Series Re-read #50 The Ultimate

[buffyangellvr23]

"Really big trouble" is an understatement these days. The war between the Yeerks and the Animorphs is full on, and it's only going to get worse. But Cassie, the other Animorphs and Ax have a lot more going on than just trying to stay alive. Now they've got to actively protect their families and the free Hork Bajir. And they no longer believe they

Comments

[frenchroast]

I was there too, and I'm trying to figure out how I missed that post. I can't for the life of me fathom how I never read it until now.

[frenchroast]

Fluffer McKitty--who were you?

[raeraem]

I think Rachel was going to die no matter what. They said many times throughout the series that they didn't know what she would do once the war ended. She seemed to thrive in the dangerous environment provided by constant war. If she didn't die, I imagine she would've disappeared and went feral or something with Tobias. I honestly don't know ^^; she is a restless being who needed the group to keep her sanity.

As for this book in particular, I absolutely loved the Auxiliary Animorphs. I loved how they had their own leader, and how they adapted to their morphs faster than the core Animorphs. Wasn't a huge fan of "Somehow we got them all their morphs in the Gardens without being seen. Thank goodness, huh?" Something of a cop-out, but there really was no other way to do it if the Auxiliary plotline was going to work.

Oh, and James being a lion tickled me because the David trilogy is probably one of my favorite plotlines in the whole canon :D

[geritar]

I think KA took the easy route with Rachel by killing her off. Yes, they hinted at her not being able to go back to her regular life after the war, but it would've been nice to see her fight to try

[geritar]

Oh, and I really liked the lion thing, too. :)

[tygerwulfe]

I wish that scene hadn't been cut, for the bit with Cassie and Tobias, honestly. Readers have speculated for years as to whether or not Tobias trapped himself (consciously or subconsciously). That scene finally answered the question... and it was cut.

[daphne_23]

I quite like it being left open, as I'm not sure that Tobias ever knew himself if it was deliberate or not... or let himself know. The closest otherwise we get to answering the question is I think in #43 The Test (it's a book where Tobias returns to the Yeerk pool, anyway) and I think the uncertainty there is rather well done.

[animorphfanatic]

I think it's supposed to be a mystery.

Regardless, Cassie says she knows, and I don't really like people making revelations about people other than themselves. I know Cassie has a gift for this, but look at her situation with Jake in the story. She could just as easily come to the conclusion she came to because of how she felt about her own circumstances in that moment. Someone saying relationships are impossible to "get" doesn't mean they don't want to be human. She kinda made a lot of what could just be a statement of his past difficulties, and whether or not he wants to be hawk (in the time Rachel is still alive) is far more questionable.

Just wandering thoughts. I like that it was left. And I like to think maybe they realized how it just doesn't work for Cassie to make a revelation like that when she's suffering from so much personal crap herself.

[anijen21]

I really don't think there was ever uncertainty.

In book one, Tobias says something along the lines of "I hate not having wings" and Jake asks him to demorph before they go into the Yeerk Pool, and he flat-out refuses. I mean, this may have been the proverbial nail in the coffin, but I honestly think all of the "omg did he do it on purpose" angst was more the Animorphs being in denial about it than any real uncertainty with it.

[embergryphon]

...Wow. Y'know, I've said for a while, now, that if Rachel had survived to the end, she and Tobias would still be hard-pressed to make things work between them. Tobias wouldn't give up being a hawk, not even for her, and she wouldn't be able to accept that... That deleted scene seems to prove it. He no longer thinks of himself as human. He doesn't seem to think of himself... as being in a relationship

[geritar]

I think Rachel would have still died because KA wanted her to. She did not die because the Yeerks had morphing power. She died because the author did not want her to live. But I will tackle that when we get to #54. :X