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3.74 AVERAGE
3.74 AVERAGE
After the fast-paced world building and action of book 1, The Visitor is much slower and smaller in scope. It focuses on building up the characters and their roles on this team as they engage in what is basically a book-long reconnaissance mission.
I don't remember liking this one very much when I was a kid, but I think I understand better now what the author was trying to do. She's building personal stakes and helping you understand why the team is willing to get into this fight for the long haul that it's going to be.
I don't remember liking this one very much when I was a kid, but I think I understand better now what the author was trying to do. She's building personal stakes and helping you understand why the team is willing to get into this fight for the long haul that it's going to be.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I decided that I don't care what it takes, or how many risks I have to run. I don't care what happens to me. I hate these Yeerks. I hate them. I hate them. And I will find a way to stop them.
♢ 2/62 OF THE ANIMORPHS REREAD
⚠ tws for the entire series: war, death, child soldiers, child death, descriptions of gore, body horror, discussions of parental death, slugs, parasites, loss of free will, depictions of PTSD and trauma, ableism, imperialism.
First Rachel book! We love her! Her motives are present here from the get-go but given a more solid form: from the previous book we know that she finds courage to protect others even when she herself is scared to death, and here we have that desire to protect (the others animorphs, Melissa, and then all the kids that have been left loveless and that will be left loveless because of the yeerks) being shaped into the foundation of what the animorphs are fighting for.
With this we're also seeing as one by one the kids start falling into the roles they deconstruct more than embody: Jake as Fearless Leader and Rachel as Blood Knight.
Nothing else to say besides the character-focused content, but once again that's where the draw of the series is.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Stalking
Stalking/Sexual Harassment: Main character gets stalked and harassed by a man on her way home but nothing comes out of it.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is, very much, my favorite of all the "introduction" books. Partially because Rachel is my favorite of the animorphs, and partially because I'm absolutely fascinated with the Chapman family despite them being background characters (Iniss, Hedrick's yeerk, is technically the antagonist we deal with when we deal with "Chapman", its only in Andalite Chronicles that Chapman himself is an antagonist - which is also part of what makes this book so fascinating to me, but that's an essay for another day).
Like all the characters, Rachel has a role she has to embody, and that's being the "brave, reckless one" (later twisted into "the violent one") - a role we see comes not exactly from being a "danger junkie" or "made for war" (as she's often described) but from a very deep protective instinct. Despite what we see and will see from the eyes of everyone else, Rachel's determination to fight is solidified not on a whim or due to a need for excitement but out of the righteous fury she feels when she sees the Chapman family's new dynamic.
Next time Marco asked why we were fighting the Yeerks, I knew I would have a whole new answer. Because they destroy the love of parents for their daughter. Because they made Melissa Chapman cry in her bed with no one to comfort her but a cat.
The way I see Rachel is less of a "warrior" and more of a "martyr" - she sees someone suffering, someone in pain, and jumps in front of them, fighting tooth and nail to protect them. We see this from Jake's point of view in book one, when Cassie and Tobias are scared she holds them both and has "strength enough to share" despite being "terrified with tears running down her face".
Rachel's starting point in the war, her base, the reason she wants to fight isn't because "she wants to fight", it's because she would rather bleed to death than let anyone suffer. Any moment in later books when she self-reflects upon herself in horror is almost always when she's caused an innocent any sort of harm, and she even states aloud that she "does the dirty work, so that her friends don't have to do it". In later books we see this get twisted as with all the other kids (as war does), but it still all comes from this baseline feeling of duty towards others.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Slavery, Violence, Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Violence
Minor: Sexual assault, Torture
Sexual assault: only a mention in the first few pages of the book. Rachel is walking home alone and some men follow her, catcalling and jeering, with the threat of this implied.
This is a review for the audiobook version of The Visitor.
Emily Ellet, who is the narrator for Rachel, is AMAZING. She has the spirit of Rachel down so well. She does well at voicing the other Animorphs, too - Marco has this snarky swagger in the way she voices him, Jake is mellow and serious, Cassie gentle - and all without making major alterations to the pitch of her voice! And oh my God, her giving voice to Melissa is... Melissa is always heartbreaking in this story, given that she DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHY HER PARENTS NO LONGER LOVE HER, but Ellet's voice work makes Melissa just that much more upsetting. Major kudos to Ellet for making an already kinda sad book into the next level of distressing.
Emily Ellet, who is the narrator for Rachel, is AMAZING. She has the spirit of Rachel down so well. She does well at voicing the other Animorphs, too - Marco has this snarky swagger in the way she voices him, Jake is mellow and serious, Cassie gentle - and all without making major alterations to the pitch of her voice! And oh my God, her giving voice to Melissa is... Melissa is always heartbreaking in this story, given that she DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHY HER PARENTS NO LONGER LOVE HER, but Ellet's voice work makes Melissa just that much more upsetting. Major kudos to Ellet for making an already kinda sad book into the next level of distressing.
We continue my epic re-read of the Animorphs series with book 2, because I’m boring and read series in order, OK?
Animorphs resembles an after-school kids show: each book is like an episode of the show in which the kids have an adventure while learning an important life lesson. In The Invasion the lesson was, “Yes, your principal is an alien bent on enslaving humanity.” The Visitor is about the harsh effects of marital strife on children and their friendships.
We are eternally indebted to The Invasion for kicking off the series. As I explored in my first review, it is a great series opener. Nevertheless, as a story it has a lot of problems. Applegate has to do a lot of heavy lifting to establish the ground rules of the series. If that book is all about the Animorphs getting powers, then The Visitor, as the sequel, is about them exploring what it means to have powers, and the consequences of discovering an alien invasion in progress.
I criticized Applegate’s writing on a technical level. While I stand by that criticism in general, I have to backtrack and admit that there is one area in which her powers of description excel: describing the experience of a new morph.
This isn’t like television, where we can see someone turn into an animal. And I would argue that television is a less useful form here, because it’s harder to telegraph what someone is feeling as they become that animal. It’s hard enough to do that in writing, but Applegate manages. She doesn’t stop after describing the physical transformation. No, she puts effort into communicating the psychological effect of having that animal’s instincts, and she does so with deftness. Here’s Rachel on becoming a cat named Fluffer McKitty:
Applegate could have remarked on the cat’s cool night vision and left it at that. I love this extra touch. It’s accurate and apt and entirely on a level that both kids and adults can relate to. Becoming another animal isn’t just about looking different and walking on four legs or having wings. It’s a whole new way of viewing the world and a different set of priorities.
The narration and descriptions of other things are still underwhelming. But I can live with that to get more of the above.
Rachel is our narrator this time around. She fills the roles both of Action Girl and Girly Girl in our band of merry alien resistance fighters. That’s right: Rachel is athletic and aggressive and dresses fashionably. What’s up with that?
I’m being deliberately flip and superficial, because Applegate decidedly is not: Rachel has a complexity of character that belies all such neat attempts to pigeonhole her. Just as we learned about Jake’s changing relationship with his Controller brother, Tom, in the first book, here we learn about Rachel’s home life: her estranged father whom she rarely sees; her overworked mother who isn’t always able to be there for them; her two younger siblings who look to her for support. Rachel has to shoulder much more responsibility and maturity than we think adolescents should have to bear, and that goes a long way to explaining her motivations and her attitude.
If I had to choose one word to describe Rachel, it would be resilient.
Her gung-ho attitude is easy to mistake for mindless aggression, but that’s not the case at all. Rather, Rachel simply falls into the “a strong offence is the best defence” school of thought. So far what she has seen of life has taught her that no one can be absolutely depended upon. She has already learned she has to look out for herself—and for those who depend on her, like her siblings, her friends, and even her mother. And there is so much in the world that can hurt you and the ones you care about—better you strike out at them first, strike back while you are strong, than scrabble to defend yourself later.
It’s this pre-emptive strike philosophy that Rachel embodies. We see it a lot in later books—made more ragged and morally ambiguous by the fog of war, yes—but it’s apparent early on. Rachel doesn’t go back into the Chapmans’ residence, risking her life and risking exposure of the Animorphs, just to get more information. She goes back in there for her friend Melissa:
My heart did break right then. How can you not cry?
I know what it’s like to feel alone and upset and have only your cat to hold and cry against. (It is one of the universe’s most beautiful paradoxes that, while pretending to be aloof and uncaring at all other times, most cats will magically appear next to you when you are crying and purr. I think it’s a bonding thing.)
Rachel chooses to spend a little time comforting Melissa while posing as her cat. Then Rachel decides, unequivocally, that the Yeerks must be opposed and that she will be the one to do it. Because friendship. And love.
And it breaks my heart to know what will happen as the series progresses. It’s all so fresh and new at this point—sure, the Animorphs still haven’t fully realized what it means to be in this fight. They haven’t conceptualized what is to fight yet, let alone whether they might win. They are poking the anthole with a stick so far.
A lot more than ants are about to pour out.
Rachel, you are and always will be my favourite Animorph. Cassie gets the label of Compassionate One, but you simply wear your compassion in a different way. You are the avenging angel, the brightest light.
The Invasion is a book of action and discovery, of intense revelations. The Visitor is more down-to-Earth—well, as down-to-Earth as Andalites and Hork-Bajir can be…. But it’s more about hidden costs, and empathy, and what it means to be human in the face of a non-human threat.
This might be written for kids. But it’s a lot more mature than some things out there written for adults.
Next review I’ll get to praise Rachel a bit more, even though it’s a Tobias book. And we learn why Red Bull doesn’t give you wings.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #1: The Invasion | #3: The Encounter →
Animorphs resembles an after-school kids show: each book is like an episode of the show in which the kids have an adventure while learning an important life lesson. In The Invasion the lesson was, “Yes, your principal is an alien bent on enslaving humanity.” The Visitor is about the harsh effects of marital strife on children and their friendships.
We are eternally indebted to The Invasion for kicking off the series. As I explored in my first review, it is a great series opener. Nevertheless, as a story it has a lot of problems. Applegate has to do a lot of heavy lifting to establish the ground rules of the series. If that book is all about the Animorphs getting powers, then The Visitor, as the sequel, is about them exploring what it means to have powers, and the consequences of discovering an alien invasion in progress.
I criticized Applegate’s writing on a technical level. While I stand by that criticism in general, I have to backtrack and admit that there is one area in which her powers of description excel: describing the experience of a new morph.
This isn’t like television, where we can see someone turn into an animal. And I would argue that television is a less useful form here, because it’s harder to telegraph what someone is feeling as they become that animal. It’s hard enough to do that in writing, but Applegate manages. She doesn’t stop after describing the physical transformation. No, she puts effort into communicating the psychological effect of having that animal’s instincts, and she does so with deftness. Here’s Rachel on becoming a cat named Fluffer McKitty:
But it wasn't just how well I saw that was strange. It was what I noticed.
A human being will notice colors, for exam ple. Now, a cat can see colors, more or less. He just isn't interested in colors. It's like, okay, that thing is red. Who cares?
What cats really notice is movement. If anything moves, even the tiniest bit, the cat sees it. I was standing there on the grass, looking around with my big cat eyes, and I saw nothing but movement.
Applegate could have remarked on the cat’s cool night vision and left it at that. I love this extra touch. It’s accurate and apt and entirely on a level that both kids and adults can relate to. Becoming another animal isn’t just about looking different and walking on four legs or having wings. It’s a whole new way of viewing the world and a different set of priorities.
The narration and descriptions of other things are still underwhelming. But I can live with that to get more of the above.
Rachel is our narrator this time around. She fills the roles both of Action Girl and Girly Girl in our band of merry alien resistance fighters. That’s right: Rachel is athletic and aggressive and dresses fashionably. What’s up with that?
I’m being deliberately flip and superficial, because Applegate decidedly is not: Rachel has a complexity of character that belies all such neat attempts to pigeonhole her. Just as we learned about Jake’s changing relationship with his Controller brother, Tom, in the first book, here we learn about Rachel’s home life: her estranged father whom she rarely sees; her overworked mother who isn’t always able to be there for them; her two younger siblings who look to her for support. Rachel has to shoulder much more responsibility and maturity than we think adolescents should have to bear, and that goes a long way to explaining her motivations and her attitude.
If I had to choose one word to describe Rachel, it would be resilient.
Her gung-ho attitude is easy to mistake for mindless aggression, but that’s not the case at all. Rather, Rachel simply falls into the “a strong offence is the best defence” school of thought. So far what she has seen of life has taught her that no one can be absolutely depended upon. She has already learned she has to look out for herself—and for those who depend on her, like her siblings, her friends, and even her mother. And there is so much in the world that can hurt you and the ones you care about—better you strike out at them first, strike back while you are strong, than scrabble to defend yourself later.
It’s this pre-emptive strike philosophy that Rachel embodies. We see it a lot in later books—made more ragged and morally ambiguous by the fog of war, yes—but it’s apparent early on. Rachel doesn’t go back into the Chapmans’ residence, risking her life and risking exposure of the Animorphs, just to get more information. She goes back in there for her friend Melissa:
I had stopped purring. Probably because I was preoccupied, arguing with Tobias. I started purring again. I felt Melissa needed me to purr.
She was still crying. Still scratching slowly behind my ears.
"What did I do, Fluffer?" she asked again. "Why don't they love me anymore?"
I felt like my own heart would break right then.
Because I knew now why Melissa had stopped hanging out with me. I knew why she had become more withdrawn. And I knew how little hope there was for her.
My stomach turned and twisted.
Next time Marco asked why we were fighting the Yeerks, I knew I would have a whole new answer. Because they destroy the love of parents for their daughter. Because they made Melissa Chapman cry in her bed with no one to comfort her but a cat.
My heart did break right then. How can you not cry?
I know what it’s like to feel alone and upset and have only your cat to hold and cry against. (It is one of the universe’s most beautiful paradoxes that, while pretending to be aloof and uncaring at all other times, most cats will magically appear next to you when you are crying and purr. I think it’s a bonding thing.)
Rachel chooses to spend a little time comforting Melissa while posing as her cat. Then Rachel decides, unequivocally, that the Yeerks must be opposed and that she will be the one to do it. Because friendship. And love.
And it breaks my heart to know what will happen as the series progresses. It’s all so fresh and new at this point—sure, the Animorphs still haven’t fully realized what it means to be in this fight. They haven’t conceptualized what is to fight yet, let alone whether they might win. They are poking the anthole with a stick so far.
A lot more than ants are about to pour out.
Rachel, you are and always will be my favourite Animorph. Cassie gets the label of Compassionate One, but you simply wear your compassion in a different way. You are the avenging angel, the brightest light.
The Invasion is a book of action and discovery, of intense revelations. The Visitor is more down-to-Earth—well, as down-to-Earth as Andalites and Hork-Bajir can be…. But it’s more about hidden costs, and empathy, and what it means to be human in the face of a non-human threat.
This might be written for kids. But it’s a lot more mature than some things out there written for adults.
Next review I’ll get to praise Rachel a bit more, even though it’s a Tobias book. And we learn why Red Bull doesn’t give you wings.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #1: The Invasion | #3: The Encounter →
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Two of the main characters are POC (black and Latino); other characters are either white or not specified
Solid follow up. I'm impressed with the intelligence of the books.
Rachel is pretty much everything I wanted to be as a teenager. Confident, smart and not willing to take any bullshit. And this is just the beginning! She only gets better (and certainly more ruthless) from here. She is the ultimate warrior of the group.
adventurous
fast-paced
It's crazy to think I read these books 20+ years ago, yet I remember so much about them. I can barely remember plot details of books I read last year, even ones I loved, but these are still fresh in my memory.
It's also nutty reading them from the beginning like this...the end of the series is so high-stakes and frantic and painful, but back at the beginning, even though things were BAD and missions went wrong all the time, it didn't have quite the same devastating consequences as things did later on. Which makes sense, as the war intensified over the course of years, but...wow. The days when these poor kids (RACHEL!) still had some innocence. Book 2 was never my favorite, but it definitely serves to drive that point home.
ANYWAY! Yep, still having fun. 😁
It's also nutty reading them from the beginning like this...the end of the series is so high-stakes and frantic and painful, but back at the beginning, even though things were BAD and missions went wrong all the time, it didn't have quite the same devastating consequences as things did later on. Which makes sense, as the war intensified over the course of years, but...wow. The days when these poor kids (RACHEL!) still had some innocence. Book 2 was never my favorite, but it definitely serves to drive that point home.
ANYWAY! Yep, still having fun. 😁