Book Club '23: The Visitor

The series in which I’m reading a chapter of War & Peace each day, and also an Animorphs novel each week, for one year.

This week on Animorphs, we learned that it's possible to morph into useless animals, and that I am altogether too clever to fall for the narrative twists written to surprise and delight ten-year-olds. Yes, clever is what we call this adult shouting into his iPad.

I asked a chatbot to discuss Animorphs: The Visitor and War and Peace chapters 6-14. And for sure, if I hadn't read either of these things I would think the bot was smart and clever, but I have and I know it was totally wrong about what was going on both stories. (It was at least close on Animorphs.) I promise not to ever waste your time with pasting in a bunch of AI garbage and then writing 'gotcha!' at the bottom. There are a lot of opportunities to have that experience elsewhere.

In War and Peace, I was in fact very interested in 'the visitor.' The story moves from the after-party in Petersberg to a new party in Moscow, in which a nameless visitor is present, and I was very curious whether their identity will be revealed at a dramatic moment, or if they go unnamed because they're basically a featured extra. Just a prop that talks, here to pass on the gossip that Pierre tied a cop to a bear.

I've been reading carefully because I've heard that the book is difficult, but so far the plot seems pretty straightforward. War and Peace? More like Dinner and Money!

I found out that The House with a Clock in its Walls by Bellairs, a book that I recall finding mysterious as a kid, is the first in a 12 book series, which could fulfill our monthly goal. But I don't know if I want to invest myself in that much YA, having already committed to an awful lot for one year. Star Wars is close enough anyhow.

Also this week I read Artificial Condition (Murderbot #2) by Martha Wells, The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher, and Behold the Man by Michael Moorcock.

Book Club '23: The Invasion

Okay, one week in. We’re doing this. The first couple days had me worried it was all a terrible mistake, but I’m getting warmed up.

In both chapters 1-5 of War and Peace and Animorphs: The Invasion, we are introduced to what I assume will be core characters. Both have portents of wars to come, and people hiding their true selves in order to manipulate others. The Tolstoy had more conversational French, which I liked picking apart before looking up the translation, but the Applegate had more aliens bestowing morphing power on teens with attitude.

War and Peace, if you can believe it, was the more subtle of the two (this week!). Our first chapters take place at a dinner party in which the guests maneuver for social status and favors. Highlight: Prince Ippolit tells an anecdote that doesn’t go anywhere.

The Invasion finishes with an exciting action scene and an abrupt ending. I suppose with 53 volumes to go, there was no reason to think things would resolve in a tidy fashion. Actually, I just realized that I don’t know if the story actually does conclude, or if the books just got cancelled at some point. I’m not going to look it up and ruin the meta-suspense.