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Reviews - Animorphs
Jan. 5th, 2010 01:15 amAnimorphs: The Predator
This book made me like Marco a bit more. Which is kind of to be expected, since it's the book written from his point of view. It's an interesting way to go about writing a series, really, having each book from a different point of view. It keeps things a bit fresher, maybe. Although I do find that sometimes the supposedly distinct personalities all talk a bit too much like each other -- not the things they say, which are carefully kept separate, but the way they speak. Then again, they're a bunch of teenagers. Teenagers tend to do their best to speak and act like everyone else anyway, so it's kind of realistic.
Anyway, The Predator deals with Ax's desire to go home. It makes sense as a next move: we learn that he's more or less just a child, not a warrior like his brother, and he could convince more people to come to the aid of Earth. That's more realistic and more of a sensible move than him just trying to fight Yeerks.
It also deals with Marco's emotions, and his lack of commitment to the Animorph cause -- well, his ambivalence to it, his attitude that maybe they should just look out for themselves and for their families. Suddenly things are even more personal for Marco, as with Jake, and Rachel -- people they know are part of the threat.
Ultimately, Ax doesn't get to go home and everyone is now committed to the fight on Earth.
Animorphs: The Capture
Oh, gross, the one with the roaches and the flies, and the Yeerk in Jake's head. That's really the most interesting thing about this book: getting a glimpse of the Yeerks from the inside, in a way. Jake learning all about the Yeerk as he dies. It's one good way, along with having an Andalite on the team, to have them learn about the enemy, another good way for them to learn what to do. And something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, and sooner or later it'd have to be dealt with.
The other interesting thing about this is Tom, and the Animorphs' concern not to hurt him, and their carefulness in trying not to have him hurt. And the bit at the end, where Jake slightly morphs into a wolf to change the sound of his voice, and tells Tom to hold on, knowing the real Tom can hear it... Lovely.
Ultimately it still feels like the Animorphs are fighting a losing battle. They manage to prevent one or two or a hundred people from becoming Controllers, but nothing they do stops the Controllers completely -- they can just set up another Yeerk pool in that same hospital, after all. And they don't seem to recognise the futility -- not even Ax, who knows more than any of them. That's a little frustrating. Though, of course, if they sat around and despaired, they'd get nothing done, and that wouldn't be any more helpful.
This book made me like Marco a bit more. Which is kind of to be expected, since it's the book written from his point of view. It's an interesting way to go about writing a series, really, having each book from a different point of view. It keeps things a bit fresher, maybe. Although I do find that sometimes the supposedly distinct personalities all talk a bit too much like each other -- not the things they say, which are carefully kept separate, but the way they speak. Then again, they're a bunch of teenagers. Teenagers tend to do their best to speak and act like everyone else anyway, so it's kind of realistic.
Anyway, The Predator deals with Ax's desire to go home. It makes sense as a next move: we learn that he's more or less just a child, not a warrior like his brother, and he could convince more people to come to the aid of Earth. That's more realistic and more of a sensible move than him just trying to fight Yeerks.
It also deals with Marco's emotions, and his lack of commitment to the Animorph cause -- well, his ambivalence to it, his attitude that maybe they should just look out for themselves and for their families. Suddenly things are even more personal for Marco, as with Jake, and Rachel -- people they know are part of the threat.
Ultimately, Ax doesn't get to go home and everyone is now committed to the fight on Earth.
Animorphs: The Capture
Oh, gross, the one with the roaches and the flies, and the Yeerk in Jake's head. That's really the most interesting thing about this book: getting a glimpse of the Yeerks from the inside, in a way. Jake learning all about the Yeerk as he dies. It's one good way, along with having an Andalite on the team, to have them learn about the enemy, another good way for them to learn what to do. And something like this was bound to happen sooner or later, and sooner or later it'd have to be dealt with.
The other interesting thing about this is Tom, and the Animorphs' concern not to hurt him, and their carefulness in trying not to have him hurt. And the bit at the end, where Jake slightly morphs into a wolf to change the sound of his voice, and tells Tom to hold on, knowing the real Tom can hear it... Lovely.
Ultimately it still feels like the Animorphs are fighting a losing battle. They manage to prevent one or two or a hundred people from becoming Controllers, but nothing they do stops the Controllers completely -- they can just set up another Yeerk pool in that same hospital, after all. And they don't seem to recognise the futility -- not even Ax, who knows more than any of them. That's a little frustrating. Though, of course, if they sat around and despaired, they'd get nothing done, and that wouldn't be any more helpful.
