Series re-read Hork Bajir Chronicles

[buffyangellvr23]

I'm way tired tonight and won't have a lot of coherentness lol, but I know y'all will like being turned loose on this one.

As you know, it's the prequel story of Aldrea, daughter of Seerow, and Dak Hamee, Hork-Bajir seer. The future Visser 3 is there too.

Any thoughts on the connection between this book and The Prophecy?

Comments

[anijen21]

CHUNK THE THIRD: Why Alloran is innocent PART TWO

All right, so we've already established that Aldrea the character has the greatest amount of influence on the plot of The Hork-Bajir Chronicles. And the most compelling thing I realized on this reread was that her influence extends past this book.

I know I already kind of talked about this, but I want to elaborate just a little bit. First, let's go back to the Andalite Chronicles and hear what Alloran had to say about the whole Quantum Virus release:

p. 169

p. 174-175

Now, like I said back then, this is Monday-morning quarterbacking that I'm pretty sure was meant to be taken as sincere. I really think the series blamed Alloran for the release of the virus, but I seriously beg to differ:

183

"'The canister!'...'I forgot about it!'" 200

This was the dumbest fucking denouement I have ever read.

Aldrea didn't stop to ask Alloran what his intentions with the virus are. Like I said last time, this is the only testimony he's allowed to give:

" Aldrea cried.
Alloran said." p. 185

The level of ineptitude that Dak and Aldrea have with an instantaneously deadly virus is beyond just character flaw. The number of ways she could have handled that whole situation that were less stupid...I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm with her. Take the virus and destroy it. But how about take the virus, throw it into the deep, and THEN destroy the computers with your laser guns and wake everyone up? Or how about shoot the canister on your laser gun's highest setting and destroy it without even leaving the room? They almost intentionally let the virus out. It's so dumb I can think of no other reason. I've already said I think Alloran intended to use the virus more as blackmail than as a viable threat. But the way this whole thing happens...maybe Aldrea herself intended to release the virus. Maybe she was manipulating Dak in the darkest possible way. Yeah, there was a lot of shit going on and blowing up, but seriously...maybe she herself recognized the dark necessity of committing genocide over allowing such powerful physical weapons to fall into the hands of the Yeerks. Maybe she DECIDED to kill them all.

idk, wank wank wank Aldrea didn't get near as much credit as she deserved for the influence she had on the war overall. As far as I'm concerned, she's responsible not only for the Quantum Virus, but for Alloran's disgrace, and thus the entire events of The Andalite Chronicles, and even for the Animorphs themselves meeting Elfangor. Hell, the Ellimist was probably thinking of her when he made the goddamn Time Matrix (which we never heard of it so hell imma go write a fic right now.)

[sleepall_day]

I've already said I think Alloran intended to use the virus more as blackmail than as a viable threat.
I almost wish they made this more clear. I never even really thought about this possibility until I read HBC several times over and over again. But you know the book where Fenestre's house burned down? They were really keen to say "Maybe I did it, maybe I didn't. Maybe this person did. Maybe this other person did."

I almost feel like we were basically supposed to assume that his - and the other Andalites' - intention was to wipe out the Hork-Bajir so the Yeerks couldn't use those bodies. It would have fit in with the Andalites' character. I think I might have appreciated a little bit of saying right out, "What if Alloran was going to use this virus as blackmail? Maybe he would have shown this to the Yeerks and said 'Leave or die.' And if they didn't back down, would Alloran really have had the guts to actually release that virus? Maybe, maybe not? We will never know." Placing that ambiguity into the story would have been a nice touch, I think.

[anijen21]

oh, we totally were. There was no doubt...well, there was doubt until book 54 when he was all "I'VE LEARNED THE ERROR OF MY WAYS and now I won't commit genocide no more." I mean that's not what he said but whatever he said removed all ambiguity from his intentions. Aldrea and Dak were supposed to be the heroes, Alloran was supposed to be a dick, end of story.

I'm beginning to realize this series that was supposed to be so complex and gray is actually really painstakingly structured.

[sleepall_day]

True, true. "I won't commit genocide no more!" ehehehehe... anyway. I guess what I'm saying is that Aldrea and Dak didn't truly know, so if they had that bit of narration like Jake had, that would have been kind of cool.

I'm beginning to realize this series that was supposed to be so complex and gray is actually really painstakingly structured.
You're right! I think I'm a little okay with it though - it still does a hell of a job better than so many other stories. In fact, the reason why I'm commenting on this reread right NOW is becauuuusse I just absolutely HAD to read this book after seeing Avatar. HBC was basically Avatar with a more complicated war, at least some degree of sympathy for both sides fighting the war, moral dilemmas, real characters, faaaaaaaaaaaar better dialogue, and, ummm, better aliens. I actually enjoyed the movie but man, I just had to read this as kind of a refresher to enjoy some good dialogue.

[anijen21]

ugh mte about avatar, it's amazing how much more interesting the story gets when the resource the bad guys want is not some vaguely valuable mineral but the natives themselves

but if avatar did one thing, it was convince me that in 20 years when this brand-new technology is cheap enough, we are going to get one KICKASS ANIMORPHS MOVIE

[sleepall_day]

The plot was similar enoooouuuugh that it really kind of pained me to watch it. Although I did enjoy the movie, I wish it had been scrapped and HBC been made instead :D haaha.

I HOPE YOU ARE RIGHT!

Also, since you and everyone else here are so awesome, as soon as I saw the last scene of the movie - to be honest my very first thought was, "I really want to know what the Animorphs fans are going to have to say about this." I mean, really. Elfangor and Loren, Dak Hamee and Aldrea, and to a certain extent Visser One falling in love with the humans? I mean, I'm not saying that the idea of not feeling like you belong with your original people is a novel concept, but literally going into the body of a new species, essentially to be with the one you love, was just so Animorphs that my favorite little fandom was all I could think of.

Anyway, sorry for going a bit off topic :P hope you all don't mind too much, haha.

[anijen21]

no actually I'm thinking someone should make a thread about Avatar, now that it's out at least, so we can draw parallels.

if there's one thing the movie made me appreciate, it was the fact that the *sex scenes* in Animorphs were always...invisible. In fact I kind of prefer to think the offspring resulting from those pairings were delivered by storks, because that sex scene in Avatar was AWKWARD AS HELL

[sleepall_day]

I made a post in my LJ about it and I kind of felt like a cynic, because everyone else around me is like "OMG IT WAS SO GOOD!" and here I was bitching about how some kids' book series "did it so much better" and I tried to explain why, so maybe I'll have some stuff to post if we did have a discussion for it.

AUGH I KNOW. IT WAS. and there wasn't even any fogged up glass to cover it up this time D: come on Cameron.

[anijen21]

ughhughughg I am still shuddering from it

and yeah I posted a review too that was...not glowing and I kind of feel like the odd man out idk MOVIES SHOULD BE ABOUT MORE THAN JUST THE VISUALS COME ON THERE WERE PARTS OF IT THAT LITERALLY MADE NO SENSE