#ani 8

And it keeps that facade intact for our young heroes for, oh, about five and a half books.

Then Jake, after boiling a hundred Yeerks in a Jacuzzi without a second thought, watches Temrash 114 die slowly and painfully while controlling his own body. Even knowing Temrash will doom Earth if he escapes, even knowing that Temrash has broken his own brother into a shadow of himself, Jake feels real sorrow.

Then Ax calls his people for help and is given the blame for his brother's crimes because the Andalites can't tarnish a hero's reputation in the middle of their long-running war.

Now here's Eslin Three-Five-Nine. Not an "ally" by any stretch, but he hates Visser Three more than he hates the Andalites. Because Visser Three lied to him. Because he lost Derane Three-Four-Four.

Ok, so that is not the norm in the galaxy. Or at least not universally the norm. Having to clarify that being male is part of what makes him a father means that that is not the always the norm. What is gender like for other species? Are male and female always a thing?

Just a few messages

delivered indirectly

Once again, I love 90s children's books.

On the other hand, I also have so many thoughts about the butterfly effect of destroying the Kandrona in 7. In 8 we see the obvious: the deaths of yeerks. But we also see that for every Derane 344 there's also an Eslin 359 - a Yeerk made disillusioned and resentful by Visser Three's "leadership" who makes choices now with the knowledge of how their empire makes decisions.

There's the Mr. Pardues who manage to make a scene before dying. Did any manage to have at least one bystander understand their message? Did some escape like the woman from MM1? How many were voluntary hosts before the empire abandoned their yeerks to starve? Did volunteers in a less expendable position start having second thoughts they shared with their own yeerks? On that note, how well did the real Chapman know Mr. Pardue?

And of course the effects of learning the empire will kill freed hosts has effects on how the Animorphs continue their own war efforts. Would they have tried some reckless plan to save Tom early on if they didn't have this new knowledge looming over his situation causing them to take more caution?