Moran Rereads the Animorphs
Book 6: The Capture
AKA “The PTSD squad is a thousand times more competent than anyone ever with regard to possessed members of the team”
- There’s…both a lot and not much to deal with in this book, I guess. More than half of it takes place in Jake’s head, so this will be relatively short.
- First, though: it is 100% hilarious to me that the kids forget that roaches have wings. They CONSISTENTLY forget that roaches have wings. I think it’s the horse book (Book 14: The Unknown, technically, but it’s the horse book and you know what I’m talking about) where they do the same thing and Cassie remembers that she has wings at the LAST POSSIBLE SECOND. Honestly I don’t think this is a plot hole, I think humans are just in collective fucking denial about roaches having wings. We as a species have decided that flying roaches are such prime nope that we’ve just wiped it from our minds. Of course this means it’s a whole new trauma every time a roach takes off and flies at your face, but whatever. Also this is only semi-related but I’m so goddamn relieved they never do a cicada morph, I couldn’t handle that.
- The miniature Yeerk pool that Jake broils. Excellent tactical decision, I’m proud of my baby boy for doing what needed doing, and it had to be done or the war would have ended pretty much right there. But also…wow, reading these books with a full knowledge of the rest of the series is a trip. Seventeen thousand, three hundred and seventy-two, that’s all I’m saying.
- The narration of Jake’s experience of being infested? Terrifying. Deeply. If I had to pick something that stuck with me about this book, since the first time I read it, God, thirteen years ago, it’s that. Watching the Yeerk flip through his memories, losing control of his body, knowing that his friends are doomed and there’s nothing he can do…yeah. I remember I blew through this book in like twenty minutes the first time because I was fucking TERRIFIED.
- Temrash 114 showing Jake memories of Tom begging him (how the fuck does gender even WORK for Yeerks) to leave Jake alone remains as heartbreaking now as it was the first time I read it.
- Jake through this whole book just makes me want to cry and wrap him up in a blanket and I love him a lot. I JUST LOVE HIM A LOT. An open letter to everyone on my dash who has ever talked shit about Jake: I will fight you. Weehawken, dawn, guns drawn. Or Denny’s parking lot, 3 AM, bare-knuckle boxing. Whichever you prefer.
- Ax’s attempt to believably play human is…adorable. I am not surprised that Jake’s parents took him to a doctor after this.
- The Animorphs are so fucking efficient about this whole thing? Like? There is no wallowing about “Oh, but we could get information from the Yeerk,” or “Oh, but we can’t torture Jake like that, he’s still in there.” Just. “Our leader has been infested, therefore we’re going to take steps to un-infest him, this will be highly unpleasant for him, but not nearly as unpleasant as being infested.” Wham, bam, thank you ma’am. I have seen shows and read books where grown-ass adults are more nervous and jittery and ultimately incompetent about similar things, about demonic possession or whatever (as ever, I am looking at you, Supernatural). The Yeerk tries to morph? Nope, not having that, there are five of them and all of them are armed to the teeth with the nastiest shit planet Earth has to offer. The Yeerk tries to argue ‘well, if you kill me you kill your friend’? Jake would rather die than be infested anyway, and the others know it. BOOM. Three very unpleasant days, and Jake goes the fuck home. Take notes, folks.
- I forgot how early Crayak shows his fucking face. Well. Eye. Whatever.
