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Animorphs #4
The Message
Unable to ignore the strange dreams that she and her friends have experienced since they developed morphing powers, Cassie wonders if a dream that draws her to the sea is a cry for help or a trap. Original.
151 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 1, 1996
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1502 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 479 reviews
July 15, 2022
Everyone in my class seemed to devour these books back when we were kids. Each month we’d be getting the next one in our Scholastic book orders and reading it as soon as it came. It never took me more than three days to finish any of the books in this series, though the long introductions to the Animorphs world at the beginning of each book got tiresome. After the first several books, they could have had a standard introduction for readers just joining the series that the rest of us could have skipped, instead of spending the first several chapters of each book expositing. An addictive series.
April 29, 2016
The Message is our first Cassie book, and that means it's time to question the morality of our actions. Hurray.
In all honesty, when I was a kid, sometimes Cassie's books frustrated me a little bit. I thought she was a wet blanket and her hair was boring. I could never understand why she was always questioning everything, like, shouldn't it just be obvious what's right and wrong? Why are you so upset all the time, girl? Calm down and just enjoy turning into a dolphin JEEZ LOUISE.
Now, though, I recognize that this series would not have been the same without Cassie. I mean, obviously, but beyond the surface level of it, she was the character who pushed the others to constantly think about not just the physical and strategic ramifications of their actions, but to stop and ask, yes we can do this thing, but should we? Why? Here it's a relatively small thing Cassie is considering--whether or not it's wrong to morph an animal that is so intelligent, i.e. a dolphin--but in later books she takes it all the way up. It's because of Cassie that this series is elevated to one that isn't just fun, but really hits you in all your sci-fi emotion buttons. What does it mean to be human? To be alive? At least, I remember it doing that for me when I first read it (and re-read it over and over again). We'll see if that holds true as I continue to revisit as an adult.
Cassie is the conscientious one, the "tree-hugger". She doesn't care about clothes or make-up. She believes in the sanctity of all life. It's one of the reasons that she (and Tobias) are the only two to hear the message from Ax the Andalite, who is trapped at the bottom of the ocean in a dome ship, where he's been since Elfangor died.
Wait, so let me back up.
Cassie and Tobias have been experiencing the same dream. Something is calling to them from the water, and they think it might be an Andalite. They rally the other Animorphs, and for once even Marco doesn't object to, first, a fact-finding mission, then another to rescue the Andalite once they confirm he's down there (which involves talking to a whale--so it's canon that dolphins and whales have telekinetic powers, and no one can take that away from me). They all want the chance to repay the Andalites for the sacrifice Elfangor made for them in the first book.
I really have a fondness for this book. I love watching the kids become dolphins for the first time, diving so deep underwater, going so far out to sea, and I love the cognitive dissonance they experience as they fight off a shark attack, and realize that life on Earth can be just as dangerous as fighting aliens. The danger in The Message feels much more epic to me than the first three books (even with that destroyed Yeerk ship last time). I think it's because the vast deepness of the ocean is so primeval. It evokes terror just as much as wonder. And that last chase scene, as
I feel like this book is where the series really gets going. They go on this mission that actually changes things for them. Ax is part of the team now. They're learning new things about morphing, and about the Yeerks. And all of them, but especially Cassie, have a new reason to keep fighting: That's like a kick in the gut to Cassie, who cares more than most about preserving life on her planet.
Plus, we get not one but two new morphs that turn the kids into total goofballs (dolphin, seagull). Kids eat that shit up. And who am I kidding, I still love it, too.
Next up: Marco gets some new information!
In all honesty, when I was a kid, sometimes Cassie's books frustrated me a little bit. I thought she was a wet blanket and her hair was boring. I could never understand why she was always questioning everything, like, shouldn't it just be obvious what's right and wrong? Why are you so upset all the time, girl? Calm down and just enjoy turning into a dolphin JEEZ LOUISE.
Now, though, I recognize that this series would not have been the same without Cassie. I mean, obviously, but beyond the surface level of it, she was the character who pushed the others to constantly think about not just the physical and strategic ramifications of their actions, but to stop and ask, yes we can do this thing, but should we? Why? Here it's a relatively small thing Cassie is considering--whether or not it's wrong to morph an animal that is so intelligent, i.e. a dolphin--but in later books she takes it all the way up. It's because of Cassie that this series is elevated to one that isn't just fun, but really hits you in all your sci-fi emotion buttons. What does it mean to be human? To be alive? At least, I remember it doing that for me when I first read it (and re-read it over and over again). We'll see if that holds true as I continue to revisit as an adult.
Cassie is the conscientious one, the "tree-hugger". She doesn't care about clothes or make-up. She believes in the sanctity of all life. It's one of the reasons that she (and Tobias) are the only two to hear the message from Ax the Andalite, who is trapped at the bottom of the ocean in a dome ship, where he's been since Elfangor died.
Wait, so let me back up.
Cassie and Tobias have been experiencing the same dream. Something is calling to them from the water, and they think it might be an Andalite. They rally the other Animorphs, and for once even Marco doesn't object to, first, a fact-finding mission, then another to rescue the Andalite once they confirm he's down there (which involves talking to a whale--so it's canon that dolphins and whales have telekinetic powers, and no one can take that away from me). They all want the chance to repay the Andalites for the sacrifice Elfangor made for them in the first book.
I really have a fondness for this book. I love watching the kids become dolphins for the first time, diving so deep underwater, going so far out to sea, and I love the cognitive dissonance they experience as they fight off a shark attack, and realize that life on Earth can be just as dangerous as fighting aliens. The danger in The Message feels much more epic to me than the first three books (even with that destroyed Yeerk ship last time). I think it's because the vast deepness of the ocean is so primeval. It evokes terror just as much as wonder. And that last chase scene, as
I feel like this book is where the series really gets going. They go on this mission that actually changes things for them. Ax is part of the team now. They're learning new things about morphing, and about the Yeerks. And all of them, but especially Cassie, have a new reason to keep fighting: That's like a kick in the gut to Cassie, who cares more than most about preserving life on her planet.
Plus, we get not one but two new morphs that turn the kids into total goofballs (dolphin, seagull). Kids eat that shit up. And who am I kidding, I still love it, too.
Next up: Marco gets some new information!
April 14, 2015
One of the highlights of re-reading this series is the intense 1990s nostalgia it’s bringing back. These books have aged so much, and it’s no one’s fault but the march of time and technology. In The Visitor, Rachel talks in code by inviting Jake over to listen to a new CD. And here in The Message, Jake produces a VCR tape of a nightly news show—kids, I won’t bother explaining what VCRs were, but let’s just say the modern equivalent would be “pulling up a clip on YouTube.”
This technological ennui extends to wider plot points as well. Cassie describes how the Animorphs take different routes to their rendezvous at Rachel’s house, and how they check if they’re being followed. Like spies. And that’s sufficient to thwart human Controllers, maybe—but this was written in a simpler, more innocent time, when we only suspected the NSA was spying on every American. Can you imagine what would happen if Visser Three had access to programs like PRISM? The conversation would go down like this:
When I shared a (more condensed) version of this remark with my Animorphs-buddy Julie via Twitter, she wondered if this would be an obstacle to remaking an Animorphs TV show. If they wanted to set it in the present day, then yes, I think it would. But then it occurred to me: this is actually a golden opportunity in disguise. Wait another forty or fifty years, and we’ll be the proper distance from the 1990s that shows set in it will be like shows set in the 1950s or 1960s for us. Animorphs could be adapted into a period drama targeted at children.
You’ll be rich, Scholastic. If you’re still around. If anyone reads books anymore.
I’ll continue to discuss my nostalgia, particularly around the technology portrayed in the series, in later reviews. Now I’ll move on to a second ongoing topic: morphing technology.
This is the kind of thing we can (and people have) spent years discussing and debating on the Internet, so I’m not going to pretend to settle anything here. Instead, I’m more interested in looking at how our understanding of morphing technology develops as the books progress.
The Message is really our first opportunity to explore some of the deeper questions about morphing. It’s notable, firstly, for being the first time the Animorphs acquire multiple new morphs in quick succession. In the previous book, they acquired one, maybe two morphs—and these were a pretty big deal. Now they’re acquiring dolphins and seagulls all nonchalantly like—if they aren’t careful, they might start feeling normal about this whole “turning into animals” thing.
Secondly, the book introduces Ax, who you must all agree is the coolest. (Rachel is still my favourite, but even I will admit that Ax is cooler.) Ax is an Andalite pre-teen, you guys! I didn’t clue into this at the time, because when I first read these I was a kid, so it was just naturally that Ax was a kid. And, in retrospect, the idea of Ax being any more mature than the other Animorphs would have been creepier, I guess. But it only now dawned on me, re-reading this book, how much less mature Ax is than all those other Andalites out there.
Anyway, Ax is a potential new source of information about morphing. He might not know much about the technology (it sounds like he doesn’t pay much attention in Andalite school, alas), but he seems to know the rules. We learn here for the first time that more experienced morphers can acquire the DNA of multiple members of a species—including humans—and then synthesize an entirely new organism. That’s actually really awesome.
And Applegate introduces an entirely too convenient plot device whereby Andalites all have the ability to track the passage of time. So no more worrying about making Tobias wear a watch from now on. Thank God.
Because this is Cassie’s book, however, the best part of the morphing discussion revolves around the animals themselves. She balks initially at the prospect of morphing into a dolphin, because dolphins are higher-order thinkers—intelligent, perhaps on a level close to human beings. Is it right to morph a sentient being? Applegate treads dangerously close to deep questions of the philosophy of mind, the nature of cognition, and embodiment. Are we our minds, or are we our brains? Can we separate our consciousness from our bodies? How, exactly, does morphing change us—we already know that when one morphs, one has to control the animal instincts of one’s new form. So if one morphs a sentient being, will one feel another personality there?
That this is perilously close to what the Yeerks do to their hosts escapes neither Applegate nor the Animorphs. And while Cassie never receives a satisfactory answer one way or the other, eventually she accepts that even if what they do isn’t the most ethical course of action, it is within an acceptable range as a result of necessity.
(I want to point out, however, that while Cassie’s concern about the dolphins is well and good, she never once questioned the propriety of Marco morphing a gorilla in the first book. One wonders if Applegate, or a beta reader, stumbled on to this moral dilemma in between the writing/editing of books 1 and 4.)
The Toast has a pretty solid article on the cognitive philosophy of Animorphs, if that’s the sort of thing you want to read during your break.
I really enjoyed the way they communicate with the whales. Applegate manages to make that seem … well, not realistic—we are talking about people who morph into dolphins, after all—but at least not so fantastical. She essentially introduces children to the idea that there is more than one way to be conscious, more than one type of privileged sentience, and I think that’s pretty powerful.
The last revelation about morphing seems obvious, particularly for those of us who read the series before: if you are injured in a morph, you can unmorph/remorph, and you’ll be fine. The DNA you acquire is frozen, so you always morph into the animal in a fit state. Setting aside, finally, questions about how this works, we can at least all acknowledge that this is convenient for the story.
The Message, then, does a great deal to advance the overall series arc. It introduces a new main character—an alien, no less—and fleshes out a great deal of the morphing mythology. The Animorphs beat Visser Three again, acquire a few new morphs, and have some fun in the ocean. And we get our first adventure narrated by Cassie, whose compassion and attention to detail make her a strong member of the team, a perfect balance to the impulsive Rachel or the overwrought Marco. Even here, in the fourth book, there are blatant allusions Cassie/Jake. (Jassie? Cake? OMG. CAKE. YES. That’s the one.)
Next up is the first Marco book, thus completing the “origin stories” of the five human Animorphs. I’ll talk about comic relief, loyalty, and the abundance of hope that Applegate sows throughout this series. Also: Ax and food, man. Ax and food.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #3: The Encounter | #5: The Predator →
This technological ennui extends to wider plot points as well. Cassie describes how the Animorphs take different routes to their rendezvous at Rachel’s house, and how they check if they’re being followed. Like spies. And that’s sufficient to thwart human Controllers, maybe—but this was written in a simpler, more innocent time, when we only suspected the NSA was spying on every American. Can you imagine what would happen if Visser Three had access to programs like PRISM? The conversation would go down like this:
Visser Three: CAPTURE THE ANDALITE WARRIORS.
Controller-Snowden: Actually, sir, the computer says there is a 96.3% probability the “Andalite warriors” are humans. Children, actually.
Visser Three: What? How?
Controller-Snowden: Well, we have access to petabytes of data, thanks to our infiltration of the human intelligence networks, as well as powerful algorithms that let us mine the data for trends. We’ve discovered a group of four pre-adolescents with a suspicious pattern of activity. They spend an inordinate amount of time in the presence of a red-tailed hawk, and they are often spotted on cameras wearing nothing but form-fitting clothing and no shoes.
Visser Three: Interesting. Well. This was less challenging than I thought it would be.
When I shared a (more condensed) version of this remark with my Animorphs-buddy Julie via Twitter, she wondered if this would be an obstacle to remaking an Animorphs TV show. If they wanted to set it in the present day, then yes, I think it would. But then it occurred to me: this is actually a golden opportunity in disguise. Wait another forty or fifty years, and we’ll be the proper distance from the 1990s that shows set in it will be like shows set in the 1950s or 1960s for us. Animorphs could be adapted into a period drama targeted at children.
You’ll be rich, Scholastic. If you’re still around. If anyone reads books anymore.
I’ll continue to discuss my nostalgia, particularly around the technology portrayed in the series, in later reviews. Now I’ll move on to a second ongoing topic: morphing technology.
This is the kind of thing we can (and people have) spent years discussing and debating on the Internet, so I’m not going to pretend to settle anything here. Instead, I’m more interested in looking at how our understanding of morphing technology develops as the books progress.
The Message is really our first opportunity to explore some of the deeper questions about morphing. It’s notable, firstly, for being the first time the Animorphs acquire multiple new morphs in quick succession. In the previous book, they acquired one, maybe two morphs—and these were a pretty big deal. Now they’re acquiring dolphins and seagulls all nonchalantly like—if they aren’t careful, they might start feeling normal about this whole “turning into animals” thing.
Secondly, the book introduces Ax, who you must all agree is the coolest. (Rachel is still my favourite, but even I will admit that Ax is cooler.) Ax is an Andalite pre-teen, you guys! I didn’t clue into this at the time, because when I first read these I was a kid, so it was just naturally that Ax was a kid. And, in retrospect, the idea of Ax being any more mature than the other Animorphs would have been creepier, I guess. But it only now dawned on me, re-reading this book, how much less mature Ax is than all those other Andalites out there.
Anyway, Ax is a potential new source of information about morphing. He might not know much about the technology (it sounds like he doesn’t pay much attention in Andalite school, alas), but he seems to know the rules. We learn here for the first time that more experienced morphers can acquire the DNA of multiple members of a species—including humans—and then synthesize an entirely new organism. That’s actually really awesome.
And Applegate introduces an entirely too convenient plot device whereby Andalites all have the ability to track the passage of time. So no more worrying about making Tobias wear a watch from now on. Thank God.
Because this is Cassie’s book, however, the best part of the morphing discussion revolves around the animals themselves. She balks initially at the prospect of morphing into a dolphin, because dolphins are higher-order thinkers—intelligent, perhaps on a level close to human beings. Is it right to morph a sentient being? Applegate treads dangerously close to deep questions of the philosophy of mind, the nature of cognition, and embodiment. Are we our minds, or are we our brains? Can we separate our consciousness from our bodies? How, exactly, does morphing change us—we already know that when one morphs, one has to control the animal instincts of one’s new form. So if one morphs a sentient being, will one feel another personality there?
That this is perilously close to what the Yeerks do to their hosts escapes neither Applegate nor the Animorphs. And while Cassie never receives a satisfactory answer one way or the other, eventually she accepts that even if what they do isn’t the most ethical course of action, it is within an acceptable range as a result of necessity.
(I want to point out, however, that while Cassie’s concern about the dolphins is well and good, she never once questioned the propriety of Marco morphing a gorilla in the first book. One wonders if Applegate, or a beta reader, stumbled on to this moral dilemma in between the writing/editing of books 1 and 4.)
The Toast has a pretty solid article on the cognitive philosophy of Animorphs, if that’s the sort of thing you want to read during your break.
I really enjoyed the way they communicate with the whales. Applegate manages to make that seem … well, not realistic—we are talking about people who morph into dolphins, after all—but at least not so fantastical. She essentially introduces children to the idea that there is more than one way to be conscious, more than one type of privileged sentience, and I think that’s pretty powerful.
The last revelation about morphing seems obvious, particularly for those of us who read the series before: if you are injured in a morph, you can unmorph/remorph, and you’ll be fine. The DNA you acquire is frozen, so you always morph into the animal in a fit state. Setting aside, finally, questions about how this works, we can at least all acknowledge that this is convenient for the story.
The Message, then, does a great deal to advance the overall series arc. It introduces a new main character—an alien, no less—and fleshes out a great deal of the morphing mythology. The Animorphs beat Visser Three again, acquire a few new morphs, and have some fun in the ocean. And we get our first adventure narrated by Cassie, whose compassion and attention to detail make her a strong member of the team, a perfect balance to the impulsive Rachel or the overwrought Marco. Even here, in the fourth book, there are blatant allusions Cassie/Jake. (Jassie? Cake? OMG. CAKE. YES. That’s the one.)
Next up is the first Marco book, thus completing the “origin stories” of the five human Animorphs. I’ll talk about comic relief, loyalty, and the abundance of hope that Applegate sows throughout this series. Also: Ax and food, man. Ax and food.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #3: The Encounter | #5: The Predator →
July 18, 2022
This was actually the first Animorphs book I ever read. I found it in the library when I was a kid and didn’t have the budget to buy a lot of books. Still consider it one of the best of the series. It’s a great rescue mission adventure in the water, with a lot of cool aquatic creatures. Cassie’s the point of view and her character gets fleshed out really well here. And it takes the series to the next level by introducing us to Ax.
May 20, 2025
(Read in March 2015, January 2020, and May 2025.)
FIRST REVIEW / MAR 6, 2015
And now, still following the pattern, Cassie finds her reason for fighting (it's like loyalty missions in Mass Effect, I swear to god). This book always lodged pretty well in my memory and I really like it, because WHALES and DOLPHINS and SHARKS, and another terrifying alien morph from Visser Three, and bonus: the book introduces one of my favourite fictional characters of practically all time (Ax ♥).
---------------------------------
SECOND REVIEW / JAN 20, 2020
I’m so much fonder of Cassie these days, compared to when I first read these books as a kid. She’s such a valuable, different voice on the team: compassionate, understanding, yet also realistically fearful of responsibility and the burden that’s been placed on them. She finds her reason to fight in this book, and it’s planet Earth herself: protecting all of our land and animals and ecosystems that the Yeerks would wipe out if-when they win.
What’s such a great but subtle detail throughout this book, too, is how much insight she has to the rest of the Animorphs and how/why they tick. There’s more analysis in her narration than there tends to be from the others, more accurate interpretations of the other Animorphs. She checks in with Marco after he almost dies on the mission. She reminds Jake to check in with Tobias, because she can sense that he’s feeling a little left out. She’s so good!! And her dynamic with Jake is so adorable!!
We meet the latest and newest Animorph, too, and Ax is immediately such an apropos representative of the Andalites: he’s a little arrogant, a little snobby and superior about his species and their technology and science, but he’s also quick to pledge his loyalty to Jake and join their fight.
We’re still so early in the series — only book four! — and yet this book advances the plot in a major way, and also gives the Animorphs their first real ‘win’, even small as it is. Sometimes, all you need is one rescue. After their first three defeats, it’s a welcome one.
Favourite quotes moved to Google docs, apart from this v favourite one below, because I think it encapsulates so much about Cassie's involvement in the war:
---------------------------------
THIRD REVIEW / MAY 13, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up. I really can't emphasise enough how brutal this series is even so early on: the battle with the sharks and the way Marco is near-torn in half as a dolphin and quite literally almost dies, which has direct repercussions in the next book. This series is so tightly-plotted and well-constructed, I can't stop admiring it even decades on.
FIRST REVIEW / MAR 6, 2015
And now, still following the pattern, Cassie finds her reason for fighting (it's like loyalty missions in Mass Effect, I swear to god). This book always lodged pretty well in my memory and I really like it, because WHALES and DOLPHINS and SHARKS, and another terrifying alien morph from Visser Three, and bonus: the book introduces one of my favourite fictional characters of practically all time (Ax ♥).
---------------------------------
SECOND REVIEW / JAN 20, 2020
I’m so much fonder of Cassie these days, compared to when I first read these books as a kid. She’s such a valuable, different voice on the team: compassionate, understanding, yet also realistically fearful of responsibility and the burden that’s been placed on them. She finds her reason to fight in this book, and it’s planet Earth herself: protecting all of our land and animals and ecosystems that the Yeerks would wipe out if-when they win.
What’s such a great but subtle detail throughout this book, too, is how much insight she has to the rest of the Animorphs and how/why they tick. There’s more analysis in her narration than there tends to be from the others, more accurate interpretations of the other Animorphs. She checks in with Marco after he almost dies on the mission. She reminds Jake to check in with Tobias, because she can sense that he’s feeling a little left out. She’s so good!! And her dynamic with Jake is so adorable!!
We meet the latest and newest Animorph, too, and Ax is immediately such an apropos representative of the Andalites: he’s a little arrogant, a little snobby and superior about his species and their technology and science, but he’s also quick to pledge his loyalty to Jake and join their fight.
We’re still so early in the series — only book four! — and yet this book advances the plot in a major way, and also gives the Animorphs their first real ‘win’, even small as it is. Sometimes, all you need is one rescue. After their first three defeats, it’s a welcome one.
Favourite quotes moved to Google docs, apart from this v favourite one below, because I think it encapsulates so much about Cassie's involvement in the war:
I wished I could forget what Ax told us. I wished I could stop seeing the pictures in my head of an Earth without birds and trees. An Earth where the ocean was empty and dead.
Don't you know whom you're fighting? the Andalite had asked.
Yes.
Now I knew.
---------------------------------
THIRD REVIEW / MAY 13, 2025
3.5 stars, rounded up. I really can't emphasise enough how brutal this series is even so early on: the battle with the sharks and the way Marco is near-torn in half as a dolphin and quite literally almost dies, which has direct repercussions in the next book. This series is so tightly-plotted and well-constructed, I can't stop admiring it even decades on.
January 22, 2022
Come check out my 4 hour 35 minute deep dive into reading every single Animorphs book for the first time on YouTube. I recap and review all of the books from the main series: https://youtu.be/H8kUM2q3CIU
March 15, 2024
Cassie's POV.
February 6, 2024
Welcome to the club Ax!
February 26, 2020
(Re-read review from February 25, 2020 here.)
Cassie's turn to narrate, and to find her reason to fight the Yeerks. But more than that, both her and Tobias are receiving a message in their dreams, a call for help. And it's up to Cassie to decide if that call is real, and if it is worth risking all the Animorphs' lives to find out who or what is calling for help.
It's only now that I get the joke about the dolphins names' at The Gardens... they're named after the characters of "Friends".
Some more fun/favorite quotes from this book:
"I was busy watching my taped reruns of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," Marco said, giving Rachel a sly look. "Last night it was the one where it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood." -- page 18
Marco's cooperative mood hadn't lasted long. I knew it wouldn't. Marco is never happy unless he's complaining about something. Just like Rachel is never happy unless she has something to fight against. And Tobias is never happy, period. He thinks if he's ever happy, someone will just come along and take his happiness away. -- page 29
Typical guy. [Jake] had the totally bad timing to show up when I looked like Ms. Manure. -- page 40
"If you think we should pursue this, you know Rachel will be right behind you. Me, too." [Jake said]
"And Marco?" [Cassie said]
Jake grinned again. "Marco won't be right behind you. He'll be several feet back." -- page 42
He flew straight up out of the water, like a sleek, pale gray torpedo. Eleven feet long from nose to tail. Four hundred pounds. He simply flew into the air, seemed to hang there, ten feet above the surface of the water, took a skeptical look at us, gave us his permanent wise-guy grin, and slid back beneath the water so smoothly that there was barely a ripple.
"That is a dolphin," I said to Marco.
"Okay, I like that. That is excellent," Marco said. -- page 79-80
More under the spoiler:
And possibly one of my favorite quotes from this book -- the one that I just had to share with my flatmate even though it was after 10pm and she was in the middle of doing dishes:
Life was joy. Life was a game. I wanted to dance. I wanted to dance through the sea.
So I did.
There was nothing I could not do. There was nothing I could ask of my body that it would not give me. Racing, spinning, turning, diving, skimming the surface, flying up into the sky.
I wasn't just in the sea. I was the sea. -- page 64
Cassie's turn to narrate, and to find her reason to fight the Yeerks. But more than that, both her and Tobias are receiving a message in their dreams, a call for help. And it's up to Cassie to decide if that call is real, and if it is worth risking all the Animorphs' lives to find out who or what is calling for help.
It's only now that I get the joke about the dolphins names' at The Gardens... they're named after the characters of "Friends".
Some more fun/favorite quotes from this book:
"I was busy watching my taped reruns of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," Marco said, giving Rachel a sly look. "Last night it was the one where it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood." -- page 18
Marco's cooperative mood hadn't lasted long. I knew it wouldn't. Marco is never happy unless he's complaining about something. Just like Rachel is never happy unless she has something to fight against. And Tobias is never happy, period. He thinks if he's ever happy, someone will just come along and take his happiness away. -- page 29
Typical guy. [Jake] had the totally bad timing to show up when I looked like Ms. Manure. -- page 40
"If you think we should pursue this, you know Rachel will be right behind you. Me, too." [Jake said]
"And Marco?" [Cassie said]
Jake grinned again. "Marco won't be right behind you. He'll be several feet back." -- page 42
He flew straight up out of the water, like a sleek, pale gray torpedo. Eleven feet long from nose to tail. Four hundred pounds. He simply flew into the air, seemed to hang there, ten feet above the surface of the water, took a skeptical look at us, gave us his permanent wise-guy grin, and slid back beneath the water so smoothly that there was barely a ripple.
"That is a dolphin," I said to Marco.
"Okay, I like that. That is excellent," Marco said. -- page 79-80
More under the spoiler:
And possibly one of my favorite quotes from this book -- the one that I just had to share with my flatmate even though it was after 10pm and she was in the middle of doing dishes:
Life was joy. Life was a game. I wanted to dance. I wanted to dance through the sea.
So I did.
There was nothing I could not do. There was nothing I could ask of my body that it would not give me. Racing, spinning, turning, diving, skimming the surface, flying up into the sky.
I wasn't just in the sea. I was the sea. -- page 64
August 1, 2023
Verander gewoon in een dolfijn Cassie, zo moeilijk is het niet, sjeeminee
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 11, 2020
So. Damn. Good.
This book confirms that I am Marco Trash.
Favorite quotes under the spoiler.
This book confirms that I am Marco Trash.
Favorite quotes under the spoiler.
September 10, 2024
The Message immediately sets itself apart tonally from previous entries in the series by being the first to take on Cassie's uniquely kind point of view. Cassie is already established as being the group's empath; she has a special bond with animals in particular, and her ability to sympathize with and defend each of her friends' unique motivations and needs is the special sauce that holds together the Animorphs' defensive stability, and just as importantly these kids' friendships.
The downside to Cassie's kindness, and the internal struggle present in her narration, is the fear of failing her friends and the overwhelming uncertainty she feels when faced with difficult decisions. Cassie is a born lover, a healer by choice, and a fighter only through necessity. How can she let herself be responsible for her friends being hurt or killed? And as she discovers in this novel, she's fighting to prevent the desolation of the Earth itself. How can she possibly make a choice when the stakes are so high?
As a wild animal shelter assistant for her father, she is used to loving and caring for hurt animals until they are healed. Even when they bite and scratch her, she can't feel upset because she understands their pain and fear. Her feelings succumb to theirs, and she does what she needs to do until they are better. She's been learning to do the same with people, her friends, and those whose lives that she has saved. This time, it's her own feelings that everything is hinging on. But how do you know what you're feeling when it affects what will happen to others and that changes how you feel and then how you feel isn't the same as how you felt which changes what feels right...
But that's why she's not alone. She loves Jake because he has what she hasn't; the confidence to lead. But he can give her some of that confidence:
Cassie, you're the one with the dream. Only you can decide if it's real, and if it's real enough for us to try and do something about it.
And Jake loves Cassie because she has what he hasn't; the wisdom and intuition to understand, and support, and he knows that no matter what she decides to try, it will be the right thing to try and he will try it with everything he has. And she can give him her support.
Along the way, Cassie communicates with a very old whale. I've always remembered this scene so fondly and love rereading it. In its way, the Great Ones sharing their deep knowledge of life and the sea with kids they know are defending the earth from unnatural enemies is less sci-fi to me and more transcendentalist. They know things that I could never comprehend and that humbled me, and humbles me still. I'm sat.
February 4, 2022
This book introduces my fave and childhood crush, Ax (I was a weird kid). The plans these kids make are so loose and dangerous but they ARE kids so it makes sense. I also liked the introduction of moral questioning about morphing since the animals/animal brain can't really consent. Cassie has always been the moral center of the group <3
October 18, 2025
yeah, the infamous whale scene was pretty awesome.
March 27, 2020
Sisi Aisha Johnson voices Cassie, our third Animorph and the last of the girls to be voiced. Story/plot remarks in my other two reviews; this is just about Ms. Johnson’s rendition.
Admittedly, for Cassie, I always imagined her as having a lower-pitched voice than Ms. Johnson has, but it worked okay. What got me though is that Ms. Johnson stresses a good number of her words strangely, like "DNA" (stress/upward intonation on the 'A'), which threw me off regularly. And often she doesn't stress sentences where I stressed them while reading on my own (or even where I'd expect them to be stressed), which gives Cassie's whole tone a strange sound (not like MacLeod narrating for Jake in #6, where I found his sentence stresses had me understanding Jake's tone in different but good/more complex ways). I was continually kept rather off-balance by the rises and falls in Cassie’s voice, and so they didn’t really feel like they embodied Cassie very well, and definitely not how I imagined her.
As for the other main character voices: her Rachel is ok – she goes a little higher pitched but also a bit clearer in her sound, with almost a Cali-girl tone to it (without the “like”s and “duh”s and “omg”s of Calispeak). Jake sounds too low and flat in general, almost coming across as an automaton or depressive. Only near the end, when Jake and Cassie are talking on the ride back, did he sound less flat-voiced though still low-pitched, and I thought that was a good sound for him. Once they got back to land, though, he was back to sounding flat. Tobias sounds 100% like 'he can never be happy, like if he's ever happy someone will come take his happiness away' which was well done, but he also often sounded like he was talking in a strained whisper, which wasn’t such a good sound for him. However, I love how she voices Marco; I think she nails him best of all. The intonation and lilt she gives him totally works with his sense of humor, and her delivery of his off-beat commentary is solid. As for our now two regular Andalites: Visser Three was fine; he didn’t have that many words to judge by, but they worked; Ms. Johnson pitched him slightly lower and with a clarity similar to how she voices Ax. Ax (Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill – I was happy to hear that his name is pronounced just as I’ve been pronouncing it, even if there is a slightly stronger stress on the “Ax” syllable than I’ve been doing) goes a little lower than Cassie, not much, and it seemed like his words were a little more separated, like Ms. Johnson was saying words a bit more carefully and making efforts to speak clearly to represent Ax’s alienness while still “speaking” in basically normal English.
The big surprise for me in this book was hearing the pronunciation of “Elfangor” (as I haven’t actually listened to The Invasion yet): EL-fin-gore. I’ve always pronounced it as el-FAIn-gore (the ‘n’ is a bit of a swallowed sound preceding the ‘g’). I’m not sure how I feel about his name basically starting with “elfin” – especially as later we learn Elfangor had .
And as of yesterday (March 26) at least, Scholastic Audio confirms pre-orders for books #9 and #10 for the merry month of May!! Woohoo, keep them coming!
Admittedly, for Cassie, I always imagined her as having a lower-pitched voice than Ms. Johnson has, but it worked okay. What got me though is that Ms. Johnson stresses a good number of her words strangely, like "DNA" (stress/upward intonation on the 'A'), which threw me off regularly. And often she doesn't stress sentences where I stressed them while reading on my own (or even where I'd expect them to be stressed), which gives Cassie's whole tone a strange sound (not like MacLeod narrating for Jake in #6, where I found his sentence stresses had me understanding Jake's tone in different but good/more complex ways). I was continually kept rather off-balance by the rises and falls in Cassie’s voice, and so they didn’t really feel like they embodied Cassie very well, and definitely not how I imagined her.
As for the other main character voices: her Rachel is ok – she goes a little higher pitched but also a bit clearer in her sound, with almost a Cali-girl tone to it (without the “like”s and “duh”s and “omg”s of Calispeak). Jake sounds too low and flat in general, almost coming across as an automaton or depressive. Only near the end, when Jake and Cassie are talking on the ride back, did he sound less flat-voiced though still low-pitched, and I thought that was a good sound for him. Once they got back to land, though, he was back to sounding flat. Tobias sounds 100% like 'he can never be happy, like if he's ever happy someone will come take his happiness away' which was well done, but he also often sounded like he was talking in a strained whisper, which wasn’t such a good sound for him. However, I love how she voices Marco; I think she nails him best of all. The intonation and lilt she gives him totally works with his sense of humor, and her delivery of his off-beat commentary is solid. As for our now two regular Andalites: Visser Three was fine; he didn’t have that many words to judge by, but they worked; Ms. Johnson pitched him slightly lower and with a clarity similar to how she voices Ax. Ax (Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill – I was happy to hear that his name is pronounced just as I’ve been pronouncing it, even if there is a slightly stronger stress on the “Ax” syllable than I’ve been doing) goes a little lower than Cassie, not much, and it seemed like his words were a little more separated, like Ms. Johnson was saying words a bit more carefully and making efforts to speak clearly to represent Ax’s alienness while still “speaking” in basically normal English.
The big surprise for me in this book was hearing the pronunciation of “Elfangor” (as I haven’t actually listened to The Invasion yet): EL-fin-gore. I’ve always pronounced it as el-FAIn-gore (the ‘n’ is a bit of a swallowed sound preceding the ‘g’). I’m not sure how I feel about his name basically starting with “elfin” – especially as later we learn Elfangor had .
And as of yesterday (March 26) at least, Scholastic Audio confirms pre-orders for books #9 and #10 for the merry month of May!! Woohoo, keep them coming!
January 19, 2015
The transformation scenes were very well done, and the story was decent.
January 21, 2020
4.5 stars, only baaaaaarely rounding down.
When I was a kid, Cassie was my least favorite of the bunch. Couldn't explain to you why, but I think it was because I thought she was dull compared to everyone else. As an adult, I absolutely adore her, because her indecisiveness, fear to take lead due to anxiety over her decisions being the Wrong One, her moral intelligence — all except for that last one, I can relate to. Aka- I can relate to the fear and anxiety of taking charge. And maybe that's the deeper reason I didn't like her as a kid, because I was the same way even as a child.
But it's her moral intelligence that struck me in this one: she questions the ethics of taking the DNA of these creatures, especially the intelligent creatures (dolphins). And while the Yeerks wanting to take control over the human species via mind-control is reason enough for her to fight, she finds a deeper meaning when she and the rest of the Animorphs learn the full extent of their intentions, something that resonates with her in a way that would resonate with me. After all, she and I have another thing in common: animals are better than people.
And we get a new Animorph on the team, one I've always been fascinated by. I thought he showed up a little later in the series, but I guess not, and I'm not complaining.
When I was a kid, Cassie was my least favorite of the bunch. Couldn't explain to you why, but I think it was because I thought she was dull compared to everyone else. As an adult, I absolutely adore her, because her indecisiveness, fear to take lead due to anxiety over her decisions being the Wrong One, her moral intelligence — all except for that last one, I can relate to. Aka- I can relate to the fear and anxiety of taking charge. And maybe that's the deeper reason I didn't like her as a kid, because I was the same way even as a child.
But it's her moral intelligence that struck me in this one: she questions the ethics of taking the DNA of these creatures, especially the intelligent creatures (dolphins). And while the Yeerks wanting to take control over the human species via mind-control is reason enough for her to fight, she finds a deeper meaning when she and the rest of the Animorphs learn the full extent of their intentions, something that resonates with her in a way that would resonate with me. After all, she and I have another thing in common: animals are better than people.
And we get a new Animorph on the team, one I've always been fascinated by. I thought he showed up a little later in the series, but I guess not, and I'm not complaining.
January 6, 2023
today's gender is going absolutely apeshit over the venn diagram that is scifi content + whale content. the sheer star trek energy of it all. i cannot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (positive)
February 4, 2020
Animorphs was the defining series of my childhood. More than any other this book series shaped me into the person I would become, it ignited the interest in animals that is my driving force to this day, and instilled within me the moral groundwork that defined my values as an adult. Animorphs was everything to me - and now for the first time since the books were published I'm doing a full reread of the series.
Thank you, Clara.
The first of the Cassie books. Cassie was always the dark horse of the group, moreso perhaps than even Tobias whose entire purpose is being an outsider. Cassie is the most compassionate of the group, the pacifist, the one who likes animals more than people and spends her spare time rehabilitating wildlife. She's a voice of calm and reason in the chaos. Wouldn't a story told by such a levelheaded individual be more boring? Would this be a more spiritual book, a lesser one than the action packed first and second stories?
The book starts off, perhaps predictably, with Cassie having a bad dream. It's a dream she's had for several nights now, and soon discovers it's a dream that she and Tobias have shared. There's someone trapped under the ocean, someone crying out for rescue in thought-speak. Could it be an Andalite? Is there another Andalite on earth needing help? The Animorphs are on the case, but the Controllers know about it, too. Who will get to the downed Andalite first?
This book was interesting in how it treated animal intelligence. When deciding to morph into dolphins Cassie voices concern over taking that form without the dolphin's permission. A lot of attention is paid to how different animal intelligences work - in this case dolphins and whales - and how their different ways of knowing do not make them any less than humans. It was an interesting topic to tackle in a children's book, and one I greatly appreciated K.A. Applegate taking the time to explain.
All in all? A much better book than the last one. Cassie might just be my favorite this time around.
Thank you, Clara.
The first of the Cassie books. Cassie was always the dark horse of the group, moreso perhaps than even Tobias whose entire purpose is being an outsider. Cassie is the most compassionate of the group, the pacifist, the one who likes animals more than people and spends her spare time rehabilitating wildlife. She's a voice of calm and reason in the chaos. Wouldn't a story told by such a levelheaded individual be more boring? Would this be a more spiritual book, a lesser one than the action packed first and second stories?
The book starts off, perhaps predictably, with Cassie having a bad dream. It's a dream she's had for several nights now, and soon discovers it's a dream that she and Tobias have shared. There's someone trapped under the ocean, someone crying out for rescue in thought-speak. Could it be an Andalite? Is there another Andalite on earth needing help? The Animorphs are on the case, but the Controllers know about it, too. Who will get to the downed Andalite first?
This book was interesting in how it treated animal intelligence. When deciding to morph into dolphins Cassie voices concern over taking that form without the dolphin's permission. A lot of attention is paid to how different animal intelligences work - in this case dolphins and whales - and how their different ways of knowing do not make them any less than humans. It was an interesting topic to tackle in a children's book, and one I greatly appreciated K.A. Applegate taking the time to explain.
All in all? A much better book than the last one. Cassie might just be my favorite this time around.
July 12, 2020
Rating: 4.5
Yay the alien boi is finally here! :D
Like in the previous book, this one also touches on some pretty philosophical topics for a series aimed towards mostly preteens. It discusses the ethical implications of morphing into animals, and this feels very appropriate considering the narrator this time around is Cassie, who has so much love and respect for animals.
I really felt for Cassie in this book, she was put in charge of a situation that she wasn't ready to be in charge of. Even when it's not a life-or-death situation, that sort of thing can be terrifying.
I laughed a bit at the mentions of VCRs and the dolphins named after the characters of Friends, I can't believe it's been almost 25 years since this book came out! Can't wait to read the next one :D
Yay the alien boi is finally here! :D
Like in the previous book, this one also touches on some pretty philosophical topics for a series aimed towards mostly preteens. It discusses the ethical implications of morphing into animals, and this feels very appropriate considering the narrator this time around is Cassie, who has so much love and respect for animals.
I really felt for Cassie in this book, she was put in charge of a situation that she wasn't ready to be in charge of. Even when it's not a life-or-death situation, that sort of thing can be terrifying.
I laughed a bit at the mentions of VCRs and the dolphins named after the characters of Friends, I can't believe it's been almost 25 years since this book came out! Can't wait to read the next one :D
September 16, 2016
i just wanna know why whales are the only animals w souls (so far?) (maybe only cassie can tell?)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2018
First, foremost, I cannot talk about this book without immediately needing to address the giant whale in the room, namely, the magic whales. This is a direct quote, from the book, and it ripped me so firmly and entirely out of the narrative that all I could do was helplessly laugh at the sheer absurdity of it.
and also
and also
Look ya’ll, I love whales. I love the sea. I love the ocean in a way Cassie is clearly very uncomfortable with throughout this book. I think they are some of the most incredible creatures on the planet, but even with all that, this entire scene with the Great Old Humpback Whale Who Can Miraculously Speak But In Feelings entirely destroyed my immersion.
And the humpback shows up!!! With five spermwhales!!! And yes, sperm whales do travel in pods, but NOT WITH OTHER WHALES??????????????? Look, I put aside a lot of disbelief for these books, I love them, and I put aside a lot of mild inaccuracies about the animals because it’s a cool story and they are not the focus but.
B. U. T.
I draw the line at magic whales, apparently.
And I’ve had a think about why this bothered me so much–I remember, vaguely, that Cassie’s POV books tend to be the most egregious about the Magic and Mystical World of Animals. I mean, some of it is her naivety, but she’s also only, what, 15? 16? If that. She’s the team animal lover, so of course she has some wonder for animals. And the others also gush about how cool the animals are, and morphing–even just this book Rachel gushes about cats and using that to help her with her gymnastics.
So far, the books have been pretty good about being relatively believable in their portrayal of animal instincts and minds. And the problem here is, frankly, I find this absolute nonsense.
Are whales cool?
Yes, no question.
Are whales telepathic with dolphins magical mystical beings of the ocean who can Talk But With Feelings????
….
Probably not. Like. I don’t want to say no, I’m no whale (except in the ass, badumtish), but like, understand I am almost without a doubt certain whales are not like this.
So. That out of the way, let’s actually talk about this book.
I really do like it–minus the whale bullshit–but I don’t like it as much as I have the others. It’s a great breather after Tobias’ book, which struck far too close to home with the dysphoria feels, and it’s full of great characterization and character moments. We get Ax!!! Finally!!
But the reason I don’t like it as much is I find Cassie a deeply difficult character to relate to. She is, just as I remember, vaguely mystical leaning in her view of the natural world; she seems to understand death and at the same time not at all. She’s overly naive about how things work, and at the same time very deeply pacificistic. These are not bad things! But they are entirely at odds with how I viewed and view the world, so the entire book I felt almost at arm’s length, if that makes sense.
She does have her moments–particularly that moment when she doubts her own visions. What person of faith hasn’t had a moment where they doubt it? It was an unintentionally relatable polytheism moment. And she is brutally willing to do the difficult and morally grey thing–I still haven’t forgot how she killed a man back on the beach when they spied on the Caring meeting. But then she…. just goes and comes off vaguely preachy with her moral questions about oh no but dolphins are smart is it RIGHT to morph such a smart animal!! Like, sweetie, please, you didn’t ask this about any other animal, who have different types of intelligences as well, a bit hypocritical, don’t you think? YOU KILLED A MAN. Why this moral quandary now and where was it when you kILLED A MAN.
It just rubs me the wrong way.
That said, I do like that the book thoroughly explored that moral quandary she had. I like that she does come to realize that the stakes are incredibly high, and that in the kind of war they’re going to be fighting, she’s not going to be able to keep the moral high ground–that she’s going to have to make compromises and do stuff she might not fully agree with so they can win. Actually, I like that it’s driven home so early in the series that they are going to have to make plenty of moral compromises. The fact that this one is over such a low stakes thing, comparatively, is pretty great.
Speaking of stakes raising, I do love that Cassie–and the rest–get it really drilled home both how much they still don’t know re: the Yeerks, as well as just how high the stakes are within a few minutes of meeting Ax. This isn’t just saving humanity, this is saving the entire world!!!!! And where another book this could have come off eye-rollingly bad, I think it was handled pretty well. Both the reader and the characters have so little idea what’s going on, and the fact this is a series makes it easy for more and more world-building to be done.
The world-building this book was lovely–the Andalite dome where Ax was, and getting this tiny glimpse of their home world. The cool sea monster Viser 3 morphed!!!! Gotta get me one of them!!!!! It was brief, but it whetted my appetite to learn ever more about the other worlds and such.
Plus meeting Ax, an actual alien!!! What a good. Already, we’re seeing that he’s both alien (yes, good) and also how much the kids have to learn about morphing when he creates his own morph. A+ I already love my favourite deer knife boy.
Rounding back towards the central conflict of the book, Cassie’s obviously super uncomfortable with being responsible for other people’s lives; that’s not unreasonable at all. I absolutely love that as her introduction, that’s exactly what gets thrust on her, since she’s the one having these dreams who can actually go into the water, unlike Tobias. Her guilt over Marco getting injured, and not wanting that responsibility–but at the same time refusing to admit she doesn’t want it–is great, and a really good conflict for her character to have. Hopefully we do get to come back to this again.
Marco, in turn, is fantastic this book. He really gets to shine, since he’s the one who gets injured, and we got tons of little insights into his mindset this book. He’s the one who least wants to go, but we see he’s absolutely willing to throw his full efforts into the team when it comes to finding a way to repay Elfangor for his sacrifice. We get to see his fears–his line about his mom drowning when he’s stuck in the water, unable to swim, is absolutely heartbreaking. More, we get another horrible glimpse of just how, well…. practical he is about death, compared to the others. He’s had his brush with it, since his mom died, and he’s most aware of all of them just what the stakes are because of it.
Plus, he’s wicked insightful underneath all that snark–
Honestly, it was so refreshing to get a book with minimal Marco making sexist comments and maximum Marco being insightful and then hiding it again. I love when we get to see who he is under his exterior–so I’m double excited for next book.
Other notes:
--cassie and jake are fucking adorable together and i love them, what a good contrast with rachel and tobias; by comparison, the latter two seem pretty shallow in their affections, with tobias going to rachel because of her strength, and rachel loving tobias because??? ? ? ? he made such a big sacrifice and now he’s a cool hawk???? ? ? and so looks as fierce as she thinks he is?? idk what her thing is tbh
--cassie’s impressions of people are genuinely emphatic, and I do like that about her for all I find her hard to relate to otherwise
--jake valuing cassie’s opinion!!!! jake trusting her to make the right call!!!!!!!
--minimal fighting with the Yeerks, much more focus on the team: a+
--AX.
--that dome description was so brief but so freaking good, honestly, i want a million fanarts of it–it sounded beautiful
--cassie joking with tobias to try and make sure he knows she’s not grossed out by his hawk stuff ;u;
--why wasn’t there more good stuff to show us WHY rachel and cassie are so close???? so far it feels way more they’re close because the author says so, i’m not buying it
But at that moment the most incredible part of an incredible day happened.
My mind, human, dolphin, both minds, opened up like a flower opening to the sun.
And a silent, but somehow huge, voice filled my head, it spoke no words. It simply filled every corner of my mind with a simple emotion.
Gratitude.
The whale was telling me that it was grateful. We had saved it. Now it would ave our schoolmate.
and also
The whale called me to him.
Listen, little one, he commanded, in a silent voice that seemed to fill the universe.
I listened. I listened to his wordles voice in my head. I felt like it went on forever.
Tobias said later it was only ten minutes. But during that ten minutes, I was lost to the world. I was being shown a small part of the whale’s thoughts.
and also
I wasn’t sure what he was telling me. He spoke only in feelings, in a sort of poetry of emotion, without words. Part of it was in song. Part of it I could only sense the same way I could sense echolocation.
Look ya’ll, I love whales. I love the sea. I love the ocean in a way Cassie is clearly very uncomfortable with throughout this book. I think they are some of the most incredible creatures on the planet, but even with all that, this entire scene with the Great Old Humpback Whale Who Can Miraculously Speak But In Feelings entirely destroyed my immersion.
And the humpback shows up!!! With five spermwhales!!! And yes, sperm whales do travel in pods, but NOT WITH OTHER WHALES??????????????? Look, I put aside a lot of disbelief for these books, I love them, and I put aside a lot of mild inaccuracies about the animals because it’s a cool story and they are not the focus but.
B. U. T.
I draw the line at magic whales, apparently.
And I’ve had a think about why this bothered me so much–I remember, vaguely, that Cassie’s POV books tend to be the most egregious about the Magic and Mystical World of Animals. I mean, some of it is her naivety, but she’s also only, what, 15? 16? If that. She’s the team animal lover, so of course she has some wonder for animals. And the others also gush about how cool the animals are, and morphing–even just this book Rachel gushes about cats and using that to help her with her gymnastics.
So far, the books have been pretty good about being relatively believable in their portrayal of animal instincts and minds. And the problem here is, frankly, I find this absolute nonsense.
Are whales cool?
Yes, no question.
Are whales telepathic with dolphins magical mystical beings of the ocean who can Talk But With Feelings????
….
Probably not. Like. I don’t want to say no, I’m no whale (except in the ass, badumtish), but like, understand I am almost without a doubt certain whales are not like this.
So. That out of the way, let’s actually talk about this book.
I really do like it–minus the whale bullshit–but I don’t like it as much as I have the others. It’s a great breather after Tobias’ book, which struck far too close to home with the dysphoria feels, and it’s full of great characterization and character moments. We get Ax!!! Finally!!
But the reason I don’t like it as much is I find Cassie a deeply difficult character to relate to. She is, just as I remember, vaguely mystical leaning in her view of the natural world; she seems to understand death and at the same time not at all. She’s overly naive about how things work, and at the same time very deeply pacificistic. These are not bad things! But they are entirely at odds with how I viewed and view the world, so the entire book I felt almost at arm’s length, if that makes sense.
She does have her moments–particularly that moment when she doubts her own visions. What person of faith hasn’t had a moment where they doubt it? It was an unintentionally relatable polytheism moment. And she is brutally willing to do the difficult and morally grey thing–I still haven’t forgot how she killed a man back on the beach when they spied on the Caring meeting. But then she…. just goes and comes off vaguely preachy with her moral questions about oh no but dolphins are smart is it RIGHT to morph such a smart animal!! Like, sweetie, please, you didn’t ask this about any other animal, who have different types of intelligences as well, a bit hypocritical, don’t you think? YOU KILLED A MAN. Why this moral quandary now and where was it when you kILLED A MAN.
It just rubs me the wrong way.
That said, I do like that the book thoroughly explored that moral quandary she had. I like that she does come to realize that the stakes are incredibly high, and that in the kind of war they’re going to be fighting, she’s not going to be able to keep the moral high ground–that she’s going to have to make compromises and do stuff she might not fully agree with so they can win. Actually, I like that it’s driven home so early in the series that they are going to have to make plenty of moral compromises. The fact that this one is over such a low stakes thing, comparatively, is pretty great.
Speaking of stakes raising, I do love that Cassie–and the rest–get it really drilled home both how much they still don’t know re: the Yeerks, as well as just how high the stakes are within a few minutes of meeting Ax. This isn’t just saving humanity, this is saving the entire world!!!!! And where another book this could have come off eye-rollingly bad, I think it was handled pretty well. Both the reader and the characters have so little idea what’s going on, and the fact this is a series makes it easy for more and more world-building to be done.
The world-building this book was lovely–the Andalite dome where Ax was, and getting this tiny glimpse of their home world. The cool sea monster Viser 3 morphed!!!! Gotta get me one of them!!!!! It was brief, but it whetted my appetite to learn ever more about the other worlds and such.
Plus meeting Ax, an actual alien!!! What a good. Already, we’re seeing that he’s both alien (yes, good) and also how much the kids have to learn about morphing when he creates his own morph. A+ I already love my favourite deer knife boy.
Rounding back towards the central conflict of the book, Cassie’s obviously super uncomfortable with being responsible for other people’s lives; that’s not unreasonable at all. I absolutely love that as her introduction, that’s exactly what gets thrust on her, since she’s the one having these dreams who can actually go into the water, unlike Tobias. Her guilt over Marco getting injured, and not wanting that responsibility–but at the same time refusing to admit she doesn’t want it–is great, and a really good conflict for her character to have. Hopefully we do get to come back to this again.
Marco, in turn, is fantastic this book. He really gets to shine, since he’s the one who gets injured, and we got tons of little insights into his mindset this book. He’s the one who least wants to go, but we see he’s absolutely willing to throw his full efforts into the team when it comes to finding a way to repay Elfangor for his sacrifice. We get to see his fears–his line about his mom drowning when he’s stuck in the water, unable to swim, is absolutely heartbreaking. More, we get another horrible glimpse of just how, well…. practical he is about death, compared to the others. He’s had his brush with it, since his mom died, and he’s most aware of all of them just what the stakes are because of it.
Plus, he’s wicked insightful underneath all that snark–
“[…]It’s this whole thing we’re doing, this whole Animorph thin. I mean, it’s been dangerous right from the start. It’s insanely dangerous. What else is new?” [Marco says]
I shrugged. “What’s new, I guess, is that the other times it was always someone else’s idea.”
“Oh, I get it. You don’t like responsibility?”
Honestly, it was so refreshing to get a book with minimal Marco making sexist comments and maximum Marco being insightful and then hiding it again. I love when we get to see who he is under his exterior–so I’m double excited for next book.
Other notes:
--cassie and jake are fucking adorable together and i love them, what a good contrast with rachel and tobias; by comparison, the latter two seem pretty shallow in their affections, with tobias going to rachel because of her strength, and rachel loving tobias because??? ? ? ? he made such a big sacrifice and now he’s a cool hawk???? ? ? and so looks as fierce as she thinks he is?? idk what her thing is tbh
--cassie’s impressions of people are genuinely emphatic, and I do like that about her for all I find her hard to relate to otherwise
--jake valuing cassie’s opinion!!!! jake trusting her to make the right call!!!!!!!
--minimal fighting with the Yeerks, much more focus on the team: a+
--AX.
--that dome description was so brief but so freaking good, honestly, i want a million fanarts of it–it sounded beautiful
--cassie joking with tobias to try and make sure he knows she’s not grossed out by his hawk stuff ;u;
--why wasn’t there more good stuff to show us WHY rachel and cassie are so close???? so far it feels way more they’re close because the author says so, i’m not buying it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2019
This may just be my favorite Animorphs book so far, not counting the awesome first one.
This time around, we are in Cassie's POV. Cassie has a vision of sorts of something deep in the ocean calling her to rescue it. When the visions continue several times, she can no longer ignore them and tells her fellow Animorphs. The only problem is, her plan is dangerous and risky. Will the Animorphs figure out what this creature is? Will they be able to save it, or is it just another enemy to destroy?
There's definitely something about Cassie's POV. For me, I think it had some real depth to it. Cassie is well-balanced, doesn't like being the leader like Jake and Rachel do, and is extremely unique. I also like how much she cares about animals, as I volunteer for a local shelter.
Mystery, adventure, and thrills. This book has it all. Definitely worth a read, and I can't wait to read the next one!
This time around, we are in Cassie's POV. Cassie has a vision of sorts of something deep in the ocean calling her to rescue it. When the visions continue several times, she can no longer ignore them and tells her fellow Animorphs. The only problem is, her plan is dangerous and risky. Will the Animorphs figure out what this creature is? Will they be able to save it, or is it just another enemy to destroy?
There's definitely something about Cassie's POV. For me, I think it had some real depth to it. Cassie is well-balanced, doesn't like being the leader like Jake and Rachel do, and is extremely unique. I also like how much she cares about animals, as I volunteer for a local shelter.
Mystery, adventure, and thrills. This book has it all. Definitely worth a read, and I can't wait to read the next one!
March 19, 2022
Weirdly enough, despite being our narrator for this story, Cassie feels pushed into the background to make room for new developments in the groups’ relationship with the Andalites as well as a deeper understanding of Marco’s character.
There was, however, a very interesting development of Cassie’s relationship with the animals surrounding the group. Before this installment, we hadn’t gotten much interaction between the morphed children and the other animals in their environment.
The assistance gained in a major battle opens up the door for how the team can potentially win the future war.
We ALSO (!) got a significant new member of the team (and I really hope he sticks around)
CW: war, blood, violence, reference to character death, grief
There was, however, a very interesting development of Cassie’s relationship with the animals surrounding the group. Before this installment, we hadn’t gotten much interaction between the morphed children and the other animals in their environment.
The assistance gained in a major battle opens up the door for how the team can potentially win the future war.
We ALSO (!) got a significant new member of the team (and I really hope he sticks around)
CW: war, blood, violence, reference to character death, grief
October 17, 2020
Funny realization while rereading- I like Cassie more. She felt a LITTLE like a drag when I was younger, spending all that time wondering if what her and her friends were doing was right, thinking about the moral implications of morphing intelligent animals, etc. However, she lends a maturity to the series that goes beyond the bang bang fight of it all and into the deeper nitty gritty of the gray areas that run allllll through these books. Love it.
January 28, 2022
"But it isn't necessary to belive whales are as smart as humans to believe that they are great. They don't have to know words to sing songs." This was the book when I remembered that somewhere along the line, this is a series about how animals are cool.
But also Marco almost drowns and sea and laments, "This is just like how my mom died."
But whales are cool.
But also Marco almost drowns and sea and laments, "This is just like how my mom died."
But whales are cool.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
December 5, 2023Waited too long to write about this one.
Changes the status quo in a meaningful way by introducing Ax, a new alien member of our Animorph squad.
The series is usually careful to not romanticize or anthropomorphize the real animals with which the characters interact. But whales prove the exception.
This is our first water based adventure; our heroes run into dolphins, fighting sharks and saving whales.
This series had a short-lived TV adaptation in the 90s. I HAVE to see a few episodes.
Changes the status quo in a meaningful way by introducing Ax, a new alien member of our Animorph squad.
The series is usually careful to not romanticize or anthropomorphize the real animals with which the characters interact. But whales prove the exception.
This is our first water based adventure; our heroes run into dolphins, fighting sharks and saving whales.
This series had a short-lived TV adaptation in the 90s. I HAVE to see a few episodes.
August 4, 2022
4 stars- English Ebook
Review follows later.
Review follows later.
May 27, 2025
Still great books! 4.2 stars
May 15, 2019
Our introduction to Cassie, and what a revealing introduction it is. Was it coincidence that Applegate put Tobias's and Cassie's inaugural volumes back-to-back? Maybe, but I think not -- the two intuitives power the spiritual and moral core of the group, and the oblique connection between them is emphasized when they're the only ones to dream of the downed Andalite ship.
We also have the chance to familiarize ourselves a bit with Ax -- introduced in this book with less dynamism than one might expect; his scene read as rote, the group interaction a vehicle for cramped exposition before the obligatory action-setpiece climax -- and Marco, whose moment of sweet vulnerability with Cassie hints at a deeper inner life than we might have expected up to this point, acting as a brief, deceiving lull before the perennial storm that soon forms between these two characters so conflicting in values and means.
I did find it odd that no one, not even Marco, bothered to voice what a strategic asset an Andalite would be for their team. When they find Ax Cassie mentions that they had hoped to find a whole crew of Andalites, but it certainly hadn't come up in planning! Why leave the decision to pursue to Cassie, when the potential gain would have meant such a coup that the downside -- possible death -- had to be ignored? I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the romantic absurdity of a whale telling Cassie the location of the ship. I mean, I rather liked it, even if it did seem like a nod to that silly Star Trek movie. But as usual with this series, you have to ask -- what are the odds!?
Finally, it should be mentioned that his book shows, briefly and effectively, why being a leader is difficult, scary, and dangerous -- you must decide. Most people don't want the heavy burden of responsibility for the fates of others; and perhaps it might be said that those who do reach for the sceptre deserve extreme suspicion, as there's a high chance their lack of trepidation stems from lack of conscience. Fortunately Jake doesn't have this problem, while his counterpart Visser Three obviously does. And Cassie, having an excess of conscience -- if there can indeed be such a thing; certainly some might find her argument against morphing dolphins silly on its face -- is paralyzed by leadership burdens, trying instead to foist them back on Jake, who, to his credit, seems to understand. (Who could understand more?)
A solid episode, continuing to lay the all-important groundwork.
(Sidenote: This line caught my attention: "pleased to hear that Tobias was learning to be at peace with the fact that, at least for a while, he was as much a hawk as he was a boy" -- first, his growing acceptance was mentioned earlier in the book; second, "at least for a while" suggests Cassie knows something about the future plot, when the Ellimist gives Tobias the ability to morph back. Why would she think Tobias could ever return to being human? Seems like an odd slip-up from KA, like maybe she had already planned for Tobias to get his morphing ability back and this accidentally slipped into Cassie's internal narration.)
We also have the chance to familiarize ourselves a bit with Ax -- introduced in this book with less dynamism than one might expect; his scene read as rote, the group interaction a vehicle for cramped exposition before the obligatory action-setpiece climax -- and Marco, whose moment of sweet vulnerability with Cassie hints at a deeper inner life than we might have expected up to this point, acting as a brief, deceiving lull before the perennial storm that soon forms between these two characters so conflicting in values and means.
I did find it odd that no one, not even Marco, bothered to voice what a strategic asset an Andalite would be for their team. When they find Ax Cassie mentions that they had hoped to find a whole crew of Andalites, but it certainly hadn't come up in planning! Why leave the decision to pursue to Cassie, when the potential gain would have meant such a coup that the downside -- possible death -- had to be ignored? I'd also be remiss if I didn't mention the romantic absurdity of a whale telling Cassie the location of the ship. I mean, I rather liked it, even if it did seem like a nod to that silly Star Trek movie. But as usual with this series, you have to ask -- what are the odds!?
Finally, it should be mentioned that his book shows, briefly and effectively, why being a leader is difficult, scary, and dangerous -- you must decide. Most people don't want the heavy burden of responsibility for the fates of others; and perhaps it might be said that those who do reach for the sceptre deserve extreme suspicion, as there's a high chance their lack of trepidation stems from lack of conscience. Fortunately Jake doesn't have this problem, while his counterpart Visser Three obviously does. And Cassie, having an excess of conscience -- if there can indeed be such a thing; certainly some might find her argument against morphing dolphins silly on its face -- is paralyzed by leadership burdens, trying instead to foist them back on Jake, who, to his credit, seems to understand. (Who could understand more?)
A solid episode, continuing to lay the all-important groundwork.
(Sidenote: This line caught my attention: "pleased to hear that Tobias was learning to be at peace with the fact that, at least for a while, he was as much a hawk as he was a boy" -- first, his growing acceptance was mentioned earlier in the book; second, "at least for a while" suggests Cassie knows something about the future plot, when the Ellimist gives Tobias the ability to morph back. Why would she think Tobias could ever return to being human? Seems like an odd slip-up from KA, like maybe she had already planned for Tobias to get his morphing ability back and this accidentally slipped into Cassie's internal narration.)
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