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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
February 28, 2022 audiobook read here.
January 10, 2021 reread:
You know, having Erek feed the Animorphs information gets them into a whole lot of trouble they might not otherwise get into. Of course, it also often means they’ll get at least a chance to ruin Visser Three’s plans for something (and usually succeed, though rarely how they intend to). But that’s not what this book is really about, even though the mission surrounding the gathering of world leaders the Animorphs need to infiltrate starts here. Of note regarding this gathering, though, is that they are getting together to “figure out what to do about all the problems in the Middle East.” (page 18) Applegate and Grant were always really good at bringing in, even subtly, not just pop culture, but current events, and this is no exception. It gives readers something current to tie things to, to create an even better sense that things are “real” and encourage us to take things seriously even as we read fiction.
Now, on to the elephant in this room. David. He finds the morphing cube, puts it up on the internet, and gets an unwelcome visit from Visser Three and company. How things go from there, though, from this book through to #23, determines his place in Animorphs history. Which means that in general, the fandom hates David. And with good reason, given how this trilogy goes. But I can also kind of sympathize with him. A very small amount.
Alien facts:
The Escafil device “causes a cascading cellular regeneration tied to a Z-space….that’s all we get out of Ax before Marco cuts him off *shakes fist at Marco* (page 12)
Original Review: August 6, 2015
The blue box Elfangor used has been found by a kid named David, and of course Visser Three finds out about it. Now the Animorphs have to intercept it before it can fall into Visser Three’s hands, while at the same time try to prevent the gathering world leaders from becoming Controllers (courtesy of Erek’s information). They have just a few things on their plate, which explains why this is the first book of an internal ‘trilogy’ in the Animorphs saga.
How much can you trust a stranger? Do you listen to your instincts and keep him in the dark, or do you make him an Animorph?
And what will that do to the balance of the group with such an important mission coming up?
Well, call 1-800-ANIMORPH
Through the empty family room where the TV was on, showing Buffy the Vampire Slayer. – page 33 – Man, I highly doubt I would have been allowed to watch Buffy when I was their age (if they’re around 14 years old, that is).
[After Marco has morphed to cobra for the first time, Ax is morphed a wolf spider]
< Marco, what do you think we should do? > Ax asked.
I didn’t answer. Instead, I reared up, cocked my head back, stretched the thin bones that spread my cobra cowl, and with speed as great as an Andalite’s tail, I fired my head forward, mouth open.
I ate Ax.
I ate him in one quick swallow.
I felt him squirming inside my mouth. I felt eight hairy legs kicking.
< Did you ingest me?! > Ax demanded, sounding outraged. – page 64-65 – Oops! Haha!
“Hide? Why do we have to hide?” David said defiantly.
< Because the alternative is to be dead. > [Marco said] – page 70 – Uh-oh, defiance so early on is not a very good sign... Go with your instinct, Marco!
Hork-Bajir are nasty, tough opponents. But even they did a quick double take when Rachel stepped into the room [as a grizzly bear]. And behind her, sliding past her with unnatural grace, like molten steel, came a tiger.
The fight had been rowdy. Now it was going to be nuclear.
David was going to have a real problem cleaning up his room. – page 77
It was as purple as Barney the Dinosaur. But it was not cute. And it didn’t look to me like an animal that would sing “I love you, you love me.” This purple monster did not have a happy family. – page 80
< We didn’t all know each other back when Elfangor used the box on us, > Tobias pointed out.
“We didn’t know you, Tobias,” Rachel said. “But Cassie and I were already best friends. Cassie and Jake were, um…friends. Jake was my cousin. Marco was his best friend. There were connections. Aside from you. And Ax. With this David guy, no connections.”
It’s weird, somehow, the way Rachel and I often end up on the same side. She likes Tobias more than me, and Cassie a lot more than me, but it’s often the two of us together on big issues. – page 94 – Well, not quite as unconnected as they might think… but we’ll find that out in Tobias’ next book, won’t we?
It was strange and kind of emotional, watching someone morph for the first time. I don’t know how to explain it. It was like, I don’t know, like when someone becomes a citizen. You know, when they swear someone in, and one minute he’s Chinese or African or Dutch or Mexican or whatever, and the next minute, once he’s “solemnly sworn” or whatever, he’s an American. As much an American as any other American. – page 128-129 – You can take this at face value, or you can also read into it deeper: reminding children that even “new” Americans are just as American as the ones whose families have been here since before they were born.
< Hey, look! > Tobias said. < There’s a helicopter coming up behind us. Marine Corps helicopter. It’s…whoa! That must be Marine One! >
< Marine what? > Rachel asked.
< You know, Air Force One, the President’s jet? Marine One is the President’s helicopter, > Tobias explained.
< The stuff you know, Tobias, > Rachel marveled. – page 132-133 – First dinosaurs, now aircraft – Tobias probably had a lot of time to read growing up, being such an outcast much of the time (as we can probably deduce from his unstable childhood).
I’d made it! I’d made it aboard the Blade ship of Visser Three.
Oh, goody.
What, was I insane? – page 137 – Probably the only time Marco (or any of the other Animorphs, for that matter) would be ‘happy’ to be on the Blade ship.
“Ax,” Jake whispered. “We need a distraction.”
Jake obviously thought the same. We needed time to morph.
I think if I were Ax, I might have felt just slightly resentful right then. It was like, “Ax-man, go get yourself killed so we can take our time morphing.”
But Ax is a soldier down deep inside. Smug and superior sometimes, loopy and silly other times, Ax is still an Andalite aristh, a warrior-in-training. And he’s Elfangor’s brother, which tells you a lot.
< Yes, Prince Jake, I think that would be a good idea. > -- page 139 – I’m glad someone else is noticing how often Ax has to get out there and provide cover because he is an Andalite. I wonder if this will be addressed more in Ax’s next book?
< [Finish morphing the cockroach,] David, > [Cassie] said. < I know it’s creepy, but it’s better than being dead. Besides, we’ve all done it. Marco has done it. He’s not screaming like a baby, is he? Aren’t you as tough as Marco? >
I’d never seen this exact side of Cassie. She’s always good at understanding people. It hadn’t occurred to me she’d be good at manipulating people if she had to.
< You know what Marco did the first time he morphed a roach? > Cassie continued. < Just what you’re doing. He freaked. But he maintained. It’s okay that you freaked. But you have to maintain now. >
I watched, and slowly, slowly, David melted toward full cockroach.
Of course, now he’d really hate me. Cassie had used the tension between me and David to manipulate him. It was the right thing to do. Necessary, if we were going to live. But it was ruthless in a way, too.
Not that I had time to worry about that. – page 144-145 – It seems like Cassie came away with a little more than a resolve that she must fight from her interactions with Aftran the Yeerk in the last book. She also came away with an understanding that sometimes you can/have to work a little manipulation into things to smooth things out – even if the process means she gets her hands a little dirty.
January 10, 2021 reread:
You know, having Erek feed the Animorphs information gets them into a whole lot of trouble they might not otherwise get into. Of course, it also often means they’ll get at least a chance to ruin Visser Three’s plans for something (and usually succeed, though rarely how they intend to). But that’s not what this book is really about, even though the mission surrounding the gathering of world leaders the Animorphs need to infiltrate starts here. Of note regarding this gathering, though, is that they are getting together to “figure out what to do about all the problems in the Middle East.” (page 18) Applegate and Grant were always really good at bringing in, even subtly, not just pop culture, but current events, and this is no exception. It gives readers something current to tie things to, to create an even better sense that things are “real” and encourage us to take things seriously even as we read fiction.
Now, on to the elephant in this room. David. He finds the morphing cube, puts it up on the internet, and gets an unwelcome visit from Visser Three and company. How things go from there, though, from this book through to #23, determines his place in Animorphs history. Which means that in general, the fandom hates David. And with good reason, given how this trilogy goes. But I can also kind of sympathize with him. A very small amount.
Spoiler
He is thrown head first into even deeper water than the other Animorphs – he may not have witnessed Elfangor’s death, but unlike the other Animorphs, he loses access to everything and everyone in his life: his parents, his home, his life. And his welcome to the Animorphs is lukewarm at best, with mixed signals coming from the group as a whole. Cassie is fresh off her peaceful deal with one Yeerk, Aftran, and seeing hope in reaching just one person at a time to maybe start something bigger. Marco is just as paranoid about security as ever, and hasn’t seen much in David to reassure him that making David an Animorph, entrusting him with that power and getting him in on missions right away, is a good idea. But when you take away the circumstances and look at David as a person, well, let’s just say the darkness in him is even darker than in Rachel, and he doesn’t wrestle with moral questions like she does. So while maybe the Animorphs could have done a better job welcoming him, I don’t think it would have changed much about how things went for him, given who he is as a person, and that’s why people don’t really like him. I don’t like him, though I do feel bad for him – but that’s for a later review, now, isn’t it?Alien facts:
The Escafil device “causes a cascading cellular regeneration tied to a Z-space….that’s all we get out of Ax before Marco cuts him off *shakes fist at Marco* (page 12)
Original Review: August 6, 2015
The blue box Elfangor used has been found by a kid named David, and of course Visser Three finds out about it. Now the Animorphs have to intercept it before it can fall into Visser Three’s hands, while at the same time try to prevent the gathering world leaders from becoming Controllers (courtesy of Erek’s information). They have just a few things on their plate, which explains why this is the first book of an internal ‘trilogy’ in the Animorphs saga.
How much can you trust a stranger? Do you listen to your instincts and keep him in the dark, or do you make him an Animorph?
And what will that do to the balance of the group with such an important mission coming up?
Well, call 1-800-ANIMORPH
Through the empty family room where the TV was on, showing Buffy the Vampire Slayer. – page 33 – Man, I highly doubt I would have been allowed to watch Buffy when I was their age (if they’re around 14 years old, that is).
[After Marco has morphed to cobra for the first time, Ax is morphed a wolf spider]
< Marco, what do you think we should do? > Ax asked.
I didn’t answer. Instead, I reared up, cocked my head back, stretched the thin bones that spread my cobra cowl, and with speed as great as an Andalite’s tail, I fired my head forward, mouth open.
I ate Ax.
I ate him in one quick swallow.
I felt him squirming inside my mouth. I felt eight hairy legs kicking.
< Did you ingest me?! > Ax demanded, sounding outraged. – page 64-65 – Oops! Haha!
“Hide? Why do we have to hide?” David said defiantly.
< Because the alternative is to be dead. > [Marco said] – page 70 – Uh-oh, defiance so early on is not a very good sign... Go with your instinct, Marco!
Hork-Bajir are nasty, tough opponents. But even they did a quick double take when Rachel stepped into the room [as a grizzly bear]. And behind her, sliding past her with unnatural grace, like molten steel, came a tiger.
The fight had been rowdy. Now it was going to be nuclear.
David was going to have a real problem cleaning up his room. – page 77
It was as purple as Barney the Dinosaur. But it was not cute. And it didn’t look to me like an animal that would sing “I love you, you love me.” This purple monster did not have a happy family. – page 80
Spoiler
“It’s harsh,” I said, “but I don’t see this guy fitting in with us. We don’t know him.”< We didn’t all know each other back when Elfangor used the box on us, > Tobias pointed out.
“We didn’t know you, Tobias,” Rachel said. “But Cassie and I were already best friends. Cassie and Jake were, um…friends. Jake was my cousin. Marco was his best friend. There were connections. Aside from you. And Ax. With this David guy, no connections.”
It’s weird, somehow, the way Rachel and I often end up on the same side. She likes Tobias more than me, and Cassie a lot more than me, but it’s often the two of us together on big issues. – page 94 – Well, not quite as unconnected as they might think… but we’ll find that out in Tobias’ next book, won’t we?
It was strange and kind of emotional, watching someone morph for the first time. I don’t know how to explain it. It was like, I don’t know, like when someone becomes a citizen. You know, when they swear someone in, and one minute he’s Chinese or African or Dutch or Mexican or whatever, and the next minute, once he’s “solemnly sworn” or whatever, he’s an American. As much an American as any other American. – page 128-129 – You can take this at face value, or you can also read into it deeper: reminding children that even “new” Americans are just as American as the ones whose families have been here since before they were born.
< Hey, look! > Tobias said. < There’s a helicopter coming up behind us. Marine Corps helicopter. It’s…whoa! That must be Marine One! >
< Marine what? > Rachel asked.
< You know, Air Force One, the President’s jet? Marine One is the President’s helicopter, > Tobias explained.
< The stuff you know, Tobias, > Rachel marveled. – page 132-133 – First dinosaurs, now aircraft – Tobias probably had a lot of time to read growing up, being such an outcast much of the time (as we can probably deduce from his unstable childhood).
I’d made it! I’d made it aboard the Blade ship of Visser Three.
Oh, goody.
What, was I insane? – page 137 – Probably the only time Marco (or any of the other Animorphs, for that matter) would be ‘happy’ to be on the Blade ship.
“Ax,” Jake whispered. “We need a distraction.”
Jake obviously thought the same. We needed time to morph.
I think if I were Ax, I might have felt just slightly resentful right then. It was like, “Ax-man, go get yourself killed so we can take our time morphing.”
But Ax is a soldier down deep inside. Smug and superior sometimes, loopy and silly other times, Ax is still an Andalite aristh, a warrior-in-training. And he’s Elfangor’s brother, which tells you a lot.
< Yes, Prince Jake, I think that would be a good idea. > -- page 139 – I’m glad someone else is noticing how often Ax has to get out there and provide cover because he is an Andalite. I wonder if this will be addressed more in Ax’s next book?
< [Finish morphing the cockroach,] David, > [Cassie] said. < I know it’s creepy, but it’s better than being dead. Besides, we’ve all done it. Marco has done it. He’s not screaming like a baby, is he? Aren’t you as tough as Marco? >
I’d never seen this exact side of Cassie. She’s always good at understanding people. It hadn’t occurred to me she’d be good at manipulating people if she had to.
< You know what Marco did the first time he morphed a roach? > Cassie continued. < Just what you’re doing. He freaked. But he maintained. It’s okay that you freaked. But you have to maintain now. >
I watched, and slowly, slowly, David melted toward full cockroach.
Of course, now he’d really hate me. Cassie had used the tension between me and David to manipulate him. It was the right thing to do. Necessary, if we were going to live. But it was ruthless in a way, too.
Not that I had time to worry about that. – page 144-145 – It seems like Cassie came away with a little more than a resolve that she must fight from her interactions with Aftran the Yeerk in the last book. She also came away with an understanding that sometimes you can/have to work a little manipulation into things to smooth things out – even if the process means she gets her hands a little dirty.
February 28, 2022 audiobook read:
Full book review here; this is just on the audiobook. Still an excellent installment plot-wise and characterization-wise. As for Ramón de Ocampo’s performance, I’d say it’s about middle of the road overall. Highlights included his cat and burglar alarm sounds (I’m not convinced he didn’t record an actual cat for those sounds!), änd amusing interpretations include the snake’s tongue going “tweedle tweedle tweedle.” Lowlights, and maybe it’s because I wasn’t paying as close of attention to it as I have in the past, is I hardly noticed a consistent difference between the Animorphs voices other than Ax, Marco, and to a lesser extent, David, throughout. There was one big slip in character voices that I did notice though, in chapter 17, at 7:40: “We are not an army. We are a guerilla group,” [Ax] said. “Guerilla, gorilla.[”] – this section of line was most definitely not done in Ax’s voice, as de Ocampto continued into for the next lines immediately after.
Full book review here; this is just on the audiobook. Still an excellent installment plot-wise and characterization-wise. As for Ramón de Ocampo’s performance, I’d say it’s about middle of the road overall. Highlights included his cat and burglar alarm sounds (I’m not convinced he didn’t record an actual cat for those sounds!), änd amusing interpretations include the snake’s tongue going “tweedle tweedle tweedle.” Lowlights, and maybe it’s because I wasn’t paying as close of attention to it as I have in the past, is I hardly noticed a consistent difference between the Animorphs voices other than Ax, Marco, and to a lesser extent, David, throughout. There was one big slip in character voices that I did notice though, in chapter 17, at 7:40: “We are not an army. We are a guerilla group,” [Ax] said. “Guerilla, gorilla.[”] – this section of line was most definitely not done in Ax’s voice, as de Ocampto continued into for the next lines immediately after.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
tense
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:
No
... David
Marco my love I’m so sorry you have to deal with this idiot
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Marco might be my favorite narrator. The way that David joins the group is pretty disturbing and provides interesting commentary into how war and survival are changing what the kids see as acceptable behaviors. I gotta say I rolled my eyes at some of the Americanism that showed up in this book for some reason, but I loved when 1. Marco realizes in dismay that he forgot to set the VCR to record Buffy and 2. Cassie suggests "MMM Bop" as their ceremonial Animorphs song--thank god for 1998 kid lit.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Es un libro bastante sencillo como todos los que he leído de esta saga. Normalmente se puede leer cualquiera de ellos sin necesidad de leer desde el inicio porque en cada uno la autora explica algunas cosas que ya sabíamos los que sí hemos leído los anteriores. Mi consejo es leer todos porque hay batallas que se pierden entre otras cosas.
Yo amo el personaje de Marco, incluso por encima del nuevo Animorphs. Si hay una pelea entre ellos, es por mi chico favorito del grupo por el que voy a apostar.
Y según se imaginó Marco, el nuevo causará problemas.
Yo amo el personaje de Marco, incluso por encima del nuevo Animorphs. Si hay una pelea entre ellos, es por mi chico favorito del grupo por el que voy a apostar.
Y según se imaginó Marco, el nuevo causará problemas.
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
wasn't expecting bill clinton's leg hair to be the mvp