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mondoweirdo's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
deepseareader's review against another edition
4.0
God damn... I don't know what I expect from the Animorphs these days, I thought with a title like 'The Conspiracy' it was going to be a race to hide identities and not expose Jake's dad to the war... and it was but oh man it was more of the dark side of war and these kids have gone through so much
tresdem's review against another edition
4.0
On the whole this was pretty riveting. Jake is really struggling and you can see it, along with the complex moral decisions he has to make while he's falling apart. Though of course he doesn't have to to do it alone and that's what makes this book-- the camaraderie.
This was an interesting beat to directly follow Marco's in the last book-- and shows more of Marco's ruthless side, even as you can see it's not a part of him he likes but it's a part of him he'll keep using to keep everyone alive and going through these hard choices.
Once more it speaks of battle and how it changes these kids into something more. I also really felt for Ax in this one.
only if the Chee were piloting the helicopter... why not just keep Tom away from Kadrona rays?
This was an interesting beat to directly follow Marco's in the last book-- and shows more of Marco's ruthless side, even as you can see it's not a part of him he likes but it's a part of him he'll keep using to keep everyone alive and going through these hard choices.
Once more it speaks of battle and how it changes these kids into something more. I also really felt for Ax in this one.
ceruleanjen's review against another edition
4.0
Similar to the last book, except this time it’s Jake who has to decide what to do with his Yeerk-infested brother when it becomes clear that he may kill their father to protect his identity.
Jake’s POV felt incredibly authentic from this difficult task and I liked seeing how the others, particularly Marco, reacted to the news. I thought Jake and Marco had some good friendship development as they go through similar issues with their family.
This one goes more into the aspects of the war that Jake and the other Animorphs are fighting and how it makes them feel. I liked how it was tied into how his great grandfather felt about his own battle.
I wasn’t expecting any of the twists and turns of this book. The ending was intense and unexpected. Although a part of me definitely wanted to see a certain thing happen, I’m crossing my fingers that it will eventually happen by the end.
I ended up liking this one a little more than Marco’s.
Jake’s POV felt incredibly authentic from this difficult task and I liked seeing how the others, particularly Marco, reacted to the news. I thought Jake and Marco had some good friendship development as they go through similar issues with their family.
This one goes more into the aspects of the war that Jake and the other Animorphs are fighting and how it makes them feel. I liked how it was tied into how his great grandfather felt about his own battle.
I wasn’t expecting any of the twists and turns of this book. The ending was intense and unexpected. Although a part of me definitely wanted to see a certain thing happen, I’m crossing my fingers that it will eventually happen by the end.
I ended up liking this one a little more than Marco’s.
cranewife's review against another edition
5.0
I really love the books that delve into how hard all of this is hitting them, that looks at how difficult saving the world is, and remind the readers that they’re just a bunch of kids. They’re not even out of middle school and they’re trying to figure out if the cost of one life is more or less than life as a whole.
Yeesh.
Yeesh.
booksthatburn's review against another edition
5.0
Jake tries to make a tough call, but it's too personal for him to stay careful. Ax does something for Jake that crosses a line. Jake's nightmares are getting worse, and his waking life isn't much better in this one.
Jake has to choose between his father's life and his brother's life, and the stress is breaking him. Most of the books have a casual mention of nightmares, but Jake's books are the ones which most frequently describe what they were. I get the feeling that the details of them are what most disturbs him, not just that they keep happening. He also realizes that he understands his great-grandfather a little better, specifically the part of him that was a WWII veteran.
This book deals with themes (and depictions) of kidnapping, interrogation, torture, murder, and lots of depictions of ptsd. The books never say that the Animorphs have ptsd, but everything about these books scream that they have it (or at least the hollywood version) and it's getting worse.
Jake has to choose between his father's life and his brother's life, and the stress is breaking him. Most of the books have a casual mention of nightmares, but Jake's books are the ones which most frequently describe what they were. I get the feeling that the details of them are what most disturbs him, not just that they keep happening. He also realizes that he understands his great-grandfather a little better, specifically the part of him that was a WWII veteran.
This book deals with themes (and depictions) of kidnapping, interrogation, torture, murder, and lots of depictions of ptsd. The books never say that the Animorphs have ptsd, but everything about these books scream that they have it (or at least the hollywood version) and it's getting worse.
tachyondecay's review against another edition
3.0
In case you were wondering if the gut punches ever stop coming, the answer is no. No, they do not. First Marco and his mom, and now Jake and his brother. Applegate plays hardball in #31: The Conspiracy, where Jake and his family will be away from the city for four days, which is a problem for Tom's Yeerk, who must return to the Yeerk pool in three days to feed. This sets into motion a bizarre (and somewhat absurd) chain of events while Jake breaks down and wonders if he will have to kill his brother.
So, you know, just another day as the Animorphs.
The comparisons to war and discussion of Jake’s transformation into a leader are far more explicit here than they have been in other books. Jake likens his experiences to those of his now-deceased great-grandfather, who fought in World War II and has the medals to prove it. I like the way Applegate uses this analogy, particularly with regards to the medals and Jake’s newfound understanding for why his great-grandfather never talked about the war. Previously we’ve seen Jake’s transformation into a more hardened leader through the others’ eyes, and occasionally in his own novels he reflects on it. But this is the first novel where he really thinks about the future, about what might happen when the war is over, if they win. What will he be? Who will he be? We call veterans “heroes” but it is reductive and probably inaccurate to think that they consider themselves such.
And so the series continues with its theme that in war there are no winners.
Perhaps more moving is the way the other Animorphs step up with Jake unable to lead. Applegate portrays Marco as the coldly calculating lieutenant who has the contingency plans in place, even if they mean … well … even if they mean doing what Jake might not be able to do. It’s the same Marco who was entertaining the notion that he might have to kill his other mother. Once again, the stark contrast between class clown Marco and cold Marco is very fascinating. Rachel might be the group’s hot-blooded warrior, but Marco is the one who will sacrifice the queen if it means checkmate.
One of the most enduring aspects of this series, and one reason it still feels fresh even thirty books in, is the characters’ vulnerability. In other novels, particularly in YA, vulnerability often feels ersatz. I’m speaking of emotional vulnerability here, rather than vulnerability to defeat at the hands of the antagonist. The Animorphs, as they take turns telling these stories, bare their souls to us. Each time we learn a little more about them, about their fears and reservations. About what they worry will go horribly wrong if they fail, or even if they succeed.
I’m giving The Conspiracy a lower rating than this review might otherwise seem to justify simply because the actual plot is dumb. Don’t tell me the Yeerks couldn’t find a way around the trip, or a way to extricate Tom without killing Jake’s dad. And even if killing him was the most logical or even expedient way to deal with the problem, why a drive-by shooting? The Yeerks must have so many more subtle methods at their disposal. But of course, this is the lumpy cake filling that is Animorphs plots: sometimes you get one that’s just too convoluted, because hey, we’re knocking out fifty of these and we need to make sure those kids morph some cool things.
In this sense I’m reminded of Star Trek: The Next Generation and, perhaps even more so, Star Trek: Voyager. (I’m ridiculously excited at the moment, because Netflix Canada just got all six series—they had TNG for a while, then it disappeared in March, and now it is back, plus more. It has been ages since I got to watch Deep Space Nine!) Anyway, my point is that while these series are awesome in aggregate, the actual episodes within them can often be stinkers. Even episodes with valid and interesting philosophical themes will fall flat from an entertainment or artistic point of view. That’s what happens when you produce 26 episodes a year, and it happens when you write so many books in a children’s series. The surprising thing isn’t that some are silly, but that so many are actually gold.
Speaking of Star Trek, next week—er, I mean, book—Rachel faces “The Enemy Within”, although because of a morphing accident rather than a transporter accident. Don’t touch that dial!
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #30: The Reunion | #32: The Separation →
So, you know, just another day as the Animorphs.
The comparisons to war and discussion of Jake’s transformation into a leader are far more explicit here than they have been in other books. Jake likens his experiences to those of his now-deceased great-grandfather, who fought in World War II and has the medals to prove it. I like the way Applegate uses this analogy, particularly with regards to the medals and Jake’s newfound understanding for why his great-grandfather never talked about the war. Previously we’ve seen Jake’s transformation into a more hardened leader through the others’ eyes, and occasionally in his own novels he reflects on it. But this is the first novel where he really thinks about the future, about what might happen when the war is over, if they win. What will he be? Who will he be? We call veterans “heroes” but it is reductive and probably inaccurate to think that they consider themselves such.
And so the series continues with its theme that in war there are no winners.
Perhaps more moving is the way the other Animorphs step up with Jake unable to lead. Applegate portrays Marco as the coldly calculating lieutenant who has the contingency plans in place, even if they mean … well … even if they mean doing what Jake might not be able to do. It’s the same Marco who was entertaining the notion that he might have to kill his other mother. Once again, the stark contrast between class clown Marco and cold Marco is very fascinating. Rachel might be the group’s hot-blooded warrior, but Marco is the one who will sacrifice the queen if it means checkmate.
One of the most enduring aspects of this series, and one reason it still feels fresh even thirty books in, is the characters’ vulnerability. In other novels, particularly in YA, vulnerability often feels ersatz. I’m speaking of emotional vulnerability here, rather than vulnerability to defeat at the hands of the antagonist. The Animorphs, as they take turns telling these stories, bare their souls to us. Each time we learn a little more about them, about their fears and reservations. About what they worry will go horribly wrong if they fail, or even if they succeed.
I’m giving The Conspiracy a lower rating than this review might otherwise seem to justify simply because the actual plot is dumb. Don’t tell me the Yeerks couldn’t find a way around the trip, or a way to extricate Tom without killing Jake’s dad. And even if killing him was the most logical or even expedient way to deal with the problem, why a drive-by shooting? The Yeerks must have so many more subtle methods at their disposal. But of course, this is the lumpy cake filling that is Animorphs plots: sometimes you get one that’s just too convoluted, because hey, we’re knocking out fifty of these and we need to make sure those kids morph some cool things.
In this sense I’m reminded of Star Trek: The Next Generation and, perhaps even more so, Star Trek: Voyager. (I’m ridiculously excited at the moment, because Netflix Canada just got all six series—they had TNG for a while, then it disappeared in March, and now it is back, plus more. It has been ages since I got to watch Deep Space Nine!) Anyway, my point is that while these series are awesome in aggregate, the actual episodes within them can often be stinkers. Even episodes with valid and interesting philosophical themes will fall flat from an entertainment or artistic point of view. That’s what happens when you produce 26 episodes a year, and it happens when you write so many books in a children’s series. The surprising thing isn’t that some are silly, but that so many are actually gold.
Speaking of Star Trek, next week—er, I mean, book—Rachel faces “The Enemy Within”, although because of a morphing accident rather than a transporter accident. Don’t touch that dial!
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #30: The Reunion | #32: The Separation →
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