Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Goldmine > Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

«‹›236 »

Capfalcon: Apr 6, 2012; No Boots on the Ground,
Puny Mortals!

freebooter posted:

LMAO. "Hey remember when your wife carked it? Can you swing by and handle Russ' wife, she's being a real Debbie downer, you're good at that stuff."

The fact Marco's dad didn't snap at them shows he has the patience of a saint. Well, that and dealing with a secret guerilla warrior camouflaged as a surly teen.

# ? Jul 4, 2022 19:35

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 27, 2024 17:34

Comrade Blyatlov: Aug 4, 2007; should have picked four fingers

I don't remember this book well at all. Think it's time I picked up the series and read the endgame again!

# ? Jul 4, 2022 19:38

TCE: Feb 26, 2016

Sorry if this has been covered - I'm reading through the thread now - but do any of these books ever go into Rachel and Tom's relationship before the series, or even acknowledge it? I mean, they are cousins after all, but it seems like she only ever refers to him as "Jake's brother," even when she's narrating. I guess you could say they weren't ever that close - him being a few years older and all - but I have cousins I'm not that close with, and if one of them got taken over by aliens it would definitely make an impression on me.

# ? Jul 4, 2022 22:15

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

TCE posted:

Sorry if this has been covered - I'm reading through the thread now - but do any of these books ever go into Rachel and Tom's relationship before the series, or even acknowledge it? I mean, they are cousins after all, but it seems like she only ever refers to him as "Jake's brother," even when she's narrating. I guess you could say they weren't ever that close - him being a few years older and all - but I have cousins I'm not that close with, and if one of them got taken over by aliens it would definitely make an impression on me.

There's not much. They do say that Rachel's and Jake's families were more distant after the divorce and Rachel and Jake weren't close to begin with despite being about the same age, so it seems, lacking evidence to say otherwise, that Tom was mostly a nonentity in her life. I do think there are points where she acknowledges that there's a Yeerk in her cousin, but I can't remember any at the moment.

# ? Jul 4, 2022 22:28

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 5

quote:

�Noooooo!�

I raised a huge, black fist to break the glass. I had morphed, without realizing or willing it. Gorilla: my outward expression of an inner rage too great to contain.

That was it. This was the end of smart. And the beginning of right.

Crash!

I broke the glass and pulled myself through the shattered window. A million sparkling fragments rained to the floor. Cool night air rushed in behind me. The red curtains flapped frantically.

Everyone froze. All eyes. On me.

I seized the nearest object, a huge oak chair, and flung it out of my path. Gorilla arms are like heavy machinery. You think, I�ll move that, and it just happens. No straining. No effort.

The chair smashed and splintered into a mirror on the wall. This breaking glass thing, it was becoming my calling card.

<Step away from the pool and you might not get hurt,> I bellowed.

�Andalite,� the �dead� man spat.

The two Hork-Bajir guards lunged. Rushed for me around either side of the dark leather couch, leg blades shredding upholstery as they passed.

I grabbed the closest weapon, the glass globe from a floor lamp. <Heads up!> I sneered, and threw the globe like a fast ball. One of the Hork-Bajir fumbled it like a hot potato. Fell backward and hit his head on a table. These goons were not pro-ball material.

<You. At the table. Get your head up!> I yelled to Dad, faking a voice deeper than my own. <Get it above the surface. Now!>

I saw him tilt his neck, strain against an angry human hand.

The base of the lamp was still in my fist, a long wrought-iron pole.

Whack! Whack! Whack!

I quickly struck the second Hork-Bajir in the knees, in the stomach, in the head. He fell to the ground. A thud, then a clatter.

I heaved the couch aside.

My father yelled again. I turned to see his head slip back into the pool! Sludgy slime lap against his cheek!

And a Yeerk slug began to slither into his ear!

<NO!>

It was maybe the weirdest moment I�ll ever live. In an instant, everything changed. Live action became slow motion. I saw Dad�s future in my hands. My hands alone.

I charged forward, arm extended, hand outstretched. Slow � too slow!

�Ahhhh!�

Yes! I caught the slug�s slippery back half in my massive fingers and yanked it out of my father�s head. Slapped it to the floor.

The human-Controller backed off. I grabbed the chair in which my father was tied and slid it across the floor, into the wall. He cursed and kicked, still tied down. But he was free. That was all that mattered.

I wrapped my hands around the edge of the mini-pool and heaved.

A hundred gallons of Kandronal fluid slopped onto the floor. One solitary gray Yeerk floated away in the torrent. It knocked against the leg of a side table and was swept toward the glass patio doors. Just as it was about to smack into the track at the base of the doors, I slid them open. The fluid drained quickly onto the deck outside.

There was a soft splat as the Yeerk dropped over the edge.

<The opposition has been crushed,> I said to the people who remained standing. I took a step toward them and what was left of their confidence. They�d seen me take two Hork-Bajir out of commission. They knew I could rip their arms from their sockets.

I took another step - and their expressions changed. They smiled with identical half-grins. It didn�t make sense. Not until I realized they weren�t looking at me.

SSSSEEEWW! SSSSEEEWW!

Twin blades screamed toward my neck! Two new Hork-Bajir!

I ducked but the sabers grazed my head. I hit the floor. Scampered under the diningroom table.

Both Hork-Bajir were right behind me. I shoved a chair in their path. One of them kicked it away. I dove for an overstuffed armchair, gripped the legs, and threw it behind me to block them. They fought with the cotton batting and foam just long enough for me to leap over the destroyed couch and hoist it into the air! Turn it on them like a battering ram!

<Ahhhh!>

I grunted. Heaved.

I hoped Russ had homeowner�s insurance.

Ka-plash! Bam!

I missed both Hork-Bajir, but made a bull�s-eye with the entertainment center.

One of the Hork-Bajir began to laugh. At least I think that�s what he was doing.

I backed up and hit the wall. They stomped toward me, blades flying, beak-mouths open. Whoa. Seriously hazardous breath.

I looked up. Down. Left, right. There had to be an escape route. Some domestic weapon I hadn�t used!

A Hork-Bajir claw squeezed my neck and pushed me back.

I gasped for air and tried punching for his stomach. Couldn�t reach. My face scrunched up with pain, head started to swirl �

<It�s been fun, boys,> I panted. <But now I have to go home.>

They had exactly one second to think I was crazy.

�Roooooaaaaarrrr!�

Gigantic paws, armed with claws that can gut a salmon before you can say �lox,� knocked their heads together.

I don�t even want to describe what Rachel did next. Let�s just say those particular Yeerks wouldn�t trouble anyone for a while.

<Nice of you to show,> I huffed, falling back against the wall, blood smearing on the paint.

<Looks like I�m a little late,> Rachel answered, turning her weak grizzly eyes on Dad.

"So a coworker had died and my colleagues and I went to comfort his widow, and you wouldn't believe what happened next...."

Chapter 6

quote:

Dad had never looked as terrified as he did at that moment. He was really pale. Paper-white. He was trembling.

Weeeeeeeooooo! Weeeeeeeeooooo!

Sirens screamed in the distance. They were coming for us. I stepped forward. Dad cowered like he expected me to kill him.

Marco, you idiot, you�re a freakin� gorilla! Speak to him, say something. Get him to trust you.

<We�re here to help you,> I said trying to disguise my voice. <It�s okay.> Dad�s eyes darted from the ape to the bear, not nearly convinced.

<Great,> Rachel said privately. <Now what? What are we supposed do with him?>

<He�s seen way too much. Obviously, the Yeerks mean to make everyone involved in the Zspace research a Controller. Now that Dad�s been saved by an Andalite bandit, there�s no way out for him.>

I paused, looking at the totaled living room. What had I done? I was insane. This whole thing was insane. 

I waited for Rachel to answer. She was silent. I took it as a sign that she agreed.

<One thing�s for sure,> she said suddenly. <You SO have to get out of here!>

I lurched forward, untied Dad, and grabbed him around the waist. He tensed and fought, hollered desperately.

<Listen up!> I growled. <We�re the good guys. We�re all you�ve got.>

He kicked one more time, then settled. I dragged him out through the patio door, through the ankle-deep Yeerk sludge. Rachel followed. We lumbered for Dad�s parked car. I released him in front of the driver�s door.

<Get in!>

I ran to the passenger�s side and grabbed the door. Whoops! Too hard. It ripped almost completely off the hinges.

<What are you doing?!> Rachel snorted.

I shrugged, jammed my body into the cab, and slid the seat back all the way, which made absolutely no difference. My head curled toward the dash. A leg and an arm hung out the broken-door side of the car.

Dad fumbled with the keys like an old man. His breath came fast and shallow. Police car tires screeched around the corner at the intersection that had to be about five blocks back. Some of the police were free, but most were Controllers. Why bet on which kind was coming?.

<Where are you going to go?> Rachel asked. <How are we going to find you?>

<I�ll let you know as soon as I can,> I said. The engine choked to life. Rachel backed into the bushes.

Police streamed down the street.

<DRIVE!> I bellowed. <MOVE!> Dad was too scared not to obey. We pulled out as the flashing lights and white sedans shrieked to a halt at 1366. I looked back through the door hole.

<Rachel?> I called into the darkness, not sure if she could hear me. <Thanks.>

A van cruised past the squad cars and sped on toward us.

<Come on! Let�s move!>

We crept along with a traumatized man at the wheel. Dad turned onto the street that would take us home.

<No!> I yelled.

�But � my son,� he gasped. �My wife.�

<South! Step on it!> I ordered. <You can�t go home.>

I couldn�t let him. Impossible. Too dangerous. Nora was probably already in Yeerk hands �

The van slammed us from behind. Whiplash threw our heads back. I looked over my shoulder.

Two Hork-Bajir were in the cab. Another one hung out the sliding side door. Inside, I could only guess. Six or seven or more.

<Crap!>

Dad only gaped in terror.

<We�re being followed. Come on! Get to the highway!> But he was frozen up. I had to take control.

I grabbed the wheel. Stretched and punched my massive foot onto the gas, right on top of Dad�s shoe.

Skreeeeeee!

We took off like a Formula One.

�Ahhhh!� Dad yelled. Either I�d smashed his foot or my driving was even worse than I thought. The Yeerks were stuck to our tail. I ran a red light, swerved onto an exit ramp, merged into highway traffic.

Or tried to �

Horns screamed obscenities. I did feel a little bad about grazing the Jeep Cherokee. And that Dodge. And the Honda.

But we weren�t losing the van!

I moved left one lane. Two lanes. Three lanes. Four lanes.

The van was still glued to our bumper!

A sign. Exit 54 �

Scrrrrrreeeeeeekkk! I braked, tires burning the pavement.

Swerved across four lanes of traffic, from the far-left lane to the exit ramp.

Screeeeeeek! The Yeerks followed.

<Take the wheel!> I ordered. He did.

I looked back. The Yeerks had turned too sharply. They were tipping � tipping � skidding toward the concrete divider �

Kaaachoomp! A terrific crash as we drove out of sight.

There are bad drivers, and there are worse drivers.

The residential neighborhood was quiet, asleep. It was after midnight and the sky was starless. Eventually, we turned onto a two-lane back road.

�Who are you?� Dad said, pushing on the brakes and pulling onto the shoulder. �What are you?�

<Remember those bladed guys who were trying to kill me? About two hundred of them are looking for us right now. If you don�t keep driving �>

The car stopped. Dad opened the door. Threw himself out and started to run.

<No!> I yelled.

He tumbled into the drainage ditch, got up, and took off across a field of tall grass.

I yanked myself out of the car and loped after him. There was only one thing to do. But all I could think about was the last person who�d been in the know, the last person who�d discovered the Animorphs� secret.

He�d ended up trapped as a rat. Forever. We�d done it to him. We�d had to.

<Dad!> I called in thought-speak. In the voice that was my own.

He froze. Turned. Looked back at me.

In the glow of the car headlights, I began to demorph. To slowly transform from beast to boy right before my father�s eyes.

Dad stood still as a statue, eyes wide. As my body took shape, I saw tears start to well in his eyes.

�It�s me,� I said as soon as my human mouth formed.

Dad gasped huskily. Stepped toward me through the grass. �How? I don�t understand.�

He touched my hair, my face, my shoulders. Then he grabbed me. Hugged me. The tears on his cheek dripped onto my own.

�How?� he said again.

�It�s a long story, Dad. A really long story.�

Well, the secret's officially out. And Marco still can't drive.

# ? Jul 5, 2022 02:41

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

Epicurius posted:

quote:
That was it. This was the end of smart. And the beginning of right.

Marco, you ain't kidding.

# ? Jul 5, 2022 03:05

Capfalcon: Apr 6, 2012; No Boots on the Ground,
Puny Mortals!

disaster pastor posted:

Marco, you ain't kidding.

Well, he's half correct, at least.

# ? Jul 5, 2022 03:14

Tree Bucket: Apr 1, 2016; R.I.P.idura leucophrys

So this is the beginning of the end! I never got any further than, I don't know, ten or so books in as a kid; it feels weird now to be coming towards the end of a series that's occupied a small corner of my brain for decades.

# ? Jul 5, 2022 06:52

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 7

quote:

We ordered burgers from an all-night diner on the outskirts of town. The place was too much of a dump for the Yeerks to check out. I hoped. I made us eat in the car anyway, in a dark corner of the parking lot.

I told Dad everything. Almost.

My story seemed to wash over him somehow. He looked stunned, disbelieving. He shook his head as though everything I was telling him was, well, just too much for the man.

When I stopped talking, the first thing he said was that he had to call Nora.

I let him walk across the gravel parking lot to the pay phone. Let him dial the numbers.

�Honey, it�s me,� he said. �Yeah, I�m okay.�

I could hear Nora on the other end. Yelling, worried, scared.

�I�m with Marco,� Dad said. �Where? We�re at the � �

I cut the connection and grabbed the receiver from Dad�s ear. Slammed it down angrily.

He glared at me. �What was that?� he demanded.

For the first time since the brutality at Russ�s house, it felt like the father I knew was with me. Real Dad. Thinking Dad. Authority-figure Dad. For the first time since I�d demorphed, the look in his eye was anything but distant.

�Why did you do that?�

I started to walk back to the car. He followed.

�I said, what was that about!�

I sat down on the passenger car seat. Dad got in his side and slammed the door. He had a door to slam.

�You know exactly what it was about,� I said calmly. �If you�ve been listening to me at all, you know that by now the Yeerks have staked out our house, probably tapped our phone. I�d bet they�re sitting on our couch right now, waiting for you to walk in the door so they can -�

�Stop,� Dad said angrily. �Stop it. I�ve listened to you. I�ve heard every word. But you have to understand � I have no proof, no � how can I believe all these things you say? You changed from a gorilla into my son. But I only think I saw that. I was terrified. I was tortured, then kidnapped. Maybe my mind is making things up. Maybe this is a dream.�

Before he�d finished talking, I was on my way.

My skin hardened, then blackened, then thinned like eggshell. Legs and arms shortened until there was nothing left to hold me up. I fell forward onto the seat, shrinking and shrinking until the crumbs from the burger bun looked like boulders, and then blindness cut my view.

Shloooooop!

My waist reduced to millimeters, splicing me almost in half.

�Oh, God!� Dad cried. �Oh, no!�

I was becoming an ant. But I wasn�t going to wait for the ant�s mind to surface. No.

I began to demorph.

I let Dad watch me and all the horror and weirdness of morphing. I let Dad sit there, alone and up close with his new reality, as I demorphed back to boy. And began to morph again.

Feathers imprinted my skin in 2-D, then 3-D. They grew up and out as my body shrank and my head deformed. My nose grew hard and sharp and hooked. My fingers, though smaller, grew stronger, became flesh-piercing talons. Eyes sharpened to superhuman clarity.

Again, I started the return trip to boy. Back to the form Dad knew as his son.

�I have about twenty other animals I could morph to,� I said as the last feather disappeared. �Want to see my lobster?�

A cold sweat coursed in tiny rivulets down the side of my father�s head. He didn�t need to see any more.

I�d scared him, creeped him out. Made him nervous and worried and concerned. He was handling it. For a guy whose reality had just been completely rocked, he was handling it pretty well.

He looked out through the windshield and stared for a moment at a point far away. The sun was just beginning to think about rising. It gave our desolate patch of the world a preview. Dad looked back at me.

�I get it,� he said slowly. �I get it. You�ve been through hell.�

�Through hell and back.� I smiled. �A few times.� Dad smiled back.

�I�m going to take you to some friends of mine, Dad,� I said. �You can hang out with them until we decide ��

�Whoa,� Dad said quickly. �Are you nuts? I�m going to the police.�

�Dad, the Yeerks are the police. I can�t let you do that.�

He was shocked and confused again. �What do you mean you can�t let me? I�m your father. I tell you what to do.�

Not in this reality, Dad. Not in this world.

�Dad, of course you�re my father,� I said, fighting an onslaught of emotion. And it would be so nice to have someone make decisions for me again, I added silently. �I love you. I respect you. But I�ve been fighting this war for a long time. I�ve been on more missions, in more fights, and seen more terrible things than you can imagine. This is my fight. My war. Me and my friends, we know what�s going on. You don�t.�

Dad frowned at me, then looked back at the rising sun.

�You�ve told me what�s going on,� he said quietly.

�Not everything. I left something out.�

Dad chuckled sardonically. �Let me guess. Visser Three�s your father, your mother�s an Andalite, and I�m no relation at all.�

�No,� I said. No way around it. My fingers gripped the vinyl of the seat. �Mom�s not an Andalite. And she didn�t drown. She�s the host to Visser One. The Yeerk who started the invasion of Earth. Mom�s been the visser�s slave since before she disappeared.�

Dad�s face went white. �You mean Eva?�

�I mean Mom.�

Dad bent forward. His head hit the steering wheel. His hands pressed into his face.

�Oh, God,� he said.

�She�s alive.�

�I didn�t know ��

He rocked back against the seat. His head hit the headrest. �If only I�d waited �� He covered his eyes, then uncovered them. Then he reached for the glove box, rifled through, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He stuck one in his mouth and made it burn.

�Dad, what are you doing?� I said nicely. �You stopped five years ago. Cut it out.�

Dad looked at me and threw the cigarette out the window.

�I love Nora,� he said. �I love her as much as I loved your mother.�

The words made my throat tighten. He didn�t. Couldn�t. Nora was nice, but � she was a math teacher. My mother was everything.

But he loved Nora. Somehow, that was news to me.

Fatigue and light-headedness struck me like a steel beam. My head was spinning. The rising sun seemed cruel and inappropriate.

�I�m going to take you to some friends of mine,� I said quietly. �Drive us back toward the city.�

My mother was in the hands of the enemy. I felt like I was the only one who cared.

Dad loved this other woman.

I wished I�d kept my mouth shut.

My universe, my dreams, were falling apart.

Yea, Marco is in a world of hurt here. Also, there's this role reversal. Marco is effectively the parent. He's the more experienced one guiding his father through a more complicated world and his father has to listen to him to survive. It's to his father's credit that he recognizes that.

Chapter 8

quote:

We got off the highway at an exit not far from our house. But we weren�t going home. It was six A.M. Rush hour had already begun. Who knew people left their houses that early?

Rolling out of bed in time for school is torture enough for me.

Dad�s stubble made him look rough, but he was holding on. Finding out about Mom had done something funny to his face. It was stiff and hard. Different.

�Turn here,� I said. �It�s the third house on the right.�

The houses in the subdivision were all new and big and similar-looking, with two-car garages at the end of every driveway.

�The one with the black Lab taking a leak on the lawn?�

�Uh-huh.�

We parked the car, walked up the path, and rang the bell. I eyed the street as we waited. The van of Hork-Bajir was a vivid memory. I watched as a car pulled out of a garage across the street and drove away.

I heard Erek coming to the door.

�Dad, it�s about to get weird.�

�Please,� Dad said calmly. �It can�t get any weirder.�

�Dad, just a suggestion, but when you�re dealing with the Animorphs, never say it can�t get any weirder. It always does.�

Erek King - Erek the Chee - opened the door.

�Uh-oh,� he said, looking from Dad to me.

�Yeah, I know,� I said.

�Does he?� Erek asked with alarm.

I nodded. Erek grabbed our arms and pulled us inside. The door slammed and bolted behind us. We stood in Mr. King�s living room, the facade of normalcy that masked the expansive, rambling, underground Chee dog park. Just feet below where we stood.

Dad�s eyes trained to the couch. Then his mouth dropped open. He stumbled back against the wall.

Mr. King sat on the couch, watching the Today show. Normal enough. Only thing was he didn�t have clothes on. No skin, either. He was relaxing au naturel, which for him meant lounging as an android. No human hologram.

When Mr. King realized Dad was about to lose it, his hologram shimmered instantly into place.

�The Chee, remember?� I said. �An ancient android race created by the Pemalites and hardwired for peace. I told you all about them.�

�Right,� Dad said weakly. �I just thought you were pulling my leg.�

�Erek,� I said, �the Yeerks are after my dad. With a little Yeerk information, Dad here went and invented a Z-space transponder. Then he made them really mad when he broke away before they could get a slug in his ear. Can you hide him here without violating your programming? And can you disappear his car right away?�

�No problem,� Erek said. �Of course he can stay. Does he like dogs?�

Dad glanced at me. We had roughly the same feelings for Nora�s dog, Euclid. Annoyance and pity mixed with a very small, almost nonexistent, amount of affection. But then, Nora�s dog was hardly what you�d call a real dog.

�I love them,� Dad said, faking a laugh.

�Erek,� I said, �there�s one other thing. Dad�s missing. And that means that every aspiring subvisser in the metro area is looking for a lead. I�m a lead. If I turn up missing, too � if they think we�ve both disappeared ��

�They�ll go after your friends.�

�This do-do is pretty deep, isn�t it?�

�Yeah, but we�ll handle it,� Erek said. �Don�t worry. We�ll give the Yeerks just what they want to see: you and your dad, alive and well and seemingly clueless.� Before our eyes, Erek altered his programming to become an exact duplicate of Dad.

�Did he, uh, morph me?� Dad said, stunned.

�No. Remember, Erek�s an android. And that�s a hologram.�

�Oh,� Dad said, suddenly getting it. �Oh, wow.� The engineer in him had just kicked in. Technical curiosity brought him back to life. He reached out to touch Erek�s hologram. His hand went right through the �skin.�

�Whoa!� he cried. �Unbelievable! Erek, you have to tell me about the rendering process. I want to know everything.� He pulled his hand out, then stuck it inside again, this time at waist level.

Erek frowned like Dad was infringing on his dignity, but he was polite about it. �We�ll talk later,� he said, gently removing Dad�s hand from his hologram guts.

�Right,� Dad said, embarrassed. �So, you�re able to project holograms of me and Marco? What about Nora? Someone has to look out for her.�

Erek and I exchanged glances. He knew as well as I that we were probably too late.

�We�ll do everything in our power,� Erek said. �But you have to realize the Yeerks move fast. You should prepare for the worst.�

I looked at my father�s pained, exhausted face and my stomach sank. I risked my life almost every day on all sorts of crazy missions, and yet I�d chosen not to go back for Nora. Now she was probably beyond help and it was my fault.

I decided Dad wasn�t ready for the truth.

�They won�t touch her,� I lied. �She�s at school most of the day. Everything will be fine.�

Dad looked comforted.

�Come with me,� Erek said, replacing the hologram of Dad with the one I knew, a boy about Jake�s size. We headed for the stairs. I pulled Erek aside.

�You know the Yeerks may not waste time trying for another infestation with Dad. They�ll most likely just try to kill him. What if they shoot you?�

�I can resist low-power attack by Dracon beams.�

�But what about full power?�

Erek shrugged. �It�ll depend on the angle, the duration, and blind luck. Marco, my programming only forbids me to use violence, even in the best of causes. It doesn�t forbid me to die.�

�Yeah, well, I do.�

We followed Dad down the narrow stairs to the basement. Then, just like I remembered, the floor began to drop like an elevator. Five floors down it stopped and the wall before us disappeared into a golden hallway of light.

Then we were in the vast, glowing chamber. The grass underfoot extended for yards. Streams cut across the grass and wildflowers dotted the banks. Butterflies and bees inspected the flowers, and squirrels scampered up and down the various kinds of trees.

And throughout the entire park hundreds, maybe even thousands, of happy, healthy dogs ran and played, watched over by a handful of muzzle-mouthed Chee in android form.

�These are the Chee,� Erek explained to Dad. �They�ll be good to you while you stay.�

Dad sank down on the grass, under a tree. Two or three tail-wagging doggies ran up to greet him. A mid-sized mutt started licking his face and kept licking until Dad agreed to pet her.

�You�ll take good care of him?� I said to Erek. I glanced back at Dad and saw that his eyes were dosed. He was falling asleep with the mutt still licking his face. Two doglike Chee approached. One put a pillow under my father�s head. The other covered him with a blanket.

Erek smiled. �I think he�ll be okay.�

So Erek's "dad" hangs out naked around the house watching tv. Good to know, I guess. But at least Marco's dad is with the Chee and the dogs, and about as safe as he can be,

# ? Jul 6, 2022 03:17

Mazerunner: Apr 22, 2010; Good Hunter, what... what is this post?

Epicurius posted:

So Erek's "dad" hangs out naked around the house watching tv. Good to know, I guess.

some Dad things are universal, I guess

# ? Jul 6, 2022 04:55

Capfalcon: Apr 6, 2012; No Boots on the Ground,
Puny Mortals!

I wonder what happened to the dissenting Chee we met on our first trip here? They might have generally signed on as the invasion got worse, or maybe the dissenting Chee had a falling out and Erik got the house in the divorce.

The only other thought is that the Chee might not want to give the crazy humans fighting the war another target, but I honestly don't really buy that one. The Chee have been seemed in another league physically from the Animorphs. What could they even morph to physically threaten them?

# ? Jul 6, 2022 04:56

Mazerunner: Apr 22, 2010; Good Hunter, what... what is this post?

Capfalcon posted:

I wonder what happened to the dissenting Chee we met on our first trip here? They might have generally signed on as the invasion got worse, or maybe the dissenting Chee had a falling out and Erik got the house in the divorce.

The only other thought is that the Chee might not want to give the crazy humans fighting the war another target, but I honestly don't really buy that one. The Chee have been seemed in another league physically from the Animorphs. What could they even morph to physically threaten them?

dog, and short circuit their logic gates

# ? Jul 6, 2022 06:55

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

I distinctly remember the chapter where they eat burgers in the car and Marco tells him the story, which I think must be because I read it in the preview at the end of 44. And yet even the indication that everything was about to change didn't stop me from dropping the series. Either I didn't believe them, thought they'd find some way to revert everything back to normal; or I thought the quality of the series had been dropping for ages (I don't think I realised they'd been ghostwritten for a while) and didn't care anymore. I checked back in on the very last book but that was it, until I re-read the whole series plus the final arc when I was 19 or 20.

tl;dr because that's just my personal reading history: I find it weird how by the age of 12ish I'd become very blase about books which I now obviously look back on very fondly, and I'm curious if anyone else had a similar experience.

Epicurius posted:

�I have about twenty other animals I could morph to,� I said as the last feather disappeared. �Want to see my lobster?�

I think surely at this point it's closer to 40 or 50?

Also I personally probably would've given him some breathing space and waited until tomorrow to drop the Eva news on him.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 08:46

HIJK: Nov 25, 2012; in the room where you sleep

I recall thinking that the series was getting interesting when this book came out but I never personally pinpointed the endgame having started until a later date in an Ax book.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 09:14

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

IIRC (and I may be wrong) Marco gets outed and has to go into hiding but they try to rumble on with business-as-usual for a few more books with the other Animorphs still living double lives, which is an odd choice

edit - oh the Ax book is the very next one, 46! Because this is where they started giving Tobias and Ax the same number of books as the others, which broke the whole "ending in 1 or 6 is Jake, 2 or 7 is Rachel" etc pattern.

freebooter fucked around with this message at 09:35 on Jul 6, 2022

# ? Jul 6, 2022 09:29

Rochallor: Apr 23, 2010; ふっっっっっっっっっっっっｃｋ

freebooter posted:

IIRC (and I may be wrong) Marco gets outed and has to go into hiding but they try to rumble on with business-as-usual for a few more books with the other Animorphs still living double lives, which is an odd choice

No, that's right, there are some big changes in this one but they go on for a while before actively starting to destroy the premise of the series.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 09:46

feetnotes: Jan 29, 2008

I never read this one, and I�m so happy we get to see Marco�s Dad react to everything. I knew this happened because they recap it later, but I was afraid it might end up like Tobias discovering Elfangor is his father. We don�t get to see the rest of the team react to learning that, presumably to save space because it�s information we as the reader already know. But it�s an incredibly important character moment for Tobias, and Ax, and really everyone.

It�s good they are willing to slow the action down a little at this point to make room for character interactions with weight. I seem to recall we get slightly less episodic adventure-of-the-week from here (though� not entirely), so that probably gives some breathing room.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 15:11

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

freebooter posted:

IIRC (and I may be wrong) Marco gets outed and has to go into hiding but they try to rumble on with business-as-usual for a few more books with the other Animorphs still living double lives, which is an odd choice

Rochallor posted:

No, that's right, there are some big changes in this one but they go on for a while before actively starting to destroy the premise of the series.

Yup, we get the Ax book, which is remarkably intense and high-stakes, the weirdly high-concept Jake book where they start to debate taking the war public, the brutally bad Rachel book, then everything hits the fan in Tobias's book. There's enough going on that I wouldn't say they're business as usual, but they're closer to the existing formula than what comes after.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 15:30

Capfalcon: Apr 6, 2012; No Boots on the Ground,
Puny Mortals!

Mazerunner posted:

dog, and short circuit their logic gates

Dang, that's the play isn't it?

# ? Jul 6, 2022 16:22

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

disaster pastor posted:

Yup, we get the Ax book, which is remarkably intense and high-stakes, the weirdly high-concept Jake book where they start to debate taking the war public, the brutally bad Rachel book, then everything hits the fan in Tobias's book. There's enough going on that I wouldn't say they're business as usual, but they're closer to the existing formula than what comes after.

I stand by my assertion that Jake is the least interesting of the Animorphs, which is why his books tend to be either high concept surreal stuff, Jake has to deal with leadership, or Jake worries about his family.. He's just bland, and before he joined the Animorphs his distinguishing trait was.....he plays basketball but isn't great at it? Compare that with the other characters who have some hook. Marco resorts to sarcasm to cover up his grief, Rachel is an adrenaline junkie with anger issues, Tobias is a neglected kid who's lonely, Cassie has a highly developed sense of right and wrong, and Ax is an alien warrior who's trying to live up to his brother's legacy. Jake, though, doesn't really have a lot you can write a book around.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 21:21

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

Epicurius posted:

I stand by my assertion that Jake is the least interesting of the Animorphs, which is why his books tend to be either high concept surreal stuff, Jake has to deal with leadership, or Jake worries about his family.. He's just bland, and before he joined the Animorphs his distinguishing trait was.....he plays basketball but isn't great at it? Compare that with the other characters who have some hook. Marco resorts to sarcasm to cover up his grief, Rachel is an adrenaline junkie with anger issues, Tobias is a neglected kid who's lonely, Cassie has a highly developed sense of right and wrong, and Ax is an alien warrior who's trying to live up to his brother's legacy. Jake, though, doesn't really have a lot you can write a book around.

I still find him more interesting than Cassie, but you're not wrong, either.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 21:35

nine-gear crow: Aug 10, 2013

Epicurius posted:

I stand by my assertion that Jake is the least interesting of the Animorphs, which is why his books tend to be either high concept surreal stuff, Jake has to deal with leadership, or Jake worries about his family.. He's just bland, and before he joined the Animorphs his distinguishing trait was.....he plays basketball but isn't great at it? Compare that with the other characters who have some hook. Marco resorts to sarcasm to cover up his grief, Rachel is an adrenaline junkie with anger issues, Tobias is a neglected kid who's lonely, Cassie has a highly developed sense of right and wrong, and Ax is an alien warrior who's trying to live up to his brother's legacy. Jake, though, doesn't really have a lot you can write a book around.

Jake's only real interesting hook is his Living With The Enemy subplot with Tom and Tom's Yeerk. But Tom only shows up in a meaningful capacity like once every five books, and often in a role that's peripheral to Jake's personal ongoings, so it's like... eh :shrug:

Especially when Tom's Yeerk is so easily outwitted and not an actual threat unless the kids are doing some blindingly overt poo poo that STILL sails right over their head.

That's going to change in very short order, mind you, but it took WAY too long in getting here.

nine-gear crow fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Jul 6, 2022

# ? Jul 6, 2022 21:35

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

I agree with all the stuff about Jake's character but still find it interesting from a storytelling perspective they kicked off the final arc with Marco's dad finding out, rather than Jake's parents. Purely just because the series started with Jake so I would've been instinctively inclined to assume the beginning of the end would also start with him.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 21:41

HisMajestyBOB: Oct 21, 2010; College Slice

I never made it this far in the series as a kid (I dropped out in the early 20s right before Helmacrons. It was probably the preview of that book that dissuaded me from continuing). If this had been the book right before I stopped I probably would have kept up with it.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 22:48

Zore: Sep 21, 2010; willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d�etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things

Oh wow, finally found and binged this thread after not noticing it for 2 years. Really glad I caught up here because I really like this book.

# ? Jul 6, 2022 23:02

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Hiding in the Chee house. Unfortunately, a cocker spaniel is hogging the modem. I complained to the Chee, but they said he was using it first and I have to wait my turn. New chapters tomorrow.

# ? Jul 7, 2022 05:11

Fuschia tude: Dec 26, 2004; THUNDERDOME LOSER 2019

Tree Bucket posted:

So this is the beginning of the end! I never got any further than, I don't know, ten or so books in as a kid; it feels weird now to be coming towards the end of a series that's occupied a small corner of my brain for decades.

Yeah, same. I stopped wherever it was, somewhere around the mid-30s.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 02:22

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Chapter 7

quote:

I was the last to arrive at the barn. Rachel quickly looked away when I met her glance. So, she�d already told the others.

Tobias glared at me with his intense hawk eyes. The others weren�t much more friendly.

�Go ahead,� I said, my voice not quite steady. �You can say it. I�m crazy. Stupid. IN-SANE!�

Silence. What could I expect? I�d shown Jake that he was right not to trust me. I�d done just what he was afraid I would do. I hadn�t done the right thing.

I�d let emotions get in the way of reason.

And I wasn�t any happier about it than my friends were.

�There�s no excuse,� I said now, �but here�s what happened. One second I vowed to let the Yeerks infest my father. The next second I was battling a dozen Hork-Bajir.�

<Rachel said there were four,> Ax said.

�Whatever.�

�Do you have any idea what this means?� Jake asked calmly.

�Of course.� I looked at the others, then back at Jake. �It means no more math tests.� No one smiled. I sat down on a block of hay and put my head in my hands, a head vibrating from fatigue. I just wanted to lie down. �I know,� I said. �I�m sorry.�

�It�s okay, Marco,� Cassie said kindly. �No one ever said it was easy for you. I know I couldn�t� I couldn�t sit by and watch the Yeerks take my parents.�

�And you shouldn�t,� Rachel said fiercely. �Cassie�s right. Marco acted like a human being.� She paused. �There�s a first time for everything.�

<The action was imprudent,> Ax said, concern in his alien face. <You acted alone and publicly.>

<The Yeerks will track down everyone connected to your dad,> Tobias echoed. <Starting with you. Ending with the rest of us.>

�I�m a step ahead of you, Bird-boy,� I said wearily. �Erek and I have a plan for that.�

�We can�t go back in time. What�s done is done,� Jake said philosophically. �The point now is that we know the Z-space device exists.�

�And we have to get it!� Rachel.

I shook my head. �Mission impossible. If the Yeerks have made Controllers of everyone at the lab, if they know we�re going to try for the device, it�s suicide. And for what?�

�If we get our hands on that thing, we have a megaphone to the universe,� Rachel replied. �An interplanetary cell phone.�

 Ax said practically. �You know what I mean. I�m talking about communication with the forces that matter. Direct communication with the Andalite fleet.�

<Not if we�re dead,> Tobias muttered.

Rachel heaved a sigh. Cassie looked at her.

�From the last reports we got,� Cassie said, �Earth is not an Andalite priority. What good will it do to contact a fleet that can�t help us? Or doesn�t want to?�

�We�re not sure how things stand,� I countered. �None of our information is firsthand.�

Rachel stood up, aggravated by a lack of initiative.

�What�s the matter with you guys? Don�t you realize that a Z-space transponder means access to all Z-space transmissions? Isn�t that right, Ax?�

<Yes.>

�So, it�s not just a way to phone home,� Rachel argued. �It�s a chance to intercept Yeerk transmissions.�

I felt like an idiot for not having seen it before.

How often do you get a chance at interplanetary surveillance? A chance to bug a Yeerk telephone?

 Ax hesitated, began to pace, then spoke again. <This human-made device is, seemingly at least, equal to or even superior �> I swear he was trying to stop himself from choking on the words. < �superior to Yeerk technology.>

�Look,� I said. �Whatever this device is, however complicated it is, it was built with man-made components, right?�

Ax looked increasingly annoyed.

<It took Andalites three millennia to breach the confines of the home world with a simple combustion rocket. Our race matured greatly before Z-space was discovered. We were ready for the challenges. We were prepared for zero-dimensional travel and communication.>

�I know, Ax,� I said. �Humans are absurd and immature. But you�re missing my point. If the device was built with man-made components, my dad should be able to re-create it.�

This time, a definite choking sound.

�I mean, you should be able to re-create it. Dad could help.� The amended statement seemed acceptable to Ax.

Jake nodded.

�Ax?�



�Well, then,� Jake said, �let�s go for it. This is too important not to try.�

First, good on Rachel for recognizing the full implications of the Z-Space transmitter. Second, given what he did to save his father, Jake is the last person to throw shade at Marco here.

Chapter 10

quote:

Ax and I fell into a gentle dive over the blocks of indistinguishable subdivision houses, until bamm! We were right over Erek�s.

A moment later we landed in the wildly thick grass between the pool house and a row of shrubs.

For the first time it occurred to me that if the Chee can�t wage war on individuals, maybe they�re also prevented from harming the environment any more than is necessary to maintain their cover. Lawn fertilizer as environmental insult.

<This grass is delicious,> Ax said, demorphing in the cover of trees and grinding a newly formed hoof into the weeds. <Fresh and tasty.>

I might have made a witty comment, but my mouth was exactly halfway between osprey beak and fleshy human lips. An impediment to fluid conversation.

Ax morphed to human and together we trudged through the grass to the back door.

�This is called a patio,� Ax observed. �Paddy. Paddy-ohhhh.�

�Uh-huh. And this is the patio door. Come on.�

The kitchen was clean and bright. I walked through to the living room. Absolutely normallooking with a couch, chairs, knickknacks. A TV playing on mute. A clip of the president talking to high school students.

�That TV�s been on for a year now,� I said.

I turned to head downstairs. Ax wasn�t behind me.

�Ax?�

No answer. Just a crunching sound in the kitchen.

I backtracked. The refrigerator door was open. I peered over the top.

The Chee are very hospitable. Milk and cookies were waiting for us in the fridge. Ax had decided it was snack time.

�Orr-ee-oohh!� he said, looking at me wide-eyed. Brown crumbs and frosting covered his chin.

�Come on!� I ordered.

�ORR-EE-OHH ��

Sometimes it�s easy to forget the boy is a warrior.

Downstairs, we found Erek waiting for us near the entrance to Dog Park World.

�Where�s my dad?� I asked, looking around a little nervously. In the back of my mind was the fear that Dad would decide to leave and rescue Nora. The Chee would be powerless to stop him.

But Erek pointed to a tree in a far corner of the brilliantly glowing park.

�He�s right over here ��

Dad was reclining peacefully, several dogs curled up at his side. When he saw me, he mouthed �shhhh� and motioned to a sleeping puppy.

He seemed relaxed. Almost too relaxed. Maybe he�d faced his new reality. Maybe he�d simply blocked it out.

�Listen, Dad,� I whispered over the puppy. �Me and my friends need your help. Your work on the Z-space transponder might be the most important thing that�s ever happened to us. It could change everything.�

�I think I said those exact words yesterday,� he said wistfully.

�Could you build it again, Dad?�

The question seemed to shake him from his dream world. He sat up abruptly and the dogs scattered.

�But I�d need to be back in the lab,� Dad continued. �All my calculations � the equipment and instruments, not to mention the components. It would be impossible without going back there.�

�We cannot permit you to return to the lab,� Ax stated flatly. �The Yeerks control it now. They will be waiting for you. I am well versed in Z-space field theory. I can help � I can help you build the device.�

Dad looked at me quizzically, as if to say, �Who is this kid?� Ax looked like any ordinary, slightly awkward junior high schooler. Maybe a little better-looking than average. After all, he did carry my DNA.

�It�s okay, Dad. Remember? You met Ax once a while back and you thought he was weird then, too. That�s just because he�s really an Andalite. Elfangor�s younger brother. Show him, Ax.�

Dad waved his hand. �No, no. It�s all right. I remember now. I�ve heard all about you� .�

But Ax was already morphing back to his true form. Stalk eyes sprang noisily from Ax�s head. His mouth sealed into a smooth stretch of blue skin. A glistening tail blade grew up over his head. An extra set of legs shot out of his rear.

Dad gawked in amazement.

�Catching flies?� I said.

He closed his mouth and blinked a couple of times. �I just can�t believe it.�

I think all science types secretly believe in aliens. First Erek, then Ax. Dad had to be pleased.

<How far have you progressed toward Z-space penetration?> Ax asked.

�Uh, well, we successfully detected the sub-stellar background radiation with a working prototype last month. The phase shift we measured was in precise conformation with our theories. We are, I mean were, about to attempt a pulsed-clump transmission.�

That seemed to interest Ax. It seemed to give me a headache.
<That�s the very simplest form of subspace transmission, analogous to early human radio transmission using Morse code.>

�Exactly.�

<If the pulsed-clump transmission is successful, full-spectrum communications will be a simple extension of the work.>

�Learn how to crawl before you walk,� I commented to no one.

�There�s one very large obstacle,� Dad said. �We�ll never be able to acquire the necessary equipment and components. They�re not the sort of things you can pick up at Radio Shack.�



�Sure,� Dad said, �so do I. But they don�t sell stellar coordinators. Maybe these Chee creatures could help us.�

<The Chee cannot participate or assist in the transfer of technology that could enable war and destruction,> Ax explained. <It is written into their programming.>

�Then there�s no hope,� Dad said, leaning back against the tree.

�Dad, Dad, Dad. You underestimate your son. Burglary - in the name of justice and freedom, of course - is among the great variety of talents the Animorphs possess. You want it, we can get it.�

Dad looked disturbed. �Marco, you can�t just � �

�Don�t worry. We only take from Controller-run corporations and we�ll find a way to make everything okay when the war�s over.�

�But that doesn�t make it right.�

�Dad, nothing is right anymore.�

He was silent for a moment. Then he rose to his feet and looked at us.

�Well, then, boys. Let�s get busy.�

I have to admit, Marco's dad is taking all this like a champ.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 04:39

Capfalcon: Apr 6, 2012; No Boots on the Ground,
Puny Mortals!

So, to the Chee, going full deep cover infiltrator to snuggle out info on targets of opportunity to the Animorphs is completely fine, but giving someone parts to make an intergalactic cell phone that can listen in on calls because someone might die from it is a deal breaker?

That's... utterly wild.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 05:01

Zore: Sep 21, 2010; willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d�etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things

It's phrased like 'don't give technology' is a separate directive from their pacifism one. Probably to help paper over why we haven't gone to the Chee for tech stuff in the past.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 05:07

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

Good on Rachel for sticking up for Marco.

quote:

<This human-made device is, seemingly at least, equal to or even superior �> I swear he was trying to stop himself from choking on the words. < �superior to Yeerk technology.>

Quite a party trick to "choke" on your words you don't have a mouth and are using telepathy!

quote:

�Dad, Dad, Dad. You underestimate your son. Burglary - in the name of justice and freedom, of course - is among the great variety of talents the Animorphs possess. You want it, we can get it.�

Dad looked disturbed. �Marco, you can�t just � �

�Don�t worry. We only take from Controller-run corporations and we�ll find a way to make everything okay when the war�s over.�

�But that doesn�t make it right.�

Again with this weird moralism about "theft" in a book that has its characters consistently kill! Is this an American thing, or a '90s thing, or what's the deal?

# ? Jul 8, 2022 08:36

Strategic Tea: Sep 1, 2012

I guess theft is much more in reach for kids to actually do out and do, murder being seen as a bit out there and not much of a risk :frogbon:

# ? Jul 8, 2022 09:05

Ravenfood: Nov 4, 2011

I mean, what is murder but theft of their employer's worker? -capitalism.

But yeah I think they are skirting hard away from the idea that theft can be ok sometimes.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 10:09

freebooter: Jul 7, 2009

I think it's more striking because they have sincere conversations about the morality of the killing, genocide, slavery etc. In a very big way, that's what the books are really about. Yet when it comes to lesser crimes in service of the same cause the discussion is not even on the table.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 10:59

OctaviusBeaver: Apr 30, 2009; Say what now?

Didn't Ax already build a z space transponder with parts from Radio Shack?

# ? Jul 8, 2022 12:23

disaster pastor: May 1, 2007

freebooter posted:

Again with this weird moralism about "theft" in a book that has its characters consistently kill! Is this an American thing, or a '90s thing, or what's the deal?

Both. It's come up before, but the books were written during the weird "End of History" period, after the USSR dissolved but before 9/11, where the leading line of thought among American "thinkers" was that there was nothing major left to stop humans and human life from increasingly improving. The morality of killing "bad guys" was still a discussion topic, but this is the heyday of "broken windows" policing, so lesser crimes like "petty theft" were completely unacceptable, because if you allow them, criminals will eventually work their way up to murder.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 12:32

Epicurius: Apr 10, 2010; College Slice

Strategic Tea posted:

I guess theft is much more in reach for kids to actually do out and do, murder being seen as a bit out there and not much of a risk

I think that's what it is.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 13:13

FlocksOfMice: Feb 3, 2009

OctaviusBeaver posted:

Didn't Ax already build a z space transponder with parts from Radio Shack?

I remember them hijacking a big satellite dish station or planetarium or something for that? Or was there a third time?

# ? Jul 8, 2022 16:57

OctaviusBeaver: Apr 30, 2009; Say what now?

Didn't he build a distress beacon from RadioShack parts and they called a bug fighter down and got captured? Maybe that wasn't a z space thing though.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 17:54

Adbot: ADBOT LOVES YOU

# ? May 27, 2024 17:34

Zore: Sep 21, 2010; willfully illiterate, aggressively miserable sourpuss whose sole raison d�etre is to put other people down for liking the wrong things

OctaviusBeaver posted:

Didn't he build a distress beacon from RadioShack parts and they called a bug fighter down and got captured? Maybe that wasn't a z space thing though.

Yeah, so far the only time he's done a Z-Space thing he piggybacked onto the powerful radio telescope. The RadioShack stuff has mostly been to facilitate stuff for things like the distress call, or building his own super-computer and stealing cable.

# ? Jul 8, 2022 17:58

The Something Awful Forums > Archives > Comedy Goldmine > Let's Read Animorphs! The Whole Series! Ch-ch-ch-chaaanges

«‹›236 »