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Animorphs #12.5
The Andalite Chronicles
His name is Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul.
An Andalite war-prince. The one who gave five young humans the ability to morph into any animal they touch. They are still out there, fighting an evil so powerful there isn't a moment that goes by when they can actually feel safe. Their story continues.
But this is how it all began.
The story that came before Animorphs . . .
An Andalite war-prince. The one who gave five young humans the ability to morph into any animal they touch. They are still out there, fighting an evil so powerful there isn't a moment that goes by when they can actually feel safe. Their story continues.
But this is how it all began.
The story that came before Animorphs . . .
326 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
79 people are currently reading
1481 people want to read
About the author
K.A. Applegate
251 books486 followersalso published under the name Katherine Applegate
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 369 reviews
January 2, 2017
Okay, first, I feel like I need to preface this review by confessing that if I had read this book for the first time at age thirty-one, I wouldn't be giving it five stars. My rating is entirely colored by my intense nostalgic feelings of love for it. As an adult reading it as a part of an ongoing series, this is a solid book that does some really cool things. But for a kid who'd never read any science-fiction before, this book absolutely GOBSMACKED me. It's the reason I love science fiction.
Your average Animorphs book is 150 pages and takes place on Earth, as the kids fight a guerrilla war against the silent Yeerk invasion. This book is 326 pages and the main character is an alien. Almost all the characters are aliens, and it mostly takes place in space, or on alien planets. The main character also happens to be the Andalite Elfangor, the alien who gave the Animorphs their powers back in the very first chapter of the very first book. The frame of the book is that Elfangor is dying, and as he is dying, he sends his thoughts to be recorded, his "hirac delest," or final statement. Elfangor achieved great success and fame as a war-prince, but he carries a great burden for his part in events that happened years before, events that allowed the first Yeerk to obtain an Andalite host body. It is due to Elfangor's actions that Visser Three exists.
But this isn't just the story of how Visser Three captured an Andalite body, it's Elfangor's story. Who was this alien who gave five kids the power to morph? Why did he do it, breaking one of his people's highest laws? Where did he come from?
What I find so engrossing about this book is the worldbuilding. We've been hearing about all these alien races for twelve books now, hearing about the terrible wars they fight with each other, the places them come from. But here we actually get to see it. We get to see Andalite space battles and Andalite culture. We get to see the Taxxon homeworld, and the difficult choices that war thrusts upon everybody. We meet the creepy, tongue-in-cheek Skrit Na. And this book really doesn't pull any punches. There are some genuinely upsetting and terrifying things that happen.
Looking back, this book does in 300 pages what the whole series will do with fifty books. It takes its heroes, shows them terrible things, has them make terrible choices, and then shows us how those choices have long-term consequences on those heroes. Elfangor at the end of the book is a very different dude than he was at the beginning. Not to mention, it has all the things that drove my love of sci-fi afterwards: space battles, tactics, the thrill and horror of discovery, time travel, mysterious and terrifying aliens, terrible defeat, sudden reversals, and bittersweet victories. Really it's like the perfect starter space opera kit, designed to kick-start an obsession perfectly. I'd never read anything like it. (Of course, I've since read many great space operas, and revisiting this one now after that more adult, mature fare, was a bit disconcerting.)
Next up, Tobias learns about his past.
Your average Animorphs book is 150 pages and takes place on Earth, as the kids fight a guerrilla war against the silent Yeerk invasion. This book is 326 pages and the main character is an alien. Almost all the characters are aliens, and it mostly takes place in space, or on alien planets. The main character also happens to be the Andalite Elfangor, the alien who gave the Animorphs their powers back in the very first chapter of the very first book. The frame of the book is that Elfangor is dying, and as he is dying, he sends his thoughts to be recorded, his "hirac delest," or final statement. Elfangor achieved great success and fame as a war-prince, but he carries a great burden for his part in events that happened years before, events that allowed the first Yeerk to obtain an Andalite host body. It is due to Elfangor's actions that Visser Three exists.
But this isn't just the story of how Visser Three captured an Andalite body, it's Elfangor's story. Who was this alien who gave five kids the power to morph? Why did he do it, breaking one of his people's highest laws? Where did he come from?
What I find so engrossing about this book is the worldbuilding. We've been hearing about all these alien races for twelve books now, hearing about the terrible wars they fight with each other, the places them come from. But here we actually get to see it. We get to see Andalite space battles and Andalite culture. We get to see the Taxxon homeworld, and the difficult choices that war thrusts upon everybody. We meet the creepy, tongue-in-cheek Skrit Na. And this book really doesn't pull any punches. There are some genuinely upsetting and terrifying things that happen.
Looking back, this book does in 300 pages what the whole series will do with fifty books. It takes its heroes, shows them terrible things, has them make terrible choices, and then shows us how those choices have long-term consequences on those heroes. Elfangor at the end of the book is a very different dude than he was at the beginning. Not to mention, it has all the things that drove my love of sci-fi afterwards: space battles, tactics, the thrill and horror of discovery, time travel, mysterious and terrifying aliens, terrible defeat, sudden reversals, and bittersweet victories. Really it's like the perfect starter space opera kit, designed to kick-start an obsession perfectly. I'd never read anything like it. (Of course, I've since read many great space operas, and revisiting this one now after that more adult, mature fare, was a bit disconcerting.)
Next up, Tobias learns about his past.
April 25, 2020
FIRST REVIEW / APR 9, 2015
hahhaaha oh no oh noooooooooo I finished this book teary and emotional in a Pret A Manger. I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS. Right when you think you didn't care so much about Elfangor -- or, perhaps, did care about him but had gotten over his death -- then this breaks you right along those mended cracks and makes it so much worse.
You should all read this one right before #13! I read it out of order, because my ebook was junked, so I came to this book about ten books too late. It's big, more than twice the size of a regular Animorphs book, and widely regarded as one of the best.
It's our first chronicles, and those are pretty much hands-down the most complex books of the series (alongside some Megamorphs), to the extent that I upped the category here from "children's lit" to "young adult". The scope is blown wide and each book centers on an epic tale from that particular species. This one features dramatic space battles and crazy alien monsters; military cadets stepping up to the plate because there is literally no one else able to do the job; rivals turning to bromance; betrayal and tragedy; epic battles on the Taxxon homeworld; more detail about the Taxxons, period, plus Andalite culture; time travel; star-crossed love; traumatised soldiers & generals; more Alloran (I love him I love himmm, I am pretty sure I wrote Alloran fanfic when I was a kid); hanging onto morality even in the midst of a war; surreal and nightmarish reality-bending shenanigans; and more detail on the circumstances of the doomed Hork-Bajir war (which leads nicely into the subsequent chronicles and the next Animorphs book I'm about to tackle, The Hork-Bajir Chronicles); and all sorts of wiggly heartbreaking coincidences but which you can forgive because there is a near-all-powerful extra-dimensional being cheating and manipulating the factors...
In short, it's awesome. This book retroactively makes Ax & Tobias' bond & best friendship even more beautiful and heartbreaking, and Tobias' story even more nuanced, the Animorphs' creation even more important, Elfangor's death even more upsetting. We also get the backstory of how Visser Three gained his Andalite body, the root of their universe-spanning nemesiship, and a bit more hints of the cosmic game the Ellimist is waging (he's such a dick in this book, SUUUCH A DIIIICKKK).
Also: Chapman!!! His story doesn't seem to jive all that well with where he ends up as an adult -- I have difficulty reconciling this slimeball with the sympathetic, broken man we see in #2 -- but maybe that's the point. Kids can grow up and deeply regret their arrogant mistakes. (On that note, I'm stoked to eventually reach Visser and reread how the Yeerk invasion actually starts...)
And, also, The Andalite Chronicles has the absolutely memorable and AMAZING image of an Andalite roaring across the blasted wasteland of the Taxxon homeworld in a yellow Mustang, blasting The Rolling Stones' "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" while drinking Dr Pepper. I CAN'T EVEN.
I think my only quibble -- which is a very small one -- is that Elfangor & Arbron's dialogue sound a lot like human kids to me? It makes a bit of sense in that KAA is trying to make them sound like hapless teenagers -- which they are at the start, and it's adorable -- but their lingo and slang just sounds too Earth-like for me. Ax's formal stilted speech read more foreign and 'Andalite' to me.
BUT THAT'S ALL. Otherwise, it's wonderful. It's a tragedy, with no real victories or happy endings, just people doing the best they can and making sacrifices for the greater good, to mend their mistakes. Be prepared to have your heart take a pummeling.
---------------------------------
SECOND REVIEW / APR 3, 2020
4.5 stars, ultimately rounded up because so very much happens in this book and you get so much worthwhile background. Between the Ellimist's manipulation and Elfangor's fate, it segues so nicely into Tobias' next book, granting it such added context.
Favourite quotes will be moved to Google Docs.
hahhaaha oh no oh noooooooooo I finished this book teary and emotional in a Pret A Manger. I HAVE SO MANY FEELINGS. Right when you think you didn't care so much about Elfangor -- or, perhaps, did care about him but had gotten over his death -- then this breaks you right along those mended cracks and makes it so much worse.
You should all read this one right before #13! I read it out of order, because my ebook was junked, so I came to this book about ten books too late. It's big, more than twice the size of a regular Animorphs book, and widely regarded as one of the best.
It's our first chronicles, and those are pretty much hands-down the most complex books of the series (alongside some Megamorphs), to the extent that I upped the category here from "children's lit" to "young adult". The scope is blown wide and each book centers on an epic tale from that particular species. This one features dramatic space battles and crazy alien monsters; military cadets stepping up to the plate because there is literally no one else able to do the job; rivals turning to bromance; betrayal and tragedy; epic battles on the Taxxon homeworld; more detail about the Taxxons, period, plus Andalite culture; time travel; star-crossed love; traumatised soldiers & generals; more Alloran (I love him I love himmm, I am pretty sure I wrote Alloran fanfic when I was a kid); hanging onto morality even in the midst of a war; surreal and nightmarish reality-bending shenanigans; and more detail on the circumstances of the doomed Hork-Bajir war (which leads nicely into the subsequent chronicles and the next Animorphs book I'm about to tackle, The Hork-Bajir Chronicles); and all sorts of wiggly heartbreaking coincidences but which you can forgive because there is a near-all-powerful extra-dimensional being cheating and manipulating the factors...
In short, it's awesome. This book retroactively makes Ax & Tobias' bond & best friendship even more beautiful and heartbreaking, and Tobias' story even more nuanced, the Animorphs' creation even more important, Elfangor's death even more upsetting. We also get the backstory of how Visser Three gained his Andalite body, the root of their universe-spanning nemesiship, and a bit more hints of the cosmic game the Ellimist is waging (he's such a dick in this book, SUUUCH A DIIIICKKK).
Also: Chapman!!! His story doesn't seem to jive all that well with where he ends up as an adult -- I have difficulty reconciling this slimeball with the sympathetic, broken man we see in #2 -- but maybe that's the point. Kids can grow up and deeply regret their arrogant mistakes. (On that note, I'm stoked to eventually reach Visser and reread how the Yeerk invasion actually starts...)
And, also, The Andalite Chronicles has the absolutely memorable and AMAZING image of an Andalite roaring across the blasted wasteland of the Taxxon homeworld in a yellow Mustang, blasting The Rolling Stones' "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" while drinking Dr Pepper. I CAN'T EVEN.
I think my only quibble -- which is a very small one -- is that Elfangor & Arbron's dialogue sound a lot like human kids to me? It makes a bit of sense in that KAA is trying to make them sound like hapless teenagers -- which they are at the start, and it's adorable -- but their lingo and slang just sounds too Earth-like for me. Ax's formal stilted speech read more foreign and 'Andalite' to me.
BUT THAT'S ALL. Otherwise, it's wonderful. It's a tragedy, with no real victories or happy endings, just people doing the best they can and making sacrifices for the greater good, to mend their mistakes. Be prepared to have your heart take a pummeling.
---------------------------------
SECOND REVIEW / APR 3, 2020
4.5 stars, ultimately rounded up because so very much happens in this book and you get so much worthwhile background. Between the Ellimist's manipulation and Elfangor's fate, it segues so nicely into Tobias' next book, granting it such added context.
Favourite quotes will be moved to Google Docs.
August 7, 2007
Before there was Harry Potter, my days were filled with Animorphs. Yes, I grew up loving this adventure. Kids who could turn into animals, alien beings, kidnappings, wild adventure, who wouldn't love it.
July 16, 2015
So … yeah. This book made me cry, at the end.
I remember reading the hard copy version of this as a kid and marvelling at how much thicker it was than your typical Animorphs novel. Don’t get me wrong—by that age I was already mainlining The Lord of the Rings and Dune, so I was already acquainted with long novels. Until now, though, Applegate had intentionally been keeping her stories not just short, but brief.
The Andalite Chronicles shook up that format, introducing a subseries of Animorphs that would let Applegate tell stories from the perspectives of non-Animorphs characters. The honour of the first story goes to Elfangor, the guy who kicked off this whole crazy adventure when he crash-lands on Earth and gives the Animorphs their powers in the first place. Now Applegate shows us how he got to that point—and in doing so, reveals that she, much like the Cylons (but not, apparently, Ron Moore), has a plan.
In its departure from Earth for most of the book, The Andalite Chronicles allows Applegate to expand on themes she wants to make universal. For example, Elfangor is a hero; Visser Three is a villain. Applegate wants to show that these archetypes are not localized to the human species but instead apply to a collection of actions and ideals. Lest that become reductive, however, she also points out that the universe is not black and white. Elfangor is a hero, yes, but he both makes mistakes and makes morally questionable decisions. Visser Three is a villain, but he displays an opportunistic pragmatism—and I’m sure that he sees himself as a hero for his people (but this isn’t his book—his book comes later—so we’ll talk more about Elfangor now).
It’s a real treat to see more Andalites in this book. Andalites, in a book called The Andalite Chronicles, you say? Shocking! Until now, though, we’ve only really met a handful of Andalites—and one of them was a Controller. Now we get to see Andalites in action. We learn more about how they live, on ships and back at home, and even some of their history. Applegate once again balances the image of a proud warrior–scientistic culture the Andalites want to project with a backdrop of mistake after mistake caused by that pride. We see this in microcosm through the actions of Arbron and Alloran, both foils to Elfangor’s middle-of-the-road heroism. Arbron’s humour ultimately reveals itself as a mask for nihilism: trapped as a nothlit, he desperately seeks release until he finds a new sense of purpose. In contrast, when Elfangor must confront his bleakest moment, he finds an intrinsic core of strength and morality that allows him to act. But Alloran is too far along that spectrum: through his experiences his sense of morality has grown twisted, amoral, as he decides the ends always justify the means.
The humans in this book are fun too. Young!Chapman is a delight; even though the timeline in which he meets Elfangor is ultimately erased, it allows us to see why he agrees to become a Controller. Similarly, Loren is perhaps a bit of an author avatar for Applegate. She takes no bullshit from anybody, and she backs up Elfangor—sometimes with a softball bat. As the ending of this book implies, and as we learn in the next book, she is also a big deal to the Animorphs themselves….
Of course, it’s when the two cultures—Andalite and human—collide that we get the best moments of all. Elfangor’s observations of the peculiarities of humanity are reminiscent of the best of Ax’s from The Alien . Applegate can’t resist throwing in a few references for the historically-aware reader: Elfangor happens to be around to render some help to “Bill and Steve” to get their operating system working.
But there is, by far, a single crowning moment of awesome in The Andalite Chronicles: the sheer delight of Elfangor driving a yellow mustang across the Taxxon homeworld and through a barrier of Hork-Bajir. Best. Image. Ever.
There are some pretty great books in the series to come, but with The Andalite Chronicles Applegate reaches a pinnacle that proves how great this series can be.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #12: The Reaction | #13: The Change →
I remember reading the hard copy version of this as a kid and marvelling at how much thicker it was than your typical Animorphs novel. Don’t get me wrong—by that age I was already mainlining The Lord of the Rings and Dune, so I was already acquainted with long novels. Until now, though, Applegate had intentionally been keeping her stories not just short, but brief.
The Andalite Chronicles shook up that format, introducing a subseries of Animorphs that would let Applegate tell stories from the perspectives of non-Animorphs characters. The honour of the first story goes to Elfangor, the guy who kicked off this whole crazy adventure when he crash-lands on Earth and gives the Animorphs their powers in the first place. Now Applegate shows us how he got to that point—and in doing so, reveals that she, much like the Cylons (but not, apparently, Ron Moore), has a plan.
In its departure from Earth for most of the book, The Andalite Chronicles allows Applegate to expand on themes she wants to make universal. For example, Elfangor is a hero; Visser Three is a villain. Applegate wants to show that these archetypes are not localized to the human species but instead apply to a collection of actions and ideals. Lest that become reductive, however, she also points out that the universe is not black and white. Elfangor is a hero, yes, but he both makes mistakes and makes morally questionable decisions. Visser Three is a villain, but he displays an opportunistic pragmatism—and I’m sure that he sees himself as a hero for his people (but this isn’t his book—his book comes later—so we’ll talk more about Elfangor now).
It’s a real treat to see more Andalites in this book. Andalites, in a book called The Andalite Chronicles, you say? Shocking! Until now, though, we’ve only really met a handful of Andalites—and one of them was a Controller. Now we get to see Andalites in action. We learn more about how they live, on ships and back at home, and even some of their history. Applegate once again balances the image of a proud warrior–scientistic culture the Andalites want to project with a backdrop of mistake after mistake caused by that pride. We see this in microcosm through the actions of Arbron and Alloran, both foils to Elfangor’s middle-of-the-road heroism. Arbron’s humour ultimately reveals itself as a mask for nihilism: trapped as a nothlit, he desperately seeks release until he finds a new sense of purpose. In contrast, when Elfangor must confront his bleakest moment, he finds an intrinsic core of strength and morality that allows him to act. But Alloran is too far along that spectrum: through his experiences his sense of morality has grown twisted, amoral, as he decides the ends always justify the means.
The humans in this book are fun too. Young!Chapman is a delight; even though the timeline in which he meets Elfangor is ultimately erased, it allows us to see why he agrees to become a Controller. Similarly, Loren is perhaps a bit of an author avatar for Applegate. She takes no bullshit from anybody, and she backs up Elfangor—sometimes with a softball bat. As the ending of this book implies, and as we learn in the next book, she is also a big deal to the Animorphs themselves….
Of course, it’s when the two cultures—Andalite and human—collide that we get the best moments of all. Elfangor’s observations of the peculiarities of humanity are reminiscent of the best of Ax’s from The Alien . Applegate can’t resist throwing in a few references for the historically-aware reader: Elfangor happens to be around to render some help to “Bill and Steve” to get their operating system working.
But there is, by far, a single crowning moment of awesome in The Andalite Chronicles: the sheer delight of Elfangor driving a yellow mustang across the Taxxon homeworld and through a barrier of Hork-Bajir. Best. Image. Ever.
There are some pretty great books in the series to come, but with The Andalite Chronicles Applegate reaches a pinnacle that proves how great this series can be.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #12: The Reaction | #13: The Change →
April 2, 2024
*** 4 ***
Elfangor's story 😀👍
Elfangor's story 😀👍
February 10, 2009
I loved the Animorph series, and this was one of the best of them.
Elfangor's story is similar to the Animorph one as it is also a coming of age story, but I enjoyed Elfangor's perspective and commentry immensly. The look into the Andalite culture along with the Taxxons, Horik-Bajir, and Yeerks was enlightening and make them much more realistic characters. I liked how Applegate didn't gloss over the darker side of the Andalites and presented the other aliens in a different light. I especially liked how we got to interact with more aliens and cultures, and that they were not the boring, cardboard cut-out copies modled after some human society. Applegate really tried to branch out and make her races, not only alien, but diverse. Different opinions and ideas come from the same species. It makes things not so simple and a lot more realistic. Then again, Animorphs was always good at dealing with tough issues of morality and such.
The human involvement can be taken two ways, either as a bit too coincidental or seen as Ellimist intervention again.
Overall, I really liked this book.
Elfangor's story is similar to the Animorph one as it is also a coming of age story, but I enjoyed Elfangor's perspective and commentry immensly. The look into the Andalite culture along with the Taxxons, Horik-Bajir, and Yeerks was enlightening and make them much more realistic characters. I liked how Applegate didn't gloss over the darker side of the Andalites and presented the other aliens in a different light. I especially liked how we got to interact with more aliens and cultures, and that they were not the boring, cardboard cut-out copies modled after some human society. Applegate really tried to branch out and make her races, not only alien, but diverse. Different opinions and ideas come from the same species. It makes things not so simple and a lot more realistic. Then again, Animorphs was always good at dealing with tough issues of morality and such.
The human involvement can be taken two ways, either as a bit too coincidental or seen as Ellimist intervention again.
Overall, I really liked this book.
April 3, 2024
So Tobias’s parents found an ancient Time Machine, started a civil war, and fought a living rock alien in space. And you wonder why he is my favorite?
July 11, 2022
If you’re reading Animorphs in chronological order, this one’s definitely the one you’ve been looking forward to. We finally learn more about the Andalites with some fascinating and strong world building. Elfangor is awesome and the humans more than serve their purpose. A really gripping and fast read. One of the strongest books in the series so far.
April 30, 2013
Brought to you by The Moonlight Library!
This is the story of Elfangor, from his beginning as an aristh, an Andalite space cadet, to his time on Earth that no one but the Ellimist knows about. This is the story of what happened before the Animorphs.
The Andalite Chronicles, strictly speaking, isn’t essential reading in the Animorphs series. But if you want to know more about Visser Three’s host, Alloran, and how he came to be a mind-slave to one of the highest-ranking Yeerks in the Empire, then you’d enjoy it. If you wanted to know more about Taxxons, you’d enjoy it. If you wanted to know more about Andalite military culture, and how humans got involved in the Yeerk-Andalite war, you’d enjoy it. If you want to know more about why a particular character has such a broken home life, you’ll enjoy it. That, and all around the Ani-fandom, this book is pretty much considered to be one of, if not the, best Animorphs book.
Elfangor is mostly written as a cross between Ax and Tobias. He’s compassionate, scared witless by his first space adventure, and wants to listen to his superiors. But he also has flashes of Jake in him – as he is forced to make difficult decisions. In fact, the differences between Elfangor and Jake are paralleled much later in the Animorphs series as Jake and Elfangor both face the possibility of murdering thousands of helpless Yeerks in their natural state – that is to say, the slugs in the pool, blind, helpless, defenceless. Elfangor and Jake chose different paths, and it shows pretty clearly that even though Elfangor made a tough call, perhaps it wasn’t the best one to make. Or maybe Jake was wrong.
That’s not to say that because of Elfangor the Yeerks invade Earth. That fate is sealed by someone else’s decision, and it’s an extraordinarily difficult decision to understand. Why that character acted in that way, I can’t say. Why they weren’t murdered, I also can’t say. Why the Ellimist felt it necessary to involve that character in his eternal war, I don’t understand. It could simply be a massive coincidence, or it could be that that particular character was always going to be involved.
Enough with the vagues! Sorry, kittens.
This novel is written as Elfangor’s herec dilest: his memories gone to a computer to one day be retrieved. We know Elfangor dies. That’s not a spoiler. But this is his life before that tragic defeat.
Overall, this novel is a powerful one that helps us most of all to understand Andalite culture, to see glimpses of the other worlds involved in the war, and to see an amazing relationship develop between a human and a blue centaur alien with no mouth. Loren, Elfangor’s human love interest, in reminiscent of Rachel, but she’s not a loose cannon. She’s frightened, but brave. She teaches Elfangor about humility, and humanity, and Elfangor falls deeply in love with not only her species but with her as well, much the same way a particular Yeerk fell in love with Andalites. The story of Alloran’s fall from power is not detailed here – that will be seen in the next Chronicles, the Hork-Bajir – but we do see his ultimate defeat: becoming the galaxy’s first Andalite-Controller.
The book by necessity has a lot of defeat in it. It’s not supposed to be a happy story. People are enslaved, murdered, trapped in bodies not their own, rebelled against, and time is distorted to the point where the universe is so fucked up only the intervention of an inter-galactic being can fix everything. Elfangor is a war hero, but he gives up so much to get back on the Ellimist’s path: ultimately, it is so he can give the morphing power to the Animorphs and have them continue his war without him, but you can’t help but feel the despair in this novel, and wish it was more of a happily ever after.
January 23, 2024
It was strange. I felt like crying. But I no longer had human eyes. So I cried the way an Andalite does. Inside. In my hearts.
I never liked "kid"-oriented writing very much, even as a youngin (pretentious as ever), but as guilty as The Andalite Chronicles is of maintaining a similar kewl kid sci-fi writing style indicative of the main Animorphs series, the writing itself can hardly hold this three-part story back from being the brutal and surreal adventure that I recall. Every moment of implausible dialogue or each inconsistent character reaction is usually grounded by how fucked up everything is.
Elfangor can be an irritating protagonist to read because his naivety is relatable, he's so smart that sometimes he's dumb, and he's young and he thinks he knows it all, and I guess so do I.
There's not much else to say. If context hasn't clarified, this is the prequel book that kicks off the Animorphs series; it was one of my favorite books when I was a preteen. Other Animorphs girlies know and everyone else simply does not. You either read Animorphs because your life was traumatic and you needed five other twelve-year-olds with whom to suffer and hope, or you read Animorphs and were subsequently traumatized, but hopeful.
"Enjoy your meal, and come again!" the sad monstrosity said.
August 15, 2021
I'm still too early in my Animorphs reread to definitively call this prequel my single favorite entry, but it is certainly a strong contender for that eventual claim. In its first half in particular, it's a sweeping space opera that takes us far from the earth and thrillingly into the mind of Elfangor, the dying alien who originally gave the team the ability to morph in the series debut. With the young cadet as our guide, we explore new planets and distinctive extraterrestrial cultures, caught up in a propulsive and cinematic rush to keep a piece of ancient Ellimist technology from falling into Yeerk hands. In addition to the protagonist's own coming-of-age as a capable warrior who can stand up for what's right even against a superior officer, we wind up witnessing the rise of Visser Three, the only known enemy to gain an Andalite host body, and we learn of a surprising hidden connection among the hero and his later teenage recruits.
Author K. A. Applegate is so confident with the worldbuilding at this point, in both the details that have already been fleshed out and all of the new additions that this volume introduces. The different species and their perspectives feel lived-in and real, creating an immersive atmosphere well-suited to this action-packed tale of honor and cowardice (and how in wartime it can be hard to tell the difference). Aghast attention is given to certain abuses such as mass slaughter of noncombatants either considered or carried out by the Andalite military leadership. Likewise, while the audience is aware of the tragic fates that await several of the current characters, it's nevertheless surprisingly poignant to watch as they play out. Plus we get some just incredibly striking visuals, like Elfangor driving a modified yellow Mustang across the dusty Taxxon homeworld.
It's not an altogether perfect read, although it's near enough that I'm happy awarding it a full five-out-of-five stars. This novel was initially released in three serialized parts, and I think the last installment is a slight step down, consisting largely of a visit to a nightmarish invented landscape that lacks the immediacy of personal stakes present elsewhere in the text. (It feels kind of like the filler portion of an old Doctor Who serial, simply there to take up time by providing weird encounters that don't add much to the greater plot.) The transitions between each section could have been made smoother for the published composite version too, in my opinion. And there are a few unfortunate continuity issues raised by this book, like the fact that the visser doesn't seem to know the prince when they meet in The Invasion despite apparently having an extended history with him, or Chapman's antagonism and willingness to work with the Yeerks contradicting his previous characterization as an involuntary Controller. (To an extent, I suppose those problems can be resolved by pointing to the all-powerful god-being on the scene, but that's hardly a satisfying explanation.)
As long as I'm offering minor critiques, I also wish more room had been provided for the experience of Loren, the human girl who rapidly ages from thirteen to eighteen as she approaches the Time Matrix at the end. That would be a wildly traumatizing event for anyone to actually undergo, and the narrative's avoidance of engaging with it at length is the one thing that stands out as a stark reminder that this series was generally aimed at middle-schoolers.
Overall, however, I really do love this one. I don't have a great recommendation for where in the franchise it should be picked up, other than probably after Ax explains Seerow's Kindness and similar concepts from his civilization in The Alien and before Tobias discovers his family heritage in The Pretender. But no trip through the wider saga would be complete without flashing back to revisit the origins laid out so compellingly here.
[Content warning for cannibalism, body horror, and gore.]
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Author K. A. Applegate is so confident with the worldbuilding at this point, in both the details that have already been fleshed out and all of the new additions that this volume introduces. The different species and their perspectives feel lived-in and real, creating an immersive atmosphere well-suited to this action-packed tale of honor and cowardice (and how in wartime it can be hard to tell the difference). Aghast attention is given to certain abuses such as mass slaughter of noncombatants either considered or carried out by the Andalite military leadership. Likewise, while the audience is aware of the tragic fates that await several of the current characters, it's nevertheless surprisingly poignant to watch as they play out. Plus we get some just incredibly striking visuals, like Elfangor driving a modified yellow Mustang across the dusty Taxxon homeworld.
It's not an altogether perfect read, although it's near enough that I'm happy awarding it a full five-out-of-five stars. This novel was initially released in three serialized parts, and I think the last installment is a slight step down, consisting largely of a visit to a nightmarish invented landscape that lacks the immediacy of personal stakes present elsewhere in the text. (It feels kind of like the filler portion of an old Doctor Who serial, simply there to take up time by providing weird encounters that don't add much to the greater plot.) The transitions between each section could have been made smoother for the published composite version too, in my opinion. And there are a few unfortunate continuity issues raised by this book, like the fact that the visser doesn't seem to know the prince when they meet in The Invasion despite apparently having an extended history with him, or Chapman's antagonism and willingness to work with the Yeerks contradicting his previous characterization as an involuntary Controller. (To an extent, I suppose those problems can be resolved by pointing to the all-powerful god-being on the scene, but that's hardly a satisfying explanation.)
As long as I'm offering minor critiques, I also wish more room had been provided for the experience of Loren, the human girl who rapidly ages from thirteen to eighteen as she approaches the Time Matrix at the end. That would be a wildly traumatizing event for anyone to actually undergo, and the narrative's avoidance of engaging with it at length is the one thing that stands out as a stark reminder that this series was generally aimed at middle-schoolers.
Overall, however, I really do love this one. I don't have a great recommendation for where in the franchise it should be picked up, other than probably after Ax explains Seerow's Kindness and similar concepts from his civilization in The Alien and before Tobias discovers his family heritage in The Pretender. But no trip through the wider saga would be complete without flashing back to revisit the origins laid out so compellingly here.
[Content warning for cannibalism, body horror, and gore.]
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August 13, 2016
What a depressing book. I mean seriously depressing. It took me ages to read just because every minute of it is a real drag: Chapman is inherently evil (in spite of what we learned in book 2); Arbron getting trapped in Taxxon morph; Elfangor being responsible for The Abomination; Elfangor and Tobias' first and last meeting. Also wtf - technically Loren was still a kid (mentally and emotionally if not physically) when she had Tobias? That never really registered with me as a kid. It was never explicitly stated how old she was (apparently Elfangor couldn't be bothered to even hazard a guess) but she kept referring to herself as "just a kid" and the rapid-aging effect of the vortex put her at age 18 so she was at most 16, probably closer to 13-14.
Also now that I do the math, Chapman must've been hella young when he had Melissa because Melissa and Tobias are the same age yet Loren was subjected to the aging vortex while Chapman wasn't. So let's say Loren was 14 and Chapman was 16 (Loren thinks he's only a year older than her but she may have misjudged). Loren gets prematurely aged to 18 but Chapman is still 16. Elfangor and Loren are together for - say - three years before Tobias is conceived. Melissa would have been conceived around the same time, but up to 11 months later if Tobias has a September birth and Melissa has an August one (or however the age divide is determined in California). That would put them in the same grade while being as far apart in age as possible assuming no skipped or delayed grades (which admittedly given Tobias' bouncing from school to school may well have been possible but it's never stated so let's ignore that). That would mean Loren is 21 (but really 17) and Chapman is only 19 when their respective kids are conceived.
Whomp whomp.
(Also, holy crap, in looks and somewhat in temperament Loren is a lot like Rachel. Meaning Tobias basically falls in love with his mom. Freud would have a field day with our very special Birdboy.)
Also now that I do the math, Chapman must've been hella young when he had Melissa because Melissa and Tobias are the same age yet Loren was subjected to the aging vortex while Chapman wasn't. So let's say Loren was 14 and Chapman was 16 (Loren thinks he's only a year older than her but she may have misjudged). Loren gets prematurely aged to 18 but Chapman is still 16. Elfangor and Loren are together for - say - three years before Tobias is conceived. Melissa would have been conceived around the same time, but up to 11 months later if Tobias has a September birth and Melissa has an August one (or however the age divide is determined in California). That would put them in the same grade while being as far apart in age as possible assuming no skipped or delayed grades (which admittedly given Tobias' bouncing from school to school may well have been possible but it's never stated so let's ignore that). That would mean Loren is 21 (but really 17) and Chapman is only 19 when their respective kids are conceived.
Whomp whomp.
(Also, holy crap, in looks and somewhat in temperament Loren is a lot like Rachel. Meaning Tobias basically falls in love with his mom. Freud would have a field day with our very special Birdboy.)
July 7, 2009
Interesting, thrilling, and at times, moving.
Yet this book is quite the mixed bag. The prose is, perhaps, below-average for the series. Repetition, bland phrasing, overuse of exclamation points, and lots of onomatopoeia are a few knocks against the style.
The plot is very intricate. Elfangor is thrown from one end of the universe to another, hardly ever having time to catch his breath. Curiously enough, though, while this book primarily concerns alien species, nothing is that foreign. Contrary to Ax's stilted speaking in the other Animorphs books, Elfangor and his friend, Arbron, both talk very casually, and, amazingly enough, with humour. I'm not sure how I feel about this change. On the one hand, you might argue it is necessary in order to make the reader comfortable. After all, if the reader cannot relate to the narrator, and all the action takes place in foreign locales, it'll be hard for the reader to be sucked into the story.
On the other hand, such a break with continuity is jarring in and of itself. I found myself slightly thrown out of the book -- it was not consistent with the rest of the Animorphs universe.
In addition, several observations Elfangor makes about humans and human society do not match up with Ax's observations in the ordinary books.
Much of the dialogue sounds overly cliched.
Placing Chapman in the story seemed completely superfluous, as if Applegate just wanted to use as many familiar characters as possible. I'm not sure why he couldn't have been any other human.
The usage of time travel yet again is wearying. Applegate loved that quick fix.
But -- in spite of the numerous flaws, the plot manages to be, well, epic. It really frames the Animorphs' story well. It's such a great introduction/prequel that you almost wish you could've read it before you began the core book series. But of course that wouldn't end up making sense.
Yet this book is quite the mixed bag. The prose is, perhaps, below-average for the series. Repetition, bland phrasing, overuse of exclamation points, and lots of onomatopoeia are a few knocks against the style.
The plot is very intricate. Elfangor is thrown from one end of the universe to another, hardly ever having time to catch his breath. Curiously enough, though, while this book primarily concerns alien species, nothing is that foreign. Contrary to Ax's stilted speaking in the other Animorphs books, Elfangor and his friend, Arbron, both talk very casually, and, amazingly enough, with humour. I'm not sure how I feel about this change. On the one hand, you might argue it is necessary in order to make the reader comfortable. After all, if the reader cannot relate to the narrator, and all the action takes place in foreign locales, it'll be hard for the reader to be sucked into the story.
On the other hand, such a break with continuity is jarring in and of itself. I found myself slightly thrown out of the book -- it was not consistent with the rest of the Animorphs universe.
In addition, several observations Elfangor makes about humans and human society do not match up with Ax's observations in the ordinary books.
Much of the dialogue sounds overly cliched.
Placing Chapman in the story seemed completely superfluous, as if Applegate just wanted to use as many familiar characters as possible. I'm not sure why he couldn't have been any other human.
The usage of time travel yet again is wearying. Applegate loved that quick fix.
But -- in spite of the numerous flaws, the plot manages to be, well, epic. It really frames the Animorphs' story well. It's such a great introduction/prequel that you almost wish you could've read it before you began the core book series. But of course that wouldn't end up making sense.
January 11, 2012
At the risk of appearing childish, I've started rereading this series. Judging by this book, I'm not surprised I loved it when I was younger!
If you're looking for a book with challenging style or diction, this is not it. This is a story for kids, but at the same time manages to bring up a few good questions dealing with morality, mainly: "What's the point of winning if, in winning, you lose what you're fighting for?" More simply/similarly: Do the ends justify the means?
This book describes the Taxxons quite well, as well as the backgrounds of some of the other characters and locations. We learn how many people are connected to the story (which I'm not going to say, spoilers are no fun. :) )
The descriptions are great, and you can picture everything as if it's happening in front of you. This book takes you all over the galaxy, through zero space and multiple dimensions, and keeps a great storyline while doing it.
If you can overlook the fact that it is meant for younger people and just concentrate on the plot and the more adult themes, I highly recommend this book.
If you're looking for a book with challenging style or diction, this is not it. This is a story for kids, but at the same time manages to bring up a few good questions dealing with morality, mainly: "What's the point of winning if, in winning, you lose what you're fighting for?" More simply/similarly: Do the ends justify the means?
This book describes the Taxxons quite well, as well as the backgrounds of some of the other characters and locations. We learn how many people are connected to the story (which I'm not going to say, spoilers are no fun. :) )
The descriptions are great, and you can picture everything as if it's happening in front of you. This book takes you all over the galaxy, through zero space and multiple dimensions, and keeps a great storyline while doing it.
If you can overlook the fact that it is meant for younger people and just concentrate on the plot and the more adult themes, I highly recommend this book.
September 14, 2015
This was one of my favorite books from childhood. Katherine did an exceptional way of telling such kind of story to kids.
---re-read
Let's get this one by one, character by character, story by story. Because everyone has made me really mad. XD
Elfangor
The story was told from Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul's perspective. The beginning of the story shows him as a young Andalite aristh who wants to be a hero. Elfangor as a kid is a serious guy, with the great pride of the Andalite, and minds grandly about honor, or Andalite honor. He doesn't like fighting dirty. He wouldn't annihilate a whole gang of enemy if they're defenseless.
Arbron
Arbron is Elfangor's friend, a fellow aristh, but with more humor. He's expert in computers and firing shots to enemies.
Alloran
Alloran-Semitur-Corrass is the War-prince who lead Elfangor and Abron to their first battle that involved the gross species called Taxxons. He's a veteran. In the latter part of the book, Elfangor's current prince mentions how Alloran used to have a lot of humor, like Abron, but war changes people, he said.
Visser Three
Before he was Visser Three, he was Visser Forty Two, and a sub visser before that. Visser Three is perhaps the most ambitious yeerk to exist in this galaxy. He was a ruthless murderer, he doesn't give much damn about the methods he'll use to win so long as he does.
Hedrick Chapman
He was one of the two humans kidnapped by the Skrit Na. Now Chapman didn't have much airtime in this book but he is very familiar, right? He betrayed his own race and sold the Earth to the yeerks. But for what purpose? To get out alive of war? TO be fair, he was a kid not a vice principal when he did this. But still... bitch. He ruined that first name for me completely.
Loren
Loren is the other human in the Skrit Na. She is strong-willed, she can pitch (damn she can pitch!), and she was on Elfangor's side all the time. She trusted the young aristh and loved him.
Ellimist
The Ellimist is a sort of god who's in the side of the angels, but not exactly one of them. They do not interfere but they would offer to repair the shattered things. It was revealed here that everything that is happening, is actually just a game for them. But it is not a game they play with sentient species, it is a game they play with someone else who uses a darker force. In a way it was like God versus Satan and all species are the pawns.
The Skrit Na
When Elfangor and Arbron was sent to the Skrit Na to rescue the two humans Loren and Hedrick Chapman, their skills were properly displayed. Elfangor being an excellent pilot, lead the team to battle while Arbron shoots. They were able to rescue Loren and Hedrick, and as the mission dictates, they have to bring them back to their home planet, Earth. But things are not that easy for there's a Skrit Na beneath another Skrit Na and battle has to be done. In the middle of all this was Elfangor trying to understand the humans and how ridiculous it is that they only walk with two feet instead of four and not fall. In this part, he had also decided that he liked Loren over Hedrick Chapman who was literally a douche, excuse the term but he was. He disgraced the human specie.
War-prince Alloran Arrives
Since there would be a battle, the arisths would need a prince. Alloran shows up with his Jahar, an excellent ship he designed himself. However he didn't feel honored to do it with the two arisths. He thinks he's being thrown to the side missions just because of what happened to the fight for the Hork-Bajir race where he participated. Later on, Elfangor found out that Alloran used a quantum virus to eliminate the Hork-Bajirs who were infested by yeerks. It was a dishonorable way to win, but Alloran, as many and himself would say, had been changed by the war.
The Taxxon Morph
Many Andalites fears to morph this particular specie as they are notoriously hungry all the time and 9/10 resort to cannibalism just to contain the hunger. But the arisths had to do it. First went Elfangor and he had a hard time controlling it.
Mustang and Living Hive
The battle intensified and earth became a battleground. Elfangor rides a Mustang and searches for his prince, his friend Arbron, and his responsibility: the two humans. When he saw Arbron, he was still in his Taxxon morph. To this Elfangor strongly suggested that he should morph back to Andalite and let go of the Taxxon's mind. But the Taxxon's mind had already won over Arbron's will to morph back. He told Elfangor that he will stay now with the Living Hive and help out the Taxxons win against the Yeerks. Elfangor found this ridiculous and pointless as it was clear as glass that it's already a lost battle for the Taxxons. Arbron insists. When Visser Three (who was then a sub visser still) arrives with his Hork-Bajirs, Alloran shows up in Hork-Bajir morph and helped out to fight with Elfangor. Visser Three wouldn't risk to fight Alloran and so he was taken captive. Loren and Hedrick reunited with the Andalites and Arbron was left behind with the Taxxons.
The Jahar Tragedy
Hedrick has taken the side of the yeerks by this time. Elfangor's dislike for him intensified. Alloran resumes his order for Elfangor to annihilate the pool where the Yeerks are. It was an order he refused to follow before the battle with the Taxxons began and now that Alloran's resuming it, he still couldn't bear to do it. Visser Three tried to make a deal with the Andalites but Alloran has the upper hand. He then made him jump off his ship and the Visser did, or so it seems. Alloran said a great deal on how war cannot be won without fighting dirty and how it's important to remember that killing the enemies is the number one purpose of it. They went on to a heated discussion until Alloran blurted out the thing about the quantum virus. What does it matter if you kill them with a tail blade or a shredder or a quantum virus? - Alloran. Elfangor totally lost it at this part and knocked off Alloran. He couldn't accept how his race had done such a dishonorable thing to another sentient specie. By the time he realized what he'd done, it was too late. The Visser just threw the hork-bajir but was still aboard. He crept inside Alloran's ears and reached the unconscious brain. When Alloran woke up, he was no longer Alloran.
The Time Matrix
While all this is happening, the time matrix remains a great issue. It was kept safe by the Jahar. It was outside the ship. But something happened with the machine and they were going to die. Visser proposed to work together and get the Time Matrix. Elfangor knew it wasn't a good idea to deal with a yeerk but he doesn't have any choice. The three of them, Elfangor, Visser, and Loren, pressed their hands on the time matrix and it resulted into creating an alternate universe, each of them contributed to the making of it.
The Alternate Universe
Elfangor and Loren fought Visser Three who of course brought his murderer pets with him. In the end they had to just run away. Loren visits her own house but realized her mother isn't who she's supposed to be. Elfangor and her ran and decided they should find the time matrix. Visser fought them again when they reached the time matrix but this time they won. Elfangor decided he couldn't go back to his world because he knows too many secrets, had done too many mistakes. He told Loren to determine where they should go. Then, when they had arrived to the specific place, Elfangor hid the Time Matrix.
Earth
Elfangor gathered DNAs from humans. It was a rule to not morph a sentient specie and so he has to collect DNAs, mixed them before morphing to human. When he had successfully gathered them, he morphed to human for the first time, and the last time. He had chosen to become a nothlit. He married Loren, got a degree, and lived in a house with her. There was a funny part where he said he designs software for primitive humans and he has friends called Bill and Steve. (Okay fine it's not that funny but I laughed more than I should.)
The Ellimist and Elfangor
One day on a most unexpected time, when Loren went to see a doctor, the Ellimist paid Elfangor a visit in his house. He offered the nothlit a chance to repair everything that had been broken. Elfangor was confused on why he's doing this. The Ellimist said that it was a game he's playing with a darker force user. Later in the series he would be named 'Crayak'. Elfangor refuses because of Loren. But the Ellimist insisted on his proposal. When Elfangor finally agrees, a vast light appeared. He saw lines of light. He saw a line curving from him and Loren. This was the part when he realized he's going to have a son. He pleads the Ellimist to take him back. He did not know he was going to have a son and to him, that changes everything. But the decision was made. He cannot go back. Loren had forgotten her but their son will remain to exist. Aximili, his brother would also then exist and would meet with five other lights. Five humans. And as the Ellimist had said, the impossible would happen.
Prince Elfangor
When he went back after years of mysterious absence, his career rose immediately. He became a prince. Then, his battle with Visser Three resumed. Elfangor then revealed his whole story to his current prince, everything but the Time Matrix was revealed. By the time he's prince, Aximili, his younger brother, is already an aristh. In one mission, Aximili was on board a ship that fell on Earth's ocean. Elfangor tried to locate him but to no avail. Instead he encountered Visser Three. He was badly injured and he knew this time, Visser Three would finally kill him. He still has Alloran's body for a host. Elfangor went immediately to the location of the Time Matrix. He reached it, a construction site now which was a forest before. And five young kids found him there. This is when he gave the power to morph to them - the Animorphs. Then one particular kid, stayed with him. Somehow he just knew, it was Tobias, his son. He asked about his mother. Tobias said that she left him, and couldn't get over her dad. Elfangor felt a pang of pain from this. He knew he's at fault. He saw what would happen to Tobias before when the Ellimist visited him, he knew he'd be lonely but the decision had been made final.
Then, the Visser found him, and killed him. His hirac dilest is done, so he says.
Feels
They say this series is for kids, but this being the first book is weird enough. I mean, this is absolutely my favorite story as a kid, before I went Dan Brown. It was just sad, I remember this book was thick, it has a weird cover, Elfangor, I suppose. I remember reading it because my cousin gave me it. He was a sci-fi enthusiast and I was sort of carried. We would talk about these books. I could still remember that day, we visited their house, he was sitting on the couch, he was holding the Hork-Bajir Chronicles and the first question he asks was if I've read the book he lent me which was The Andalite Chronicles. I said yes and then we were sad, because it's a sad book. Haha.
I like how this was written, to be honest, even until now, even after Oscar Wilde XD. Also, while re-reading, I felt like Elfangor's really the man, you know, like he doesn't have four feet. xD Like I have a crush on this alien but you know I think it's because he reminds me of Tobias.
You know I've almost forgotten how great this book is. I think this will not be the first and last re-read. :]
---re-read
Let's get this one by one, character by character, story by story. Because everyone has made me really mad. XD
Elfangor
The story was told from Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul's perspective. The beginning of the story shows him as a young Andalite aristh who wants to be a hero. Elfangor as a kid is a serious guy, with the great pride of the Andalite, and minds grandly about honor, or Andalite honor. He doesn't like fighting dirty. He wouldn't annihilate a whole gang of enemy if they're defenseless.
Arbron
Arbron is Elfangor's friend, a fellow aristh, but with more humor. He's expert in computers and firing shots to enemies.
Alloran
Alloran-Semitur-Corrass is the War-prince who lead Elfangor and Abron to their first battle that involved the gross species called Taxxons. He's a veteran. In the latter part of the book, Elfangor's current prince mentions how Alloran used to have a lot of humor, like Abron, but war changes people, he said.
Visser Three
Before he was Visser Three, he was Visser Forty Two, and a sub visser before that. Visser Three is perhaps the most ambitious yeerk to exist in this galaxy. He was a ruthless murderer, he doesn't give much damn about the methods he'll use to win so long as he does.
Hedrick Chapman
He was one of the two humans kidnapped by the Skrit Na. Now Chapman didn't have much airtime in this book but he is very familiar, right? He betrayed his own race and sold the Earth to the yeerks. But for what purpose? To get out alive of war? TO be fair, he was a kid not a vice principal when he did this. But still... bitch. He ruined that first name for me completely.
Loren
Loren is the other human in the Skrit Na. She is strong-willed, she can pitch (damn she can pitch!), and she was on Elfangor's side all the time. She trusted the young aristh and loved him.
Ellimist
The Ellimist is a sort of god who's in the side of the angels, but not exactly one of them. They do not interfere but they would offer to repair the shattered things. It was revealed here that everything that is happening, is actually just a game for them. But it is not a game they play with sentient species, it is a game they play with someone else who uses a darker force. In a way it was like God versus Satan and all species are the pawns.
The Skrit Na
When Elfangor and Arbron was sent to the Skrit Na to rescue the two humans Loren and Hedrick Chapman, their skills were properly displayed. Elfangor being an excellent pilot, lead the team to battle while Arbron shoots. They were able to rescue Loren and Hedrick, and as the mission dictates, they have to bring them back to their home planet, Earth. But things are not that easy for there's a Skrit Na beneath another Skrit Na and battle has to be done. In the middle of all this was Elfangor trying to understand the humans and how ridiculous it is that they only walk with two feet instead of four and not fall. In this part, he had also decided that he liked Loren over Hedrick Chapman who was literally a douche, excuse the term but he was. He disgraced the human specie.
War-prince Alloran Arrives
Since there would be a battle, the arisths would need a prince. Alloran shows up with his Jahar, an excellent ship he designed himself. However he didn't feel honored to do it with the two arisths. He thinks he's being thrown to the side missions just because of what happened to the fight for the Hork-Bajir race where he participated. Later on, Elfangor found out that Alloran used a quantum virus to eliminate the Hork-Bajirs who were infested by yeerks. It was a dishonorable way to win, but Alloran, as many and himself would say, had been changed by the war.
The Taxxon Morph
Many Andalites fears to morph this particular specie as they are notoriously hungry all the time and 9/10 resort to cannibalism just to contain the hunger. But the arisths had to do it. First went Elfangor and he had a hard time controlling it.
Mustang and Living Hive
The battle intensified and earth became a battleground. Elfangor rides a Mustang and searches for his prince, his friend Arbron, and his responsibility: the two humans. When he saw Arbron, he was still in his Taxxon morph. To this Elfangor strongly suggested that he should morph back to Andalite and let go of the Taxxon's mind. But the Taxxon's mind had already won over Arbron's will to morph back. He told Elfangor that he will stay now with the Living Hive and help out the Taxxons win against the Yeerks. Elfangor found this ridiculous and pointless as it was clear as glass that it's already a lost battle for the Taxxons. Arbron insists. When Visser Three (who was then a sub visser still) arrives with his Hork-Bajirs, Alloran shows up in Hork-Bajir morph and helped out to fight with Elfangor. Visser Three wouldn't risk to fight Alloran and so he was taken captive. Loren and Hedrick reunited with the Andalites and Arbron was left behind with the Taxxons.
The Jahar Tragedy
Hedrick has taken the side of the yeerks by this time. Elfangor's dislike for him intensified. Alloran resumes his order for Elfangor to annihilate the pool where the Yeerks are. It was an order he refused to follow before the battle with the Taxxons began and now that Alloran's resuming it, he still couldn't bear to do it. Visser Three tried to make a deal with the Andalites but Alloran has the upper hand. He then made him jump off his ship and the Visser did, or so it seems. Alloran said a great deal on how war cannot be won without fighting dirty and how it's important to remember that killing the enemies is the number one purpose of it. They went on to a heated discussion until Alloran blurted out the thing about the quantum virus. What does it matter if you kill them with a tail blade or a shredder or a quantum virus? - Alloran. Elfangor totally lost it at this part and knocked off Alloran. He couldn't accept how his race had done such a dishonorable thing to another sentient specie. By the time he realized what he'd done, it was too late. The Visser just threw the hork-bajir but was still aboard. He crept inside Alloran's ears and reached the unconscious brain. When Alloran woke up, he was no longer Alloran.
The Time Matrix
While all this is happening, the time matrix remains a great issue. It was kept safe by the Jahar. It was outside the ship. But something happened with the machine and they were going to die. Visser proposed to work together and get the Time Matrix. Elfangor knew it wasn't a good idea to deal with a yeerk but he doesn't have any choice. The three of them, Elfangor, Visser, and Loren, pressed their hands on the time matrix and it resulted into creating an alternate universe, each of them contributed to the making of it.
The Alternate Universe
Elfangor and Loren fought Visser Three who of course brought his murderer pets with him. In the end they had to just run away. Loren visits her own house but realized her mother isn't who she's supposed to be. Elfangor and her ran and decided they should find the time matrix. Visser fought them again when they reached the time matrix but this time they won. Elfangor decided he couldn't go back to his world because he knows too many secrets, had done too many mistakes. He told Loren to determine where they should go. Then, when they had arrived to the specific place, Elfangor hid the Time Matrix.
Earth
Elfangor gathered DNAs from humans. It was a rule to not morph a sentient specie and so he has to collect DNAs, mixed them before morphing to human. When he had successfully gathered them, he morphed to human for the first time, and the last time. He had chosen to become a nothlit. He married Loren, got a degree, and lived in a house with her. There was a funny part where he said he designs software for primitive humans and he has friends called Bill and Steve. (Okay fine it's not that funny but I laughed more than I should.)
The Ellimist and Elfangor
One day on a most unexpected time, when Loren went to see a doctor, the Ellimist paid Elfangor a visit in his house. He offered the nothlit a chance to repair everything that had been broken. Elfangor was confused on why he's doing this. The Ellimist said that it was a game he's playing with a darker force user. Later in the series he would be named 'Crayak'. Elfangor refuses because of Loren. But the Ellimist insisted on his proposal. When Elfangor finally agrees, a vast light appeared. He saw lines of light. He saw a line curving from him and Loren. This was the part when he realized he's going to have a son. He pleads the Ellimist to take him back. He did not know he was going to have a son and to him, that changes everything. But the decision was made. He cannot go back. Loren had forgotten her but their son will remain to exist. Aximili, his brother would also then exist and would meet with five other lights. Five humans. And as the Ellimist had said, the impossible would happen.
Prince Elfangor
When he went back after years of mysterious absence, his career rose immediately. He became a prince. Then, his battle with Visser Three resumed. Elfangor then revealed his whole story to his current prince, everything but the Time Matrix was revealed. By the time he's prince, Aximili, his younger brother, is already an aristh. In one mission, Aximili was on board a ship that fell on Earth's ocean. Elfangor tried to locate him but to no avail. Instead he encountered Visser Three. He was badly injured and he knew this time, Visser Three would finally kill him. He still has Alloran's body for a host. Elfangor went immediately to the location of the Time Matrix. He reached it, a construction site now which was a forest before. And five young kids found him there. This is when he gave the power to morph to them - the Animorphs. Then one particular kid, stayed with him. Somehow he just knew, it was Tobias, his son. He asked about his mother. Tobias said that she left him, and couldn't get over her dad. Elfangor felt a pang of pain from this. He knew he's at fault. He saw what would happen to Tobias before when the Ellimist visited him, he knew he'd be lonely but the decision had been made final.
Then, the Visser found him, and killed him. His hirac dilest is done, so he says.
Feels
They say this series is for kids, but this being the first book is weird enough. I mean, this is absolutely my favorite story as a kid, before I went Dan Brown. It was just sad, I remember this book was thick, it has a weird cover, Elfangor, I suppose. I remember reading it because my cousin gave me it. He was a sci-fi enthusiast and I was sort of carried. We would talk about these books. I could still remember that day, we visited their house, he was sitting on the couch, he was holding the Hork-Bajir Chronicles and the first question he asks was if I've read the book he lent me which was The Andalite Chronicles. I said yes and then we were sad, because it's a sad book. Haha.
I like how this was written, to be honest, even until now, even after Oscar Wilde XD. Also, while re-reading, I felt like Elfangor's really the man, you know, like he doesn't have four feet. xD Like I have a crush on this alien but you know I think it's because he reminds me of Tobias.
You know I've almost forgotten how great this book is. I think this will not be the first and last re-read. :]
March 22, 2022
For the first time, we’re getting parts of the story told from Elfangor’s perspective. Functioning as a prologue building up to the alternative perspective of the events that occurred in the opening book to the series, we get a deeper understanding of who he was at his core.
We also get a pretty insane background on a (sort of) minor villain in a twist I was not prepared for. It was an origin story for more than just the Animorphs and I think that’s pretty fantastic.
I don’t have a word for what I feel other than devastated.
CW: war, slavery, violence, death, murder, grief, brief suicidal ideation
We also get a pretty insane background on a (sort of) minor villain in a twist I was not prepared for. It was an origin story for more than just the Animorphs and I think that’s pretty fantastic.
I don’t have a word for what I feel other than devastated.
CW: war, slavery, violence, death, murder, grief, brief suicidal ideation
March 24, 2023
An excellent expansion of the canon. So much is crammed into these few pages--new worlds, new understanding, new beings--it has it all. I love the new mystery of the Time Matrix, and the very last chapter finally answered questions I've had since book 1. Loved it.
April 30, 2025
CRAZY work making me care about Elfangor - the andalite warrior prince who DIES DRAMATICALLY in book one after giving the “Animorphs” the power to morph AND for making it EVEN MORE TRAGIC in retrospect for the already most tragic of the Animorphs kids.
I’m feeling totally normal and fine about it
🫨🫨🫨😭🫨🫨🫨
I’m feeling totally normal and fine about it
🫨🫨🫨😭🫨🫨🫨
March 2, 2020
This was my last foray into Animorphs. I read it some years after my obsession ended, because I had always been interested in how Tobias’ parents met and in the character of Elfangor.
This book kind of delivers answers to my questions, but not really. And while I wound up skimming (my taste in prose had significantly improved between the ages of 9 and 13) I distinctly remember thinking “oh great, here we go back into stupid again”.
Lemme ask you this: why did Chapman need to make an appearance here? He’s strung along with the teenage girl and her teenage alien boyfriend, and if I remember correctly he betrays them or something. But why him? Why not a new character, someone with more personal significance to Loren? Like, I dunno, one of her parents or siblings, or her best friend? Wouldn’t that have much more impact and be much more interesting than her school principal, someone she deals with very little on a normal basis? But because we, the dumb little kid readers, already know Chapman from the other books, he makes an obligatory appearance.
This is why I don’t look back as fondly on the series as I do others from my youth. The creative decisions made were frequently weird and/or dumb. Not only that, they were obviously dumb and, in a universe that already beggared belief, too unbelievable to accept without rolling your eyes. Maybe Scholastic or whoever did some meddling and demanded this or that—actually, I’m sure that was it. This book reeks of “forced upon the writers by the publishing company”.
Which it shouldn’t have been, because I’ve wanted to know this particular story from the moment I learned who Tobias’ parents were! I thought it would be fascinating! Who was Loren, who was Elfangor, what drove them together? Cause I mean, he’s a big blue alien centaur with a scorpion tail and eye stalks who communicates telepathically, and she’s just some chick in the 70s! What kind of kinky shit is that?! But this book doesn’t answer anything except the most basic of questions, because it’s too busy retreading old ground. We already saw all this done in the other books!
Actually, if I remember correctly, the one time it tries to do something different, the plot goes completely off the rails and our hero/heroine get stuck in some kind of dream world dimension. I distinctly remember that scene... and a rushed epilogue saying Elfangor morphed into a human to hide on Earth, fell in love with Loren, knocked her up, and then got yoinked back into the fight by the Ellimist, who once again does some stupid time-space magical bullshit so things can work out a certain way—that is, the most contrived way possible.
This stinks not only of meddling, but of a lack of creativity. Did the writers not flesh this stuff out? When they decided to reveal that Elfangor was Tobias’ father in the first place, did they even think about the circumstances or the consequences of what they were saying? I mean—I just—oh, forget it.
I guess I wanted something else than what I got. Which I suppose is fine... I just wanted something new. Like, can you imagine if the alien invasion and interspecies warfare stuff took up only the first half of the book, then the second half was about Elfangor, in hiding on Earth, coming to terms with his decision? The grief of never seeing his family again, his bittersweet love for Loren, the confusion and frustration of trying to adapt to life as a human, his growing guilt over having abandoned the conflict, the anguish of losing his identity... all of that is reduced to a handful or paragraphs in the epilogue.
Even with all the world-building, it still manages to be lame because the characterization is so limited. It was a problem in the Animorphs, it’s a problem here. Good ideas, poor execution, 2 stars.
This book kind of delivers answers to my questions, but not really. And while I wound up skimming (my taste in prose had significantly improved between the ages of 9 and 13) I distinctly remember thinking “oh great, here we go back into stupid again”.
Lemme ask you this: why did Chapman need to make an appearance here? He’s strung along with the teenage girl and her teenage alien boyfriend, and if I remember correctly he betrays them or something. But why him? Why not a new character, someone with more personal significance to Loren? Like, I dunno, one of her parents or siblings, or her best friend? Wouldn’t that have much more impact and be much more interesting than her school principal, someone she deals with very little on a normal basis? But because we, the dumb little kid readers, already know Chapman from the other books, he makes an obligatory appearance.
This is why I don’t look back as fondly on the series as I do others from my youth. The creative decisions made were frequently weird and/or dumb. Not only that, they were obviously dumb and, in a universe that already beggared belief, too unbelievable to accept without rolling your eyes. Maybe Scholastic or whoever did some meddling and demanded this or that—actually, I’m sure that was it. This book reeks of “forced upon the writers by the publishing company”.
Which it shouldn’t have been, because I’ve wanted to know this particular story from the moment I learned who Tobias’ parents were! I thought it would be fascinating! Who was Loren, who was Elfangor, what drove them together? Cause I mean, he’s a big blue alien centaur with a scorpion tail and eye stalks who communicates telepathically, and she’s just some chick in the 70s! What kind of kinky shit is that?! But this book doesn’t answer anything except the most basic of questions, because it’s too busy retreading old ground. We already saw all this done in the other books!
Actually, if I remember correctly, the one time it tries to do something different, the plot goes completely off the rails and our hero/heroine get stuck in some kind of dream world dimension. I distinctly remember that scene... and a rushed epilogue saying Elfangor morphed into a human to hide on Earth, fell in love with Loren, knocked her up, and then got yoinked back into the fight by the Ellimist, who once again does some stupid time-space magical bullshit so things can work out a certain way—that is, the most contrived way possible.
This stinks not only of meddling, but of a lack of creativity. Did the writers not flesh this stuff out? When they decided to reveal that Elfangor was Tobias’ father in the first place, did they even think about the circumstances or the consequences of what they were saying? I mean—I just—oh, forget it.
I guess I wanted something else than what I got. Which I suppose is fine... I just wanted something new. Like, can you imagine if the alien invasion and interspecies warfare stuff took up only the first half of the book, then the second half was about Elfangor, in hiding on Earth, coming to terms with his decision? The grief of never seeing his family again, his bittersweet love for Loren, the confusion and frustration of trying to adapt to life as a human, his growing guilt over having abandoned the conflict, the anguish of losing his identity... all of that is reduced to a handful or paragraphs in the epilogue.
Even with all the world-building, it still manages to be lame because the characterization is so limited. It was a problem in the Animorphs, it’s a problem here. Good ideas, poor execution, 2 stars.
November 5, 2019
Original review on Jaunts & Haunts
5/5
Five Alien Race-saving stars for this book!
Nom, nom, nom, I ate this book UP! This book was just what I needed after a somewhat disappointing experience with another recent read, and I just have to say, wow!
The Andalite Chronicles was a great scifi book, full of adventure, heartache, and is a great coming-of-age story.
This book takes place before the Animorphs received their powers, centering on Elfangor as our MC. Elfangor is just a lowly Aristh along with his funny Aristh friend, Arbron.
Life sucks as an Aristh onboard the StarSword, but things get complicated when a simple check on a Skrit Na ship reveals not just human captives, but a weapon capable of destroying entire races.
Sent on a suicide mission to the Taxxon home world, can Elfangor get his hands on this weapon to save his race, or will it fall into the hands of the despicable Yeerks?
This was definitely one of the more memorable Animorphs books to date, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Elfangor is a great character. He has a lot of progression, from being a clumsy Aristh to being forced to learn a lot of lessons in a short time when his life depends on it. Much like Ax, I enjoyed the dorky way he refers to how silly human things are. It's a great touch.
Also, Elfangor turns out to be something of a hero, which kind of reminded me of Jake. His moral compass is definitely true north, even if its a little too north at times if you ask me.
The plot was very fast paced and unpredictable, taking me places I didn't expect it to. The Animorphs universe is vast, and we got to see some interesting foreign planets as well. That was very refreshing.
We also got some juicy tidbits of knowledge, things I can't really share with you, but it nearly made my jaw drop when the reveals happened.
All of these factors made my experience with this book amazing, and I blazed through this thing in no time. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Happy Reading!
5/5
Five Alien Race-saving stars for this book!
Nom, nom, nom, I ate this book UP! This book was just what I needed after a somewhat disappointing experience with another recent read, and I just have to say, wow!
The Andalite Chronicles was a great scifi book, full of adventure, heartache, and is a great coming-of-age story.
This book takes place before the Animorphs received their powers, centering on Elfangor as our MC. Elfangor is just a lowly Aristh along with his funny Aristh friend, Arbron.
Life sucks as an Aristh onboard the StarSword, but things get complicated when a simple check on a Skrit Na ship reveals not just human captives, but a weapon capable of destroying entire races.
Sent on a suicide mission to the Taxxon home world, can Elfangor get his hands on this weapon to save his race, or will it fall into the hands of the despicable Yeerks?
This was definitely one of the more memorable Animorphs books to date, and I enjoyed every minute of it.
Elfangor is a great character. He has a lot of progression, from being a clumsy Aristh to being forced to learn a lot of lessons in a short time when his life depends on it. Much like Ax, I enjoyed the dorky way he refers to how silly human things are. It's a great touch.
Also, Elfangor turns out to be something of a hero, which kind of reminded me of Jake. His moral compass is definitely true north, even if its a little too north at times if you ask me.
The plot was very fast paced and unpredictable, taking me places I didn't expect it to. The Animorphs universe is vast, and we got to see some interesting foreign planets as well. That was very refreshing.
We also got some juicy tidbits of knowledge, things I can't really share with you, but it nearly made my jaw drop when the reveals happened.
All of these factors made my experience with this book amazing, and I blazed through this thing in no time. I can't wait to see what happens next!
Happy Reading!
December 11, 2021
At last, I've reached the first Chronicle in my Animorphs reread. I've wanted to read these again, since... well, the 90's. Lucky still have my copy on hand - it's a tragedy that they're not doing these in the recent audiobook releases.
The Chronicles are prequels to the main Animorphs books, and dramatically expand the universe by giving you a look at the alien cultures that started all this mess. The Andalite Chronicles was the first, originally released in 3 slim volumes (that to this day, I am bitter for no longer owning). It tells the tale of Elfangor, the Andalite who crash landed on earth and gave the Animorphs their powers.
This book freaking blew my mind as a kid. I remember it being more "mature" than the usual books in the series, and considered it adult sci-fi for a long time. Of course I did! It was probably my first ever sci-fi book. The cover art was beautiful. Mature. It looked like any other in the adult sci-fi section. You get your first look at Andalite culture, how the war with the Yeerks is going, and even a foray into the Taxxon home world. It also introduces the first game changing plot twist in the series regarding one of the Animorphs, demonstrating what this series was capable of despite the "one-a-month" episodic & disposable format.
How does it stand up as a fully grown ass man?
Wow. This is unexpected: The Andalite Chronicles is probably my first big disappointment in the reread so far.
There's a lot of inconsistencies here from what's previously been established. The Andalites here are much less "stiff" and methodical, the way they've been portrayed through Ax up until now - what primarily grated me here was the "hip" 90's language they were suddenly using. The inclusion of Chapman as a great big asshole was unnecessary and cheapens the gut punch of #2 where you found him actually pretty sympathetic. This character easily could have just been someone new. Most surprising of all is that the writing here actually feels MORE juvenile than the main books, despite my prior opinion that the Chronicles were "adult". The slang and humor work well from the point of view of a bunch of teens in the 90's - less so from alien warriors.
I think what bothered me most about this book is how much it reminded me of the Star Wars film Solo and how much I hate prequels like it: when they condense everything you know about a character's past into one story, as if it all happened in one event. In Solo, it was meeting Lando, Chewbacca, getting the Millenium Falcon, even the weird notch in the Falcon's hull. Here, it's the genesis of Visser Three, Chapman, the Time Matrix, the Yeerks discovering Earth, and The Big Plot Twist.
As a kid, it didn't phase me, but with many more books and stories under my belt now it feels lazy and the character is less fleshed out than they were before. If everything we know about this character's past happened in two weeks of their life, who were they before this one event? Apparently nobody.
The plot twist at the end will overshadow this for a first time reader. There are a few other great moments as well, like what happens with Elfangor's frienemy Abron. But it turns out that most of what I remember this book for boils down to 20 pages at the end, and there's probably good reason for me forgetting the rest. If this had spent less time with the Taxxons, and more in the epilogue, this would have had a strong 11/22/63 vibe; which would have bored a child to tears, but delighted me now.
5 enthusiastic stars from 11 year old me. Still a 3* rating from 35 year old me, despite how hard I've trashed it here. This book was a game changer, and most of what I ranted about won't and didn't matter to its target audience.
Back to the main series! Here's hoping the following Chronicles hold up a bit better.
The Chronicles are prequels to the main Animorphs books, and dramatically expand the universe by giving you a look at the alien cultures that started all this mess. The Andalite Chronicles was the first, originally released in 3 slim volumes (that to this day, I am bitter for no longer owning). It tells the tale of Elfangor, the Andalite who crash landed on earth and gave the Animorphs their powers.
This book freaking blew my mind as a kid. I remember it being more "mature" than the usual books in the series, and considered it adult sci-fi for a long time. Of course I did! It was probably my first ever sci-fi book. The cover art was beautiful. Mature. It looked like any other in the adult sci-fi section. You get your first look at Andalite culture, how the war with the Yeerks is going, and even a foray into the Taxxon home world. It also introduces the first game changing plot twist in the series regarding one of the Animorphs, demonstrating what this series was capable of despite the "one-a-month" episodic & disposable format.
How does it stand up as a fully grown ass man?
Wow. This is unexpected: The Andalite Chronicles is probably my first big disappointment in the reread so far.
There's a lot of inconsistencies here from what's previously been established. The Andalites here are much less "stiff" and methodical, the way they've been portrayed through Ax up until now - what primarily grated me here was the "hip" 90's language they were suddenly using. The inclusion of Chapman as a great big asshole was unnecessary and cheapens the gut punch of #2 where you found him actually pretty sympathetic. This character easily could have just been someone new. Most surprising of all is that the writing here actually feels MORE juvenile than the main books, despite my prior opinion that the Chronicles were "adult". The slang and humor work well from the point of view of a bunch of teens in the 90's - less so from alien warriors.
I think what bothered me most about this book is how much it reminded me of the Star Wars film Solo and how much I hate prequels like it: when they condense everything you know about a character's past into one story, as if it all happened in one event. In Solo, it was meeting Lando, Chewbacca, getting the Millenium Falcon, even the weird notch in the Falcon's hull. Here, it's the genesis of Visser Three, Chapman, the Time Matrix, the Yeerks discovering Earth, and The Big Plot Twist.
As a kid, it didn't phase me, but with many more books and stories under my belt now it feels lazy and the character is less fleshed out than they were before. If everything we know about this character's past happened in two weeks of their life, who were they before this one event? Apparently nobody.
The plot twist at the end will overshadow this for a first time reader. There are a few other great moments as well, like what happens with Elfangor's frienemy Abron. But it turns out that most of what I remember this book for boils down to 20 pages at the end, and there's probably good reason for me forgetting the rest. If this had spent less time with the Taxxons, and more in the epilogue, this would have had a strong 11/22/63 vibe; which would have bored a child to tears, but delighted me now.
5 enthusiastic stars from 11 year old me. Still a 3* rating from 35 year old me, despite how hard I've trashed it here. This book was a game changer, and most of what I ranted about won't and didn't matter to its target audience.
Back to the main series! Here's hoping the following Chronicles hold up a bit better.
August 13, 2024
This was a brillant read at THAT twist made me gasp out loud.
May Elfangor finally rest in peace.
May Elfangor finally rest in peace.
December 21, 2025
I knew what was coming and I'm still sad about it. This made me actually like Elfangor and Loren only to end like that?? ouch ow okay hurts just a little bit
February 4, 2023
Another fave from childhood. Probably one of my first intros to Space Adventures and I really enjoyed revisiting it.
September 28, 2020
I loved almost everything about this book. Five stars, until all the time travel nonsense, especially once the Elimist shows up and ‘resets’ the timeline. Now I have way too many questions. Why overcomplicate things?
But the humor is top notch. Elfangor learning about humans firsthand is comedy gold.
But the humor is top notch. Elfangor learning about humans firsthand is comedy gold.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2020
The Animorphs reread continues! I don't think I've actually read this one before, but it was pretty amazing. I'm about 90% certain the entire book was written just to have the scene where Elfangor is driving across the Taxxon home world in a bright yellow Mustang while drinking a Dr Pepper through his hoof and blasting Britney Spears. Also Elfangor's backstory, I guess. But mostly that one scene. :-D
July 5, 2021
Please note this review applies to the whole series, not just this book
Circa 1998 Thanks to Scholastic, us 90s CBSE kids had the first Lit glimpse of american universe with cool characters, suburbia life, and inventive aliens! Waiting for every new book to arrive each month was one of the highlights of our school life.
In hindsight, Would say its a much better fictional universe to many other more popular (cough *HP* cough) series!
In hindsight, Would say its a much better fictional universe to many other more popular (cough *HP* cough) series!
July 20, 2022
A fun and different journey through space...and time...and space-time, what a trip. We get some interesting backstory on Elfangor here and I enjoyed the three-part adventure. The ending is equal parts sad and infuriating but also provides a nice mic drop moment for the rest of the series and I do wonder if this info will ever get out to our characters in the main series. Overall, this is on the upper end of my favorites so far.
June 13, 2021
Pretty darn epic.
More than pretty darn epic. We have cross-species love, insane time travel, alternate universes, bad guys and good guys in close quarters, betrayal... Basically, we have it all.
More than pretty darn epic. We have cross-species love, insane time travel, alternate universes, bad guys and good guys in close quarters, betrayal... Basically, we have it all.
August 19, 2021
I don't think I ever read the side stories of the Animorph series, so this was all new to me and it was fantastic!
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