So… the one with the Helmacrons.
They’re small. And very angry.
It’s kind of weird just how many aliens there are/have been wondering about the Earth. And this is no exception.
Plus, the idea of tiny aliens is (for the most part) played for laughs, rather than really digging into how in the world that would work. How does anything work at that scale?
Not one of my favorites.
So it goes.
Onward!
And so after the David Trilogy and The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, we were about due for something lighter, yes?
How about… Tobias getting a letter from a long lost relative (hmm).
Of course it all goes well.
<How long do we have till your birthday, Tobias?"
<Um . . . three days?> I asked.
“Today’s the twenty-third. When’s your birthday?”
<The twenty-fifth. I think. Twenty-sixth?>
Marco laughed, then I guess he realized I wasn’t kidding.
<I don’t . . . I don’t exactly remember. Not for sure. But I think it’s in three days.> I forced a laugh. <Just don’t ask me how old I am in bird years.>
I really like Tobias. He’s quite often my favorite Animorph (Marco is a good one too). He’s just got such a fascinating story and does not give up. No matter how absolutely terrible of a life hand he’s been dealt. And perhaps…
For a long while neither of us spoke. Then Rachel, in a whisper, said, “What am I supposed to do, Tobias? I’m a girl. You’re a bird. This is way past Romeo and Juliet, Montagues and Capulets. This isn’t Kate Winslet and Leo DiCaprio coming from different social groups or whatever. It’s not like you’re black and I’m white like Cassie and Jake. No one but a moron cares about that. We are . . . we can’t hold hands, Tobias. We can’t dance. We can’t go to a movie together.”
Even find love? (I enjoy their growing relationship.)
What it all comes down to?
It suddenly occurred to me, right then, for the first time, that what I thought was so unique about me - that I was half instinctive predator, and half human being - wasn’t so unique after all.
Every human - Jake. Rachel. Marco. Cassie, all humans - kind of lives on that edge between savage and saint. And the thing is that sometimes when you get pushed you do have to push back. And other times, you have to turn the other cheek.
A solid story.
Oh, I do enjoy the Animorphs Chronicles. The Andalite Chronicles were good, but if anything, The Hork-Bajir Chronicles are even better! If nothing else, there’s a lot less time travel. đ
In this one, we get not only the story of the Hork-Bajir, but to a large extent the story of how the Yeerks came to be as well:
Alloran turned all four of his eyes on my father. <Prince Seerow, you are relieved of duty.>
<You can’t relieve me!> my father cried.
<When a commander has become incapacitated due to injury or mental defect, his subordinates may relieve him,> Alloran quoted from the regulations.
<What mental defect?> my father demanded.
<Stupidity,> Alloran said harshly. <The stupidity of kindness. Charity to potential enemies. You’re a fool, Seerow. A soft, sentimental, well-meaning fool. And now my men are dead and the Yeerks are loose in the galaxy. How many will die before we can bring this contagion under control? How many will die for Seerow’s kindness?>
It’s Alloran and his family (especially his daughter) sent to the Hork-Bajir world–and them that end up directly participating in the terrible mess that we all knew had to be coming.
But up until then, I love the worldbuilding in this one. The Hork-Bajir world is weird. I love the idea of a shattered world and giant (kilometers tall) trees keeping it barely habitable. I love the (minor spoilers) reasons why the world and the Hork-Bajir are the way they are.
And then eventually, I love the conflict. Andalite versus Hork-Bajir, not fighting, but morally and ethically. And the Yeerks in all their soon to be overwhelming numbers. It’s an invasion rather unlike that of Earth–far more out in the open.
As an added bonus, our first point of view of how the Yeerks do their thing:
My sonar found the head quite easily, of course. And I’d been taught how to pinpoint the opening into the head by extending two palps.
It was quite a small entryway. I had to squeeze myself down and work my way slowly inside the ear canal. From there on, it was all by feel. My sonar didn’t work, of course. And the smells encountered were unfamiliar, useless.
But then, after what seemed far too long a time, my palps encountered a surface alive with electricity!
The brain. I could feel the activity, the snapping neurons, the arcs of microvoltage between synapses. I had to flatten myself all the way. My palps sought for trenches, gaps, openings around the brain. And I found them. I pushed my body down inside each wrinkle of the brain. Just as I’d been taught to do.
And slowly at first, then faster and faster, I began to make contact! I felt the neurons connecting to me!
Still… a bit weird. But it’s fascinating to see for once.
As I mentioned, one of my favorites, at least up until we get to The Ellimist Chronicles.
Onward!
And so The Solution to the David Trilogy (The Discovery and The Threat).
Oy.
Sometimes there are no good solutions. This becomes increasingly clear as the series goes on.
But oh, this one. This is one of the hardest to justify.
It do not like this storyline. It’s well written and I think needed to be told. Still don’t like it.
<Aww, shut up, Marco,> Rachel said good-naturedly. <It’s kind of fun. The wind whistling through the chinks in my body armor, rustling the spikes on my legs . . .>
<You people are all crazy,> David said.
<At one level, it’s kind of fascinating, you know?> Cassie said. <I mean, did anyone ever read the Miss Spider books? Miss Spider’s Tea Party, Miss Spider’s New Car? This could be Miss Spider Goes Flying.>
<You people are all crazy,> David repeated.
<Dragonfly Airlines,> Rachel said with a laugh.
And so continues the David saga (The Discovery and The Solution).
In this one, the new Animorph is put entirely under the test. A meeting of world leaders. One (at least) is already a Controller1.
Good times.
It’s interesting seeing David fit in–and even more so when he doesn’t.
Onward!
And so David–oy.
Apparently the morphing cube (I’m sure it has a better name) survived. That seems… impressive, but it does work well enough as a plot device.
And this kid (the aforementioned David) found it.
One thing leads to another and in the end, there’s no choice. They need to make a new Animorph. It wouldn’t even be the first time, they added Ax after all. And Tobias has a bit of the same feel. But man. It’s quite the thing to be doing now.
Of course everything goes well–well enough for a 3 part story anyways, with The Threat and The Solution.
I do not like this plotline. David feels less well developed than the rest of the Animorphs (for good reason to be fair) and it’s a mess from the beginning. It’s more of the ’this is a terrible situation’ that the Animorphs really start digging into as we go.
So it goes.
Onward!
How the Mon Calamari came to join the rebellion.
Itâs got it all. Double crosses. Triple crosses. Prison breaks. Kidnapping. Impersonation. A big space battle. An opera! An encore!
Everything.
A solid action story.
And a hint right at the endâthat everything is about to change.
Onward!
Andalites, humans, thereâs no difference. Youâre both smug, moralizing, âsuperiorâ races. You both live in beautiful worlds. You have hands and eyes, and the freedom to move about wherever you like. And you hate us for wanting all those same things.
Cassie is done.
Frankly, it’s kind of amazing she lasted as long as she did. At her heart, Cassie is a healer… and now she’s spent months (years? who knows) in a war. Literally taking lives.
So she’s done.
Of course that’s when things go sidewise in all the best story appropriate ways.
It’s a fascinating look into the stress that all of the Animorphs are under, but what’s more… a surprising look into Yeerks that could be more. They aren’t all evil.
And that’s what makes the story all the better.
I enjoyed this one.
I mean, it’s right there in the title right?
The Animorphs try to do the right thing and instead get blown back 65 million years in the past. They almost get eaten, find a bunch of aliens no one has ever heard of (and we’ll never see again I expect), almost get eaten, go steal a nuke, almost get eaten, and eventually get home. Because what sort of series would this be if they didn’t…
I’m starting to think that the Animorphs might have a time travel problem.
Although, I guess it’s been longer than than I thought since last time (The Stranger, The Forgotten, and The Andalite Chronicles; alternatively, it was last 65 million years from now!).
In any case, it’s certainly an exciting story. And we get a touch of the moral issues involved in potentially changing the timeline–or having to allow something terrible to happen to preserve it. Along with some much more interesting aliens than we often see.
So a good story. Worthy of the heftier Megamorphs page count I think.
Onward and back… TO THE FUTURE!
Itâs quite the story. A shattered planet with a truly giant hole down to the mantle. Another Force cult. (When you stare into the abyssâŚ) Some new Imperial baddies.
This one has it all.
Got away from the series for a bit. This was a great place to pick it back up!
Onward.