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Animorphs re-read 2020 Book Eight The Alien

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Book Eight The Alien

So here we come to Ax's first book and probably one of the best starring him. It's odd but Ax is almost the opposit of Cassie. Cassie gets different scenerios though often all made to make her stand out and look good while never changing as a character while Ax does change as a character but he retreads the same plot beats over and over again. He's constantly revisiting the whole caught between the Andalites and the Animorphs conflict without it ever really advancing even as he changes as a character. This book is one of the ones that handles that the best not just because it is the first time it happens but also because this book really offers the best experience of a lonely alien stuck on a strange world.

Now let's get to the point of the one thing in this book that annoys the crap out of me. Not the humans are special and learning super fast thing that's a conceit that shows up every where in all forms of sci fi.  No what annoys me is that this book strongly implies that the Yerk/Andalite war has been going on for centuries and then later we are told it was only a few human decades at most. Now both time lines have their problems since sustained war for centuries is hard to pull off realistically but the Yerks going so far in just a few decades is also irritating since it would be hard for them not to be crushed by the superior manufacturing capability of their opponents. I would have personally preferred a time line of about one to two hundred years or so with down times between conflicts. It would have worked far better for the Yerk's establishing a stable foot hold in parts of the galaxy and able to support war.

Now back to the meat of the book instead of structural problems with the whole series. Now in this book we get to see how Ax interacts with the others from his pov and it's interesting. We see that he considers Tobias the one he could have the most genuine friendship with and while like the romance this friendship is abit weakly written it does get better later in the series.  As to his interactions with the others Rachel and Marco both are suspisous of Ax and while we don't get too see too much of it it's nice to have it mentioned. The push and pull between Jake who doesn't want the authority but does want to be informed and Ax who's determined to give him the authority but won't trust him with all the information is interesting but we don't see enough of it.  Frankly it's his scenes with Cassie that are some of the best written in the book. Sure you have to ignore the rest of the series and what you know about it but if Cassie had been written like she was here she'd have been a lot more what her defenders claim her as instead of what she became. It is also nice to actually see Cassie's family show up briefly even though it does bug me a little. Unlike the off screen Jake portrayal from a few books ago this one we actually see and it raises questions of why CAssie's parents are so okay with her hanging around "Jake" alone so much.

It also raises the spector of why she's okay with Ax morphing a specific human out side of the emergency situation but then again no one else would ever know she let Ax do this and that does fit with her behavior. Object to the morality of something she doesn't like publicly but allow it or even do it herself if she wants to or decides it's necessary by her pov only.

But by far the best interactions are between Ax and his fellow aliens. The Yerk who wants revenge for the death of a loved one is a nice touch. Doesn't create any sympathy for the Yerks but it is a nice bit of world building.  The glimpses of Andalite society do a good job of laying the ground work for the not the greatest society after all build up but the best interaction is Ax and Alloran. It is absolutely haunting that we see Alloran all but broken begging to die and asking Ax to tell his wife and children that he still loves them.   It is also interesting that we get the first hints about the Yerks infiltrating the Andalite home world one of the most frustrating dropped plot lines in the entire series.

We also get one of Ax's best moments in the series when he calls back and delivers the message and then flat out says he's not going to let Earth be conquered. It is a powerful moment that unfortunately doesn't get the real follow up it deserves. Ax's taking the blame for humans getting morphing tech should have been a recurring theme.

Honestly that's the books' biggest flaw there's probably enough details in this book for at least two books but instead they are sandwiched together.  

All in all though the first Ax book is still one of my favorites.

[owxanimorphs]

Animorphs Re-read 2020 Megamorphs The Andalites Gift

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Megamorphs Book One: The Andalite's gift

Okay so here I briefly pause reading the main series to read Megamorphs #1. I have to say this is one of my favorites and does the best job of taking advantage of the multiple points of view. The Veleek is a credible threat and one that is actually defeated for good. Now there are few things that bug me but that's pretty normal for this series and are all things that just bug me in general. The idea of the Valeek is very interesting including the idea that it's a lifeform from Saturn.  The problem arises in that Visser Three never went and got another one or more than one.  Now there are possibly explanations but it wouldn't have hurt to put them in. Say they'd gone looking and only found the one. hell say this one was originally injured and that was why it was close enough to the top layer of Saturn's clouds to be found. Or show Visser three saying if the thing failed the scientist involved would all be eliminated. The fact this creature never appears again is a bit odd.

However, the biggest flaw is the Hollywood Amnesia plot involving Rachel. I have never cared for the badly done takes on Fugue states that often show up in pop culture as easy Amnesia so it detracts from the book. That said the plot does lead to some potentially interesting world building. The unbalanced former host in the woods and the popular fan theory that she's the woman they rescued in book one comes to mind. The idea that some folks escaped and fell through the cracks is a good one.

This book also does a better job of showing the kids being kids without the slightly forced feel that some times lurks around the edges of the main book series. The pool party and the stolen truck sequences are among the best examples of it in the whole series.  

The multiple narrators set up actually helps cut down on some of the biggest problems of the individual narrators for example Cassie is a lot less irritating in smaller doses and it cuts down on the character shilling when others need to encourage her. This plot line also much better than most because for once she actually screws up and acknowledges it and the plan they came up with works with the rules established so far. I mean I still don't care for the Hollywood  Dolphins and Whales but it was nice to see her normal moralizing about the morality of morphing species she deems worthy of respect be reduced to just a sentence for once. It also is one of the few times that the constant shilling of how she's the best at morphing is actually relevant and plays a role in the climax.

Though once again I have to point out how odd the way Cassie's parents treat her is. They don't seem even slightly phased that their daughter walked her friends out to the road and then didn't come back.  

Ax is another one that benifits from the more stream lined narration as there is less room for some of the repeating sequences he tends to get. This one does a much better job of showing his desire to avenge his brother contrasted with the fact he's a kid and that Andalite propaganda has screwed him over than his own books do at times since there wasn't time for too much comedy of errors.

Now let's discuss how this is one of the first books that makes direct mention of Rachel having a thing for Tobias. What makes it interesting is that it doesn't come up in the Rachel or Tobias section but instead in Jake's section. We learn that Cassie thinks Rachel has a thing for bird boy and that she's mentioned it to Jake. Quick aside this is one of the few books that even remotely works as a Jake and Cassie like each other book as little moments like this show they actually do more than just narrate how they kind of like each other. They actually seem to have potential for a real connection even as it shows how fundementally incompatiable they are in their reaction to the idea of Rachel and Tobias. Jake brings up how Cassie thinks it's romantic that Rachel might have feelings for Tobias where as Jake just sees it as sad given that Tobias is possibly never going to be human again. It just highlights the maturity disparity between the two of them and how one of them changes and the other doesn't.

Anyway that's it for the first Megamorph book next we head back to the main series with Ax's first book.

[owxanimorphs]

Animorphs Re-read 2020 The Stranger

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Book seven The Stranger

Okay so here we are the second Rachel book and the first appearnce of the Ellimist. I've always had mixed feelings about the Ellimist since he's really more of a plot device than a character and Applegate and company's later attempts at doing in the wizard with him are detrimental I feel to the series.

His role in the Stranger is probably the best we ever see featuring him. Really they should have left the Ellimist as portrayed here and while I do like the eventual introduction of Crayak as another player in a greater scope game they both got used too much and explained to much.  Honestly I think it would have worked much better if the series hadn't used a single Ellimist but instead gone with the original implication that they were a race. Could have even played around with Crayak as either another member or similar species. Plus it would have allowed for times with potentially different Ellimist that might not be the friendly bend the rules types and more stick to the script.

Anyway I should go back to the start of the book now. We open with yet another Animorphs intervene in an animal welfare situation. This time starring Rachel and Cassie. This sequence bugs me not because I disagree about what was going on with the circus but because of knowledge of future books. Namely this entire sequence reads as Cassie enabling Rachel's aggression to get something she wants. It might be unfair but given how big a deal the book makes later about Cassie standing up for her beliefs if she really disapproved she would do a lot more than follow along meekly. It reads as manipulative but that could just be my dislike and future knowledge causing me to project again.

We then get Rachel's personal story this time involving her father moving away and wanting her to live with him. I have to admit in these early books Rachel and Marco are the two who's family have the greatest impact on the plot. This book does a good job of showing how her parents divorce has affected her and it explains a lot about Rachel. One thing I really like about this book is that Rachel is much more observant than later books give her credit for. She notices that Marco is no longer trying to find some way out of the fight. I also think this is another book that hints at the potential chemistry between them and find it a bit sad that it never went anywhere.

We see a lot of Rachel's thought process in this book and it's very relatable even though there are the shadows of later problems there. Which brings me to the main thrust of the book the attempt to find the Kadronna and the Ellimist bending rules to help. On it's own it is one of the best books in the series playing at the greater scope game with knowledge of later books it loses a bit of punch. The problems as usual revolve around Cassie and her eventual role in the series.

Namely a big problem is Rachel saying she doesn't know why she and Cassie are friends. Now I know it's a common trope but it's one that always bugged me because in real life when folks who appear to be opposits are friends there is usually a reason. Sure most folks might not see it but the folks involved usually know what it is and the fact they don't reminds me again of kids who were friends because of proximity and how without the war they'd have probably eventually drifted away from each other.

There is also toward the end the beginning of the Cassie shilling early on it actually looks like she'll be shown to be wrong since she's the one willing to take the Ellimsit supposed deal to save the human race. However, toward the end when they see the bad future onward she starts having feelings about things and how they aren't seeing the bigger picture. It bugs me a bit because usually the narration character is allowed to be the star of the book and toward the end it almost becomes the Cassie show. Fortunately Rachel is the one that figures out the truth that the Ellimist is not really all knowing or all powerful and there are forces at work equal or great to him still but given what happens later in the series it's a bit shadowed.

Now let's talk about the bad future where Tobias was cooked and eaten. The most fascinating part to me is the six humans line that future Rachel said and how her and Visser three were not expecting Ax to be part of things. It's one of those interesting bits that is brushed aside and never really explored a missed opportunity. I mean it could imply the existence of a multiverse of possibilities or just that the Ellimist is even more manipulative than you'd think creating a whole fictional universe just to manipulate them into doing something

Anyway that's it for book seven next up the first Megamorphs book

[owxanimorphs]

Animorphs Re-read 2020 The Capture

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Book six The Capture

So here we are the second Jake book and it's also the first book where the Animorphs series really starts to hit it's stride. If you compare the start of this book to the first book in the series it becomes obvious how much being the leader is beginning to affect Jake. This book also shows a very real flaw in Applegate's writing that doesn't get talked about as much as the other flaws in the series. Namely that she and the others involved in this series cannot write romance.  The attraction between Jake and Cassie is front and center in this book but it isn't handled well at all. The problem is that it doesn't matter which pairing it is every one written in animorphs follows the same pattern. Whoever narrating gushes about them some what and we told they like each and that's about it.  There isn't much in the way of actual chemistry and honestly they still act more like friends than people actually interested in romance. Part of it of course is the age the books were aimed at but I've seen books aimed even younger that manage to at least give the very real impression that two folks are actually attracted to each other in a way the animorphs series never does. It's very much a told and not shown situation. It makes the chemistry that occaisionally shows up between characters not meant to show any attraction to each ohter stand out so much more because it's unintentional but reads better than the canon romance.

But leaving aside the stilted teehee, let's talk about the situation with Jake spying on his brother. When you consider that earlier Jake was against using his brother to spy on the yerks but is now doing it. You begin to see the leader Jake will become and the sacrifices he'll make. His dream of stalking his brother and his brother turning into him as he attacks is a pretty good metaphor for his mental state.  The roach bit and getting stuck behind the fridge is the standard comedy bit in the book so there isn't much to say. The discussion at the barn is interesting though it does have shades of Cassie is so special which makes it a bit irritating. Though as usual I'm left wondering if it's really that irritating or is my knowledge of later events making an innocent interaction of Cassie being worried about her friend into something it isn't. That's a very big problem with doing a re-read you know what happens later.

One of the most interesting bits of this section is that Jake is already considering the potential for how their war can harm Tom and how it might be necessary no matter how much he doesn't want it. None of the others have ever even approached that idea and Cassie flat out rejects it. Which without knowledge of future events just reads as a kid who doesn't get that war isn't pretty but with them is a glaring neon sign about how selfish she is and how she prioritises the effect on people she cares about over any strategic thinking.

The roach spying sequence is up next and I rather like it because Visser three actually shows a bare minimum of competence realizing that the bugs could be spying on them. The poisoned Jake sequence is also tense and horrifying without being over done.

Then we get what is clearly meant to be a break with Jake, Cassie and Rachel at the mall but it just reads far too much like "hello fellow kids" so I'm not going to talk about it.  So let's move onto the far more interesting hospital scenes.

This is when the book really begins to shine and I have to admit watching Jake boil the yerks to death in the Jacuzzi is always interesting given how the writing in the final books treated similar situations. As harsh as it was Jake made the right decision those yerks were going to be used to enslave folks agianst their will. It is especially interesting because Jake gets infested right after this and we see first hand what being a Yerk host is like.  The later books attempt to make you feel sorry for the Yerks always kind of falls flat just on concept alone but this book shows exactly why it fails.  One of the most chilling things about the interaction between Jake and the Yerk is that this spells out that Gedd's are aware, they have names. The Gedd's get glossed over a lot even the Andalites write them off. I've always been really uncomfortable with the tone the series takes when it comes to intelligence, you see it with the Hork Bajir and you see it with the Gedds. They are more simple so they don't rate the compassion that is awarded even to the Yerks but those are discussions for other book posts.

The other sequences between Jake and the Yerk as also very interesting. It sheds light on how the Yerk's see things and the fundamental difference between most Yerks and Humanity. Yerks will not fight a loosing battle the species has a fatalist streak which plays into how the final conflict is resolved even if the writers like to imply a certain act wasn't necessary.  Now let's talk about two final points first leaning more about how Tom got infested is tragic and seeing how broken he is by the whole experience once again makes the later shift to let's pity the yerks irritating as fuck.

Then there is the first appearance of Crayak though we won't learn anything about him until later it is a chilling moment and does work well as a could it be important or is it just a bit of wierdness.

Anyway that's it for the capture up next The Stranger.

[owxanimorphs]

After the First cycle of Narrators

Obsidianwolf's Animorphs 2020 re-read Thoughts so far

Okay so I've finished my re-read of the first Five books and since book six is the first with a repeat Narrator I thought I'd give my thoughts so far on the first five.

The main plot is very well established and we get some absolutely heart rending moments such as when Mellissa's parents fight against the Yerks for the sake of their daughter and the real Chapman even tells off Visser Three to his face. We also get a rather rosy picture of the Andalites, yerk politics and see how the kids started out.

The books do have some obvious weak points though, I mean  early on they get out of messes far to much by out side factors.

As to the Animorphs themselves

We see Jake as a slightly more mature ordinary teen who gets shoved into the role of leader.

We see Rachel and how a strong sense of justice and a need to be needed will make her do whatever it takes to defeat the yerks.

We see Marco who desperately doesn't want to get involved but keeps getting dragged in anyway.

We see Tobias and find out how deeply fucked up he already was and see that it is only going to get worse.

We see Ax and see glimpses of how naive he can be, how arrogant he can be about his people.

We see Cassie and see that she's empathetic but we also see shades of how manipulative, reckless and self centered she can be. Traits that will get more prominent in time and be excused by the narrative constantly.

Before I begin the next Cycle of Five in my re-read I will be taking a brief break to read one new book and re-read at least one favorite that has nothing to do with Animorphs.  If I don't then I'll very quickly burn out on them and not finish my re-read.

[owxanimorphs]

Animorphs re-read 2020 The Predator

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Book Five The Predator

So now we come to the first Marco book and the turning point where his arc really begins. Before this Marco was just dragged along with the others after this well he's got a reason to be involved. The opening also does a nice job of showing his character. He barges in to save the guy and then when the guy is frightened and turns on him he grumbles about it. Which does a good job of summing up Marco’s character. He’s actually a lot more selfless than he wishes he was but he is going to complain non stop about it.

We also get his first glimpse of how he sees the others and it's mostly the same old same old though he's clearly in denial about Cassie being manipulative. He jumps to the she's not manipulative statement way to fast which means he's probably thought of it and dismissed it because she's genuine and nice. Which is a blind spot a lot of folks have even though someone being manipulative has very little bearing on if they appear nice or not. Hell people can manipulate folks they genuinely care about either consciously for their own good or unconsciously because they are just manipulative by nature. Cassie is selfish enough and convinced of her own righteousness so she can easily be read as the t ype to manipulate others for their own good or whatever Cassie says is their own good.

You also see his chemistry with Rachel which in another life might have led to the two having a relationship but again the war and what it did to them destroyed any chance of that. However, the most interesting thing is how he views Tobias because his reaction to Tobias flips the script to the others they see Marco as trying to make Tobias feel better with his still joking around but this makes it clear the joking is to avoid thinking about how it could happen to him.

Now let's move onto the main thrust of the book which is Ax's plan to steal a ship to get home. I have to admit it is refreshing to see the Advanced alien as the more naive one. Ax is clearly a kid and hasn't started to change like they have yet. His head is full of Andalite propaganda and he's convinced of his people's own righteousness.  Now in later books Ax's fixation on taste and bouts of Andalite arrogance are irritating at times especially when he's not the main character. He can be irritating when he's narrating but as a side character it can be even worse because it'll be his only real role in the book. Once I finish my reread I'll decide which character tended to have the most irritating ax. I can remember clearly that he was the most likable in the Marco and Tobias books but as to the other three I can't fully recall which narrator had the most irritating version of Ax.

Anyway the mall scene ends badly and they have to become Lobsters this is one of those horrifying vignettes that's meant to set up later troubles namely the ant morph. Now the ant morph bits are truly horrific and one of the first big signs of the series tendency to include a lot of body horror at times. Sure the early books have featured some but the ants are where it really starts to shine. It also introduces the creepiness of the hive mind phenomenon which is an interesting take on things.

So they get the transmitter and nearly die. Which brings us to the big action peace of this their attempt to steal a bug fighter that blows up in their faces when none of them ever consider that their trap might go wrong. The fact they only escape cause Visser One wants to embarass Visser Three is something I am torn on. It works in it sets up the conflict between the Vissers and yerk politics but at the same time it's a bit of an ass pull that they got out it. Still it's not that bad so I can roll with it.

But now let's get to the best part of the book Marco's journey from ready to quit to full support brought on by him learning Visser One's hose body is his mother. The whole story is wrapped up in how he isn't as selfish as he wishes he was. His worry about Ax's family and relating it to his situation with his dad and mom is why he was even there to find out. In a lot of ways it shows how Marco is more selfless than a lot of the ones that some fans insist is the heart of the team. He also shows an awareness of what to come how the war is going to break them some day.

Anyway good book and the last of the first cycle of Narrators.

[owxanimorphs]

The Marco is one too defense....

I nearly worked this into my upcoming post book 5 but I think it’ll work better if I just say it here.

I really hate when folks try to defend against criticism of Cassie’s preferential treatment in the narrative by insisting that Marco is also a creator self insert.

Because yes Marco is also an author avatar for one of the folks involved but Marco is also still a dynamic character that fits the narrative world without breaking it.

Way to many people get hung up on the idea that Mary Sues/Gary Stu’s/Author Avatars/Wish fulment vehicals what ever you want to call them are bad. Nothing could be further from the truth like any type of character they can be the most self inserty of all wish fullment characters and still be part of a great story or they can stick out like a sore thumb.

In the case of Animorphs we have two admitted author favorites from the two primary driving forces. Now why one was competently written and the other turned into a creator’s pet who sits at the center of most of the flaws of the work is one of those things folks can only speculate on. I mean personally I don’t really care why all I will talk about in my re-read is how one of them doesn’t work and magnifies the book series flaws a great deal and the other fits in very well.

[owxanimorphs]

Animorphs Re-read 2020 The Message

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Book Four: The Message

Since I make no secret of my dislike of Cassie what I'm about to say may sound strange but this is one of the best of the early books and it is hands down the best Cassie book in the entire series in my opinion. Now in hindsight all the normal problems with Cassie are there but at this point in the narrative they haven't grown into real problems. At this point it could have been part of the arc that she should have had.

An interesting thing to observe about Cassie in this opening of this book is her tendency to decide on a course of action that is flawed and stick to it appears fairly early. Her turning into a squirrel to find out what is taking their birds is heavily flawed and nearly gets her eaten by Tobias and/or a Fox and just like her later bad ideas it some how works out.

Another interesting bit is one of the strengths folks point to in an attempt to defend Cassie is how well she reads people and this book does show she has some talent in that area. Though it also shows it as very superficial she does clue in on how people are very well but only on a surface layer. Honestly just enough to manipulate them. All of her observations of her friends are technically accurate but just scratch the surface even with so little in the way of seeing them.  Which is just another example of how a character like Cassie who wasn't a creator's pet could have been very interesting because that skill set can be wonderfully helpful or downright dangerous often both at the same time and that is never acknowledged by the narrative outside of incidents where other character praise her for it.

We also get our first dose of Cassie's moral dilemmas that aren't moral dilemmas at all in her reluctance to morph Dolphins. Now It does show an interesting facet to her character that isn't actually intentional. She likes Dolphins and thinks they are smarter than other animals so it's wrong to morph them. Yet she ignores that Gorilla's and elephants are also highly social intelligent animals that show awareness of things just like dolphins.  Hell even wolves are highly social and show traits like mourning so if she's going to have this faux moral delima about turning into a dolphin she should have it about nearly everything but she doesn't she rates the importance of animals on her feelings about right and wrong not on any objective measurement. Of course part of that is simply author ignorance on things but that only applies out of universe in universe Cassie is just biased.  Which in a competently written arc could have been a really interesting character flaw.

Instead it just eventually turns into a major annoyance.  It isn't as pronounced here so it's more tolerable as long as you tune out any knowledge  you have of later works. Now I like that the message is transmitted as dreams and connected to the morphing tech but frankly I once again get a bit too annoyed with only Cassie and Tobias receiving it. Again I'd have been fine with others getting them later but once again it is Cassie is special and this was back when Tobias was going to be important before that went away so they are the only two who get it.

I suppose now we need to address the standard sci fi plot of whales and dolphins being even more intelligent than we actually think they are. The Hollywood whales and dolphins are a bit annoying the dolphins are too nice(read up on real dolphins some times) but since it's standard sci fi fare it's forgivable even though I think their inclusion is probably the weakest part of the book.

Now let's discuss Marco's near death and the conversation Cassie has with him. Taken just by itself it's almost touching but combined with knowledge of later books it really reads like Cassie needs him to make her feel better about things. That's the biggest issue I keep having in this reread I can tune out a lot of what's to come but the parts that really irritate me stand out.  Cassie and Marco's dynamic here in a competent arc would have been a real asset to the series but it was never allowed to grow realistically instead becoming what it eventually becomes.

Now let's discuss two final bits the first is the introduction of Ax who will be an important character in the series even if I get slightly annoyed at the set up for the two biggest annoyances. The Prince Jake don't call me Prince bit which gets repeated way to often and then the everyone is wierded out by Ax's human form bit. I wouldn't have minded it if he faded but they keep harping on it constantly.

Still Ax's introduction does help bring home more of the stakes to them which again in a competent arc would have led to folks like Cassie developing like the others do but that was never allowed to happen.

And now the very end when Cassie sneaks out to play with the Dolphins. This ending is meant to be cute and all but it bugs me. She's risking discovery by Security to go play with the Dolphins. Anyway that's book four done.

[owxanimorphs]

Animorphs Re-read 2020 The Encounter

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Book Three: The Encounter

Ah yes the first Tobias book which are some of the most interesting but also some of the most cringe inducing as you see just how broken bird boy is. This one probably starts out with him in the healthiest mental state he'll ever be in. Yes he's stuck as a hawk but he's willing to accept help.

We start of course with him and Rachel freeing a Hawk from a cage. This sequence is interesting in that it is only there to set up the  conflict in him and allow him to spot the Yerk tanker ship. I have to admit I absolutely love the description of the cloaked ship. It is one of the more interesting takes on a cloaked vehical since it's still detectable by it's effect on the environment  if you look closely but most would look past it. Far more believable than a perfect camouflage that some how avoided disturbing anything.

We see more of the gang's early dynamics with Marco being able to see the big picture but wanting to avoid it and Cassie playing peacemaker when it suits her. Which now we need to talk about something that bugs me about this book. Jake's attempts to make a space for Tobias are interesting but raise a really big red flag. Namely it is perfectly understandable for Jake not to know how best to take care of Tobias and for Tobias being Tobias not to tell him he's doing it wrong.

However, Cassie the girl raised in an animal rehab clinic should have known and should have been involved in making arrangements for Tobias. I mean I know the real reason is that the writer never thought about it and needed the situation in Jake's house to be unsuited to him being there so he'd go semi feral but real world reasons don't apply when you deal with in universe situations. Which means I am left wondering why Cassie didn't supply any help at all for Tobias dealing with his situation.  At the very least she should have supplied diet information and where they could get proper nutrition for him. He might not have gone feral if his nutrition needs were being met. The most generous interpretation is that she just didn't think about it though that brings up some disturbing implications but it's still less disturbing then some of the others.

But moving on now we need to discuss Tobias break down and temptation by the female hawk. Both are signs of how this situation is causing Tobias to unravel and lose mental stability. What makes Tobias situation so stark and hopeless is that while there are ways to help him adjust the others never think to offer them and he refuses to ask for them. He basically gas lights himself by the end of the novel into thinking he's now something neither human or bird as a survival mechenism. It's understandable but creepy to watch. Even more so knowing what's coming in later novels.

Of course we'll cover all of that in future novels so now let's discuss the plan our heroes come up with to find out what's going on. Morphing the wolves was smart but I can't help but notice shades of out dated ideas about wolves lurking around. Which leads to them discovering what the Yerks are doing and Marco seeing a way they could use this to their advantage which leads to a really good idea and a horrible plan. It makes sense that they'd fail to see how the ways it could go wrong at this point in the story but it is very clear that they got damn lucky getting out of this situation.

On the surface their plan works and is pretty good for inexperienced child soldiers but none of them even consider the idea that the tank might be sealed. Or all the other ways it could go wrong. It was only sheer luck that Tobias managed to damage the ship in a way that got them out alive.

Now let's talk about the ending and sets up what could have been a really interesting dynamic that isn't allowed to be explored sadly. Tobias is beginning to see the world like a predator that could have been a really interesting perspective to bring to the discussions but sadly it rarely gets used and when it does it is usually set up so someone can disagree and be proven right.

In the end The Encounter is pretty good as story of one kid slowly unraveling and less good as an action story cause they only got out of there by luck.

[owxanimorphs]

Animorphs Re-read 2020 the Visitor

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Book Two: The Visitor

So Book two it's not as strong as the first one but it does have one of the most powerful illustrations of the effect of the Yerk Invasion on folks not involved in teh fight. The opening of this book has the kids being kids and since it is Rachel's first turn Narrating we get to see her view point for the first time.

I mentioned last time that they read like the type of friends only young kids form. The ones based on proximity and time spent together.  I'm sure everyone has friendships like that in their past and it is very obvious here. Rachel talks a lot about the others in the beginning when they are playing around as birds but at the same time it reads more like a group held together by proximity instead of real friendship. The only one she talks about having things in common with is Jake.  Everyone else she talks about just mentioning a few generic traits. It's an interesting question if they'd have remained friends without the sheer forged in fire banded together by the fight nature of what happened over the next few years.

She was already drifting away from Melissa because of being unaware of the stress in Melissa's life. Whose to say it wouldn't have eventually happened with Cassie as well. Speaking of Cassie this is an interesting book because her actions in the book are helpful and actually playing the peace maker she's often said to be with on real evidence. However, knowing what comes later and how she'll eventually come to think of Rachel it adds an edge of manipulation in how I read her words. She's quick to agree with Jake and Marco and then soothe Rachel's ego about the stunt with the creep.

Which let's talk about the creep following a teenage girl and trying to get her into the car. To the kids it's a fun sequence where Rachel scares off someone to an adult reading it well it's a lot more chilling since the odds are very good if he'd gotten her in the car she'd be in for a bad time and very possibly dead.  Strategically it was stupid to spook the guy but it was understandable.

Speaking of strategy we get our first look at Jake's talent for seeing the big picture and Marco's strategic thinking. Marco is the one who sees how exactly reckless Rachel's actions where and Jakes has already figured out that Tom is expendable to the Yerks and realized they can't use Tom to spy on the Yerks.

Which now brings us to the adventures in cat catching. I get that this is meant to be a light moment in the book but it goes on a bit too long. Though it does show how out of touch Cassie is about things she keeps recommending her friends get a rabies shot which is a good idea but she seems completely out of touch at how difficult that would be for folks not living and working on a wildlife rehabilitation clinic. I mean they could take turns turning into an animal and biting each other to get the shots(by saying a stray bit them) but otherwise there would probably be questions and at least it would need parental permission if they showed up at the doctors asking for them.

This brings up a point completely unrelated to this book but Cassie's parents are by far the least involved of all the parents in their kids lives. In the previous book Cassie didn't come home to eat Dinner and her parents were really chill about that. Their twelve/thirteen year old kid didn't come home and a friend called looking them and no alarm bells. In some ways they almost seem more like plot devices to supply animals than actual people. Sure all the parents are out of focus but hers are even more so.

Anyway back to the get the cat sequence. The whole shrew bit is really just for flavoring about morphing and of course there's the mistake where Cassie says Rachel has more morphs than any of them when she only has the same amount as Jake. Of course screw ups like that are all over the series and are something you just have to deal with.

We then get one of the series lovely nightmare sequences culminating in a rather enlightening scene involving one of Rachel's siblings. This moment begins to show how the animorphs are drifting away from their families and gave a hint of how close Rachel was to her siblings before this. It does fit with how I see Rachel as someone who needed to be needed.

Then we get to school and see the beginnings of the reveal about Melissa's life with her breaking down just after Jake and Rachel bond over having nightmares after morphs that have gone wrong. Next we get a skip over a few days and then it's time for the mission. Rachel of course is warned not to get cocky with her natural confidence mixed with a cat's attitude.

The sequence in the basement is a very well done one tense but in a realistic way. The fact Visser Three several times admires cats of various sizes has always amused me. It is one of the most human for lack of a better word moments with him.

We follow that up with the first real show of how the Yerks under him hate his guts and the signs that he's completely and utterly incompetent. We also then get the absolutely heartbreaking moment where Rachel finally understands what has happened to Melissa. This moment is also telling because we see Rachel's sense of justice and how she's willing to do whatever it takes to end the threat. A moment that foreshadows the rest of her arc very well.

Of course next is the meeting where Marco is clearly in full deflector mode and we get the second time in the book when Cassie actually does what her defenders claim she does. This time doesn't have the manipulator vibes that the other scene does to me as this one feels far more natural.   Or it does until she clues in that Rachel is hiding something and then definitely goes manipulative. It's one of those moments that again remind you of how things could have gone if Cassie wasn't a creator's pet that was never allowed to be wrong. Because Cassie would have been far more interesting if the series acknowledged her dark side.

So next we get the Jake as a flea and Rachel getting caught sequence all in all it's interesting but not really worth discussing. What is worth discussing is the moment with the Real Chapman and his wife fighting to keep their daughter from being infested. It is one of the few moments that truly brings home how horrible the yerks are and makes the track the books occasionally take about the yerks should be pitied really hard to take seriously. It is also why I absolutely hate the inclusion of Chapman in the Andalite chronicles as one of the ones at fault for the invasion but that's a rant for when I get to that book.

The ending action sequence is again pretty good but not stellar outside of the human Chapman getting to tell off Visser Three. Then after they escape we have the ending where Rachel leaves the note for Melissa. I some times think Melissa should have eventually become more involved in the plot but sadly she just drifts away which is it's own way is realistic.

Anyway I don't like The Visitor as much The Invasion but it's still over all a good book.

[owxanimorphs]

Animorphs Re-read 2020 The Invasion

Obsidianwolf X Re-Reads Animorphs 2020 Book One: The Invasion

So I've finished the first book in my 2020 re-read and well it reminds me why I originally fell in love with this series and why at times I'm incredibly frustrated by it. Since Jake is the first narrator we get his view of the others and a brief glimpse of their pre-animorphs lives.  It is very apparent that most of their initial relationships were family and school yard friends based on proximity. They weren't old enough yet to really drift away from the friendships they'd formed in earlier years and start basing them on things other than proximity and initial meeting.  Jake and Marco were clearly childhood friends and so where Cassie and Rachel. Family ties then had Rachel and Jake hanging around each other enough that Jake had time to form a crush on Cassie and Rachel most likely had one on Marco.

The only one who didn't fit into that mold of family or school yard friends was Tobias and he was quiet clearly the bullied kid who gravitated to the kid who stood up for him.  Though the first book still shows how utterly broken he is since it very heavily implied he got himself stuck as a Hawk on purpose. Now it's possible he didn't mean to do it but on some level he wanted to be a Hawk forever but didn't really think it through.

I said in my before the re-read post that Jake ended up the leader because he was slightly more mature than the others and I still feel that way. The most telling about that is his interactions with Marco in this book because while Marco is far more world wise and aware of how bad things can go he’s still immature enough to think he can ignore the problem.  He is the only one that really gets what they are risking not just for themselves and their families but he refuses to grasp that the Invasion is on going and ignoring it won't make it go away. For all his if Tom is a controller you might have to kill him gotcha was meant to make Jake back off. Jake was mature enough to eventually accept it and agree with Marco. He like the others was very much a kid but he was the only one actually weighing the risks in any capacity outside of just emotional response. So it isn't that surprising that the others pretty much made him the leader by default.  

Moving onto to the girls Rachel often gets pigeon holed as gung ho eager for combat but I suspect it was more that Rachel has a need to be needed. You don't see it as clearly in this book but in the next few it is obvious that Rachel is very popular but tends to be very loyal and tries to be what her friends need. I imagine it had a lot to do with her parents being divorced so she had to be the good girl picking up the slack as her parents were fighting. She got into the habit of being what folks needed her to be and unfortunately the other Animorphs need someone to be the aggressive one, the gung ho one, the violent one.

Cassie in the first book shows a lot of her major issues as a character. She decides she knows better and follows Jake to the Sharing Members only meeting and gets herself noticed. There was no reason for her to do that it wasn't like he was gone long enough for it to be worth the risk and I doubt she told the others were she was going. She acted unilaterally. She also most likely killed the Controller who targeted her or at the very least set back while he died. The fact it's never brought up again is a major disappointment.  She also very clearly romanticizes their struggle as if they are fighting for Mother Earth. Cassie being naturally gifted at morphing at first seems like just a way to avoid the naked kids/teenagers problem but in hindsight feels more like an early warning sign of her creator's pet status. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if it was just her starting out with a higher natural aptitude and the others get better in time but instead it was a rare and special talent even among the race that created morphing.

You also very clearly see the conflicts that each of them should have had to face moving forward start to form. Some of them will face moving forward. Rachel and Cassie should have had to come to grips with the reality of war. Rachel does and Cassie most assuredly does not but the narrative rewards Cassie and punishes Rachel. Marco had to find a reason to fight and eventually does. Jake had to deal with being the leader and dealing with the very real fear of never getting Tom back and lastly Tobias had to deal with being no longer physically human and finding his new place in the world.  Jake does and even makes the hard choice to end his brother's life. However, Tobias never really does and it's sad but thematically appropriate unlike what happened with Cassie and Rachel.

My absolute favorite sequence in the book is Elfangor's arrival and the aftermath in the unfinished construction site. It works absurdly well for establishing things in a way that makes sense to the reader while also bringing an actual sense of urgency. It does a very good job of establishing the mood of the series and the nature of the enemy. The fact it's followed up on with the cop and Tom bits works very well.

The biggest disappointment of the book well it has to circle back to the cop. It's partially hindsight talking but it's pretty clear that Cassie had something to do with his death. However, it never comes up again and Cassie will later care more about a freaking termite queen then she did this human being enslaved against his will. It does fit the pattern I mentioned in my before the re-read post about how Cassie places value on others by how much she empathizes with them. She felt for the bug because she'd been a bug and pictured herself in it's role. The cop was just a threat to deal with. Which if she'd had an actual arc could have been great but it's just the earlist example of her hypocrisy and knowing where it leads in later books bugs me.

I suppose I could talk about the errors but I've long sense learned to ignore the errors in mid grade books churned out by scholastic. I can either fan wank it or just ignore it. So I mostly ignore the little errors and fan wank the others away to my satisfaction.

All in all I still really enjoy the book.

[owxanimorphs]

Before the re-read more characters

This is my second and last before the re-read post. I was going to do more but the local libraries have closed so family members who also read are going to reread the books after I do so I'll just cover a few more of the big characters here.

Let's start with Elfangor who is often hailed as along with Ax the only reason the Andalites aren't seen as even bigger dicks. I have to admit I have mixed feelings about Elfangor and that's because even after the shall we say tarnishing of the Andalites shining image the writers were afraid to tarnish his too much.  I actually feel it's to the books detriment and The andalite chronicles bug me a lot. However, that's a discussion for when I get to that book. I will say I've always found the moment where Jake vents the tank being negatively contrasted with Elfangor not venting it to really bug me but again that's a discussion for the actual book. There's a strong argument for it being necessary for their victory when Jake did it and it just being petty when Elfangor stopped it.

Now let's talka bout his rival Visser Three. I absolutely love that Visser Three is completely incompetant as a leader. He's a perfect illustration of someone who had one advantageos moment that helped him rise to prominence and then proved to be incompetent but thanks to a combination of privilege (his host) and the corruption in the ranks of the Yerks he was never held accountable.  One only has to look at idiots in charge on our current world stage who can't handle situations but are still unfortunately sitting in massive positions of power to see how easily it happens even in the real world.

Now let's discuss the Ellimist who is less of a character and more of a plot device. Frankly I always thought it was mistake to try to demystify the Ellimist because his origin doesn't make him any more relatable and actually makes him  even more clearly into the lesser of two evils.

Now let's speak about the greater evil Crayak and the Drode. The fact the Drode always speaks for Crayak is the more interest thing about them. You can easily read it as Crayak has lost it's direction in it's ascension to a higher plane and that the drode is the real intelligence behind their game. Or you could until the Ellimist chronicles.

I think I'll stop here and begin my re-read. First post should go up in a few days because I'm going to hopefully take a bit of time on them.

[owxanimorphs]

Before the Re-read the Animorphs

Okay before I begin my re-read this is my thoughts on the main cast based on my memory of the last times I read the books (which varies between a few months ago for some and several years for others)

Let's get the hard one out of the way first. I'll start with my thoughts on Cassie. I make no secret that Cassie is the only Animorph I actively dislike. In a way it is tragic because as I've said before Cassie had potential as a character. A character with a very black and white viewpoint and a strong desire to stick to their point of view no matter the cost being confronted with the messy nature or war could have been a gold mine for interesting story lines. Instead Cassie is cast as the voice of morality and the conscience of the group which is a role she is absolutely terrible at. Because in the end she's no more moral than the rest of them (arguably actively even less moral) and her being right is more a function of being creators pet than any real logical story progression. Things work out for her because the creators say even when it breaks the story or contradicts established facts.

In Essence everything wrong with Cassie is everything wrong with the books as a whole which makes her a pretty big example of what not to do in writing. However, even if you ignore all that and focus only her personality she is still lacking. When first introduced Cassie is your typical childish self centered idealist. She puts great value on the things she cares about and tries not to thinka bout things that contradict that view point. Then she doens't really change she's a static character.

There is one redeeming factor about Cassie that is interesting but since it was unintentional I can't give complete credit to the creators for it. Cassie is a perfect example of everything wrong with Empathy as a stand in for goodness. Cassie is actually a very empathic character but she is also a very selfish character. Once she empathises with someone they become "Good" in her mind and she'll bend over backwards to justify making decisions that would negatively effect folks she isn't empathising with. It also informs how she is determined to stay in others good graces and only fights them when she can play the martyr.  Which reminds me of my wish that David had stuck around longer and been a foil to Cassie for a while because they really are starkly similar characters in most regards except Cassie has an almost over developed sense of Empathy (to the point she can be okay with horrendous shit if she empathizes with the ones doing it) and David has almost none outside of the things he cares out.  They are both also able to manipulate people to get what they want. And they read people very well to keep in their good graces or really hurt them if they piss them off enough.

But that isn't what this post is about so to sum up my view on Cassie is that she had potential but what we got was a horrendous character and the biggest disappointment of the books.

Now let's move onto another hard one to talk about and that is Tobias. When I first read the books oh so long ago I way over identified with Tobias but then I was a messed up lonely kid so it's not that surprising. Looking back on them as an adult it flew over my head back then how utterly fucked up Tobias is. This is not a healthy kid even before he got stuck as a hawk. Tobias was clearly already borderline suicidal even before the hawk thing and afterwards it and everything else in many ways turned into a much slower long and detailed decline into an early death. Tobias hated himself so he chose to give up all humanity forever. Which brings us to the problem with Tobias and that is the narrative never acknowledges how fucked up his situation is. Sure some of the other characters come close but they never fully grasp it.Tobias is in many ways one of the other great disappointments of the books because early on they clearly drop hints that he has a major role to play in things to the point where the freaking Ellimist preserves his existence by bending space time twice once to keep him around and then to ensure the animorphs happened and then the plot line is abandoned in favor of creators pet Cassie being the most important and special.

Now I love stories where the chosen one isn't that chosen after all but that needs to be intended from the beginning when you heavily lay on the foreshadowing that this is going to be an important element you need to address it. Instead the potential story line just peters out in a way that doesn't amount to anything not even a subversion. Tobias then sticks around to be a general misery magnet and to have the most unhealthy relationship possible with Rachel.

I mean I know stories change direction in production and over time and some times that leads to better stories and some times it leads to obvious dropped plot lines and a general degrading of quality. Animorphs sadly is in the second category.  Part of it of course was the real world rush to churn out the books for Schoolastic but parts of it were clearly the writers getting a bit too enamored of their pets and how they wanted things to end.

I'm getting off topic again. My view on Tobias is that he's an interesting character and one that you can pity but man is that boy fucked up.

Now let's move onto Ax the Andalite Animorph and the other one besides Cassie and Tobias who ends up kind of one note. Ax plays an interesting role since hes alien and the books do a good job of showing an alien viewpoint. Far better in his case than many of the other aliens. It helps that he's basically a slacker alien who was a poor student and probably only got brung along on the ship because his big brother pulled some strings.  

Ax is also a prime example of another time when the potential of the story gets left by the way side. Ax's torn loyalties should have come up more than they did and should have had more lasting repercussions. Way too often he'll get reduced to joke one note status when he should be figuring into things more. I don't have much more to say about him since I really remember as liking him but thinking he was wasted several times.

And now we'll move onto Marco a character who when I first read the books annoyed the crap out of me but as I grew older grew on me a great deal. Marco is a wonderful example of a character who can be obnoxious to protect themselves and despite being the other creators pet he is allowed to actually change in ways that are both good and bad so he's not another Cassie. The fact he's even allowed to disagree with her at least temporarily and call her on her BS very rarely also helps. Marco is also very realistic in that he reacts like many people would and for a lot of folks it would take somethign that affected them personally to make them fight as hard as the kids had to end up fighting.

Of course there is still one irritating thing about Marco and that's how he's often forced into the role of the complainer is wrong some times for the others (esp Cassie) to be right. It's a role he shares wtih Rachel she'll suggest the violent solution so it can be rejected and he'll suggested the better strategic solution but it'll be rejected for being wrong.

So final thoughts on Marco slightly annoying at times but very realistic and really grows on you.

Now let's talk about Rachel and this is the character whose fate pisses me off the most. I have no problem with character death in a story but Rachel's death is treated by the creators as necessary and it bleeds into the narrative abit and that really pisses me off.  She's also unfortunately the one who gets the most chaotic characterization as depending on teh writer how aggressive she is varies. Not to mention the books that paint her as a control freak. Of course you can hand wave it as the stress getting to her in different less pretty ways but that raises it's own problems with with how the narrative treats her. She's often also used as a foil to shill for Cassie and that bugs me. She and her cousin get the most discussion of Cassie's moral superiority though everyone gets a turn on it.  

And what is really sad is that she only gets to really call out Cassie and the others very rarely even though they are some of the most satisfying moments in the entire series. She's right when she calls out that the others need her to be the blood thirsty one. She's actually someone clearly sacrificing for the greater good but the narrative treats her as a blood knight. It really pisses me off and while her relationship with Tobias isn't even remotely healthy it makes a lot of sense because the others treat her as damaged and thanks to his neediness he'll never look at her as a monster like the others tend to do to make themselves feel better.

I'll make one final observation and that's that poor Rachel may have died twice in the series the first time being the starfish incident. Cause the Rachel that was split in half would never exist again. The two Rachels may have been re-merged but they had each had time to begin to diverge so what was formed out of them would be a new Rachel. Hell a lot of her issues later in the series could have been a direct result of that and it would make perfect sense.

Final thoughts on Rachel she deserved so much better and was probably one of the more selfless animorphs but gets written off by the narrative as just a blood knight too damaged to live.

Now let's move onto Jake who is actually my favorite character. I know a lot of folks find him boring and generic at first but that's exactly why he's the character that interest me the most because even more than the others he was just a kid when this mess started. You can see the seeds of who everyone else turned out to be in who they were at the start but Jake was just a kid who was slightly more mature and better able to mediate.  That got him forced into the leadership Role and from there for good or ill that's the role he got stuck with. Like Rachel he became exactly what the others needed him to be and at times it wasn't pretty.  

I mean it's so easy to picture how the others would have turned out, Cassie would have ended up one of those activist who says a lot of good things but is very much a walking illustration of perfect is the enemy of good with her probably doing more harm than help to her causes by turning folks off with her my way or the highway stance.  Rachel would have excelled at whatever chosen path she took with incredible zeal and bending herself to be what folks in her life needed. Ax would have lived in the shadow of his brother as a semi competent warrior at best, Tobias would have remained very fucked up and Marco would have done what it took to not be poor and mask all his hurts with laughter and entertaining folks.  Jake on the other hand is the one that just sort of was. He could end up really generic or find something he's good at and make it his life.

Instead he was given the role of responsibility and for the most part he carried the burden though his putting Cassie on a pedestal constantly was one part character flaw and one part character shilling by the creators. It was a realistic flaw he liked her and wanted her to like him. That was very human and relatable but his constant support for some of her more stupid moments crossing the line into plot induced stupidity.

One part that is really sad is that he's often compared with Elfangor and the narrative takes the appraoch that he falls short but honestly to me Jake comes off as more of a success than Elfangor and I wish the narrative acknowledged it. Of course I'll share my thoughts on Elfangor in another post.

There is more I could go into but this post has gotten long enough for now so final Thoughts on Jake generic kid forced to grow up even faster than others. Has an irritating blind spot when it comes to Cassie but over all my favorite of the kids.

[owxanimorphs]

Before the Re-Read Begins...

I will do a series of posts that are my views on major Animorphs characters based on my memory of them and then once the re-read is done I’ll do a series of posts on them stating any opinions that have changed based on the fresh re-read.

I will start with one on the main characters.

[owxanimorphs]

A heads up for this blog

I will be rereading the Animorphs Series in order once again.

I will do at least one reaction post to each book covering what I liked and disliked about it. 

I considered doing a few joke meters are the bottom like a Cassie hypocrisy index or a how fucked up is Tobias rating but both would break any scale I came up with before the series was even half over.

So I’ll comment on them and other problems but I won’t even try to quantify it even as a joke.

As a disclaimer however, I have to say the following I enjoy the series over all even though it falls way short  of it’s potential and has some truly infuriating parts.

I don’t agree with most of the popular fandom interpretations and even the segments of the fandom I agree with on some issues I often disagree with them on major ones.

Also when it comes to K.A. Applegate and the other folks involved in the production of this work. I am pretty ambivalent like any person on Earth there are things I agree with them about and things I vehemently disagree with them about. I will mostly leave any comments to that effect out of my posts because I will only be dealing with what is in the books directly.