issue 4 // volume 43

arts // no. 9

Fun and informative book series teaches
everyone the painful realities of war

> An ‘Animorphs’ retrospective

Lauren Kelly
Editor-in-Chief

 

A: a kid’s book series written
in the late 90s, Animorphs
is probably best known these
days for its cheesy covers—
often seen parodied online—or
its short lived, also-cheesy

TV show. However, read by
adults, the books themselves
stand up incredibly well, and
are fantastic examples of the
sci-fi genre for any age.

The Animorphs series takes
place over 62 books—54 books in
the main series, 4 Megamorphs,
and 4 Chronicles. Each of the
main books switch point of
view (POV) between the six
protagonists, so you get to learn
their motivations and fears. At
around 150 pages each, they area
relatively small commitment, so
the large number of installments
isn’t as daunting as it seems
when contemplating a read-
through. There are read-order
lists online if you're not sure
when to read the Megamorphs
and Chronicles, which are some
of the best books in the series.

Animorphs takes place in
our world, in the ’gos, with one
major difference: A parasitic alien
race called the Yeerks has arrived
on Earth, looking to conquer it.
Outside of a host body, the slug-
like Yeerks are blind. However,
they can fully take control of a
host by entering through the
ear and attaching themselves
to the brain. Each host—called
a Controller—is fully aware of
what is happening at all times,
and is forced to watch helplessly
as the Yeerk in their head uses

Sees

Everything changes.

Sut not quite Jike this. ._-_.

Wa oid

“TV

 

their voice and mannerisms to
fool their family and friends into
becoming Controllers as well.
The series starts with the
five soon-to-be Animorphs being
given the power to morph into
any animal or human whose
DNA they acquire through
touch. They were given this
power by Elfangor, an Andalite,
another alien race trying to stop
the Yeerks. The Animorphs
are tasked with fighting a
guerilla war to slow down the
Yeerks until the Andalite fleet
arrives. The Animorphs are
13 at the start of the series.

Image via Scholastic

For books targeted at a young
demographic, they pull very few
punches. Author K. A. Applegate
stated that she wanted her story
to be as realistic as possible:
“Here’s what doesn’t happen
in war: there are no wondrous,
climactic battles that leave the
good guys standing tall and
the bad guys lying in the dirt.”
The books are true to this; the
children go all out in battle, and
while in morph lose eyes, limbs,
guts, and nearly their lives many
times. When their plans fail, as
they often do, the Animorphs
face devastating consequences.

But it isn’t just in violence that
these books skew more mature.

Each character has their
own distinct motivations and
character arcs, so conflict in
the group feels earned, and the
narrator of each book is made
unmistakable by the writing style.
Jake, the kid forced into the role
of leader, is tasked with risking
his friend’s lives on his every
order, and no matter what trauma
he endures he never allows
himself to show any weakness—
even when he almost dies.

His cousin Rachel, the
group’s over-achieving, beautiful,
preppy girl, is also their combat-
loving berserker, and she has
to deal with the weight of her
role as the “fearless” one, as
well as horror over the lines
that she continues to cross
throughout the series.

The other four, Cassie,
Tobias, Marco, and Ax—a young
Andalite—all struggle with their
own personal demons. Each
character internalizes much
of their pain, sharing it only
with the reader. Their mental
health declines throughout,
as they experience PTSD, and
recurring, horrifying nightmares.

The Animorphs’ actions are
often morally grey. The series
continually demands that the
protagonists answer questions
like: What would you personally
give up to further your goals?
How far would you go to win
the war? What is justified to
achieve freedom? Could you
kill your family? By crossing
these lines, are you better than
the enemy? As Rachel thinks in
The Underground, “Even I have
enough sense to know the words

Chairman of the Board: By air or by sea

> ‘Tsuro’ & ‘Tsuro of the Seas’ game reviews

Ed Appleby
Illustrator

 

n life, we must choose

between many different
paths. Some are straightforward,
while others twist and turn on
the way to their destination.
Also, there are dragons.

Tsuro (2004) and Tsuro

of the Seas (2012) are tile-
placement game for two to
eight players designed by Tom
McMurchie and published by
Calliope Games. Both games are
played on a board where players
take turns placing tiles with
pathways drawn upon them.

The players must then follow
the path that has been created
using a coloured marker. Once
a path leads off the board, the
player is out. The last player
on the board wins the game.
Tsuro of the Seas also adds
daikaiju cards, sea monsters
that interfere with your
journey. They move around
the board destroying tiles
and eliminating players.
Both versions of Tsuro
are very quick games, each
lasting only about 15 minutes.
I found Tsuro to be simple
yet engaging, almost zen-
like, as you allow yourself to
travel along the path you have

chosen. Tsuro of the Seas is
much more chaotic, with the
daikaiju adding an unpredictable
random element to the mix.

Of the two, I much prefer
the original. I felt that the
complexity of Tsuro of the Seas
took away from the eastern
philosophy of its source and
added a chaos that, though
reminiscent of the unpredictable
seas, is not necessary. I would
recommend either version of
Tsuro to someone who’s looking
for a more subdued game, as
both are quick and simple games
that can accommodate a large
number of players, and ideal
for most social occasions.

    

‘we have to win’ are the first
four steps on the road to hell.”

This may sound awfully
heavy—it often is—but there is
plenty of levity. K. A. Applegate
is masterful at slapstick and at
group banter, and especially early
on the group’s interactions are
charming and fun. Ax’s books,
filled with his deadpan humour
and his joyous love of human
food—especially Cinnabon—are
some of the funniest in the series.

Some plots, on the surface,
are ridiculous. These are kid’s
books, after all,. The humour,
like many of the more-popular
forms of kid’s media these days,
is often fun for all ages, yet many
jokes can only be appreciated
by an older audience. The
frequent, now dated, late ’gos
references, from Xena to AOL,
are all the more entertaining
for those of us who grew up
during this time period.

For animal fans, the books
feature tons of information about
the animals they morph, which
range from common creatures
like dolphins to not-so-often
discussed ones like voles, as well
as discussion about the morality
of morphing intelligent creatures.

The books still have an
active fan-base, with dedicated
forums and many currently-
running podcasts—the best
of which is The Hindsight—to
aid you in your read-through.
Ultimately, although they
may be heavy for the target
audience—which is, startlingly,
8-11 years old—as an adult, the
books are hilarious, thrilling,
and devastating. I couldn't
recommend them more highly.

Illustration by Ed Appleby