Animorphs #9 The Secret reread - still good but different angles
It's already clear how much stress these kids are under.
Cassie's tree hugging seemed like a bit of a nonsequitur compared to the big picture but her idealism didn't run contrary to the mission like it sometimes does. Even if what we do is no better, it's no worse.
How come Jake & Marco or Cassie & Rachel each saying they're with the other didn't fall apart sooner? Sadly, I can see no one caring enough with Tobias.
Talking in public without code words seems foolish in a crowd even avoiding key words like 'Yeerks'.
The termite thing was very unsettling even knowing it was coming. It stands out as being disturbing without being gross.
When Tobias mentions observing the skunk babies, it's not specifically said that he ate one. That's only later confirmed; I had wondered if Cassie was overrreacting.
Visser Three getting skunked is still funny, but this time I focused on its tactical value, and how the grape juice prank works only because Visser Three doesn't listen to his subordinates.
Before this my review file was last modified in 2014
"Another great blend of series elements"
I liked how this one had some variety in both mission and result.
I think their small uses of morphing, in this case protecting the skunks, help keep them grounded. I don't know why Jake makes such a big deal out of it. He seems to express his feelings for Cassie by worrying about her. He also does this to the other Animorphs, maybe in part to seem fair about the Cassie focus.
Ax pointedly refused to translate 'dapsen'. It seemed a bit odd to not cuss in a war story, but that could be part of making these books somewhat child-appropriate. Admittedly, since profanity is often based on religion or body functions, it could be particularly hard to translate, at least literally. The naming felt like my sense of humor, so I can understand the Yeerk perspective there. I do appreciate insight into the mindset of villains. Also, from a strategic perspective, the name would be a signal to other Yeerks.
The Yeerks *were* right to look for Andalites in the forest. This helps keep them from being menacing yet ineffective villains, a trope the series sometimes falls into elsewhere.
The reference to Marco crashing Cassie's dad's truck means that this is after Megamorphs #1. I looked that up as being between #7 and #8, but it was nice to have the in-character reference.
The comic relief ending where they pranked Visser Three was brilliant. Ax's comment about the need to keep smells out of spaceships helped keep the skunking from being more than just a joke or temporary incident.
