Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.7 AVERAGE
3.7 AVERAGE
This book covers so much. It’s very heavy for a kids book series. Some really good stuff goes down and I you can definitely tell this one wasn’t ghost written.
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Time travel is hard to pull off, and this doesn't manage it. There's no stakes, because the reader can assume status quo will resume (and it does, too much: Crayak is still owed a for-real life) and "what does it mean to rewrite history?" is perhaps too broad an issue for a 200-page MG book. Animorphs frequently tackles these overlarge, impossible questions, and is content to leave them unanswered--and that approach almost works here, in the unresolved questions about the nature of evil and the evils of history. But it falls apart when determining which events created history as we know it, and whether we live in the good timeline; in short, "America, F* Yeah!" is weird as hell to read in 2019, especially given the intents of this series and the fact that this is the book which reveals Jake and Rachel are patrilineal Jews. That reveal is the best takeaway; also Rachel and Tobais's first kiss, also the sense of grief and loss at apparent deaths, which is better rendered here than in In the Time of Dinosaurs (Megamorphs 2) or, perhaps, anywhere so far in the series. But this just didn't work for me, both in overarching tone and in niggling details like the research-dumping of how a flintlock works.
This is a tough one for me to rate because, while the premise is fantastic and we get a solid look at the darker side of human history and warfare - which was both an excellent comparison to the war these kids have been fighting, and a great way to see Ax’s thoughts about human atrocities - I’m always a bit let down by the time travel Megamorphs books that you know will never have any consequences in the main series. I also can’t help but side-eye the resolution to this one because it’s terrible. It’s just. It’s /really/ terrible.
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Holy smokes.
In this very special episode, the Animorphs explore the horrors of war – but this time, the wars are all humans. No invading aliens to kill, just rows and rows of men getting mowed down likeJake on the Potomac .
The Animorphs get to see that humans have always been killing each other. They fight a great evil in their own time, but evil has always lived in the hearts of man. Ax witnessing a dying soldier and medic on Normandy causes him to wonder that, at least to Andalites, humans may be unique in the universe: we have the capacity for both horrible cruelty and boundless compassion.
The penultimate scene, where the Animorphs stand alone next to a burning tank, surrounded by dead bodies and contemplating what they have wrought, is powerful. “They’re the bad guys, right?” Rachel asks, realizing along with the rest that they have changed the course of history far more significantly than ever before. It must have been lonely, four kids and a teenage alien being responsible for the outcome of the human race.
And then Cassie does what needs to be done. She accepts the final sin onto her soul to undo everything else.What was it like, John Berryman, to die knowing you were about to be erased from history? Only these children carry your memory, and the rest of the world forgets you existed.
Yet what was it all for?To correct history, the Animorphs need to allow the worst parts to exist along with the triumphs. The defeat of the American Revolution must be traded for the Holocaust. Instead, Tobias and Rachel want to see how the current reality now stands – maybe everything worked out better! - but they are starting to accept that history is an infinitely complex weave that can’t be detangled to sort out good from bad. The choice is made for them, anyway. At least this way Jake never dies, and they don’t have the weight of human history on their consciences.
In the end, “we didn’t make it right. But we put it back…we put it all back.”
Miscellaneous observations:
-Tobias and Rachel kiss! Is this their first kiss? It isn’t remarked on much. Maybe they’ve kissed off-screen before.
- Tobias is definitely becoming one of my favorites, along with Cassie. This isn’t new; I just really liked him in this book. He tends to be the one who comprehends emotional gravity first. Even Cassie’s morality, which can be black-and-white and which presents its own challenges as she grapples with shades of grey, is sometimes shallower than his deeply felt understanding and sad acceptance.
- This book takes an even deeper turn into dark and bloody territory. It’s crazy to me how much harder these books hit as an adult. Especially now having my own daughter. Each of those soldiers in each of those battles was somebody’s child.
- It's hilarious that the Animorphs don't know much about Agincourt or Trafalgar, something I'm guessing Applegate assumed about her audience as well. (True for me!) In a very mundane coincidence, I'm reading Patrick Stewart's memoir Making it So, in which he discusses the play Henry V and Agincourt at some length. Interesting that both books I'm reading have quoted the band of brothers speech.
In this very special episode, the Animorphs explore the horrors of war – but this time, the wars are all humans. No invading aliens to kill, just rows and rows of men getting mowed down like
The Animorphs get to see that humans have always been killing each other. They fight a great evil in their own time, but evil has always lived in the hearts of man. Ax witnessing a dying soldier and medic on Normandy causes him to wonder that, at least to Andalites, humans may be unique in the universe: we have the capacity for both horrible cruelty and boundless compassion.
The penultimate scene, where the Animorphs stand alone next to a burning tank, surrounded by dead bodies and contemplating what they have wrought, is powerful. “They’re the bad guys, right?” Rachel asks, realizing along with the rest that they have changed the course of history far more significantly than ever before. It must have been lonely, four kids and a teenage alien being responsible for the outcome of the human race.
And then Cassie does what needs to be done. She accepts the final sin onto her soul to undo everything else.
Yet what was it all for?
In the end, “we didn’t make it right. But we put it back…we put it all back.”
Miscellaneous observations:
-
- Tobias is definitely becoming one of my favorites, along with Cassie. This isn’t new; I just really liked him in this book. He tends to be the one who comprehends emotional gravity first. Even Cassie’s morality, which can be black-and-white and which presents its own challenges as she grapples with shades of grey, is sometimes shallower than his deeply felt understanding and sad acceptance.
- This book takes an even deeper turn into dark and bloody territory. It’s crazy to me how much harder these books hit as an adult. Especially now having my own daughter. Each of those soldiers in each of those battles was somebody’s child.
- It's hilarious that the Animorphs don't know much about Agincourt or Trafalgar, something I'm guessing Applegate assumed about her audience as well. (True for me!) In a very mundane coincidence, I'm reading Patrick Stewart's memoir Making it So, in which he discusses the play Henry V and Agincourt at some length. Interesting that both books I'm reading have quoted the band of brothers speech.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, War
Moderate: Racism, Slavery
Ahh, a third Megamorphs book. This is my least favorite so far. It's very disjointed because of all the time-hopping and the whole plot needs to be taken with a huge grain of salt. There's a ton of philosophizing in here about war and killing and "is it more important to restore our history as we know it or prevent the atrocities that occurred in it?"
I just wasn't feeling this one. Also the Animorph death count got a good workout.
I just wasn't feeling this one. Also the Animorph death count got a good workout.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
one of my favorite animorphs books. the genius plotline, the twists, the insanity of it all. just amazing.