Fans of the Animorphs

Before we get started, I wanted to apologize for getting behind on these re-reads. I read this book weeks ago, and then I unexpectedly got a kitten, and I kept forgetting to do the re-read post because kittens are a lot more demanding than I remembered. I will try to have the next re-read post up more quickly. So, again, sorry! I will try to be a better, timelier mod that this community deserves.

≺If the Yeerks don't get you, we will, ≻ I said.

≺Yeah, I know, ≻ David acknowledged. ≺But already there used to be six of
you and now there are just five. Pretty soon, Jake, it'll be four.≻

I've always thought of this as kind of the Empire Strikes Back of the Animorphs books, mainly because it's the middle of an epic trilogy. Right down to the whole "IT'S A TRAP!" when the Animorphs confront Visser Three. Which sort of makes Tobias like Han Solo, only not frozen in carbonite, and David's not exactly Lando. Definitely not as smooth. My analogy is falling apart.

Anyway. Looking back now, it seems obvious that things with David go the way they do, but I remember when I read this the first time, I was completely surprised by the idea that he'd actually betray them. Probably because I wanted to be an Animorph so much, it was hard to understand how anyone could try to kill them.

I would've liked to have seen this happen further in the series/with more build-up. I think if they had ever reached a point of actually trusting him (or more of them trusting him than not) and *then* had David turn on them because of building resentment for all the things that made him turn on the Animorphs in this trilogy, it would've been more interesting. Say, a six or seven book arc instead of just three. If only because it seems a little too quick for them to expect him to actually participate in their missions--a more sensible option would've been to have Erek the Chee pretend to be one of them and keep an eye on him while they were off focusing on this big mission, or anything that wouldn't have plunged him right into everything. Even so, I still have trouble getting how he could, even in the heat of the moment, consider turning to the guy that enslaved his parents for protection; I can't see myself doing that, especially not if I were in any form that might let me go after the dude instead.

Any other thoughts? Agree with me? Think I'm crazy? If you were in David's shoes, and you'd lost your parents/home/everything and were suddenly expected to fight in a crazy war against aliens, would you even be able to cope with that, let alone fight in the war against the Yeerks?

_{Next time: #22 The Solution--Trapped like a rat!}