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A review by bookshelfmystic
In the Time of Dinosaurs by K.A. Applegate
5.0
This book is so. good. This is absolutely the best Animorphs yet. It is at once a survival story, a science fiction thriller, and a dramatic tragedy. And there is nary a Yeerk to be found.
The Animorphs are totally out of their element throughout all of In the Time of Dinosaurs, which serves well to create the higher stakes and cinematic scope the Megamorphs are going for. The nakedness of their terror in this hostile environment adds so much depth and realness. Marco and Jake both freaking the fuck out on separate occasions really showed their vulnerability.
The layer of on top of the human vs. nature story was just fantastic. Especially as the Animorphs . Dark, morally grey, emotional, expansive stuff. This is what the best sci-fi stories are made of.
And holy cow, the attention to detail in the dino science (complete with Tobias's footnote to satisfy the "well, actually" crowd like myself who looked up each dinosaur and thought "hm, Late Cretaceous?"). The way the world is described: the sounds, the smells being so different without almost any of the animals we know today. What a deliciously nerdy book.
Miscellaneous notes:
*Tobias is quickly starting to compete with Cassie for my favorite Animorph. His nerdy dinosaur knowledge, his adorable newness to morphing, and his incredible maturity as he add to his already complex and fantastic character.
*I always enjoy when the group is split and different characters are paired up. It was nice seeing Rachel and Tobias work together, and fun how Rachel.
*
The Animorphs are totally out of their element throughout all of In the Time of Dinosaurs, which serves well to create the higher stakes and cinematic scope the Megamorphs are going for. The nakedness of their terror in this hostile environment adds so much depth and realness. Marco and Jake both freaking the fuck out on separate occasions really showed their vulnerability.
The layer of
Spoiler
the creatively-imagined aliens living on Earth during the Cretaceous periodSpoiler
must betray the Mercora to save the future of humanity, and we get the beautifully tragic scene of the Animorphs racing away from the impact, knowing they will have to survive the worst years on Earth, and Cassie watches the end of the worldAnd holy cow, the attention to detail in the dino science (complete with Tobias's footnote to satisfy the "well, actually" crowd like myself who looked up each dinosaur and thought "hm, Late Cretaceous?"). The way the world is described: the sounds, the smells being so different without almost any of the animals we know today. What a deliciously nerdy book.
Miscellaneous notes:
*Tobias is quickly starting to compete with Cassie for my favorite Animorph. His nerdy dinosaur knowledge, his adorable newness to morphing, and his incredible maturity as he
Spoiler
makes the hard decision so that no one else needs to live with the guilt*I always enjoy when the group is split and different characters are paired up. It was nice seeing Rachel and Tobias work together, and fun how Rachel
Spoiler
uncomfortably plays the caretaker for Tobias's broken wing*