Series Re-read # 33 The Illusion

[buffyangellvr23.livejournal.com]

(I don't have the book with me to transcribe the back cover info)

The anti-morphing ray is still a threat and the group comes up with a plan to deal with it. Tobias will let himself get caught as an Andalite, and then demorph to hawk, making the yeerks think the ray is powerless. But the plan goes wrong when a controller girl named Taylor gets him and tortures him.

I love the aspect of Tobias getting in touch with his Andalite heritage despite not sharing actual DNA, and the utzum thing. Taylor will prove a interesting character between now and when we meet her again.

Was the plan thought out well enough? Things go wrong easily in any war plan, but I wonder if the torture could have been avoided or no.

Follow up: Not much. Should there have been more follow up on Tobias's effects from this. He's got to have some PTSD later on. I actually wrote a short R/T piece set after the end of the book but not sure what happened to it.

This is another book I can't bring myself to read again 'cause it's painful lol

hmm Prompt...pain and pleasure

You should all know the rules by now, I hope

Next week: The Prophecy

Oh and Visser is advertised for the first time in this book. So we're sure, it's Prophecy, Proposal, Vissser, right?

Comments

[sporadicfungian.livejournal.com]

My angsty Tobias-loving 12-year-old self ATE THIS BOOK UP. This was, at the time of my Animorphs obsession, hands down my favorite book and the one I reread the most. Taylor and her insanity fascinated me, but mostly, I just wanted Tobias to be more emo for my benefit. Except then in his next book he was too emo and I lost interest (heh, my 12-year-old self was fickle. and a little twisted).

There were some repercussions I think - a lot of the books after this mention Tobias being even more withdrawn and quiet than he used to be before the whole Taylor thing, and he does too in the last two books he has. But I feel like part of the problem is that the series sort of went downhill after this, in my view... off the top of my head I can't even think of a book that came after this that I really liked, then or now (except perhaps Visser, if you count that).

Also, this was the first non-Megamorphs book where Rachel and Tobias kissed, and I remember getting really pissed because Jake and Cassie's first kiss got like a whole paragraph and Rachel and Tobias got "she kissed me." I remembered this without rereading (though I did reread) which sort of makes me sad. But then, Rachel/Tobias was my first OTP.

[rideinthelimo.livejournal.com]

Also, this was the first non-Megamorphs book where Rachel and Tobias kissed, and I remember getting really pissed because Jake and Cassie's first kiss got like a whole paragraph and Rachel and Tobias got "she kissed me." I remembered this without rereading (though I did reread) which sort of makes me sad. But then, Rachel/Tobias was my first OTP.

THIS. I had the exact same thought when I read it. I was like, where is my gratuitous kissing talk. :(

[kon-no-yume.livejournal.com]

I totally agree that this book was one of the last good ones. I loved this book - but then again, I'm a huge Tobias fan. I loved that KAA wasn't afraid to show realities of war. Torture happens all the time in wars, and it's not pretty. I wish she's developed the aftermath in future books a bit better though. I think I pretty much stopped reading a few books after this. I just stopped enjoying it.