Nightmares within nightmares.
Among all the Animorphs, they’d all say that there’s only one who might be truly sad if the war ended tomorrow: Rachel.
But even the most gung ho fighter is eventually going to burn out. Perhaps especially them.
An intense book with all the surreal uncertainty of the worst nightmares.
Things continue to escalate.
The free Hork-Bajir under attack, willing to die to defend their homes. With some Animorph help.
And two hundred years ago, but not all that different, Union soldiers under attack, willing to die to defend their homes.
With some freed slaves willing to help.
In the end, it’s the same battle, time and again. And the same people–black, white, and Hork-Bajir alike–willing to step up to fight
It’s a neat structure, interweaving the two battles. A solid read.
Things continue to escalate…
Finally, Jake spoke. His eyes were dull but his voice was firm.
“Things are different,” he said. “From now on, we take what we need. We do what we have to do. No matter what the consequences.”
“Jake . . .” Cassie began.
“There’s only one morph that will get us thousands of miles out to sea in the time we have left,” he added. “Human.”
It’s kind of amazing how out in the open/direct thins things are getting. We have less than ten books left, but still. It’s a lot.
An intense book. And more to come.
“What are you calling your discovery?” I heard Nora ask.
“I don’t really know,” Dad said tentatively. “What can you call something that is nothing at all?”
There wasn’t anything on TV. An old Star Trek. A new Star Trek. My life was plenty sci-fi. How about some Real World?
“What could you call it?” Dad continued. “Zero, I suppose. Zero-space.”
Uh oh.
And so we’re really in the endgame now. Things are falling apart. The Yeerks have all the power. And the Animorphs… well, they have that they’ve always had.
Hope.
I feel like Unexpected could really be the title to about half of these books. Maybe more.
One thing leads to another, everything goes wrong, and Cassie is off to SYD-South Something Dakota. Right? Right…?
But hey, kangaroo morph!
There’s basically no impact on the greater Animorph’s story, but sometimes that’s all right. And it’s interesting to get a fairly straight forward Cassie story with the existential dread.
No worries.
Man, Tobias doesn’t get a break.
“Civil war is coming, Andalite,” she began. “Yeerk versus Yeerk. We’ve had enough of the petty Visser fights, the favoritism, the punishments . . . the Council makes us sick.”
And all that from a rather unexpected source.
“No,” she said. “It’s wrong. I won’t. I don’t want to judge you guys, but you’re talking about strategy and risk like this is some computer game. Like there aren’t others involved. Have you forgotten that we’re supposed to be in this to save lives?”
Now it makes sense. Totally a trick. But how? When? Why?
And… Helmacrons. Again. We just saw them in The Hidden.
Still not nearly my favorite alien species in these books. At least this time, they get to go all Magic School Bus!
So it goes.
Swallowed by a sperm whale.
That’s quite the introductory seen. Starts with whaling, full on Moby Dick (I should read that at some point). It’s an interesting story, with just enough weird science to see where it’s going in the ‘present day’.
A Corona Virus.
This… felt all the more real in this post Covid world. And a sign of how it could have been so much worse–if only we didn’t have weird ocean life and a super well funded, run, and liked NUMA to save the world. 😄
A Hermaphrodite third triplet as a big bad.
That’s… just lazy. The Chinese Triad / mafia stuff, pretty cool. This reveal? Meh.
So, at this point? It’s Clive Cussler. The books are enjoyable enough, but I want to listen to something else for a while. So I’m moving on to something else. Perhaps one day I’ll return.
Onward!
“Janie, we need to get this guy out of the cage. Suggestions?”
Am Beast. Not Jane.
What am I? Chopped liver?
Do not need liver chopped. Have fangs and claws to chop liver.
I do so enjoy the Jane/Beast dynamic. By far the best part of these books.
Otherwise, we have vampires coming back from the dead again that never should have, the Euro Vamps actually showing up after how many books, a crazy supernatural storm, and oh some many more timey whimey shenanigans. I’m still not entirely sure what to think about it. It’s unique, for sure. But oh, it’s major power creep on Jane’s part. I suppose we’re getting on towards the end of the series and that’s to be expected.
Other than that, my other favorite part of these books is the every growing Yellowrock clan. I never would have guessed it when I started this series, but the found family dynamic is so wonderful to read. They’re all interesting and I’ve grown to care for them all at least some fraction as much as Jane does. I’m … not looking forward to some inevitable betrayals/deaths. :(
Other other than that, there is one problem I think I’ve been having with this series:
Gee was a bird, an Anzu, a creature once worshiped as a storm god. We had recently hunted together, both of us in Anzu form. I’d had a good long look at Anzu DNA when I shifted into the form, and that DNA was not from Earth, but it did look a lot like arcenciel DNA.
When… did this happen? I don’t think I remember it. There are about a billion short stories, so perhaps in one of those, but it feels kind of weird to have the mainline novels not more stand alone than that. Is it just me? (Or did I just forget something?)
But really, it’s a wonderful series and I’m looking forward to where it goes from here!
I fingered the suit, and then it hit me.
Of course!
I knew what was going on here. It had finally happened.
I knew it was only a matter of time, what with the pressures of leadership, the violent battle, the endless fights against a strengthening enemy.
I’d finally been driven to a complete psychotic breakdown.
I’d gone crazy.
And this was my padded cell.
Not … exactly?
That’s a very weird book. A what if sort of future and even at the end, it’s not entirely clear what’s happening.
Especially back to back with Back to Before.
We’ve done this sort of thing before, but usually with at least some small amount of closure.
Not my favorite.