you lost the game

You just have to find someone to be brave for.

"It is a story of love and loss, brotherhood and betrayal, courage and sacrifice and the death of dreams. It is a story of the blurred line between our best and our worst."

This book earns its reputation for being silly and inconsequential, yes. But BOY HOWDY does the series need a light book as of #24. The series-altering gut punch of the David Trilogy, then the hork-bajir crisis in #23, are just behind us. The epic kids-vs-gods plot of #26 and #27 is coming up. Hork-Bajir Chronicles is just behind, and Megamorphs 3 ahead. Comic relief is meant to be a literal term — when done well, it gives the audience a chance to let out a breath and relax their shoulders before the tension starts ramping back up.

Interesting that Cassie lists humans' attractive qualities (to yeerks) as "Humans, with fingers more delicate and capable than any taxxon or hork-bajir or gedd. Humans, who could be fed almost anything... Humans, who exist in numbers far greater than all those species combined. We are the perfect host bodies." (p. 3).

Also: I love how the helmacrons serve as a sort of character checkpoint. The kids are so casual about a second alien invasion because they've gotten so good at fighting the first. Arguably the helmacrons are a serious threat to Earth — their shrinking ray could in theory do a lot of damage to a lot of humans, and they know the Animorphs' identities — but the Animorphs themselves are jaded enough to respond with a collective eye-roll rather than fear.

Rachel with the makeshift weapons! Morphing is for Tobias and the others; she has a baseball bat, and a brick, and another brick, and two perfectly good fists. Also, Jake shamelessly cowering behind Rachel and her brick supply. Hard same.

"Tobias turned, but he was shrinking fast. He was already down to about hummingbird size... «Well, this is unfortunate,» he said" (p. 40). Most Tobias response ever. Shout-out to Sisi Aisha Johnson for her bone-dry delivery on this line.

And what is the purpose of placing a flag on a foreign planet? It’s a way to say “we were here.” And the one, immediate symbol that any other human who came to the same spot any number of years later would be able to recognize a human hand. Even if governments change and collapse, we all understand a handprint.

Flammability Traits

Leaf Oils: Leaves and branches have strong scents and volatile properties that help them catch fire fast.

Extreme Fires: It grows in Australian alpine regions where intense bushfires regularly sweep through these ecosystems.

Fire Adaptations

Marco notices the issues with David right away and distrusts him, but the early red flags are pushed down.

In book two of the arc, Jake must make difficult decisions as a leader and deal with the danger in David's wake. When he thinks Tobias was killed, he tells ax to get Rachel. Not cassie. Not Marco. Rachel is the one he needs, the one who will do what must be done.

David is a sociopath who has no reservations about killing. He tries to defect to Visser Three's side. He kills animals without remorse. Morphs humans, including Jake and Rachel's dying cousin to take his place.

The Solution is the final book in the arc, and there is a lot of talk about Rachel being the one who does the dirty work. Jake tries to deny it at first, but then is honest with her that he needs her for the difficult jobs no one else will or can do. This arc shows Jake as a leader who understands his team, specifically pointing out he doesnt understand David. He understands Rachel, knows there is some darkness in there that is unfortunately very useful to the war effort.

I think it is important that Cassie is the one who knows how to manipulate David and trick him into becoming a rat nothlit. I think it is important that Cassie knows using Rachel, letting David think he has power over her, is the best way to trick David.

The animorphs know their roles. Books 14-17 or so are all about their roles in the team and the way they are being constricted by their roles. The leader, the funny one, the brave one, the moral one. They know their abilities. And at this point in the series, K A Applegate is showing how they use each other, trust each other to use them. They are friends. They are soldiers. They are family.

Rachel talks about not recognizing herself any more. She used to be a mallrat, a gymnast, a big sister. Now she is a lethal and reckless soldier. But she still has those pieces of herself, somewhere. She uses gymnastics in her fight with David, knows exactly where she is in the mall during the fight, comforts her sisters in an honest discussion of death and grief.

two spock

red spock

blue spock

glad spock

sad spock

old spock

new spock

hat spock

cat spock

head spock

dead spock

tie spock

high spock

alive spock

revived spock

all the spocks may come and go

but there’s one thing we’ll always know

no matter where or when you may be

spock is there

for you and me

live long and prosper