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Title: The Capture (Animorphs Book 6)
Author: K.A. Applegate
Published: Scholastic, 1997
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 150
Total Page Count: 288,800
Text Number: 943
Read Because: reading the series
Review:
The conflicts in these frequently rely on coincidence, but they're still fascinating intersections of horror, worldbuilding, and personal conflict; Jake's predicament here is fantastic. The cast is also unexpectedly competent, and I wonder if that will persist and/or if it was only possible because much of it occurred offscreen—stupid decisions still creates narrative tension, and I imagine that'll never entirely go away, but this was a delight regardless, particularly in the second half of the book. How satisfying!
( The Stranger (Animorphs Book 7) )
( The Andalite's Gift (Megamorphs Book 1) )
( The Alien (Animorphs Book 8) )
A moment to consider heteronormativity, here established to be so universal as to apply even to symbiotic brain worms who seem only to live fully when embodied in a host—how does gender work in that situation? What is embodiment-as-gender/-in-sex like for a Yeerk, given that they appear hate their host species? The book doesn't mean to raise these questions, obviously; heteronormativity is just the unconscious result of when it was written and for what audience. But it makes me wonder what fandom has done with Animorphs xenobiology.
(In The Android (Book 10), it's confirmed that Yeerk rarely communicate with each other while in the pool in slug form, verifying that embodiment is central to Yeerk social interaction.)
( The Secret (Animorphs Book 9) )
( The Android (Animorphs Book 10) )
Author: K.A. Applegate
Published: Scholastic, 1997
Rating: 4 of 5
Page Count: 150
Total Page Count: 288,800
Text Number: 943
Read Because: reading the series
Review:
"I can't believe we are actually going to practice a morph," Marco said. "We never practice. We just do it, and when it's a huge disaster we try and deal with it then."
The conflicts in these frequently rely on coincidence, but they're still fascinating intersections of horror, worldbuilding, and personal conflict; Jake's predicament here is fantastic. The cast is also unexpectedly competent, and I wonder if that will persist and/or if it was only possible because much of it occurred offscreen—stupid decisions still creates narrative tension, and I imagine that'll never entirely go away, but this was a delight regardless, particularly in the second half of the book. How satisfying!
( The Stranger (Animorphs Book 7) )
( The Andalite's Gift (Megamorphs Book 1) )
( The Alien (Animorphs Book 8) )
A moment to consider heteronormativity, here established to be so universal as to apply even to symbiotic brain worms who seem only to live fully when embodied in a host—how does gender work in that situation? What is embodiment-as-gender/-in-sex like for a Yeerk, given that they appear hate their host species? The book doesn't mean to raise these questions, obviously; heteronormativity is just the unconscious result of when it was written and for what audience. But it makes me wonder what fandom has done with Animorphs xenobiology.
(In The Android (Book 10), it's confirmed that Yeerk rarely communicate with each other while in the pool in slug form, verifying that embodiment is central to Yeerk social interaction.)
( The Secret (Animorphs Book 9) )
( The Android (Animorphs Book 10) )
