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Animorphs #20
Die Entdeckung
A kid named David has found the blue box Elfangor used to create the Animorphs. Now he knows the secret, and will do anything to become the most powerful Animorph of all ...
156 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1998
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968 people want to read
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K.A. Applegate
251 books489 followersalso published under the name Katherine Applegate
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
June 14, 2020
FIRST REVIEW / MAR 31, 2015
This book brings in a gamechanger and introduces a major plot arc, the first 'trilogy' of the series, as the Animorphs recruit a brand-new member and decide to give him morphing abilities. I didn't realise that David joined the group so early(ish) in the series -- it's a little delightfully unpleasant revisiting this all over again, because my feelings towards him are so freakin' visceral. I hate this arc but also absolutely love it at the same time. The Discovery plants the seeds for a story that will unfurl over the next several books (this one literally ends with a "To be continued...", which probably made me fling the book across the room and shriek back in 1998).
The stakes are also WAY HIGH as the Animorphs try to quash the most ambitious Yeerk scheme yet: infesting the leaders of several major world powers at a political summit.
I won't say much, for spoilers -- it goes much further in #21 -- but what is so fantastic about this arc is that the Yeerks are no longer the biggest threat. The Animorphs' biggest threat comes from within: from an unknown factor, an untested quantity, an unreliable addition to the delicate balance of their team, which was already a fragile machine.
As usual, I also love the hints of Marco's analytical mind, his keen dissection of a situation and how they should approach it, his ruthless bottom line, and how much he and Rachel actually jive in opinion, but simply expressed in different ways.
Other things I loved: Cassie's empathetic nature being shown as also making her really really good at manipulating people, reading them well enough to play their feelings in order to get them to do what she needs them to do. I'm finding the Marco and Cassie dynamic especially interesting too, since they're such opposites, but he's realising her strengths even as he doesn't trust her due to the shenanigans she pulled in the last book, even as he's also grateful to her for saving his life over and over (plus there was her guilt complexes over saving him in the first Megamorphs, and they have another great moment in the next book)... I dunno, I just really appreciate the balance between this entire cast, and the complex relationships they have with each other.
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SECOND REVIEW / MAY 18, 2020
I don't have that much to add to my previous review, besides that I love Marco's relationships with Jake, with Cassie, with Rachel; I love this trilogy so much!!; I love the slow build-up of the conflict, as you can initially feel so much sympathy for David and the painful position he finds himself in overnight, and find yourself hoping that it'll all turn out okay.
Favourite quotes moved to Google Docs.
This book brings in a gamechanger and introduces a major plot arc, the first 'trilogy' of the series, as the Animorphs recruit a brand-new member and decide to give him morphing abilities. I didn't realise that David joined the group so early(ish) in the series -- it's a little delightfully unpleasant revisiting this all over again, because my feelings towards him are so freakin' visceral. I hate this arc but also absolutely love it at the same time. The Discovery plants the seeds for a story that will unfurl over the next several books (this one literally ends with a "To be continued...", which probably made me fling the book across the room and shriek back in 1998).
The stakes are also WAY HIGH as the Animorphs try to quash the most ambitious Yeerk scheme yet: infesting the leaders of several major world powers at a political summit.
I won't say much, for spoilers -- it goes much further in #21 -- but what is so fantastic about this arc is that the Yeerks are no longer the biggest threat. The Animorphs' biggest threat comes from within: from an unknown factor, an untested quantity, an unreliable addition to the delicate balance of their team, which was already a fragile machine.
As usual, I also love the hints of Marco's analytical mind, his keen dissection of a situation and how they should approach it, his ruthless bottom line, and how much he and Rachel actually jive in opinion, but simply expressed in different ways.
Other things I loved: Cassie's empathetic nature being shown as also making her really really good at manipulating people, reading them well enough to play their feelings in order to get them to do what she needs them to do. I'm finding the Marco and Cassie dynamic especially interesting too, since they're such opposites, but he's realising her strengths even as he doesn't trust her due to the shenanigans she pulled in the last book, even as he's also grateful to her for saving his life over and over (plus there was her guilt complexes over saving him in the first Megamorphs, and they have another great moment in the next book)... I dunno, I just really appreciate the balance between this entire cast, and the complex relationships they have with each other.
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SECOND REVIEW / MAY 18, 2020
"No problem-o," Rachel said. "He's not a Hork-Bajir, he's not a Taxxon, and he's not Visser Three. Us versus some kid from school? Puh-leeze. It's a walk in the park."
Normally, I have a superstition about ever saying something is going to be easy. But this time, even I didn't worry.
Now I have a new superstition: Anytime I'm not worried, I worry.
I don't have that much to add to my previous review, besides that I love Marco's relationships with Jake, with Cassie, with Rachel; I love this trilogy so much!!; I love the slow build-up of the conflict, as you can initially feel so much sympathy for David and the painful position he finds himself in overnight, and find yourself hoping that it'll all turn out okay.
Favourite quotes moved to Google Docs.
August 6, 2014
First in the "David" trilogy. The characters decide to include a new Animorphs member, but there are a lot of warning signs that this just wasn't the right kid to give morphing powers to. What are they going to do now that this kid could expose them and use his powers for evil?
Notable moments and inconsistencies:
K.A. Applegate, despite being a female writer, does a pretty good job writing males sometimes. (Not that that should be surprising; it's just notable.) Marco has been pointed out to be sort of unintentionally sexist and sort of entitled sometimes, and his attempts to "compliment" women by saying something offensive and then being whiny about them not taking his compliments right was handled realistically.
We learn that the morphing cube that gives people morphing powers is called the Escafil Device.
Cassie's risky behavior in the previous book had repercussions: Marco doesn't trust her much at all and is still dealing with that. It's nice to see that the risks she took and the way she endangered everyone had a lasting effect in a realistic fashion.
It's unclear why Tobias didn't steal the morphing cube when he had the chance. It seems a lot more likely that swooping in, grabbing it, and escaping would work much better than delaying--both because of possible interception and because multiple birds flying in the window is more likely to get noticed than just one. It also doesn't make sense that Tobias isn't big enough to carry the cube because when Rachel's larger bird morph is brought in, it's stated that she's too big to fit through the window.
It's unclear why David thinks he's playing it smart by having a time-delay on his e-mail. Sending out his address to a person who wants to come over and see his mysterious blue object only a little before he gets home from school "so the guy can't just rip him off while he's at school" makes no sense. If people wanted to rip him off, they could wait until the next day to come over if they wanted to, so who does he think he's fooling, and why couldn't he just send the mail once he was home?
Marco clicks on "the AOL icon" on a computer at one point, despite the fact that their AOL substitute in a previous book was called "Web Access America."
There seems to be a contradiction here in how e-mail works. Marco repeatedly refers to yanking out the phone cord as a way to stop David's e-mail from going out, so they must be on dial-up. But from context, it seems whatever ISP they use couldn't have been signed on for the e-mail to go out; if David has AOL, it's unlikely he has some alternate way to get online during the time this was written. (The phone was also used for a phone call during the time Marco was trying to access the AOL software, but it's possible the family had two phone lines.) How did the e-mail go out if nobody was signed on? I also don't think that mail could be set on a timer through AOL, but that could be incorrect; unsent mail was usually stored in a local (on the computer only) file, not a web-based one.
Marco notes at one point that he's had two, four, six, and eight legs but never no legs before becoming a snake. Technically, while morphing a trout, a dolphin, and a shark, he had no legs then either.
One of Visser Three's morphs is a monster called a Dule Fansa. It has cone-like protrusions at the ends of its arms that can become projectile weapons, and it is big and purple.
Marco notes that American citizenship is very important to him because his mother was born in another country.
The narration seems rather deliberate about not telling the reader what battle morph David was given, though it is revealed that he got it at the zoo. The next book reveals that it was in fact a lion.
This is the first cliffhanger-ending book since Animorphs started.
Notable moments and inconsistencies:
K.A. Applegate, despite being a female writer, does a pretty good job writing males sometimes. (Not that that should be surprising; it's just notable.) Marco has been pointed out to be sort of unintentionally sexist and sort of entitled sometimes, and his attempts to "compliment" women by saying something offensive and then being whiny about them not taking his compliments right was handled realistically.
We learn that the morphing cube that gives people morphing powers is called the Escafil Device.
Cassie's risky behavior in the previous book had repercussions: Marco doesn't trust her much at all and is still dealing with that. It's nice to see that the risks she took and the way she endangered everyone had a lasting effect in a realistic fashion.
It's unclear why Tobias didn't steal the morphing cube when he had the chance. It seems a lot more likely that swooping in, grabbing it, and escaping would work much better than delaying--both because of possible interception and because multiple birds flying in the window is more likely to get noticed than just one. It also doesn't make sense that Tobias isn't big enough to carry the cube because when Rachel's larger bird morph is brought in, it's stated that she's too big to fit through the window.
It's unclear why David thinks he's playing it smart by having a time-delay on his e-mail. Sending out his address to a person who wants to come over and see his mysterious blue object only a little before he gets home from school "so the guy can't just rip him off while he's at school" makes no sense. If people wanted to rip him off, they could wait until the next day to come over if they wanted to, so who does he think he's fooling, and why couldn't he just send the mail once he was home?
Marco clicks on "the AOL icon" on a computer at one point, despite the fact that their AOL substitute in a previous book was called "Web Access America."
There seems to be a contradiction here in how e-mail works. Marco repeatedly refers to yanking out the phone cord as a way to stop David's e-mail from going out, so they must be on dial-up. But from context, it seems whatever ISP they use couldn't have been signed on for the e-mail to go out; if David has AOL, it's unlikely he has some alternate way to get online during the time this was written. (The phone was also used for a phone call during the time Marco was trying to access the AOL software, but it's possible the family had two phone lines.) How did the e-mail go out if nobody was signed on? I also don't think that mail could be set on a timer through AOL, but that could be incorrect; unsent mail was usually stored in a local (on the computer only) file, not a web-based one.
Marco notes at one point that he's had two, four, six, and eight legs but never no legs before becoming a snake. Technically, while morphing a trout, a dolphin, and a shark, he had no legs then either.
One of Visser Three's morphs is a monster called a Dule Fansa. It has cone-like protrusions at the ends of its arms that can become projectile weapons, and it is big and purple.
Marco notes that American citizenship is very important to him because his mother was born in another country.
The narration seems rather deliberate about not telling the reader what battle morph David was given, though it is revealed that he got it at the zoo. The next book reveals that it was in fact a lion.
This is the first cliffhanger-ending book since Animorphs started.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 25, 2022
A kid found the blue box that gave the Animorphs their morphing powers. The Animorphs want it back. But so do the Yeerks. This is the first part of a trilogy. There’s a new Animorph in town and his name is David.
January 22, 2022
Come check out my 4 hour 35 minute deep dive into reading every single Animorphs book for the first time on YouTube. I recap and review all of the books from the main series: https://youtu.be/H8kUM2q3CIU
May 16, 2013
Brought to you by The Moonlight Library!
A new kid at school has found the blue box, the box that gave the Animorphs their morphing power. Now the Animorphs have to decide whether they are going to turn him over to the Yeerks, or make him the newest Animorph…
It’s pretty obvious from the get go that David is not going to fit in. Not only does he not find Marco funny, but every reaction is a disappointment to the other Animorphs. He freaks out when he morphs (it is weird, I’ll grant you that), he kills a random crow for absolutely no reason then lies and tries to pass it off as eagle instincts, and he constantly tells the others that no one tells him what to do. He doesn’t follow rules and his bad attitude in general leaves a sour taste in my mouth. We’re not meant to like him, and it’s a good thing that Marco doesn’t like him either. Cassie even plays Marco and David’s rivalry against each other to get David to morph in a life or death situation (this is why I love Cassie, because she’s manipulative).
There is absolutely nothing redeeming to say about David, and I’m not just saying that because this is a re-read and I know how this trilogy ends. He has a huge ego, a bad attitude, and a tendency towards violence that outshines Rachel’s. Rachel may love battle in her morphs, but David owns a BB gun and isn’t afraid to use it. He has absolutely no remorse for killing animals. He’s pushy and although I can see his point, that he wants powerful morphs (like choosing the golden eagle over the merlin – I would too) he’s doing it for the wrong reason. I do feel sorry for him because he’s lost absolutely everything, but that’s no excuse to be a dick. He doesn’t have to be grateful to the Animorphs but he can respect them. But no, he was a dick before his life changed and he’ll be a dick long after. He also thinks he’s the smartest of the group by far, but we’re going to see how his overinflated ego and sense of self-importance is actually his downfall…
This book is essential reading in the Animorphs series. It answers the question ‘why don’t the Animorphs just create more Animorphs?’ It’s also a part of a trilogy, continuing in Jake and Rachel’s next books. Not only that, but it’s beautifully written and highly enjoyable, even if David is a dick.
December 7, 2015
A Quickie Review
With this being the first of a trilogy, it made the story a bit more convoluted; I enjoyed this one, and look forward to reading the further installments.
Score: 4/5
With this being the first of a trilogy, it made the story a bit more convoluted; I enjoyed this one, and look forward to reading the further installments.
Score: 4/5
March 21, 2021
stress... so stressful.. every second of this book made my blood pressure rise
March 6, 2018
(Originally reviewed at thelibraryladies.com.)
Plot: So, the story starts out with Marco trying to pick up girls in the halls of his school. This goes about as well as you’d expect. But then he notices David, the new kid at school, shoving the one and only blue box, the one that Elfangor used to give them all their morphing abilities, into his locker. Internally panicking, Marco approaches David and tries to cozy up with him and ask about the box. Turns out David found it stashed in a cement brick at the construction site, and no, he won’t sell it to Marco for a piddly dollar and change.
The group meets up later at Burger King to stalk David, knowing that it is imperative that they get the blue box from him. While there, Erek, our friendly Chee spy, shows up and adds to their pile of concerns, saying there will be an international summit of sorts in their city in the next few days. All the big world leaders will be there, and, of course, the Yeerks will be set on infesting some of these powerful people. More worryingly, Erek knows that at least one leader is already a Controller, but doesn’t know which one. Storing this fun thought in the back of their heads, the group draws straws for who will nab the blue box from David’s room. (Tobias has been scouting and saw an open window, but came back per orders. Think about, if he had just grabbed it then, this entire story arc could have never happened! Tobias should always take the initiative, that’s what we’re learning here.)
Marco, Rachel, and Tobias end up going. Isn’t it always Marco, Rachel and Tobias?? Cuz they’re so great together!
“You and me, Xena,” I said. Rachel arched one eyebrow at me. “You know, if I’m Xena, what’s that make you?” “Hercules, obviously.” “I was thinking more Joxer. Isn’t that the annoying weenie who hangs around Xena?”
There’s a mini scene where Marco almost gets caught while morphing a bird in the bathroom, and Jake has to pretend he’s his very little brother who is suffering from an illness called “beakanoma.” But eventually, the three of them end up outside of David’s room. Rachel’s eagle is too big to maneuver, so Tobias and Marco go in. Tobias’s warning about the pole propping open the window comes too late, and Marco gets trapped in the room (Tobias hits the window and is dazed throughout this entire scene). Marco ends up in the room with David’s cat. Marco doesn’t do well, so Rachel decides to crash through the window to “rescue” him. They grab the blue box, but right then, David bursts in. The two take off flapping down the hall trying to haul away the blue box and chased by David and the cat. They ultimately have to drop the box to escape.
The next day at school, David approaches Marco at lunch to tell him all about the “trained birds” who had tried to steal the box. And how now, knowing that people must want it, he’s posted it for sale online and already has an interested party. He’s set up a timed email to go out at the end of school to let the buyer know his address. Marco sees this for what it is: the Yeerks will be showing up to get the blue box if that email goes out. Jake tells him to skip last period and try to take care of it. He picks up Tobias and Ax on his way, and the group once again infiltrates David’s house. Marco accidentally triggers the home alarm, and he and Ax have to rush to David’s room to hide from David’s dad who arrives to see what’s wrong. In the room, they see that the email is timed to go out in three minutes. But not only is David’s dad coming, but David’s pet cobra is loose in the room and under the bed where Marco is hiding (Ax is in the closet). Marci manages to acquire the snake, and then, caught up in the morph, eats spider!Ax. Ax must demorph quickly to avoid the venom from Marco, and David’s dad sees him. Throughout this all, they realize the email has gone out, and the Yeerks are arriving.
The craziness just gets worse when David shows up, having skipped out early from school. Ultimately, David’s bedroom becomes a battle scene between Hork Bajir, the Animorphs, David’s dad with a gun, and Visser Three who morphs a huge purple alien that can shoot sharp cones out of its four arms. The other Animorphs show up to provide support, and through it all, they manage to grab the blue box, and haul away David. They retreat to an alley. They know that David’s Dad and Mom will be Controllers by this time, and that if David returns, that will happen to him. Ax suggests that they have another option: use the blue box to make David one of them. (We can now all blame this entire episode on Ax’s brilliant suggestion. But then he goes and votes against it later, so, whatcha doing Ax, even bringing it up??)
The group discusses the pros and cons of this, noting that unlike the rest of them when they first became Animorphs, none of them really know David at all. Marco is the most suspicious of him, and given that he’s interacted with him the most, this should maybe have carried more weight than it ultimately does.
Ax votes no, based on the fact that they don’t know him, and that they have a big mission coming up. Marco votes no. But is surprised when Rachel votes yes. Cassie & Tobias vote yes, and Jake decides it.
Back in the barn they explain the harsh reality to David. It’s a lot to take in and Marco insists that they don’t cushion him from the truth. David is very resistant to listening to them.
David looked sullen. “It’s all a trick.” I shot a look at Rachel. She looked like she was already regretting her vote.
But after Ax demorphs, he has to believe. Marco takes him to his house for the night. In the middle of the night, he catches David trying to call home. He leads him to a nearby pay phone and warns him that his parents will sound normal, but just to ask how they can explain what happened in his room. David calls and his parents claim that it was just a trick played on them by guys from work. Marco abruptly ends the call and drags David away, warning that the Yeerks will be on their way. Sure enough, they show up, but Jake arrives in rhino morph (one of the few times we see him use it!), and chases them off. Marco reveals that the others have been watching his house and they followed them to the pay phone for just this reason (they’ve really wizened up at this point).
The next day it begins to really set in that things are going to be hard with David. Sure he’s a new Animorph, but he’s a human kid who the Yeerks will recognize, unlike the rest of them. He can’t go home, he can’t go to school, he can’t go anywhere. They decide to get him his first morphs, and Cassie brings in a merlin bird for David to acquire, but David wants to larger, more powerful golden eagle. They explain that they’ve had problems with the size of Rachel’s bald eagle, and that’s why this one is better (again, more evidence that really highlights how far this group has come with regards to their strategy and competence with this war). David pushes back, harder than they appreciate. Marco snaps at him to stop being a jerk and to respect Jake as a leader. David gives a speech about either being part of the group or not, and Marco has to respect this, even though he still doesn’t like David. Cassie takes David to get a power morph from the Gardens.
Later, they all morph bird to go scout out the resort where the summit is going to be held. David loves his bird morph, but suddenly dives and kills a crow (like the maniac he is!!!). He claims that he got caught in the morph, and the others believe him; Cassie even comforts him. But Marco can sense the lie and knows that David just killed a crow in cold blood for no reason.
But they don’t have time to focus on that, as several cloaked Yeerk ships show up and nab the President’s helicopter. The group frantically try to scoot onto the Blade ship as well; they all make it except for Tobias and Rachel who are stuck outside. Crammed beneath the helicopter, the team has no choice but to morph cockroach (Cassie made David get one of these, too). They tell him to close his eyes and go with it. He keeps them open, however, and starts to scream when he witnesses the albeit truly disgusting scene that is the others morphing bugs. Cassie steps up with her manipulation skills.
she said.
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.
Marco knows that this will just make David hate him more, but as he’s not David’s biggest fan, either, and he knows that this was the only way to get David to finish his morph, he goes with it. Avoiding being stomped and gassed by Raid, the team manages to get up to the top level of the ship and overhear Visser Three saying he will now acquire the President. Unable to do anything about this, they return to the helicopter, figuring the Yeerks will now simply let it continue on its way. But they forget that the latch they are standing on beneath the helicopter will open to release it. They all fall. END SCENE!
I remember this first cliffhanger in an Animorphs book simply ruining me as a kid! It’s a big move, and one that probably would have only worked as well as it did at this point in the series when the books were at the height of their popularity and almost all readers were clearly bought in enough to stick it out another month for the next book.
The Comic Relief: Marco is an excellent narrator for the first book in this arc. By this point in the series, readers know that Marco is one of the more clear-eyed characters when it comes to evaluating the character of otherse. Cassie and Jake can be more optimistic than is warranted. Rachel doesn’t give two craps about analyzing other people’s motives. Tobias is fairly disconnected from humanity at this point. And Ax just does what Jake tells him to do. But Marco, we know Marco will tell it how it is. So, as this book progresses, because we’re seeing everything through Marco’s ever suspicious eyes, we know never to completely buy in to David. Like Marco, we don’t know exactly what is wrong, but we know that something is.
Beyond David just being the little jerk that he is, it also makes the most sense that Marco would be the most suspicious of a new person. Not only was he (and Rachel) the longest hold out on Ax, but he also mentions in this book his own process of “buying in” to the war and how long a journey that was for him. With this in mind, he knows that not everyone will just jump on board with their mission and this war in general. It’s a lot to ask.
Marco is a very level-headed narrator throughout this all. And this book once again confirms why his narration and books have been my favorite this read through. I almost wish that Marco could have just narrated the entire David arc. I think it would have been really interesting see all of these events unfold through his perspective.
Our Fearless Leader: Ultimately, the vote about whether or not to have David join comes down to Jake. He notes how big of a decision and risk this is. I found myself wondering if he was more willing to take this huge risk because this is just following Cassie’s last big risk (trusting Aftran) and knowing that that turned out well. So maybe he’s just more primed for optimism that usual.
But I think that Jake also begins to start worrying a little about David even in this book, especially when David pushes so hard for the golden eagle morph. Jake, and the group, have a clear understanding of how these things go and the factors behind how they make decisions. They’ve learned from Rachel’s eagle morph that big birds aren’t as useful. So they’re all put off by his unwillingness to listen or trust the expertise of others. The group trusts Jake; David doesn’t. The group respects Jake; David just wants the “cooler bird.”
Xena, Warrior Princess: It’s always fun seeing Marco and Rachel together in action. The two simply play well off each other. She saves his butt during the first trip into David’s room, but then takes the surprising “yes” position on whether to include David or not.
In some ways this makes sense, she’s one of the more bold members. But it’s also clear that she’s the most hesitant about her vote, clearly understanding and mostly agreeing with Marco’s qualms. And she’s also quick to be put off and perhaps regret her vote by David’s bad attitude about being told the truth.
Again, knowing where this arc is heading just makes it all the more sad witnessing what goes on in this book. She takes an almost uncharacteristic risk on David, and she pays the biggest price for it, in the end.
A Hawk’s Life: Poor Tobias, again not getting as much action as the rest. He slams into the window that Marco accidentally closes in the first mission to David’s and spends the rest of the chapter dazed and thinking he’s playing a game of “Clue.”
He’s also very put off by the golden eagle and the fact that David wants to morph it, knowing that golden eagles will go after other birds. And, what do you know, when David first morphs it and loses himself to the bird’s mind, he does try to go after Tobias (foreshadowing!!), and is only stopped by Cassie grabbing him until he gets it figured out.
And then Tobias and Rachel end up locked out of the Blade ship, so they miss out on all that action.
Peace, Love, and Animals: When they’re first in the Burger King discussing what to do, there’s a brief moment with Marco refers to Cassie’s quitting in the last book.
I took a good, long look at Cassie. See, there was this little episode with Cassie. She quit the Animorphs because I guess she had problems with some of the stuff we have to do. She came back, of course. But since then I’d felt a little shaky around her.
This speaks pretty true to Marco’s less trusting nature. You break his trust once, and it takes a bit to come back. But as we saw earlier, he’s very impressed by Cassie’s ability to manipulate David when he’s freaking out about morphing cockroach. And he also references the fact that it’s hard to hold a long grudge against someone who has saved your life on more than one occasion.
Cassie is all for making David an Animorph and the general possibilities of making more Animorphs all together. She also completely believes David when he claims that he got caught up in the eagle’s mind when he kills the crow and tries to comfort him.
E.T./Ax Phone Home: So, as I mentioned, Ax is the one to first suggest letting David join the group using the blue box (or the Escafil Device, as he calls it). But then when it comes down to a vote, he’s against it.
“We are not an army. We are a guerrilla group,” he said. “Guerrilla, gorilla? The differences between the two words are very subtle. You humans should not make your words so … But my point is, going from six members to seven will not make us much stronger, and it carries risk. Risssss-kuh…we should start with someone we understand. Not a stranger. We have this mission before us, to save the human leaders of your various countries. A seventh person might help us. But it might also make our team indecisive, uncertain.”
This makes a lot of sense for Ax’s thought process. He’s a soldier at heart and knows that numbers alone don’t necessarily strengthen a small group, especially one that relies so much on trusting each other and being able to predict each other’s choices.
Best (?) Body Horror Moment: When Marco morphs a bird in the bathroom, he gets to experience the new gross horror that is having his hand bones just shoot out, free of any skin. Also, when he morphs the cobra there are some lovely descriptions of what it feels like to have your organs just sag down, unsupported by the usual bones and muscle that hold them in place.
David’s freak out, while obnoxious, does remind the other what it was like the first time they morphed bug. They’re all still grossed out by it, but they’re also fairly accustomed to it at this point. Having David see it all for the first time really hits it home how bad it still is.
Couples Watch!: Not a lot with our traditional pair ups, but Marco, too, comments on the fact that he and Rachel often end up on the same side of things.
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.
If Only Visser Three had Mustache to Twirl: Visser Three introduces yet another terrifying alien morph with the cone-handed purple monster of death. It’s also worth nothing that his ego mania is once again on display with their plan with the President. They decide not to simply infest him, because heaven forbid that some lowly other Yeerk have a powerful host body. Nope! Instead, Visser Three will simply morph him whenever they want to do things. This is such an awful plan, and you have to think that the other Visser higher ups who are critical of the way Visser Three is managing the Earth invasion must be able to point to stupid choices like this as evidence that he’s really bad for this job. I mean, this is nothing but ego, and they’re passing up an excellent opportunity to infest a world leader purely because of Visser Three’s power issues.
Adult Ugly Crying at a Middle Grade Book: As much as I hate David, you do have to feel bad for the position he finds himself in. The others all still have their families and their anonymity to fall back on. They can go home and go to school and to the mall and have friends. All of this helps support that horrible trauma that is fighting this war. What does David have? If David hadn’t turned into a complete psychopath, you have to wonder what the long term plan would have been? I mean, what kind of life could he have? And, as a human boy, he’s much less able to just “hide in the woods” like Ax and Tobias have been doing. It’s a pretty tough situation, not only practically, but for the emotional well-being of David. Not that that’s any excuse for him going crazy, but if he had been a nice guy to begin with, this situation would have been really tragic.
What a Terrible Plan, Guys!: Other than having the hindsight to know that making David an Animorph is probably the worst choice they make in the entire series, this book really highlights how smart the Animorphs have become throughout it all. They aren’t the confused kids from the first few books. They make smart choices with what they choose to acquire (suggesting the merlin based on their experience with the limitations of larger birds). They keep a watch on Marco’s house, suspecting that David might make a run for it or do something stupid. They quickly adapt when their simple scouting mission turns sideways and they need to infiltrate the Blade ship. And, as we’ll see in the next two books, the only reason they come out of this whole David situation ok is due to the fact that they’ve been around the block a few times. If this had happened earlier in the series, I’m not sure they would have made it.
Favorite Quote:
Marco calls it right away, saying this when they’re debating making David an Animorph:
I spread my hands, pleading. “He names his cat Megadeth. He has a cobra named Spawn. What kind of a kid is that?”
This may seem like silly reasoning, but it all adds up when you think about the fact that not everyone is cut out to do what they do. Up to this whole episode, I don’t think they realized how lucky they are that their group is made up of the people it is.
Scorecard: Yeerks 5, Animorphs 9
A point for the Yeerks! Not only do we know that the David thing is not going to turn out well for our favorite team, but Visser Three successfully acquires the President, too
Plot: So, the story starts out with Marco trying to pick up girls in the halls of his school. This goes about as well as you’d expect. But then he notices David, the new kid at school, shoving the one and only blue box, the one that Elfangor used to give them all their morphing abilities, into his locker. Internally panicking, Marco approaches David and tries to cozy up with him and ask about the box. Turns out David found it stashed in a cement brick at the construction site, and no, he won’t sell it to Marco for a piddly dollar and change.
The group meets up later at Burger King to stalk David, knowing that it is imperative that they get the blue box from him. While there, Erek, our friendly Chee spy, shows up and adds to their pile of concerns, saying there will be an international summit of sorts in their city in the next few days. All the big world leaders will be there, and, of course, the Yeerks will be set on infesting some of these powerful people. More worryingly, Erek knows that at least one leader is already a Controller, but doesn’t know which one. Storing this fun thought in the back of their heads, the group draws straws for who will nab the blue box from David’s room. (Tobias has been scouting and saw an open window, but came back per orders. Think about, if he had just grabbed it then, this entire story arc could have never happened! Tobias should always take the initiative, that’s what we’re learning here.)
Marco, Rachel, and Tobias end up going. Isn’t it always Marco, Rachel and Tobias?? Cuz they’re so great together!
“You and me, Xena,” I said. Rachel arched one eyebrow at me. “You know, if I’m Xena, what’s that make you?” “Hercules, obviously.” “I was thinking more Joxer. Isn’t that the annoying weenie who hangs around Xena?”
There’s a mini scene where Marco almost gets caught while morphing a bird in the bathroom, and Jake has to pretend he’s his very little brother who is suffering from an illness called “beakanoma.” But eventually, the three of them end up outside of David’s room. Rachel’s eagle is too big to maneuver, so Tobias and Marco go in. Tobias’s warning about the pole propping open the window comes too late, and Marco gets trapped in the room (Tobias hits the window and is dazed throughout this entire scene). Marco ends up in the room with David’s cat. Marco doesn’t do well, so Rachel decides to crash through the window to “rescue” him. They grab the blue box, but right then, David bursts in. The two take off flapping down the hall trying to haul away the blue box and chased by David and the cat. They ultimately have to drop the box to escape.
The next day at school, David approaches Marco at lunch to tell him all about the “trained birds” who had tried to steal the box. And how now, knowing that people must want it, he’s posted it for sale online and already has an interested party. He’s set up a timed email to go out at the end of school to let the buyer know his address. Marco sees this for what it is: the Yeerks will be showing up to get the blue box if that email goes out. Jake tells him to skip last period and try to take care of it. He picks up Tobias and Ax on his way, and the group once again infiltrates David’s house. Marco accidentally triggers the home alarm, and he and Ax have to rush to David’s room to hide from David’s dad who arrives to see what’s wrong. In the room, they see that the email is timed to go out in three minutes. But not only is David’s dad coming, but David’s pet cobra is loose in the room and under the bed where Marco is hiding (Ax is in the closet). Marci manages to acquire the snake, and then, caught up in the morph, eats spider!Ax. Ax must demorph quickly to avoid the venom from Marco, and David’s dad sees him. Throughout this all, they realize the email has gone out, and the Yeerks are arriving.
The craziness just gets worse when David shows up, having skipped out early from school. Ultimately, David’s bedroom becomes a battle scene between Hork Bajir, the Animorphs, David’s dad with a gun, and Visser Three who morphs a huge purple alien that can shoot sharp cones out of its four arms. The other Animorphs show up to provide support, and through it all, they manage to grab the blue box, and haul away David. They retreat to an alley. They know that David’s Dad and Mom will be Controllers by this time, and that if David returns, that will happen to him. Ax suggests that they have another option: use the blue box to make David one of them. (We can now all blame this entire episode on Ax’s brilliant suggestion. But then he goes and votes against it later, so, whatcha doing Ax, even bringing it up??)
The group discusses the pros and cons of this, noting that unlike the rest of them when they first became Animorphs, none of them really know David at all. Marco is the most suspicious of him, and given that he’s interacted with him the most, this should maybe have carried more weight than it ultimately does.
Ax votes no, based on the fact that they don’t know him, and that they have a big mission coming up. Marco votes no. But is surprised when Rachel votes yes. Cassie & Tobias vote yes, and Jake decides it.
Back in the barn they explain the harsh reality to David. It’s a lot to take in and Marco insists that they don’t cushion him from the truth. David is very resistant to listening to them.
David looked sullen. “It’s all a trick.” I shot a look at Rachel. She looked like she was already regretting her vote.
But after Ax demorphs, he has to believe. Marco takes him to his house for the night. In the middle of the night, he catches David trying to call home. He leads him to a nearby pay phone and warns him that his parents will sound normal, but just to ask how they can explain what happened in his room. David calls and his parents claim that it was just a trick played on them by guys from work. Marco abruptly ends the call and drags David away, warning that the Yeerks will be on their way. Sure enough, they show up, but Jake arrives in rhino morph (one of the few times we see him use it!), and chases them off. Marco reveals that the others have been watching his house and they followed them to the pay phone for just this reason (they’ve really wizened up at this point).
The next day it begins to really set in that things are going to be hard with David. Sure he’s a new Animorph, but he’s a human kid who the Yeerks will recognize, unlike the rest of them. He can’t go home, he can’t go to school, he can’t go anywhere. They decide to get him his first morphs, and Cassie brings in a merlin bird for David to acquire, but David wants to larger, more powerful golden eagle. They explain that they’ve had problems with the size of Rachel’s bald eagle, and that’s why this one is better (again, more evidence that really highlights how far this group has come with regards to their strategy and competence with this war). David pushes back, harder than they appreciate. Marco snaps at him to stop being a jerk and to respect Jake as a leader. David gives a speech about either being part of the group or not, and Marco has to respect this, even though he still doesn’t like David. Cassie takes David to get a power morph from the Gardens.
Later, they all morph bird to go scout out the resort where the summit is going to be held. David loves his bird morph, but suddenly dives and kills a crow (like the maniac he is!!!). He claims that he got caught in the morph, and the others believe him; Cassie even comforts him. But Marco can sense the lie and knows that David just killed a crow in cold blood for no reason.
But they don’t have time to focus on that, as several cloaked Yeerk ships show up and nab the President’s helicopter. The group frantically try to scoot onto the Blade ship as well; they all make it except for Tobias and Rachel who are stuck outside. Crammed beneath the helicopter, the team has no choice but to morph cockroach (Cassie made David get one of these, too). They tell him to close his eyes and go with it. He keeps them open, however, and starts to scream when he witnesses the albeit truly disgusting scene that is the others morphing bugs. Cassie steps up with her manipulation skills.
she said.
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.
Marco knows that this will just make David hate him more, but as he’s not David’s biggest fan, either, and he knows that this was the only way to get David to finish his morph, he goes with it. Avoiding being stomped and gassed by Raid, the team manages to get up to the top level of the ship and overhear Visser Three saying he will now acquire the President. Unable to do anything about this, they return to the helicopter, figuring the Yeerks will now simply let it continue on its way. But they forget that the latch they are standing on beneath the helicopter will open to release it. They all fall. END SCENE!
I remember this first cliffhanger in an Animorphs book simply ruining me as a kid! It’s a big move, and one that probably would have only worked as well as it did at this point in the series when the books were at the height of their popularity and almost all readers were clearly bought in enough to stick it out another month for the next book.
The Comic Relief: Marco is an excellent narrator for the first book in this arc. By this point in the series, readers know that Marco is one of the more clear-eyed characters when it comes to evaluating the character of otherse. Cassie and Jake can be more optimistic than is warranted. Rachel doesn’t give two craps about analyzing other people’s motives. Tobias is fairly disconnected from humanity at this point. And Ax just does what Jake tells him to do. But Marco, we know Marco will tell it how it is. So, as this book progresses, because we’re seeing everything through Marco’s ever suspicious eyes, we know never to completely buy in to David. Like Marco, we don’t know exactly what is wrong, but we know that something is.
Beyond David just being the little jerk that he is, it also makes the most sense that Marco would be the most suspicious of a new person. Not only was he (and Rachel) the longest hold out on Ax, but he also mentions in this book his own process of “buying in” to the war and how long a journey that was for him. With this in mind, he knows that not everyone will just jump on board with their mission and this war in general. It’s a lot to ask.
Marco is a very level-headed narrator throughout this all. And this book once again confirms why his narration and books have been my favorite this read through. I almost wish that Marco could have just narrated the entire David arc. I think it would have been really interesting see all of these events unfold through his perspective.
Our Fearless Leader: Ultimately, the vote about whether or not to have David join comes down to Jake. He notes how big of a decision and risk this is. I found myself wondering if he was more willing to take this huge risk because this is just following Cassie’s last big risk (trusting Aftran) and knowing that that turned out well. So maybe he’s just more primed for optimism that usual.
But I think that Jake also begins to start worrying a little about David even in this book, especially when David pushes so hard for the golden eagle morph. Jake, and the group, have a clear understanding of how these things go and the factors behind how they make decisions. They’ve learned from Rachel’s eagle morph that big birds aren’t as useful. So they’re all put off by his unwillingness to listen or trust the expertise of others. The group trusts Jake; David doesn’t. The group respects Jake; David just wants the “cooler bird.”
Xena, Warrior Princess: It’s always fun seeing Marco and Rachel together in action. The two simply play well off each other. She saves his butt during the first trip into David’s room, but then takes the surprising “yes” position on whether to include David or not.
In some ways this makes sense, she’s one of the more bold members. But it’s also clear that she’s the most hesitant about her vote, clearly understanding and mostly agreeing with Marco’s qualms. And she’s also quick to be put off and perhaps regret her vote by David’s bad attitude about being told the truth.
Again, knowing where this arc is heading just makes it all the more sad witnessing what goes on in this book. She takes an almost uncharacteristic risk on David, and she pays the biggest price for it, in the end.
A Hawk’s Life: Poor Tobias, again not getting as much action as the rest. He slams into the window that Marco accidentally closes in the first mission to David’s and spends the rest of the chapter dazed and thinking he’s playing a game of “Clue.”
He’s also very put off by the golden eagle and the fact that David wants to morph it, knowing that golden eagles will go after other birds. And, what do you know, when David first morphs it and loses himself to the bird’s mind, he does try to go after Tobias (foreshadowing!!), and is only stopped by Cassie grabbing him until he gets it figured out.
And then Tobias and Rachel end up locked out of the Blade ship, so they miss out on all that action.
Peace, Love, and Animals: When they’re first in the Burger King discussing what to do, there’s a brief moment with Marco refers to Cassie’s quitting in the last book.
I took a good, long look at Cassie. See, there was this little episode with Cassie. She quit the Animorphs because I guess she had problems with some of the stuff we have to do. She came back, of course. But since then I’d felt a little shaky around her.
This speaks pretty true to Marco’s less trusting nature. You break his trust once, and it takes a bit to come back. But as we saw earlier, he’s very impressed by Cassie’s ability to manipulate David when he’s freaking out about morphing cockroach. And he also references the fact that it’s hard to hold a long grudge against someone who has saved your life on more than one occasion.
Cassie is all for making David an Animorph and the general possibilities of making more Animorphs all together. She also completely believes David when he claims that he got caught up in the eagle’s mind when he kills the crow and tries to comfort him.
E.T./Ax Phone Home: So, as I mentioned, Ax is the one to first suggest letting David join the group using the blue box (or the Escafil Device, as he calls it). But then when it comes down to a vote, he’s against it.
“We are not an army. We are a guerrilla group,” he said. “Guerrilla, gorilla? The differences between the two words are very subtle. You humans should not make your words so … But my point is, going from six members to seven will not make us much stronger, and it carries risk. Risssss-kuh…we should start with someone we understand. Not a stranger. We have this mission before us, to save the human leaders of your various countries. A seventh person might help us. But it might also make our team indecisive, uncertain.”
This makes a lot of sense for Ax’s thought process. He’s a soldier at heart and knows that numbers alone don’t necessarily strengthen a small group, especially one that relies so much on trusting each other and being able to predict each other’s choices.
Best (?) Body Horror Moment: When Marco morphs a bird in the bathroom, he gets to experience the new gross horror that is having his hand bones just shoot out, free of any skin. Also, when he morphs the cobra there are some lovely descriptions of what it feels like to have your organs just sag down, unsupported by the usual bones and muscle that hold them in place.
David’s freak out, while obnoxious, does remind the other what it was like the first time they morphed bug. They’re all still grossed out by it, but they’re also fairly accustomed to it at this point. Having David see it all for the first time really hits it home how bad it still is.
Couples Watch!: Not a lot with our traditional pair ups, but Marco, too, comments on the fact that he and Rachel often end up on the same side of things.
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.
If Only Visser Three had Mustache to Twirl: Visser Three introduces yet another terrifying alien morph with the cone-handed purple monster of death. It’s also worth nothing that his ego mania is once again on display with their plan with the President. They decide not to simply infest him, because heaven forbid that some lowly other Yeerk have a powerful host body. Nope! Instead, Visser Three will simply morph him whenever they want to do things. This is such an awful plan, and you have to think that the other Visser higher ups who are critical of the way Visser Three is managing the Earth invasion must be able to point to stupid choices like this as evidence that he’s really bad for this job. I mean, this is nothing but ego, and they’re passing up an excellent opportunity to infest a world leader purely because of Visser Three’s power issues.
Adult Ugly Crying at a Middle Grade Book: As much as I hate David, you do have to feel bad for the position he finds himself in. The others all still have their families and their anonymity to fall back on. They can go home and go to school and to the mall and have friends. All of this helps support that horrible trauma that is fighting this war. What does David have? If David hadn’t turned into a complete psychopath, you have to wonder what the long term plan would have been? I mean, what kind of life could he have? And, as a human boy, he’s much less able to just “hide in the woods” like Ax and Tobias have been doing. It’s a pretty tough situation, not only practically, but for the emotional well-being of David. Not that that’s any excuse for him going crazy, but if he had been a nice guy to begin with, this situation would have been really tragic.
What a Terrible Plan, Guys!: Other than having the hindsight to know that making David an Animorph is probably the worst choice they make in the entire series, this book really highlights how smart the Animorphs have become throughout it all. They aren’t the confused kids from the first few books. They make smart choices with what they choose to acquire (suggesting the merlin based on their experience with the limitations of larger birds). They keep a watch on Marco’s house, suspecting that David might make a run for it or do something stupid. They quickly adapt when their simple scouting mission turns sideways and they need to infiltrate the Blade ship. And, as we’ll see in the next two books, the only reason they come out of this whole David situation ok is due to the fact that they’ve been around the block a few times. If this had happened earlier in the series, I’m not sure they would have made it.
Favorite Quote:
Marco calls it right away, saying this when they’re debating making David an Animorph:
I spread my hands, pleading. “He names his cat Megadeth. He has a cobra named Spawn. What kind of a kid is that?”
This may seem like silly reasoning, but it all adds up when you think about the fact that not everyone is cut out to do what they do. Up to this whole episode, I don’t think they realized how lucky they are that their group is made up of the people it is.
Scorecard: Yeerks 5, Animorphs 9
A point for the Yeerks! Not only do we know that the David thing is not going to turn out well for our favorite team, but Visser Three successfully acquires the President, too
March 8, 2024
A new animorph?!?! A cliffhanger?!? Applegate you are one cheeky minx
February 10, 2017
So in the last book we were down an Animorph, sort of, and in this book we gain an Animorph, sort of. The Discovery is the start of the Third Age of Animorphs: the stakes are higher, the action is more intense, and the consequences are further reaching than we’ve ever seen.
(One day I hope to have a successful sideline as a writer of “next week” TV promos.)
If memory serves, this is all going to end in tears.
But before I talk about David, I need to have a little rant about Andalite arrogance.
David finds the Escafil device—the blue box that bestowed morphing capability on the Animorphs—and it’s a big deal, because the Animorphs need to get it from him before the Yeerks find out he has it. Because the last thing we need are Yeerks with morphing technology! Everyone is freaking out about recovering the blue box.
But, hey, Andalites—did you never think of password-protecting this thing?
I know that, theoretically, you need someone with morphing ability to trigger the device (although the Yeerks have that in the form of Visser Three). And maybe the Andalites were just so confident that one of the devices would never fall out of Andalite hands. Still. When humans are doing a better job of infosec than the Andalites, we got issues. Stick a hashed 20-character password on that baby and call it a day.
The blue box is really a secondary plot to The Discovery, however, because what really matters is David and his crash-course induction to the Animorphs.
The way Applegate deals with David is pretty dark. The Yeerks and Animorphs bust up his family’s house; the Yeerks hustle off his parents to become Controllers, leaving the Animorphs to vote on whether to let David into their club. That’s bleak. Poor David.
Too bad he’s possibly a psychopath, huh?
I love how Applegate lays down the clues in Marco’s narration. From David’s choice of pets and names for pets to more subtle behaviour, we start getting a picture of the kind of kid David is. And I’m not saying every kid who likes illegal snakes and metal bands is a killer. But I’m saying that kids who like illegal snakes and metal bands and who have violent tendencies might find a way to explore those tendencies if you give them the power to turn into any animal.
Let this be your PSA. You’re welcome.
The most telling thing about this book, however, is simply that it ends on a cliffhanger. It literally ends with Marco falling out of a helicopter in roach morph, with “To be continued…” promising us a conclusion in the next book. This is the first time Applegate has ever done this, and that makes it special.
Next time, David completes his heel turn. But even though Applegate hints here that he’s not going to work out as a member of the team, I don’t think it’s evident yet just how bad David will be.
I’m getting chills.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #19: The Departure | #21: The Threat →
(One day I hope to have a successful sideline as a writer of “next week” TV promos.)
If memory serves, this is all going to end in tears.
But before I talk about David, I need to have a little rant about Andalite arrogance.
David finds the Escafil device—the blue box that bestowed morphing capability on the Animorphs—and it’s a big deal, because the Animorphs need to get it from him before the Yeerks find out he has it. Because the last thing we need are Yeerks with morphing technology! Everyone is freaking out about recovering the blue box.
But, hey, Andalites—did you never think of password-protecting this thing?
I know that, theoretically, you need someone with morphing ability to trigger the device (although the Yeerks have that in the form of Visser Three). And maybe the Andalites were just so confident that one of the devices would never fall out of Andalite hands. Still. When humans are doing a better job of infosec than the Andalites, we got issues. Stick a hashed 20-character password on that baby and call it a day.
The blue box is really a secondary plot to The Discovery, however, because what really matters is David and his crash-course induction to the Animorphs.
The way Applegate deals with David is pretty dark. The Yeerks and Animorphs bust up his family’s house; the Yeerks hustle off his parents to become Controllers, leaving the Animorphs to vote on whether to let David into their club. That’s bleak. Poor David.
Too bad he’s possibly a psychopath, huh?
I love how Applegate lays down the clues in Marco’s narration. From David’s choice of pets and names for pets to more subtle behaviour, we start getting a picture of the kind of kid David is. And I’m not saying every kid who likes illegal snakes and metal bands is a killer. But I’m saying that kids who like illegal snakes and metal bands and who have violent tendencies might find a way to explore those tendencies if you give them the power to turn into any animal.
Let this be your PSA. You’re welcome.
The most telling thing about this book, however, is simply that it ends on a cliffhanger. It literally ends with Marco falling out of a helicopter in roach morph, with “To be continued…” promising us a conclusion in the next book. This is the first time Applegate has ever done this, and that makes it special.
Next time, David completes his heel turn. But even though Applegate hints here that he’s not going to work out as a member of the team, I don’t think it’s evident yet just how bad David will be.
I’m getting chills.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #19: The Departure | #21: The Threat →
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December 1, 2017Full review and rating later. I'm gonna do a full David Trilogy review. What a whopper.
April 3, 2022
This new member, David, scares me and I don’t like him.
I need him OUT!!
CW: war, slavery, violence, murder, death, animal cruelty
I need him OUT!!
CW: war, slavery, violence, murder, death, animal cruelty
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2025
wasn't expecting bill clinton's leg hair to be the mvp
May 20, 2018
So begins one of the most well known and arguably strongest arcs in the series. The New Animorph Trilogy.
This is a busy book with a lot of plotlines. They're handled really well, though. Very organically. At the time of it's original publication I had felt this and it's follow-ups were the strongest in the series thus far.
Definitely worth the read as this kicks off a story that hits so many points of what made the series great. It started with Marco, which was perfect. The follow ups have Jake and Rachel which again, were perfect. And in the perfect order, no less.
This is a busy book with a lot of plotlines. They're handled really well, though. Very organically. At the time of it's original publication I had felt this and it's follow-ups were the strongest in the series thus far.
Definitely worth the read as this kicks off a story that hits so many points of what made the series great. It started with Marco, which was perfect. The follow ups have Jake and Rachel which again, were perfect. And in the perfect order, no less.
December 6, 2022
David. UGH.
January 9, 2024
My mummy read it to me
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January 16, 2026You can't end a book on a massive cliffhanger like this! I can't imagine what it was like reading in real time, having to wait a month to find out as they fall out of Marine One.
Marco is more level-headed than the others in a lot of ways: Jake and Cassie skew a lot more optimistic/idealistic, Rachel is always looking for a fight, but Marco? Marco wants out, he doesn't want to be in the war and he hates it more than the others, but is personally motivated because of his Mom -- and this push/pull of motivations cause his decision-making to be surprisingly balanced; strategic but cautious.
Which is why I agreed with him not making David another Animorph.
Honestly, I think the Animorphs fucked it up. They ruined David's life (their plan was awful and is directly responsible for him losing his house, both his parents, his privacy, everything), AND they didn't adequately prepare him for what guerrilla warfare and morphing would be like. No one told him to morph an insect in the comfort of his home first, maybe NOT in the middle of a life-or-death battle? No one prepared him for fighting the instincts of an animal? The Animorphs have had COUNTLESS battles and they're battle-scarred but at least prepared. They barely give him appropriate background on Yeerks, Hork-Bajir, Kandrona rays, Vissers, and they give him a FIGHTING role instead of some sort of recon role? Dude... I mean, I know they're middle schoolers but they understand the concept of training, right...?
I feel for David, despite all the red flags Marco points out as well.
Also funny, I was browsing the internet and I happened upon an interesting point -- why DON'T they have other good bird morphs? They complain all the time that they can't fly together as birds of prey in one flock would be obvious, so like... why not morph birds that DO flock together? Absurd they don't have geese morphs, or crow morphs, or starlings? Geese can fly super long distances and naturally fly in formation... so it's funny when David calls out Tobias as "bird-racist" because he looks down on other types of birds -- honestly David, valid point. (I miss Tobias's POV as well... I'm ready for another Tobias book!)
But I'd love more snake morph time! Curious to see what happens with David next...
Marco is more level-headed than the others in a lot of ways: Jake and Cassie skew a lot more optimistic/idealistic, Rachel is always looking for a fight, but Marco? Marco wants out, he doesn't want to be in the war and he hates it more than the others, but is personally motivated because of his Mom -- and this push/pull of motivations cause his decision-making to be surprisingly balanced; strategic but cautious.
Which is why I agreed with him not making David another Animorph.
Honestly, I think the Animorphs fucked it up. They ruined David's life (their plan was awful and is directly responsible for him losing his house, both his parents, his privacy, everything), AND they didn't adequately prepare him for what guerrilla warfare and morphing would be like. No one told him to morph an insect in the comfort of his home first, maybe NOT in the middle of a life-or-death battle? No one prepared him for fighting the instincts of an animal? The Animorphs have had COUNTLESS battles and they're battle-scarred but at least prepared. They barely give him appropriate background on Yeerks, Hork-Bajir, Kandrona rays, Vissers, and they give him a FIGHTING role instead of some sort of recon role? Dude... I mean, I know they're middle schoolers but they understand the concept of training, right...?
I feel for David, despite all the red flags Marco points out as well.
Also funny, I was browsing the internet and I happened upon an interesting point -- why DON'T they have other good bird morphs? They complain all the time that they can't fly together as birds of prey in one flock would be obvious, so like... why not morph birds that DO flock together? Absurd they don't have geese morphs, or crow morphs, or starlings? Geese can fly super long distances and naturally fly in formation... so it's funny when David calls out Tobias as "bird-racist" because he looks down on other types of birds -- honestly David, valid point. (I miss Tobias's POV as well... I'm ready for another Tobias book!)
But I'd love more snake morph time! Curious to see what happens with David next...
April 1, 2022
My first though was shock at the premise of this volume, having read later ones. I had no memory of this David. A new Animorph?! I dove in with eager gusto and was not disappointed. It was a fast paced ride and some major mission is on the line. What a page turner!
I forgot how I enjoyed Marco's sense of humor. I must say, this felt lighter from him though. Less concern about his parent situations. That was interesting to be on such a back-burner for him. I am with Marco about David. His behavior is...off...
I forgot how I enjoyed Marco's sense of humor. I must say, this felt lighter from him though. Less concern about his parent situations. That was interesting to be on such a back-burner for him. I am with Marco about David. His behavior is...off...
October 2, 2025
The first two-parter! I’m officially further than I read as a kid. I don’t remember hearing about this part of the plot so I’m nervous about what happens next. The story doesn’t have a ton of time to breathe with all the action, and Marco mostly just seems whiny.
May 28, 2024
Marko and the new kid, David, whom I don't trust at all! First book ending on a cliffhanger...
November 9, 2023
It was a nice change to have the intro start off differently compared to the last 19 novels and again the POV's through Marco's eyes.
The Premise
Remember the blue box Elfangor used to create the Animorphs way back in The Invasion?
Well, some random kid aka David has found it and of course, he has NO idea what he has -- or what it can do nor the trouble it can lead. But Marco does. And when he sees David with it, he knows the Animorphs have to get that box. At any cost.
Since when do their plans EVER go to plan?! Almost never.
But what should have been a simple plan ends up going horribly wrong. And David is on the run with the Animorphs and Ax. Now they have only two choices: turn David over to the Yeerks. Or make him the sixth Animorph.
Get Ready. There's a brand new Animorph
You think that this would be a good thing for the Animorphs, to add to their ranks. It was Ax's idea to use Escafil Device to bestow the morphing ability to David after the Animorphs successfully procure the blue box once more in their custody but at the cost of David's parents becoming Controllers, he is now a wanted person by the Yeerks about what he knows.
This should be a red flag for the Animorphs from the beginning. They've been at this guerrilla war for some months now, they understand the high stakes, not only for their loved ones who are unaware of the Human-Andalite-Yeerk war if the Yeerks ever discovered the Animorphs' identities.
But the difference is that there were already connections amongst the Animorphs when they first encountered Elfangor as Rachel points out whereas David has none, the only Animorph to have interacted with the most so far is Marco and there's already hostility, and distrust, and a clash of personality between the two boys.
Considering the gamble that Cassie took in the previous book, it's no surprise that the Animorphs put it towards a tie vote with Jake being a deciding vote to accept David as a new member, which we know as an audience, that decision would have disastrous results for them in the long term.
But what I liked watching unfold is that this decision wasn't made on a whim, they each drew up the pros and cons and Ax correctly points out:
"We are not an army. We are a guerrilla group," he said. "Guerrilla, gorilla? The differences between the two words are very subtle. You, humans, should not make your words so ... But my point is, going from six members to seven will not make us much stronger, and it carries great risk, rissss-kuh"
"If we're talking about having hundreds, maybe thousands of Animorphs eventually, don't we have to start somewhere?" Cassie asked.
"Yes," Ax agreed. " But we should start with someone we understand. Not a stranger. We have this mission before us, to save the human leaders of your various countries. A seventh person might help us. But it might also make our team indecisive, uncertain"
Wow, that's deep and a fair assessment from Ax, despite him being the first one to speak up about the potential of turning David into an Animorph and in the end voting against it, which Marco agrees with, probably sensing David's true nature.
What's surprising is Rachel's response to allow David to join their ranks but since Marco and Rachel normally see eye to eye on many things but have a different way of expressing them. As I can already see the ticking time bomb with this new addition to the ranks, how the dynamics will be affected as David's prideful, boastful, "know it all" attitude and personality are already clashing with the already diverse personalities of the group.
This is one of my favorite trilogies from this series. As you can see the Animorphs have learned by past mistakes. One: divide and conquer, split their forces by keeping tabs on Marco's place while David's there and trying to pass on their knowledge of the best morphs to use but what's infuriating is David's attitude and clear sign of disrespect for the Animorphs (despite them saving his life)
With David challenging Jake's leadership, to me, that's a big red flag, yeah sure the Animorphs go by democracy by putting forward their thoughts on the best way to move forward on their many missions with Jake giving the final say but here, a new person challenging the already existing status quo and David's clear disregard for authority, rules and caution. A recipe for disaster!
I really love the relationships that Marco has with the other Animorphs. Marco acknowledges his strengths of reading people and can be very analytical and he's VERY bluntly honest about the seriousness of their situation to David, he doesn't sugar coat it, whereas the others wanted to go easy.
Marco also realizes how deadly Cassie can be, using her ability to empathetically read people, despite being a pacifist, isn't above manipulating others by reading the room, and their feelings in order to get them to do what she wants if it will benefit the Animorphs, including using the rising tension between David and Marco for their gain while on mission.
I'm not saying Cassie is all gung-ho about this side of her personality, as she has struggled with the darker aspects of her personality, the moral ambiguity of the war, and her pacifist nature can sometimes clash with the more pragmatic, aggressive, and ruthless, members of the group.
Marco despite being the comic relief, has shown a clear aptitude for being analytical, calculating, and strategic in his plans and more suspicious by nature. Rachel, the more violent of the group is more interested in the battle, she would fit right in with the Vikings while here on the rare occasion, she DOES show hesitation with her vote but it's still surprising since Rachel may be a hot head and adrenaline junkie but she doesn't take needless risks when her friends' safety is on the line.
Cassie, and Jake: a combination of being optimistic, decisive, and moral compass that can be problematic to achieving their goals whereas Tobias and Ax can be somewhat disconnected from their humanity as being an alien and a nothlit collectively with the latter just following orders.
I really wanna see more team-ups consisting of Marco, Rachel, and Cassie, how deadly they would be!! Yes??? Heck yeah!! So awesome to see the personal growth of these characters!! Yep, you guessed they're my faves lol
I do feel sorry for David though, I can't help it and even though I know what's come, he had everything taken away from him by a combination of his own actions (finding the Escafil device, the Animorphs, and the Yeerks destroying David's family forever.
The Animorphs at least have the freedom to return home, and school, they can have semi-normal lives outside the war, a safe place to go: their homes, Cassie's barn, or the forest where both Ax and Tobias live but more importantly their identities are still unknown whereas David doesn't have that luxury.
He doesn't have anywhere to go, he has to keep moving, to stay free and if captured, he's become a liability the seeds of discord are already present which Marco and Ax are subconsciously already attuned to as David is already undermining Jake's authority, refuses to take on their advice since the Animorphs at this point are battle seasoned and are familiar with the Yeerk's tactics compared to David in what morphs are best for battle, infiltration, and transport.
But dude, you don't have to be an ass. Like I get it, he doesn't have to like the Animorphs as they played a part in the current predicament he's now in, he never asked for this, ok neither did the Animorphs, but they accepted their fate and did the best they can.
The only inconsistency that made me scratch my head was when David is moved to Jake's house, as the Animorphs realize every Controller would be looking for David. I couldn't help but roll my eyes and laugh aloud, like guys? You remember that Jake's brother, Tom, is a Controller who also resides in the very same house and would've brought the Yeerks to Jake's place further risking unnecessary exposure ... the only thing I can think of is that at that precise moment Tom was absent.
Prepare for shit to the fan. Onto the next one now! Mwahaha!!!
The Premise
Remember the blue box Elfangor used to create the Animorphs way back in The Invasion?
Well, some random kid aka David has found it and of course, he has NO idea what he has -- or what it can do nor the trouble it can lead. But Marco does. And when he sees David with it, he knows the Animorphs have to get that box. At any cost.
Since when do their plans EVER go to plan?! Almost never.
But what should have been a simple plan ends up going horribly wrong. And David is on the run with the Animorphs and Ax. Now they have only two choices: turn David over to the Yeerks. Or make him the sixth Animorph.
Get Ready. There's a brand new Animorph
You think that this would be a good thing for the Animorphs, to add to their ranks. It was Ax's idea to use Escafil Device to bestow the morphing ability to David after the Animorphs successfully procure the blue box once more in their custody but at the cost of David's parents becoming Controllers, he is now a wanted person by the Yeerks about what he knows.
"So, look, maybe you like me, maybe you don't like me. I don't care. I'm here. If you use the blue box on me I'm one of you. But I'm not going to get pushed around. And I'm not going to be all, 'Oh, thank you, wise and wonderful Animorphs, for letting me join.' If I'm in, I'm in all the way. If not... I guess I'll walk away and try to figure out what to do. On my own."
―David to the Animorphs
This should be a red flag for the Animorphs from the beginning. They've been at this guerrilla war for some months now, they understand the high stakes, not only for their loved ones who are unaware of the Human-Andalite-Yeerk war if the Yeerks ever discovered the Animorphs' identities.
But the difference is that there were already connections amongst the Animorphs when they first encountered Elfangor as Rachel points out whereas David has none, the only Animorph to have interacted with the most so far is Marco and there's already hostility, and distrust, and a clash of personality between the two boys.
Considering the gamble that Cassie took in the previous book, it's no surprise that the Animorphs put it towards a tie vote with Jake being a deciding vote to accept David as a new member, which we know as an audience, that decision would have disastrous results for them in the long term.
But what I liked watching unfold is that this decision wasn't made on a whim, they each drew up the pros and cons and Ax correctly points out:
"We are not an army. We are a guerrilla group," he said. "Guerrilla, gorilla? The differences between the two words are very subtle. You, humans, should not make your words so ... But my point is, going from six members to seven will not make us much stronger, and it carries great risk, rissss-kuh"
"If we're talking about having hundreds, maybe thousands of Animorphs eventually, don't we have to start somewhere?" Cassie asked.
"Yes," Ax agreed. " But we should start with someone we understand. Not a stranger. We have this mission before us, to save the human leaders of your various countries. A seventh person might help us. But it might also make our team indecisive, uncertain"
Wow, that's deep and a fair assessment from Ax, despite him being the first one to speak up about the potential of turning David into an Animorph and in the end voting against it, which Marco agrees with, probably sensing David's true nature.
"You heard me," Rachel said. "Ax makes a good point. One extra member just adds risk. But Cassie's right, too. We have to start somewhere, now that we have the box. What are we going to do, run an ad in the newspaper? 'Help wanted: danger, nightmares, big-time creepiness, no pay? Have you ever wanted to turn into a bug and fight brain-stealing aliens? Well, call '1-800-ANIMORPH"
What's surprising is Rachel's response to allow David to join their ranks but since Marco and Rachel normally see eye to eye on many things but have a different way of expressing them. As I can already see the ticking time bomb with this new addition to the ranks, how the dynamics will be affected as David's prideful, boastful, "know it all" attitude and personality are already clashing with the already diverse personalities of the group.
This is one of my favorite trilogies from this series. As you can see the Animorphs have learned by past mistakes. One: divide and conquer, split their forces by keeping tabs on Marco's place while David's there and trying to pass on their knowledge of the best morphs to use but what's infuriating is David's attitude and clear sign of disrespect for the Animorphs (despite them saving his life)
With David challenging Jake's leadership, to me, that's a big red flag, yeah sure the Animorphs go by democracy by putting forward their thoughts on the best way to move forward on their many missions with Jake giving the final say but here, a new person challenging the already existing status quo and David's clear disregard for authority, rules and caution. A recipe for disaster!
I really love the relationships that Marco has with the other Animorphs. Marco acknowledges his strengths of reading people and can be very analytical and he's VERY bluntly honest about the seriousness of their situation to David, he doesn't sugar coat it, whereas the others wanted to go easy.
Marco also realizes how deadly Cassie can be, using her ability to empathetically read people, despite being a pacifist, isn't above manipulating others by reading the room, and their feelings in order to get them to do what she wants if it will benefit the Animorphs, including using the rising tension between David and Marco for their gain while on mission.
I'm not saying Cassie is all gung-ho about this side of her personality, as she has struggled with the darker aspects of her personality, the moral ambiguity of the war, and her pacifist nature can sometimes clash with the more pragmatic, aggressive, and ruthless, members of the group.
Marco despite being the comic relief, has shown a clear aptitude for being analytical, calculating, and strategic in his plans and more suspicious by nature. Rachel, the more violent of the group is more interested in the battle, she would fit right in with the Vikings while here on the rare occasion, she DOES show hesitation with her vote but it's still surprising since Rachel may be a hot head and adrenaline junkie but she doesn't take needless risks when her friends' safety is on the line.
Cassie, and Jake: a combination of being optimistic, decisive, and moral compass that can be problematic to achieving their goals whereas Tobias and Ax can be somewhat disconnected from their humanity as being an alien and a nothlit collectively with the latter just following orders.
I really wanna see more team-ups consisting of Marco, Rachel, and Cassie, how deadly they would be!! Yes??? Heck yeah!! So awesome to see the personal growth of these characters!! Yep, you guessed they're my faves lol
I do feel sorry for David though, I can't help it and even though I know what's come, he had everything taken away from him by a combination of his own actions (finding the Escafil device, the Animorphs, and the Yeerks destroying David's family forever.
The Animorphs at least have the freedom to return home, and school, they can have semi-normal lives outside the war, a safe place to go: their homes, Cassie's barn, or the forest where both Ax and Tobias live but more importantly their identities are still unknown whereas David doesn't have that luxury.
He doesn't have anywhere to go, he has to keep moving, to stay free and if captured, he's become a liability the seeds of discord are already present which Marco and Ax are subconsciously already attuned to as David is already undermining Jake's authority, refuses to take on their advice since the Animorphs at this point are battle seasoned and are familiar with the Yeerk's tactics compared to David in what morphs are best for battle, infiltration, and transport.
But dude, you don't have to be an ass. Like I get it, he doesn't have to like the Animorphs as they played a part in the current predicament he's now in, he never asked for this, ok neither did the Animorphs, but they accepted their fate and did the best they can.
The only inconsistency that made me scratch my head was when David is moved to Jake's house, as the Animorphs realize every Controller would be looking for David. I couldn't help but roll my eyes and laugh aloud, like guys? You remember that Jake's brother, Tom, is a Controller who also resides in the very same house and would've brought the Yeerks to Jake's place further risking unnecessary exposure ... the only thing I can think of is that at that precise moment Tom was absent.
Prepare for shit to the fan. Onto the next one now! Mwahaha!!!
March 8, 2015
I almost stopped reading at this point in the series because of how grating this plot is. A friend of mine mentioned that KA Applegate started getting ghostwriters for the series and I think it sort of shows at this point (or maybe it's just getting harder and harder to keep the series going? I'm super impressed with any author who can write the same series for this long. Even Terry Pratchett does different series in the same universe).
So blah blah blah David Blah blah blah OH MY GOD IS HE EVIL OR NOT blah blah blah oh my god MORPHING POWERS.
Honestly I am disappointed that at this point in the novel nobody turned to Ax and said, "OK so is it possible to take away morphing powers since it's not really a mystical thing it's just technology." Like did the Andalite scientists not figure on having an off switch? Like seriously there's got to be some way to turn off morphing powers for those ppl who end up I DON'T KNOW TRAITOROUSLY DAMN INSANE.
and the fucking CLIFF HANGER ENDINGS. why. WHYYYY. It's so stupid and silly and it makes the books shorter and it's clearly a ploy to get readers to buy and buy and buy and I just hate it. Thank god these books are like 20 years old now and I can access them all.
So blah blah blah David Blah blah blah OH MY GOD IS HE EVIL OR NOT blah blah blah oh my god MORPHING POWERS.
Honestly I am disappointed that at this point in the novel nobody turned to Ax and said, "OK so is it possible to take away morphing powers since it's not really a mystical thing it's just technology." Like did the Andalite scientists not figure on having an off switch? Like seriously there's got to be some way to turn off morphing powers for those ppl who end up I DON'T KNOW TRAITOROUSLY DAMN INSANE.
and the fucking CLIFF HANGER ENDINGS. why. WHYYYY. It's so stupid and silly and it makes the books shorter and it's clearly a ploy to get readers to buy and buy and buy and I just hate it. Thank god these books are like 20 years old now and I can access them all.
May 24, 2022
Marco is still one of my least favorite character perspectives, but after a few books they found their stride with him and he really is a well fleshed out character now.
This story changed up the status quo a lot, but it doesnt really have a conclusion for us here.
For the first time since ax a team member was introduced and im curious to see what they will do with him going forward and how it will hold up with the group dynamic.
Also, Kidnapping, Guerilla Warfare, Murder, Indoctrination of child soldiers. The Animorphs I know and love!
This story changed up the status quo a lot, but it doesnt really have a conclusion for us here.
For the first time since ax a team member was introduced and im curious to see what they will do with him going forward and how it will hold up with the group dynamic.
Also, Kidnapping, Guerilla Warfare, Murder, Indoctrination of child soldiers. The Animorphs I know and love!
November 15, 2019
There are very few things that really stick in my mind from reading this series the first time around. The stress of the David trilogy is one one the few. Oh boy, I'm glad I can get through these books faster now than I did at thirteen. And that I don't have to wait weeks for the release of the next installment.
August 15, 2021
I dont like this story arc and also this book contains truly terrible snake husbandry. You cannot under any circumstances let your snake free roam in a house with a cat. I got very hung up on this, and also on the fact that a child has a pet cobra in the first place. Absolutely not. Nightmare scenario all around.
November 8, 2021
I think this should be called "How many ways can the Animorphs comedically mess up a heist"? Except it's not funny because them messing it up got two humans controlled by Yeerks and many others injured.
Also, heck David for killing that crow.
Also, heck David for killing that crow.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 13, 2021
Oo a cliffhanger! I like the introduction of David - it's a reasonable challenge for them to run into (is it worth expanding the team?) and his presence has an interesting effect on team dynamics.
July 29, 2021
We end this cycle with a beginning, the start of a trilogy. Oh boy. For those who don't know, this starts what is known as the David trilogy. These next three books are basically one story, we even get a cliffhanger with a to be continued. This is really interesting, and the only thing like in the series, although I see the last few books will be kinda like this as it gears up for the finale.
It's a curious experiment, and I'll have plenty to say by the end of it. For now, this review will actually be kinda short. It's only Part 1 and honestly it doesn't give me a ton to say, while I imagine I will have more to go over once it becomes clear where this all goes. But for now, here's what I got:
One day at school, Marco spots a kid named David with the morphing cube, the blue box that Elfangor used to give them their morphing powers. David happened to end up at the construction site and stumbled upon the thing. He plans to sell it to any takers online and they the Yeerks catch wind and things escalate from there.
Basically, David ends up tangling with Visser 3 and the Animorphs are forced to tell him everything and make him one of them. Not a spoiler, the tagline talks about a new animorph. The "6th" one, because screw you Ax I guess.
As a Part 1, it's good. It gets the job done of presenting us with this situation where they have to let a new member in due to extreme circumstances. The scene where they sneak into his house for the second time, where things escalate, is pretty intense with a lot of memorable bits. Speaking of, this has one of the more detailed morphing scenes we've had in a while, where Marco morphs snake.
It can get be a bit contrived to get us there, even for me, but it still gets the job done well. David isn't too much of a character for most of it, which in a way is the point. They don't know much about this new kid but they still end up having to recruit him. We get hints to his nature near the end, being sympathetic with an edge.
I guess that works, he could have been stronger but that's one thing I think we'll have more time to explore in the other two. I thought each would still have a semi-self contained story but that's not the case, the cliffhanger leaves it as incomplete, as the next one will continue this. That's fine, just makes it weird to review.
As far as stray notes, this is meant to be anytown, but ontop of the Planet Hollywood in a previous one, here there's going to me a meeting of world leaders to talk about "the problem in the middle east". Has to be a major city for this to be going on. One of them is the president, and the yeerks want a piece of that. With this president stuff, I think MD Spenser read this one.
The ebook has a few slight errors, nothing terrible but it's noteworthy. There's a couple dash's in the middle of words, and one instance of a random question mark. Nothing too bad but weird.
Overall, it's a solid and fair start. Nothing amazing but has some solid action scenes and introduces an interesting concept that it starts well. Good cliffhanger too, as things really escalate. Not a deep Marco piece but it's interesting to see his reactions to David and how he feels.
So, what happens with David? Will the Yeerks have their way with the president? Will Ax ever be considered an Animorph? Find out next time, same morphing time, same morphing channel!
It's a curious experiment, and I'll have plenty to say by the end of it. For now, this review will actually be kinda short. It's only Part 1 and honestly it doesn't give me a ton to say, while I imagine I will have more to go over once it becomes clear where this all goes. But for now, here's what I got:
One day at school, Marco spots a kid named David with the morphing cube, the blue box that Elfangor used to give them their morphing powers. David happened to end up at the construction site and stumbled upon the thing. He plans to sell it to any takers online and they the Yeerks catch wind and things escalate from there.
Basically, David ends up tangling with Visser 3 and the Animorphs are forced to tell him everything and make him one of them. Not a spoiler, the tagline talks about a new animorph. The "6th" one, because screw you Ax I guess.
As a Part 1, it's good. It gets the job done of presenting us with this situation where they have to let a new member in due to extreme circumstances. The scene where they sneak into his house for the second time, where things escalate, is pretty intense with a lot of memorable bits. Speaking of, this has one of the more detailed morphing scenes we've had in a while, where Marco morphs snake.
It can get be a bit contrived to get us there, even for me, but it still gets the job done well. David isn't too much of a character for most of it, which in a way is the point. They don't know much about this new kid but they still end up having to recruit him. We get hints to his nature near the end, being sympathetic with an edge.
I guess that works, he could have been stronger but that's one thing I think we'll have more time to explore in the other two. I thought each would still have a semi-self contained story but that's not the case, the cliffhanger leaves it as incomplete, as the next one will continue this. That's fine, just makes it weird to review.
As far as stray notes, this is meant to be anytown, but ontop of the Planet Hollywood in a previous one, here there's going to me a meeting of world leaders to talk about "the problem in the middle east". Has to be a major city for this to be going on. One of them is the president, and the yeerks want a piece of that. With this president stuff, I think MD Spenser read this one.
The ebook has a few slight errors, nothing terrible but it's noteworthy. There's a couple dash's in the middle of words, and one instance of a random question mark. Nothing too bad but weird.
Overall, it's a solid and fair start. Nothing amazing but has some solid action scenes and introduces an interesting concept that it starts well. Good cliffhanger too, as things really escalate. Not a deep Marco piece but it's interesting to see his reactions to David and how he feels.
So, what happens with David? Will the Yeerks have their way with the president? Will Ax ever be considered an Animorph? Find out next time, same morphing time, same morphing channel!
February 14, 2019
It may be weird to say, given that nothing goes right, but this is satisfying competence porn--the failures are due to a difficult situation, not poor communication or lazy writing; everyone is distinct and able, with a strong but complicated group dynamic. David is meant to be awful, and he is, but not always in the right way: the conflict he creates within the Animorphs is engaging, but his conflict with Marco (our PoV) and the reader's sensibilities is just unpleasant. A two-part narrative is such a change of pace! The series is far enough along there's room for it, even within its (sort of hilariously pointless) attempt to make each installment comprehensible out of context, but it still feels out of place.
June 22, 2025
“I barely recognized the person I'd been back then. I had changed. Everything had changed that night”
A new Animorph! A to be continued! We are breaking new ground in this series!
Welcome to the Animorphs David! Hope you survive the experience! Although, I seriously doubt it considering the fact that I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a book cover with a different kid on it. Plus he has raised my hackles SO HIGH. There’s something about this kid I just,, don’t like. Why’d you kill that bird David? Why could you just be the Merlin David?? Huh?? Sorry about ur parents.
The book itself is fine. Marco is always a fun perspective and it introduces the arc well but I have a feeling the next two in this “trilogy” will be more interesting.
A new Animorph! A to be continued! We are breaking new ground in this series!
Welcome to the Animorphs David! Hope you survive the experience! Although, I seriously doubt it considering the fact that I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a book cover with a different kid on it. Plus he has raised my hackles SO HIGH. There’s something about this kid I just,, don’t like. Why’d you kill that bird David? Why could you just be the Merlin David?? Huh?? Sorry about ur parents.
The book itself is fine. Marco is always a fun perspective and it introduces the arc well but I have a feeling the next two in this “trilogy” will be more interesting.
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