Animorphs Re-Read: #1 The Invasion (Chapters 13-16)

Chapter 13

Tobias starts the chapter off by continuing to say they should blow up the Yeerk pool. Marco remains quiet as he realizes arguing with bird-boy will go nowhere.

Marco and Tobias agree that The Sharing is most likely a front for the Yeerk invasion. Marco brings up the fact that he thinks Jake wouldn't fight against the Yeerks if it meant fighting his brother Tom. Marco's final jab is at how Jake has a perfect family and nothing truly bad has ever happened to him. Nothing like what's happened to Marco or Tobias. Jake knows Marco is right in his statement.

Marco continues to egg Jake on about Tom being a Controller to try and stop Jake from fighting the Yeerks. Jake, however, still says he will fight even if he ends up having to destroy his brother.

Jake says the first step is checking out The Sharing and seeing if it is a front for the Yeerk invasion of Earth. I think Marco agrees with Jake here since he doesn't want to ruin the friendship. I believe Marco is smart enough to realize that the meeting will lead to him fighting against the Yeerks. But he values Jake's friendship VERY highly.

Jake calls the others to see if they want to go to The Sharing meeting. Everyone agrees. Everyone will be there. Tobias will be in morph (at least that's what seems to be implied).

Tom gets very excited about Jake and his friends coming to a The Sharing meeting. Jake remarks that The Sharing doesn't sound like a front for the Yeerks. I want a picture of Visser Three and some Taxxons playing volleyball! Now!

Thermals are mentioned yet again and Cassie remarks she has to try flying someday.

Jake and the others arrive at The Sharing meeting. Our fearless leader is having fun after wondering if everyone there is a Controller and how to tell who is one. He also wonders if Tom is really a Controller.

Tom then tells Jake that while The Sharing is awesome now, when you become a full member things get even better. Tom says first you become an associate member and then it's decided by the leaders if you become a full member.

Tom says, "Once you become a full member...the whole world changes."

Thanks, I am sleep deprived and won't sleep for a few nights because of how creepy that line is.

Then Tom temporarily takes control from his Yeerk. Or else the Yeerk allows Tom to have some control to try and see if Jake was one of the teenagers at the construction site. Taking control from a Yeerk, once it has infested you, is extremely hard to do.

Either way this scene is creepy as the reader, if not Jake himself, is brought to the realization that Tom is really a Controller.

Tom's Yeerk then regains, or takes back, control of Tom and goes to the special meeting for the full members.

Marco says that he was wrong about Tom and that The Sharing is anything but a front for the Yeerk invasion of Earth. Jake's reaction is saddening.


Chapter 14

Jake says that the full members are going to a separate meeting. When the others, besides Marco, say that they should check out what this special meeting involves Marco is confused because he thought everyone agree that The Sharing was normal.

Everyone, including Marco, agrees that something is up with The Sharing because people are being too happy. Yes, I knew there was a reason I don't trust extremely happy people. They're really aliens bent on invading the Earth!

Jake says that he's getting into the secret meeting by morphing into Homer again.

Jake fills in Tobias about their plan. Bird-boy makes a comment that is very hawkish. Jake says that Tobias needs to get a grip or else the hawk mind will take control. His comment involved a comment about road kill and Tobias is offended. Though Jake thinks he might not have been offended and he thinks that is the worse option.

Tobias informs the others of where the full members are. Jake says he needs to morph back. Tobias tries to say no and even brings up the fact that he'll be naked. Our fearless leader points out that Marco has brought a change of clothes and the two girls will look away.

Tobias says that demorphing feels like becoming a prisoner. Rachel reassures him that he can morph into a hawk later.

Jake begins to morph as Tobias begins to demorph. Cassie reminds Jake to keep control of his dog morph. Jake replies he knows and not for her to worry. But Cassie still does worry.

And, sure enough, Jake loses control of his dog morph. He quickly regains control of the morph and starts acting like a real dog while eavesdropping on the secret meeting. He makes sure to keep out of sight of Tom as the Controller would recognize Homer and know it was someone in morph. Possibly even know it was Jake.

Jake says he can't see that well but the sense of both smell and sound more than made up for it. He also realizes that Elfangor gave them the ability to morph since animals can do stuff humans can't do. Such as eavesdropping on a secret meeting.

Tom and the other Controllers wait for the same man that told the Hork-Bajir to get Jake's and the others' heads for identification. It turns out to be Assistant Principal Chapman.

Chapman asks if anyone has any ideas about who the teenagers at the construction site were. Tom replies that he thinks Jake is one of them and he brought him to The Sharing to either infest him or kill him.

Just let that sink in a moment: Jake just came to the realization that Tom is a Controller and he is now faced with the fact that a parasitic alien, who is wearing Jake's brother's face, is saying he is thinking of killing Jake.


Chapter 15

Jake has to remind himself that Tom isn't the one speaking. That it is a Yeerk that is speaking with Tom's mouth. That Tom doesn't want to kill him.

Jake's next thoughts are of how impossible it is to battle the Yeerks. The Yeerks can be anyone. Tom is a Controller. Chapman is a Controller. He thinks that Marco is right for saying that they shouldn't battle the Yeerks because it is such an impossible thing to do.

Jake gets depressed and lets himself get lost inside the dog mind. Dogs are happy and don't understand despair. Especially the kind Jake is experiencing at the moment. Jake finally faces the fact that he is going to have to deal with reality.

Jake tries to listen to the rest of the meeting and keeps thinking of Tom saying, "Make him ours...or kill him."

Again, he is a teenager and a lot of things have been thrust upon him. He wanted to be close to his brother but now he's the enemy. On the bright side, though, Jake now has a reason to fight.

The Yeerks also discuss the schedule for going to the Yeerk pool.

Jake then hears Cassie's voice. A policeman is questioning why she's by the area for full members only. Jake, again, complains about how poor dog vision is. Luckily Cassie doesn't get in trouble...trouble being either infested or killed by the Yeerks.

Jake asks why Cassie risked her life. She said she did so because she was worried about Jake. This is very sweet, but why not get Tobias to morph into a hawk again? There was no need for her to risk herself like that.

Jake finds himself reluctant to demorph as he realizes what Tobias already has: morphing is a great way to escape your troubles.

Once Jake has demorphed, Jake tells Marco that he is right. Tom is a Controller. For someone who kept on bringing up that point, he doesn't look happy about being right. This sort of hints at the fact that Marco was only making such a big deal about that because he knew if Jake decided to fight he'd be forced to fight too.

Jake also recaps the secret meeting to the rest of the group.

Rachel is surprised when Jake says that Chapman is also a Controller.

Jake says that Chapman must be some sort of leader as he was the one that said to take their heads for identification.

Marco's reply is, "That is so Chapman."

Tobias says they have to get out of The Sharing meeting now. Jake says that no one will try to kill them at a The Sharing meeting. As the readers and Rachel breathe a collective sigh of relief Jake kills the moment. He does so by by saying Chapman thinks that they will talk and then the Yeerks can kill them then.

Rachel says they won't talk and Marco agrees. Marco agrees because he wants to use this chance to say they shouldn't fight. However, Jake counters by bringing up that he needs to save Tom. I'd say something about Katniss and Prim from The Hunger Games trilogy, but I don't want to spoil the ending from either series.

You're welcome to those of you who have read only either Animorphs or The Hunger Games trilogy. Not both.

Marco brings up that fighting the Yeerks is an impossible war to win. Jake replies confidently as does everyone but Marco. I'm not really liking Marco at the moment but feel that's only because he's going to be the last one willing to fight the Yeerks. And it's not until he has a personal stake that he decides to put his full support into trying to stop the Yeerks. I know I enjoyed him when I read the series previously, so I'm waiting to love him again.

Since the meeting of the full members has ended, Jake decides to delay the final vote until later. Again.

Jake asks Cassie what animal she has that he can acquire so that he can spy on Chapman. She finally decides that a lizard is the best option.


Chapter 16

Jake says he morphed into a lizard in his locker at school. What makes me laugh about this part is that he says that the exact species is a green anole that is a member of the iguana family. And that the reader wouldn't care about that part.

Jake says he tries to make it appear him going into his locker look normal. Yeah...don't think you can really make that action look normal.

Jake mentions that morphing a dog was cool, but turning into a lizard is plain creepy. Listen, man, you will turn into things that will make lizards look downright pleasant. Not that I, myself, think lizards are creepy.

Jake mentions he should have practiced before morphing the lizard before he used the lizard morph to spy on Chapman. He then recounts, in a very shortened version, how he had acquired the lizard.

Jake then morphs into the green anole. Arg! He ends up stepping on an old wad of gum!

When he fully morphs into a lizard the green anole's mind kicks in and it's afraid. Jake tries to gain control by telling his lizard mind to go to the light aka the ventilation slits on his locker. When he finally gets to the ventilation slits he has trouble understanding what his lizard eyes are seeing. Our fearless leader manages to make sense of the lizard sight at the same time the lizard mind is trying to fight him.

The way Jake describes the lizard racing down the hall is just damn amazing. It makes me want to morph into a lizard just to race down a hallway.

Then the lizard mind takes over and Jake goes after a spider. He feels disgusted when he can't resist the lizard's mind need to eat the spider. He wants to demorph and doesn't care who sees him. He even thinks that Marco is right and he shouldn't fight the Yeerks.

Suddenly someone steps on Jake's lizard's tail and he think he's trapped. I'm glad a lizard's tail doesn't have the ability to detach and then a new one regrows or anything!
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Animorphs Re-Read Table of Contents

Animorphs Re-Read: #1 The Invasion (Chapters 9-12)

Chapter 9

Tobias tells Jake how to acquire a morph. You have to meditate on becoming whatever it is that you're acquiring. Homer goes into a trance like state and Jake jokes that the dog knows he's a lunatic.

After ten seconds Homer is back to being his hyperactive self. Tobias and Jake put him outside since bird-boy figures that he'll get freaked out by the morphing process.

Jake concentrates on his image of Homer and then opens his eyes thinking the process didn't work. Raise your hand if you tried to morph and felt disappointed that you couldn't. Because that's what this part feels like to me.

Tobias then tells Jake to look at his hand. It has fur on it!

It's funny how this scene is turning because Tobias is calm and telling Jake to calm down so he can finish the morph. Meanwhile Jake is having a nervous breakdown.

Jake tries to back down again and says he doesn't have to do this.

Tobias agrees sarcastically and points out that it's fight or let the Yeerks win.

With that Jake goes to complete his first morph.

Jake mentions that it feels like he has Novocaine while he's morphing. He says his bones feel strange but they don't hurt.

He mentions he should be scared but he feels happy.

I would love to morph a bird, specifically a raven, but to morph into a dog and feel such happiness is what I want so bad. I have clinical depression so you can see my reasoning. I would also like to smell like dogs smell. I can't smell so being able to do so would be awesome.

So when you morph something you get some of the memories (not just the instincts)? I don't know if this was retconned later on or not.

Jake starts barking at Homer in the yard. The dog part has taken over and Jake is overwhelmed. It takes Tobias talking to him to bring Jake to himself.

Tom comes in questioning about Homer and sees Tobias. Jake's brother asks who he is. Tobias says he's one of Jake's friends and that Jake is around.

Jake picks an odd scent from Tom while he's in Homer morph. Tom calls Jake a bad dog (thinking he's Homer) and Tobias has to scratch behind Jake's dog ear to make the fearless leader feel better.


Chapter 10

Jake calls the others saying that they'd meet later at Cassie's farm. The light of my life, that is Tobias, leaves and Jake talks to Cassie on the kitchen phone. Tom then enters the room and Jake has this feeling that he shouldn't talk to his should-be-wife-at-the-end-of-the-series.

Jake then tells Cassie he'll see her later.

Jake says how he and Tom used to be very close. But now Jake's brother is involved with The Sharing and that takes up all his time. Jake also says that Tom should've been the very first person he told about the Yeerks, but he had this feeling that he shouldn't. And now all I can think of is in the final book...Tom's fate and Rachel...

Tom doesn't react like himself when he says he doesn't care about Jake not making the basketball team. He says there are more important things.

When Jake thinks Tom means girls I...I'm not getting teary eyed...

After Jake does chores he heads over to Cassie's farm. He talks about how it used to be a farm and now Cassie's father uses the main red barn as a clinic for non-pet animals. Cassie's mother works at The Gardens which is described like Busch Gardens.

Everyone but Cassie is there. Rachel shows Jake an article about what happened at the construction site the other night. At first Jake is happy that others know and then continues reading it. He then gets angry when it says that what really happened was teenagers setting off fireworks. There is also a reward out for information about the teenagers.

Jake wonders why the police would lie. Marco replies that it's because the police are Controllers in the most insensitive way possible and with a bonus 'math teachers are aliens' joke.

It hits them that they are really in this by themselves. Marco and Jake argue about whether to fight or not. Tobias thinks Marco is a coward for not wanting to fight, but Jake understands Marco. Sure enough Marco brings up the fact that he is thinking about how his Dad would react to him dying.

Marco's mother drowned and then his father lost it and is now at a job where he's barely able to afford to take care of Marco.

Marco says they can all think he's a coward, but he doesn't care because he's thinking of his father.

Cassie comes up in horse morph and partially demorphs before greeting the group. Marco had never seen morphing before and is very surprised.

Jake is impressed with how much control Cassie has over her morphing ability.

And then the cops show up!


Chapter 11

Jake tells Cassie to morph but she is confused which way to morph. This is due to the fact that the horse part of her mind is panicking. Jake tells her to morph human and for the others to stand in front of her.

The police officer asks if the kids are hiding something. Luckily Cassie demorphed in time.

Rachel asks, politely, what the officer wants. He says that they're looking for the kids that set off fireworks (aka, the teens he's talking to). Marco coughs and Jake covers for him.

Jake's Controller sense tingles and he knows the police officer is a Controller. How he describes a Yeerk is just damn creepy.

This Controller recognizes Jake as Tom's brother. The parasitic slug then starts trying to sell Jake on The Sharing. I didn't mention this: but earlier in the book Tom also says Jake should join The Sharing.

Love Marco's line of saying that Jake is "a regular genius" to the officer.

Rachel says they have to be careful about morphing and Cassie is ashamed that she put her friends in danger by getting artsy with her ability to morph. Cassie says that she's only able to morph tight clothing and it took practice to do that. Of course the Andalites wouldn't worry about morphing clothing as they go around all naked.

Marco says that they shouldn't morph and Rachel agrees with him. Tobias brings up the point that they can't trust anyone since anyone could be a Controller. Cassie says that she can't see herself not morphing since this ability could help save endangered species. Tobias brings up the fact that humans could be the next endangered species.

Jake ends up being asked to decide and he says it's better that everyone vote. When Tobias says they should fight, Marco brings up the loner's inability to fight. This makes the future bird-boy blush. Cassie says that they should take time to make this decision as it's a big one that'll affect their future. Jake is relieved that Cassie brought up that option.

Jake says that everyone should go back to their normal lives until later. He and Marco play a video game, but Jake can't seem to get into it like he usually can.

Tom comes in and offers to play the video game with them. Jake mentions it's been months since Tom has done something like this.

Tom then questions Marco and Jake about the event at the abandoned construction site. This doesn't make Tom look suspicious or anything...

Tom then says Jake and Marco should join The Sharing. After Tom leaves Marco says Jake's brother is a Controller.


Chapter 12

 And, of course, Jake doesn't react well to his best friend saying that his brother is the enemy. Don't really blame him as a lot of responsibility has been thrust upon his shoulders. Especially for a teenager.

Marco basically tells Jake to stop thinking like an idiot and realize how odd Tom has acted recently. ESPECIALLY his interest in the events that happened in the construction site the other night. Marco finally relents and says there is a possibility that he is wrong, but the likelihood of that is very low.

Tobias arriving stops anymore fighting between the two. And he has finally acquired his signature morph: THE RED-TAILED HAWK!

So that's, dear readers, why I've been calling him bird-boy. Well...part of the reason, but you'll find out the entire reason at the end of this book.

Marco is mad about Tobias morphing again and Jake warns bird-boy about staying in morph for over two hours. Tobias seems conflicted about demorphing, almost as if he prefers being a bird than being a human.

He finally demorphs. Jake mentions the process took three minutes for Tobias this time.

Unlike Cassie, Tobias is still unable to morph into with clothing on.

Tobias says how riding the thermals was the coolest thing he's ever done. When Jake asks what a thermal is it makes me think of the many children who didn't grow up knowing what thermals are. Thermals are talked about so often in this series that I have known what a thermal is since around age ten.

Tobias says that he got his red-tailed hawk morph from an injured hawk that was in Cassie's barn. Jake wonders how bird-boy could morph a non-injured animal acquired from an injured animal. I have to laugh that it is Marco, the joker of the group, who tells Jake he's an idiot for not understanding how DNA works.

Tobias and Marco get into an argument. Tobias is on the side of empathizing with the injured hawk while Marco thinks it's an idiotic standpoint to empathize so completely with an animal (that isn't human).

Jake gets a feeling that Tobias will purposefully trap himself in morph and so reminds the teen about the two hour limit. Bird-boy replies that he can keep track of time by looking at clocks and watches, since a hawk's eyesight is so powerful.

In The Andalite Chronicles it's revealed that Elfangor asked Tobias about his mother, but it's shown in this book that Elfangor also gave bird-boy visions. Not visions as in predictions, but visions showing information about the Yeerks that the Andalite Prince didn't have time to tell the five teenagers.

Marco tells Tobias that he suspects that Tom is a Controller. Jake threatens Marco again. Tobias doesn't take a side but says that they should still be very careful around him.

Earlier Tobias had said he was looking for a Yeerk pool and continues talking about them now. He talks about the Kandronas. Talks about how Kandrona particles are like vitamins to Yeerks and that they need to feed every three days.

Tobias admits that now the idea of flying around looking for Yeerk pools was a dumb idea. Marco asks what bird-boy would've done if he had found one. When Tobias says that they'd blow it up, Marco replies that they would do nothing since they had decided not to become involved in stopping the Yeerk invasion of Earth.

Tobias says that he has decided to fight and Marco again brings up the point that the loner has never fought before. Tobias says that he has finally found something worth fighting for. He says that whatever the others decide, he will fight.
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Animorphs Re-Read Table of Contents

Jobs Vlog Review (Parts 1-3)

revrezner and I talk about Jobs (2013) starring Ashton Kutcher.

The World's End Vlog Review (Parts 1 & 2)

revrezner and I talk about The World's End starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

The Green: Epilogue

I got special attention that I felt I didn't deserve. I had given Earth a final chance at being saved and people overreacted. Couldn't they see that I had let a great man die. I had let my lover suffer a fate of insanity and then killed him. I didn't see, now that I was able to be in a calm environment, how killing him was a good or necessary deed.

I'm sorry, Plague. I'm so sorry.

The nurses in the hospital were kind to me and patched me up as best they could. They, of course, made sure that no Gralg was on my body and that I was not going to be a problem. One nurse tried to talk to me about sports but I didn't answer. He eventually gave up and left the room.

I couldn't talk to anyone. I didn't know how I could ever talk again. I could talk to a Superior, but I didn't think I could do small talk anymore.

I was on a small cot and dim sunlight came in through the window. It was a cloudy day that fit my mood. I was living with Plague dead and the Gralg outbreak didn't seem like it was ever going to be stopped. At least not by me.

It was my duty to fight Gralg, but I didn't have the strength to do so with Plague gone. There was no one to replace him and I didn't feel like trusting someone else with my emotions.

Hours passed and the only interaction I had was accepting food and some pills. No one else spoke to me after the nurse tried talking to me about sports. I don't think they had any great dealings with soldiers or else this was their way of working through the problem.

Finally someone I could barely remember seeing stepped through the door and I just nodded at him.

"My name is David Cafil, Clohn." He said and waited for my response.

He looked like a Specialist in the Army. After seeing that I decided I had to say something. I had to at least have an exchange of information and then I could go back to contemplating.

"Did Plague's final mission mean anything?" I asked as I didn't want to label the Winchester, Kentucky mission mine. I had to pay respect to my lover somehow.

"It gave us information about combating Gralg that we didn't have before." David said without answering my question. But it was an answer in a way.

"So it didn't mean anything." I said and turned away from David. "He died for nothing."

"It will be useful in the long term."

"But will it stop Gralg? Will it be the key that we need?"

David's silence was enough.

"I need to rest." I said without looking at him.

When he exited the room and shut the door I looked over to where he had been standing.

The last things I remembered before falling asleep were a woman yelling about the end of the world and a young woman in white. She was the same one I had hallucinated in my cell in Nuscon, Arizona.

She smiled at me and touched the palm of my hand. My hand turned brown and green before returning to its natural color.

I fell asleep more peacefully than I thought possible.

-THE END-

Author's Note: Thank you to all my readers who were with me from day one to the end. As well as those that joined along the way.
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Read All of The Green
The Green Main Links

Continuum (Season 2)

Show: Continuum

Season: 2

Episodes: 13

Created By: Simon Barry

Released: 2013

Rating: 4.5/5

Basic Plot: Kiera Cameron continues to try and make sure her future survives while Alec Sadler comes to terms with the revelation from the Season 1 Finale.
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Expanding the Universe
In series it's good to expand on boundaries. Such as Fringe deciding to go in the direction that there is more than one universe. In both Fringe and Continuum, expanding on the universe answers questions rather than creating more for the sake of mystery. In Season 2 you find out that it might not have been an accident that Kiera got sent back in time and that Alec (his future self) had something to do with that decision. I really loved Alec's backstory being expanded upon this season.

Should The Future Be Changed
Throughout this Season the question is raised if the future should be changed. Kiera Cameron believes in keeping the future the same so that she can return to her son and husband. Alec Sadler, who received some interesting news at the end of last season, thinks it should be changed. I believe both believe their position to be right because they have a personal stake in their answer being right. For Kiera, she has her family at stake (since I'm never going to have children I can only connect to her returning to her husband). For Alec, he is trying to avoid the mistakes his future self made.

More Than Two Sides
In the first season it was Kiera against Liber8. There was right and there was wrong. True, both sides were heavily in the grey but there were only two sides. In the second season there are more sides. It turns out Alec's future self has some dealings with what is happening in the past and had a hand in sending others back. There are the freelancers whose side isn't very clear, just that they aren't on Liber8's side. Julian is also changing and gets his own group of people.

Final Thoughts
One of my favorite parts of this season is when Kiera finally tells Carlos about who she really is. I admit her first go-around telling him didn't go well, but when she finally did it was great. I enjoyed seeing the continuation of this series and think this Season brings this series higher instead of taking it down. The finale for this season really shook me and I can't wait until next season. What happened to Alec? What the heck is going on with Kiera and some other people? I must have answers now!

Animorphs Re-Read: #1 The Invasion (Chapters 5-8)

Chapter 5

A Hork-Bajir starts to search for the kids and Elfangor tells them to be silent. The space cows can't see well in the dark but their hearing is wonderful.

The Hork-Bajir is very close to the kids and Jake is more than afraid. He imagines how the creature will kill him. He goes on to describe what fear can do to you and says everyone is the same way. That no matter how brave you think you are, everyone experiences extreme fear the same way.

To help the children, the dying Andalite gives them some of his strength. Jake says the feeling is beyond words.

When the Hork-Bajir goes away Jake sees the Taxxon and Hork-Bajir Controllers turn towards the ship. He says that they're standing at attention and Marco points out that none of them knows anything about aliens.

Visser Three appears and the kids notice him and Elfangor look alike. In other words: Visser Three has an Andalite host. Elfangor says that Visser Three is the only Yeerk to ever take an Andalite host.

Jake remarks that Visser Three and Elfangor feel different though they look similar.

Cassie and Rachel are worried that the Visser can hear their thoughts. Elfangor says that if you don't direct your thoughts to someone then they can't be heard. I would like to point out how thought-speak works changes after the first book. It is common knowledge that Applegate changed her mind after The Invasion was published. So what Elfangor is talking about here was probably meant to mean something more than using thought-speak in morph.

Visser Three shows himself to be a little drama queen. He pretends not to know Elfangor to show how much he hates the Andalite. He goes on and on about how much he rules.

Elfangor asks why the Yeerks would bother with humans as the parasites already have Taxxon allies and Hork-Bajir slaves. The Visser replies that the reason is because there are billions of humans and that they have no idea of what's happening.

Elfangor stands up since he refuses to die lying down. The Visser continues to taunt the Andalite by saying he'll hunt down Elfangor's family and have his most loyal lieutenants infest them. Elfangor strikes Visser Three with his tail-blade! AND Elfangor's fighter shoots a bug fighter!

The Visser angrily orders for the Andalite fighter to be destroyed.

The children see the outlines of humans and they wonder if the humans are prisoners.

The Visser orders some Hork-Bajir controllers to hold Elfangor. They could kill him but that 'pleasure' is for the Visser only.

Jake remarks that they all saw why a powerful Yeerk would inhabit an Andalite. I'd like to point out that Visser Three wasn't that rank when he got Alloran's body.

The first morph of the book and it'll probably give children nightmares!

Cassie is the only one to say anything and she just keeps repeating 'no' while Jake is busy whimpering. Cassie takes comfort by taking Tobias' hand.

Even when Elfangor is picked up by the monster Visser Three has turned into, he keeps striking with his tail-blade.

The chapter ends with the Visser opening his mouth.


Chapter 6

Jake finally snaps and starts to make a move to try and stop Visser Three from killing Elfangor. It takes Elfangor and Jake's friends to not get himself killed before he can become a fearless leader.

Visser Three eats Elfangor and at the last moment Elfangor cries out. His scream haunts Jake and the boy doesn't think that nightmare will ever go away.

The Hork-Bajir Controllers laugh and the Taxxon Controllers go to eat any piece of Andalite that falls down.

I think it's telling that Tobias is the only one who has to cover his eyes. Since Elfangor is Tobias' father and they seem to have a strong connection to each other.

The Human Controllers are also laughing and Jake seems to recognize one of the voices. At least he thinks he does...

Visser Three demorphs and reveals that the creature he had morphed into is called an Antarean Bogg. The Human and Hork-Bajir Controllers laugh again. Jake hears the familiar laughter and Marco vomits.

The teenagers start running and Jake says to split up. Rachel and him are the fastest runners so he decides they should be the distraction.

I love how in this book and the Harry Potter series curse words are always described in a funny manner. Jake hadn't realized Rachel could cuss.

Jake, our fearless leader, falls down. Rachel doesn't realize he's down. When she does he tells her to keep going.

Jake runs into an unfinished building he remembers and hopes that the others escaped alive.

Navigating the buildings is harder than usual when scared, Jake finds out.

Jake hears a human voice that sounds familiar telling the Hork-Bajir Controller to just kill whoever it finds.

Jake bumps into a homeless man whose fate is uncertain, but most likely dead, and then runs away once the Hork-Bajir Controller is distracted with the man.


Chapter 7

Jake makes it home and checks up on the others. Good man, check up on your friends even when all you want to do is curl up in a corner and forget everything.

That morning Tobias comes over to visit. Jake is confused as to why bird boy has come over. When Tobias enters Jake's room, Jake notices that his friend is very excited.

Tobias said he had become his cat (Dude) earlier. Jake, not having had his morning coffee, is very confused.

 Tobias says that he didn't know exactly how to morph so he made sure his door was locked. This leads Jake to talk about Tobias' messed up family life. Tobias never knew his father (remember, he doesn't know Elfangor is his real father), Loren left bird boy all of a sudden, and he's now moved between his aunt and uncle.

Why do I always have to love the hurt ones?

Tobias says that he just had to concentrate on Dude to become him. He mentions Dude getting freaked out and clawing him. This is confusing as Tobias still has an injury from that little attack.

Jake is still confused and tells Tobias that he probably imagined it happening.

Tobias then goes on to describe what being a cat felt like and how much he enjoyed that morph.

Jake still insists that Tobias dreamt that he turned into a cat. Bird boy says that Jake just doesn't want to believe they can morph now. Jake replies that of course he doesn't want to believe the truth.

 Tobias then brings up Elfangor. Jake realizes that he can't just dismiss the Andalite.

Tobias then decides to morph into Dude to help Jake decide what is real. It takes a few seconds for the morphing to have any big effects. Jake says that he feels like laughing but if he started he couldn't stop.


Chapter 8

Jake and Tobias learn the general rules of thought speak. Such as you have to direct your thoughts to someone so that they can hear you.

This is a problematic scene if you put it up against the rest of the series. In this scene Jake is able to talk telepathically to Tobias (while bird boy is in a morph), but that's not the case in #2 The Visitor. This was very confusing to me upon first reading the second book.

While Tobias is in cat morph he starts experiencing some of the instincts of one. He wants to play with string. Such a cat stereotype!

Jake points out to Tobias that he's playing with strong and that makes bird boy stop for a second. They then discuss the fact that Tobias hasn't just assumed the form of a cat but has BECOME a cat. With all the instincts of a feline.

Jake tells Tobias that he should demorph and bird boy agrees.

Tobias then tells Jake that maybe they can figure how to make it so when they demorph they aren't naked. Jake is taken aback by the assertion that he's suddenly included into this saving the world from the Yeerks business.

Tobias explains that Jake has to be the leader. He is the only one who can be.

I like the line about Jake only being able to see Tobias' human eyes in memory. I know Tobias will eventually regain his ability to morph as well as his human form, but I doubt Applegate knew about this when writing the line. However, it still foreshadows that Tobias will become a nothlit by the end of this book.

And with Jake accepting his role of leader he decides to try out the morphing ability for himself. He decides to morph into his dog Homer.
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Animorphs Re-Read Table of Contents