| Date: 10 April 2011, 02:44
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This one is getting a synapsis, as I didn't see an in depth one written out in the first ten or so reviews. To fully understand all of the terminology, refer to Animorphs 1: The Invasion and the other 14 which lead up to this one. This is helpful, but not critical to the reader, because Applegate always gives a very brief explanation at the beginning of each book, allowing someone to pick up on the series on any single book.
Eerk the pacifist Android Chee informs the Animorphs of a new Yeerk project which is under high security on an nearby, isolated island. He also tells Marco that Visser One, who stole away the body of Marco's mother to become its host (the full story of how/why is later told in the series in the book Visser) is overseeing the project. The most serious problem is it involves an aquatic race called Leerans, which are physic, and if these mind reading aliens are able to be taken in force as hosts, all will be lost for the human Animorphs. Their very survival depends on their enemy Visser Three (again, see earlier books) thinking they're Andalite renegades who escaped the initial attack in space over planet earth. If their secret is let out, death or worse to themselves and families would be instant.
Some very serious problems occur when the group morphs dolphins to explore the underwater base of operations, resulting in the team needing a new morph. Unfortunately, the morph needed is a hammerhead shark, and they run into some adventures acquiring it.
Action packed with tension strung here and there to keep the story interesting, along with Marco's sardonic wit, the book reaches an interesting climax with a face off between Visser One, Marco, Visser Three, and the other Animorphs. No spoilers, but this book gets 5 stars for good readability, a quick paced plot, and well grounded, serious story.
Now, a short bit for anyone like parents, or someone else outside the target audience who might be curious about this series. Marco is the comic of the group, and even though he pops plenty of jokes, many of them funny, we see more to him than that. Above all, he doesn't want anyone to pity him, and he's a hurting young boy who lost his mother -- yet didn't lose her. As he put it, he's trapped by hope itself, showing the duel edge to the emotion. While his mother lives, there's a chance she can be saved, but if she were truly dead, he could heal to move on with his life. Marco is also the Animorph with the most inner rage, which was seen particularly in The Android with the spider morph. There's a very brief section in this novel which is insightful to that, and has a very deep moral to it about power... and power corrupting. Marco is sorely tempted to murder some school mate bullies who are teasing him ruthlessly and cruelly about his mother. Partially through shark morph, but still almost all human, his teeth are changing, and he keeps staring at the bully's throat, almost aware of the blood pumping through it. This is a very subdued part of the book, but Jake keeps Marco from being rash. We'll never know if Marco would have actually gone through with it or not, but we can hope he had the strength not to. This is one of the few places where Applegate introduced the idea of corruption through a very awesome power, at least within the main characters. She expands on it in later books with a character called David, who they turn into an Animorph and everything goes awry.
On the other side of the scale, we see just how much Marco loves his Mom, even more personally than before. The reader experiences first hand the loss he lives with day by day, and why he makes fun of life to laugh instead of cry. A well written, very good "page turner" overall, with some interesting threads and humor.
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