my favorites, but I like it better than #2, lol.

What about the point when they almost get stuck in wolf morph? I wonder how precise the two-hour mark is. Imagine if they all got stuck half-morphed. Would it even be possible to survive? Ick.

Oh! I almost forgot! I love the image of Rachel stomping all over the cars at the dealership in her elephant morph. Priceless.

[morfowt]

I guess there's a few seconds after the two-hour mark where...something happens...that makes the morph permanent. You could still get out of morph in that time, but it's really hard.

[yunyun]

I guess there's a few seconds after the two-hour mark where...something happens...that makes the morph permanent. You could still get out of morph in that time, but it's really hard.

it's sorta impossible to be totally exact. also when the andalites desined the technology where did the limit come from anyway?

5) maybe rachel asked someone sorta close to tobias for a photo. unlikely but possible

[Chad32]

A school photo is an option, but I have humored the thought of Rachel having stalker tendencies and taking pictures of Tobias, but not telling him.

Not serious about her being a stalker, but just something kind of funny. Like what people do with abridged versions of anime or whatever.