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Animorphs #35.5
Visser
On trial for treason, Edriss 562 explains how she infested a series of human hosts in order to spearhead the invasion of Earth by her people, the ruthless, parasitic Yeerks.
220 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
September 26, 2023
Visser One is on trial. Her accuser is Visser Three.
The trial is a really solid way to properly flesh out both Marco’s mom and especially Visser One, the parasitic Yeerk that’s infested her. The trial also lends itself perfectly to lots of flashbacks. Through Visser One’s eyes we see the start of the invasion of earth. We get to know a lot about how the Yeerks operate behind the scenes. And that they’re not so united in strategies and tactics as one might suspect.
Visser Three is trying to throw Visser One under the bus here. To eliminate a rival while climbing up the Yeerk ladder and to cover up his own failures on earth in one fell swoop. The trial is basically one big poker game between Vissers One and Three. Visser One’s not going down without a fight, she’s playing the cards she’s dealt with as best as possible. Though it’s obvious from the get go that Visser Three tried to stack the deck against her. She still has an ace up her sleeve, one that could doom the Animorphs. But does she really want to play it?
One of the best books in the series for me. It’s a really interesting side story with a solid standalone plot and a surprising but satisfying ending. Also one of the most gripping and most emotional books in the series so far. It is tied directly to the main plot of the series, which is appreciated. And it further fleshes out some characters who still have an important role to play later in the series.
The trial is a really solid way to properly flesh out both Marco’s mom and especially Visser One, the parasitic Yeerk that’s infested her. The trial also lends itself perfectly to lots of flashbacks. Through Visser One’s eyes we see the start of the invasion of earth. We get to know a lot about how the Yeerks operate behind the scenes. And that they’re not so united in strategies and tactics as one might suspect.
Visser Three is trying to throw Visser One under the bus here. To eliminate a rival while climbing up the Yeerk ladder and to cover up his own failures on earth in one fell swoop. The trial is basically one big poker game between Vissers One and Three. Visser One’s not going down without a fight, she’s playing the cards she’s dealt with as best as possible. Though it’s obvious from the get go that Visser Three tried to stack the deck against her. She still has an ace up her sleeve, one that could doom the Animorphs. But does she really want to play it?
One of the best books in the series for me. It’s a really interesting side story with a solid standalone plot and a surprising but satisfying ending. Also one of the most gripping and most emotional books in the series so far. It is tied directly to the main plot of the series, which is appreciated. And it further fleshes out some characters who still have an important role to play later in the series.
December 21, 2022
yeah bitch, she’s rereading animorphs! and she started with the darkest one! it’s a psychological thriller, it’s a courtroom drama, it’s a wartime romance, it’s colonialism as told by the colonizer. it’s the intermingling of motherhood and obsession and imperialism, all wrapped up with a shiny unreliable narrator bow. it’s disgusting!!!! it’s incredible. it’s visser by k.a. applegate.
edriss is so evil in such a human way; “the absence of metaphor is so striking,� you know? she is an abuser & an enslaver & a rapist & a murderer and through it all she’s also a mother and it’s never once subtext, it’s just literally the story she tells us. insane book. i cannot believe i read this as a child.
and then there's eva, who is here-and-not-here in every moment of the story, who watches in horror as her body commits literal war crimes, who holds her son in her arms and sees absolution so so close and then turns around and says: no. leave me here. who believes she was CHOSEN BY GOD to bear (and abandon!) the savior of the world: “I believe in a higher power, Yeerk. I believe I was taken so that my son would grow strong and wise and some day defeat you.� (????????????? yes. it really is that catholic. insane!)
and marco, my absolute son marco, who is like fifteen years old and was raised by a parasitic alien abusive mom AND is also the best tactician in a war he's been fighting for two years with only five other kids. the fact that eva gives him up because she deadass believes HER ONLY BEGOTTEN SON is the singular hope for earth and then,,,, what? he just has to keep fighting. because if not, what's her sacrifice for. THE JESUS OF IT ALL.
i can't believe scholastic published this. we are so lucky.
edriss is so evil in such a human way; “the absence of metaphor is so striking,� you know? she is an abuser & an enslaver & a rapist & a murderer and through it all she’s also a mother and it’s never once subtext, it’s just literally the story she tells us. insane book. i cannot believe i read this as a child.
and then there's eva, who is here-and-not-here in every moment of the story, who watches in horror as her body commits literal war crimes, who holds her son in her arms and sees absolution so so close and then turns around and says: no. leave me here. who believes she was CHOSEN BY GOD to bear (and abandon!) the savior of the world: “I believe in a higher power, Yeerk. I believe I was taken so that my son would grow strong and wise and some day defeat you.� (????????????? yes. it really is that catholic. insane!)
and marco, my absolute son marco, who is like fifteen years old and was raised by a parasitic alien abusive mom AND is also the best tactician in a war he's been fighting for two years with only five other kids. the fact that eva gives him up because she deadass believes HER ONLY BEGOTTEN SON is the singular hope for earth and then,,,, what? he just has to keep fighting. because if not, what's her sacrifice for. THE JESUS OF IT ALL.
i can't believe scholastic published this. we are so lucky.
February 7, 2017
These “Chronicles� special volumes are always a delight. Visser is the story of Visser One, aka Edriss 562, whose host body is also Marco’s mom. Visser One is on trial by the Council of Thirteen, the ultimate governing body of the Yeerks, subject only to the whims of the Yeerk Emperor, whose identity is known only to the council members. Visser Three is prosecuting the trial, and his rivalry with Visser One is a major source of conflict in this book. Visser One must tell the story of how she discovered Earth’s existence and made preparations for the Yeerk invasion—meanwhile, Marco and the Animorphs might be her only hope of getting out of this trial alive.
There is so much to love about this book!
First, we get unprecedented exposure to internal Yeerk politics. Up until this point, all we really knew about the Yeerks was that they have an “empire� with military positions including vissers, sub-vissers, etc. We knew that Vissers One and Three have a long-standing rivalry over how to handle the invasion of Earth. Visser One sheds more light on this in her story, and through her, Applegate reveals the schism within the empire: all Yeerks want Earth, but how to get it remains up in the air. Visser Three is pressing for an all-out invasion, to conquer humanity by force. This puts the reader in the awkward position of sympathizing with Visser One’s point of view, because even if she is arguing for the invasion of Earth, she is at least keeping it on the down-low. At one point, Marco briefly muses whether all-out warfare wouldn’t be a bad thing—at least the Animorphs would not have to hide, then. (Ugh, so much foreshadowing!) Yet Visser One points out that this would cause an immense death toll. Hence, the complexity of this problem should not be understated.
Given that this book is from her point of view, Visser One appearing as more sympathetic probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Nevertheless, I don’t think we had a grasp on how close Visser One is to turning traitor. She pretty much admits in this book to falling in love with humanity, to forming some kind of weird marriage alliance with her first host, her host’s husband, and the Yeerk controlling him. And she would do anything to protect the human children that she had with her host/host’s husband, even though they will never know her. Remember that, owing to how Yeerks are born in pools, they do not have any sense of “family� in the human sense of the word. Latent in this revelation, then, is the idea that humanity’s cultures and values are somehow infectious, even viral. Visser One arrives on Earth and “goes human�, as they put it.
Visser gives Applegate an opportunity to fill us in on the history of how Yeerks found Earth and the invasion began. This is essentially the purpose of the Chronicles series: The Andalite Chronicles showed us how Elfangor’s involvement changed the war between the Yeerks and Andalites forever; The Hork-Bajir Chronicles showed us how the Yeerks got their formidable warrior hosts. Now we get to learn about why Visser One created the Sharing, how she first implemented it, and what her ultimate plans were. Along the way, Applegate comments on what she perceives are both the strengths and weaknesses of humanity.
I also love that we get some time with Eva, Marco’s mom. It’s heartbreaking but heroic of her to volunteer to continue hosting Visser One because to escape would be too suspicious. While there is clearly no love lost between Eva and Visser One, or Marco and Visser One, there are nuances here to the relationship that helps belie the buffoonish depiction of other characters, like Visser Three. (To be fair, I feel like this latter portrayal can mostly be chalked up to Visser One’s unreliable narration—Visser Three might be more hot-tempered and less competent than her, but he clearly hasn’t bungled the invasion yet.)
As always, Animorphs is a series deceptively complex given its often juvenile branding and marketing. Visser is just another example of that.
My reviews of Animorphs:
� #36: The Mutation | #37 The Weakness �
There is so much to love about this book!
First, we get unprecedented exposure to internal Yeerk politics. Up until this point, all we really knew about the Yeerks was that they have an “empire� with military positions including vissers, sub-vissers, etc. We knew that Vissers One and Three have a long-standing rivalry over how to handle the invasion of Earth. Visser One sheds more light on this in her story, and through her, Applegate reveals the schism within the empire: all Yeerks want Earth, but how to get it remains up in the air. Visser Three is pressing for an all-out invasion, to conquer humanity by force. This puts the reader in the awkward position of sympathizing with Visser One’s point of view, because even if she is arguing for the invasion of Earth, she is at least keeping it on the down-low. At one point, Marco briefly muses whether all-out warfare wouldn’t be a bad thing—at least the Animorphs would not have to hide, then. (Ugh, so much foreshadowing!) Yet Visser One points out that this would cause an immense death toll. Hence, the complexity of this problem should not be understated.
Given that this book is from her point of view, Visser One appearing as more sympathetic probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. Nevertheless, I don’t think we had a grasp on how close Visser One is to turning traitor. She pretty much admits in this book to falling in love with humanity, to forming some kind of weird marriage alliance with her first host, her host’s husband, and the Yeerk controlling him. And she would do anything to protect the human children that she had with her host/host’s husband, even though they will never know her. Remember that, owing to how Yeerks are born in pools, they do not have any sense of “family� in the human sense of the word. Latent in this revelation, then, is the idea that humanity’s cultures and values are somehow infectious, even viral. Visser One arrives on Earth and “goes human�, as they put it.
Visser gives Applegate an opportunity to fill us in on the history of how Yeerks found Earth and the invasion began. This is essentially the purpose of the Chronicles series: The Andalite Chronicles showed us how Elfangor’s involvement changed the war between the Yeerks and Andalites forever; The Hork-Bajir Chronicles showed us how the Yeerks got their formidable warrior hosts. Now we get to learn about why Visser One created the Sharing, how she first implemented it, and what her ultimate plans were. Along the way, Applegate comments on what she perceives are both the strengths and weaknesses of humanity.
I also love that we get some time with Eva, Marco’s mom. It’s heartbreaking but heroic of her to volunteer to continue hosting Visser One because to escape would be too suspicious. While there is clearly no love lost between Eva and Visser One, or Marco and Visser One, there are nuances here to the relationship that helps belie the buffoonish depiction of other characters, like Visser Three. (To be fair, I feel like this latter portrayal can mostly be chalked up to Visser One’s unreliable narration—Visser Three might be more hot-tempered and less competent than her, but he clearly hasn’t bungled the invasion yet.)
As always, Animorphs is a series deceptively complex given its often juvenile branding and marketing. Visser is just another example of that.
My reviews of Animorphs:
� #36: The Mutation | #37 The Weakness �
August 19, 2013
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Visser chronicles the life of Edriss 562 before she becomes Visser One. It focuses on the silent invasion of Earth and is told mostly through speaking narration and a memory dump � which means that most of the novel happened way in the past. The Yeerk Edriss 562 stole a ship and went off on an unauthorised mission to find the only rumoured Class Five species yet discovered; the vulnerable, numerous, clever and dexterous humans of Earth.
Visser is one of my favourite Animorphs novels because it shows how even the most evil of creatures is not 100% evil. Edriss loved, as a human Controller, and fell in love with humans. She has her own personal reasons to the slow, silent invasion style the Yeerks are using on Earth rather than Visser Three’s all out war. However Edriss is on trial for sympathy towards a host species and a slew of other offences that could result in her immediate termination.
Edriss is a clever Yeerk and knows how to manipulate others. She’s adept at figuring out her situations and what she can do to come out on top, and she’s helped in this novel by her host, Eva, who knows that Edriss� death would most likely mean hers. Meanwhile, they both know the biggest secret of all: Eva’s son is Marco, a human who is morph-capable, and perhaps the rest of the so called ‘Andalite bandits� are, too.
Edriss’s story is one of my favourites because we see Earth through her alien Yeerk eyes, and she learns a lot about humans in the process of finding the best way to conquer them. She moves through several hosts and manages to keep her eye on the prize - Earth’s conquest � even if she does get a little sidetracked by a culture very different to her own. My favourite part in the whole novel is when she realises she has to call upon the ‘Andalite bandits� for help to discredit Visser Three and maybe lead to his own death � although Edriss and Visser Three are enemies, they are still both Yeerks and Vissers, and it is interesting seeing how far Edriss will go. Are the enemies of her enemy her friends? Or are they only doing as she requests because her host is Marco’s mother and her is trying to save her life, and her life alone? The Animorphs have reasons to want Edriss� slow and subtle invasion of Earth to continue: there is no way they could fight an outright war.
One thing the novel does not mention is whether or not Eva was a member of The Sharing or whether she was initially a volunteer host. I can only imagine Eva being taken kicking and screaming into slavery, but I would like to know how Edriss happened upon her because the why is obvious: Eva is a mother, and Edriss wants that experience. It might just be that Eva was the one random mother Edriss chose, but I’d like something more than that.
This book, although being part of the spin-off series, and mostly taking place in the past, does contain a scene in the present world that directly impacts upon the Animorphs and they make an appearance in the book. Therefore I think it is necessary reading to enjoy the series overall.
January 14, 2016
The cover is so misleading, y'all. This isn't about Visser Three, but about Visser One -- but I guess having the cover showcase a random Latina woman, or a slug, wouldn't be quite so thrilling...
Either way, I love this weird little book. Like, a lot. The narratorial techniques woven into each of the Chronicles are so interesting: in Andalite, it's Elfangor's last memory-dump before death. In Hork-Bajir, it's a generational memory passed on as oral history through Dak's descendants and Toby.
Now, it's a frame narrative built out of legal testimony: Edriss-Five-Six-Two (Visser One) and Visser Three are both on trial, and Edriss spins a Scheherazade-esque tale recounting her past actions in order to stay alive and hopefully suspend execution. I love frame narratives like this, with interjections from the present day, unreliable narration, behind-the-scenes politicking and the shadowy Council of Thirteen sitting in judgment, Eva offering her insights, and Visser Three fuming the whole way. It touches on events from the Andalite Chronicles (as Chapman's actions in that book are what directly led to the Yeerk invasion) and they rehash events from that book, both vissers circling each other and trying to outmaneuver each other and result in the others' execution -- all, in the end, leading to Edriss having to call in the Animorphs as unexpected allies.
The book expands the Yeerk worldbuilding even further, giving you an even better idea of what they're like, and painting more shades of grey, revealing the softer sides of Visser One, her sympathies and weaknesses and fondness for humans -- not everyone is be-all end-all villain (well, except for V3, because he is a megalomaniacal delight). You find out the story of how the Yeerk invasion initially began, and it's an interesting tale: their hope at finding the right hosts, their attempts to understand us, their astonishment at fiction, leisure, fun, family, love. The deep loneliness of being two Yeerks alone on an unauthorised mission on an alien world far from home, which leads to much of what follows. Essam is another sympathetic Yeerk, one who would totally have been a member of the peace movement if it had existed back then -- this continues Applegate's point that not all of them are the same, which is good in undermining the idea of implacable, identical evil.
Edriss' surprise at Marco's growth is also great, realising the cold-blooded tactician that her 'death' turned him into, her simultaneously impressed by him and hating him. The book also displays the calculated reasoning of the Animorphs as the tough, capable, hard-sacrificing crew that we all know and love, thanks to Applegate being back at the helm; I couldn't help but grin when Edriss, who knows that some of the Animorphs are humans, offhand assumes that Jake must be an Andalite due to the way he speaks and strategises.
All-in-all, it's a great exploration of another ambiguous 'villain' character, and things are not quite so black-or-white and cleanly-cut. The Yeerks' reasons for not embarking in all-out war are also legit: lest it risk drawing the attention of the Andalite fleet and make them decide to come to Earth sooner. (Which is also an annoying little reminder that, damnit, they are just being so sluggish in not coming to our aid!)
Also, can I just say, I love love love that the series finally points out that it's actually illegal in the Yeerk empire to randomly execute subordinates, and that by doing so, Visser Three should actually be executed as well -- but it's the sort of behaviour that everyone just agrees not to notice, because you don't make it to such high status in the empire without blatantly breaking your own rules. So great.
Visser is really good, and hits on my own personal buttons because it's so relevant to Marco, but it's probably not quite as heart-wrenching as Andalite or Hork-Bajir Chronicles, so more like a 4.5 than full stars. I'm really split between which rating to give it, though; the fact that it's an entire book of the series' main two villains standing trial within their own society/justice system is just such a ballsy, wonderful concept.
The description of humans' dual-brain cerebral hemispheres, and the Yeerks' reaction to that unique neurological experience, is also thought-provoking: our self-contradictory nature, hesitant, self-questioning, at war with ourselves, conflicted, mad. I'll try to edit in quotes later!
Either way, I love this weird little book. Like, a lot. The narratorial techniques woven into each of the Chronicles are so interesting: in Andalite, it's Elfangor's last memory-dump before death. In Hork-Bajir, it's a generational memory passed on as oral history through Dak's descendants and Toby.
Now, it's a frame narrative built out of legal testimony: Edriss-Five-Six-Two (Visser One) and Visser Three are both on trial, and Edriss spins a Scheherazade-esque tale recounting her past actions in order to stay alive and hopefully suspend execution. I love frame narratives like this, with interjections from the present day, unreliable narration, behind-the-scenes politicking and the shadowy Council of Thirteen sitting in judgment, Eva offering her insights, and Visser Three fuming the whole way. It touches on events from the Andalite Chronicles (as Chapman's actions in that book are what directly led to the Yeerk invasion) and they rehash events from that book, both vissers circling each other and trying to outmaneuver each other and result in the others' execution -- all, in the end, leading to Edriss having to call in the Animorphs as unexpected allies.
The book expands the Yeerk worldbuilding even further, giving you an even better idea of what they're like, and painting more shades of grey, revealing the softer sides of Visser One, her sympathies and weaknesses and fondness for humans -- not everyone is be-all end-all villain (well, except for V3, because he is a megalomaniacal delight). You find out the story of how the Yeerk invasion initially began, and it's an interesting tale: their hope at finding the right hosts, their attempts to understand us, their astonishment at fiction, leisure, fun, family, love. The deep loneliness of being two Yeerks alone on an unauthorised mission on an alien world far from home, which leads to much of what follows. Essam is another sympathetic Yeerk, one who would totally have been a member of the peace movement if it had existed back then -- this continues Applegate's point that not all of them are the same, which is good in undermining the idea of implacable, identical evil.
Edriss' surprise at Marco's growth is also great, realising the cold-blooded tactician that her 'death' turned him into, her simultaneously impressed by him and hating him. The book also displays the calculated reasoning of the Animorphs as the tough, capable, hard-sacrificing crew that we all know and love, thanks to Applegate being back at the helm; I couldn't help but grin when Edriss, who knows that some of the Animorphs are humans, offhand assumes that Jake must be an Andalite due to the way he speaks and strategises.
All-in-all, it's a great exploration of another ambiguous 'villain' character, and things are not quite so black-or-white and cleanly-cut. The Yeerks' reasons for not embarking in all-out war are also legit: lest it risk drawing the attention of the Andalite fleet and make them decide to come to Earth sooner. (Which is also an annoying little reminder that, damnit, they are just being so sluggish in not coming to our aid!)
Also, can I just say, I love love love that the series finally points out that it's actually illegal in the Yeerk empire to randomly execute subordinates, and that by doing so, Visser Three should actually be executed as well -- but it's the sort of behaviour that everyone just agrees not to notice, because you don't make it to such high status in the empire without blatantly breaking your own rules. So great.
Visser is really good, and hits on my own personal buttons because it's so relevant to Marco, but it's probably not quite as heart-wrenching as Andalite or Hork-Bajir Chronicles, so more like a 4.5 than full stars. I'm really split between which rating to give it, though; the fact that it's an entire book of the series' main two villains standing trial within their own society/justice system is just such a ballsy, wonderful concept.
The description of humans' dual-brain cerebral hemispheres, and the Yeerks' reaction to that unique neurological experience, is also thought-provoking: our self-contradictory nature, hesitant, self-questioning, at war with ourselves, conflicted, mad. I'll try to edit in quotes later!
July 10, 2022
In an installment with one of the best book covers on record, we finally get a fuller picture/background of what happened to Marco’s mother as well as an immediate continuation of the events from the last book from Visser One’s perspective with a heavy focus on his origins and beginnings.
We see how the Yeerks express cruelty to one another in the name of weeding out the disloyal while simultaneously looking down on humanity for our constant warring and infighting as a species.
A distorted perspective of culture through the eyes of society’s outcasts. A very warped approach to love. A very Yeerk fascination with humans.
Although it’s a fascinating story, we get a large cast of new characters and names thrown at us very suddenly in a storyline filled with time jumps, flashbacks, and memory discussions. Parts of this book are too jumbled and incoherent to comfortably follow along.
This is only (sort of) made up for in the heavy exploration of Yeerk politics and the complexity of their community.
I could also do without the accidental (?) American Nationalist progression of the story. Very odd and glossed over.
CW: war, violence, slavery, death, torture, grief, brief references to colonialism, brief misogyny, recurring mentions of drug addiction + substance abuse, brief moment of suicidal ideation
We see how the Yeerks express cruelty to one another in the name of weeding out the disloyal while simultaneously looking down on humanity for our constant warring and infighting as a species.
A distorted perspective of culture through the eyes of society’s outcasts. A very warped approach to love. A very Yeerk fascination with humans.
Although it’s a fascinating story, we get a large cast of new characters and names thrown at us very suddenly in a storyline filled with time jumps, flashbacks, and memory discussions. Parts of this book are too jumbled and incoherent to comfortably follow along.
This is only (sort of) made up for in the heavy exploration of Yeerk politics and the complexity of their community.
I could also do without the accidental (?) American Nationalist progression of the story. Very odd and glossed over.
CW: war, violence, slavery, death, torture, grief, brief references to colonialism, brief misogyny, recurring mentions of drug addiction + substance abuse, brief moment of suicidal ideation
September 10, 2024
*** 4 ****
Visser 1's trial and the story of how the Yeerks came to colonize the Earth... 👍
Visser 1's trial and the story of how the Yeerks came to colonize the Earth... 👍
November 8, 2018
(Full review at the )
Narrator: Edriss 562
Plot: It’s pretty well-established that most fans love “Visser.� Not only is it such a unique story, but it’s a great insight into the Yeerk mindset, culture and history. All told from the perspective of one of the few Yeerks that, even while still terrible, it’s hard to not kind of like and root for. Though this might also just be a side effect of rooting against Visser Three.
Edriss 563, or Visser One, is on trial for treason. Leading the prosecution is none other than her nemesis, Visser Three. Hosted on earth, the Council of Thirteen, the leading Yeerks of the Empire are holographed in to oversee and rule over the case. Unknown to the Council, Visser Three has beaten and starved Edriss for the last several days and she is already close to Kandrona starvation. However, not one to be cowed by a Yeerk she sees as so beneath her as Visser Three, Edriss begins relating her tale, beginning all the way back to before Earth was discovered and she was a lowly subvisser. While she begins spinning this tale, she neatly implicated Visser Three in some suspicious behavior regarding Elfangor, the Taxxon home world, and two humans. All too soon, she has successfully raised enough suspicion to make it clear that now this trial is not only evaluating her own actions but the amazing lack of progress that Visser Three has made in the effort to conquer Earth.
In her early years as a subvisser, Edriss participated in the ongoing main objective of the Yeerk Empire: locating a Class 5 species. This would be a species that would serve as good Controllers, be easy to conquer, and, most importantly, exist in large numbers. While on duty, she hears a report come in of a new species that was seen on the Taxxon home world. This report was filed by none other than Visser Three (then a subvisser himself). Using these early interactions with Elfangor and Alloran, Visser One neatly ties Visser Three into the trial as a potential traitor himself.
Without the exact location, Edriss searches for an entire year to find the homeworld of this new species. But when she learns she is to be transferred to a new host, this time a Taxxon, she knows she must do more. She and a subordinate Yeerk, Essam, steal a ship and set out for the solar system that Edriss has narrowed her search down to. Visser Three tries to use this example of stealing a ship to end the trial, but the Council is unimpressed, knowing they have all committed some crimes in their quest to rise to power.
Throughout this all, Edriss’s host, Eva, Marco’s mom, fights back against Edriss. She mocks the Yeerk, saying that she will be killed for treason here and that her son Marco will defeat Visser Three. Edriss pushes Eva’s thoughts aside, but reflects that she has to get through this, to protect…them.
At this point in the trial, the Council requests to use a live memory file to relieve Edriss’s experience first hand. Through this medium, they see the next chunk of time. Edriss and Essam finally discover Earth. They make their way to Earth and disembark only to find themselves in the midst of a battle. They are shocked to find the humans attacking each other and worry that the humans have a level of weapons that would put them as a Class Four instead of Five, being too dangerous to overtake. Edriss, however, is determined. They locate a lost solider and Edriss infests him. Through his mind, she begins to start piecing together what makes up humanity. She discovers that the soldier she is in is on the losing side of this war and that he sees his enemies, the Americans, as the most powerful beings on Earth. Edriss decides that the way to conquer Earth will be to conquer its most powerful first, so she and Essam set off for America.
The Council calls a break in the trial. While alone, Visser Three very unsutbly tries to trick Visser One into ganging together to take out the Council. Visser One sees through this plot quickly and mocks Visser Three for his idiocy.
“The real wonder, Visser, is that you ever rose to your present rank.�
The memory transfer continues. Essam and Edriss make their way to Hollywood. There, they each take on a human host. Edriss ends up in a young woman who has a drug problem and isn’t the brightest bulb. Essam takes on a male host as well, and through these two, the Yeerks continue to expand their knowledge of humans. Edriss is disappointed with her host, finding her silly and ignorant. But after digging further, she discovers what may be a weakness in humanity: people are sad and lonely, looking to belong and needing validation from others. She begins to think that humans can be made to come to the Yeerks willingly.
The memory transfer ends, and Visser One accuses Visser Three of squandering the opportunity she had left him, to conquer Earth. Visser Three claims that she left before the Andalite bandits showed up. Visser One ponders telling Visser Three the truth, that some of the “Andalite bandits� are human children. But Eva mocks her and warns her that by doing so, all Edriss will succeed in doing is handing over an easy victory to Visser Three that he can then claim as his own. Visser One goes on to explain that this understanding of human weakness is what lead to her idea of forming The Sharing. Visser Three calls for all-out war, saying Visser One’s strategy has been failing. Visser One can’t let this happen, she fears for the lives of two humans.
As the debate continues, two Hork Bajir suddenly attack Visser Three. Following them comes a tiger and a bear. As the battle wages, Visser One quickly becomes suspicious. There are only four attacking, not the usual six. What’s more, in all of the past attacks, there was always an Andalite fighting in his true form. He is notably absent. The tiger also seems unaware the its being fired at and the bear looks confused. It all becomes clear when the tiger suddenly turns and swipes at the bear itself: these are not the “Andalite bandits� at all. Visser Three has set the whole thing up. Visser Three takes out the tiger and incinerates the poor, confused bear.
After all four are killed, Visser One acknowledges that this round goes to Visser Three. He can now claim to have dealt with the Andalite bandits, and the flaws that Visser One saw would not be apparent to the Council who witnessed it. Visser One’s claim that Visser Three is incompetent is severely damaged. Eva is pleased, she would gladly die and be free to see Edriss herself defeated. Garouff, one of the Council members and a past mentor of Visser One, does seem skeptical of the convenience of the bandits attacking just now, but calls for the trial to continue.
There is a gap in Edriss’s memory dump of about a year, but Visser Three claims to have a witness for this time period: the host body of the deceased Essam. A human man is brought in raving and clearly mentally unhinged. But when asked, he clearly remembers Essam and Edriss and his time as a Controller. He claims that he, Hildy, and Essam were married to Edriss/Allison, and that Essam was in love with Edriss and was sure she felt the same way. That’s why he agreed to having the twins with her.
Edriss is shocked, as is the Council. She struggles to continue her story in calm, rational voice, all the while thinking that her only possible saving grace would be being able to contact Marco and the other “bandits.� Eva appreciates this irony. As her tale unfolds, she discusses her switch from her original, drug addict host to the much more clever and conniving, Allison Kim. Allison showed her the greater depths of humanity, especially their ability to patiently plan and work against a foe.
Visser Three is not satisfied with Visser One simply recounting this tale and calls for a live memory recall, a process in which others can enter the consciousness of the target and relive their memories. Visser One is horrified at this violation. Eva smugly points out that this is how it feels to be Controlled. After protesting, Edriss has to finally agree to letting Garouff perform the memory recall.
Through Edriss’s memory, Garouff witnesses her grow closer and closer to humanity. Not only does being disconnected from her own people have a great effect, but Allison Kim is a clever host and finds ways to draw Edriss and Essam further into the sway of the pleasures of living life as a human. Garouff is surprised and put off to find Edriss and Allison merging in a way and developing feelings for Essam/his human host. Through a series of flash forwards, Garouff sees what he thought to be impossible: two Yeerks falling in love along with their hosts. He witnesses the announcement that Edriss and Essam are expecting twins and finally concludes that Edriss, too, had become an addict, but to humanity itself. He says that while he believes Edriss may not be a traitor in the present, this is proof that she was in the past.
After the birth of the twins, the situation becomes more dire for Edriss and Essam as they realize that their portable Kandrona is running low and will soon expire. Not knowing what to do, the four of them, Edriss, Essam, Allison and Hildy all agree that if nothing else, the children must survive. Garouff ends the memory recall and calls for the trial to continue.
Edriss is shocked. What was revealed in the memory dump was more than enough to convict her, but Eva realizes what is going on: Visser One was not supposed to be convicted and the Council is still looking for a way to avoid it. They need to discredit Visser Three. To delay, Edriss claims that her host body needs food, and the Council agrees to adjourn for an hour.
Visser Three and One make their way out and we discover that the trial is being held in a room off of the Yeerk Pool. In the cafeteria, Visser One notices that another human Controller has a cell phone on her that seems to be working. After bumping into said Controller, she manages to snag the phone and make her way to the bathroom where she calls Marco.
Marco is wary, but impresses Visser One with his clear thinking and, to her surprise, cold-blooded approach to helping. It’s only after Visser One comes up with a clear plan on how to get the “bandits� into the Yeerk pool through a Taxxon feeding station that he tepidly agrees, speaking directly to his mother and saying that he’s not sure he can save her, but that he’ll do what is right.
Back in the trial, Edriss continues her story, explaining how she finally contacted the Yeerk Empire and delivered the news of a Class 5 species and her idea for The Sharing. Back home, she described Essam as behaving emotionally and becoming upset. Edriss continued work building The Sharing, but one day came home to the announcement that Essam was taking the children and leaving. He had decided that he couldn’t go through with it and would let himself die after the three day period of time, after which Hildy could take the children and care for them. He partially starved Edriss until she was forced to retreat to the pool, though he left her alternative host attached so she could Control him. After she regained a host body, Edriss set off after Essam/Hildy, Allison and the children.
Visser Three is lived at the story being told and the clear bias that Garouff shows towards Visser One. But Visser One scoffs at him and rattles off a long list of foolish plans of his that would have been avoided had he, like her, spent the time to more fully understand the humans. Visser Three continues pushing until Visser One finally bursts, ignoring warnins from Eva, that she doesn’t care for the human children. Visser Three uses this moment to walk in her son, now Controlled and tells her to prove her loyalty and shoot him. Visser One struggles, but it is clear that she still values her own life over love and prepares to fire the gun. Luckily, she is interrupted at the last minute by an attack by the Animorphs.
The Animorphs are fierce in their battle, quickly taking out large numbers of the Hork Bajir. Edriss observes that now the Council will see what fighting this group really looks like, unlike the silly pantomime that Visser Three put on earlier. In the midst of the battle, gorilla!Marco shows up and knocks Visser One out.
When she wakes up, the Animorphs have her retrained within a hologram while still in the Yeerk pool. Visser One tries to threaten them and tell them that their job is done, but Marco notes that if any of them are ever captured now, then her treason will be known to Yeerk who has access to their memories and Visser One’s little plea for help. Marco tells Visser One to leave his mother, that he knows his mother would rather die than continue living like this. Eva tells her to go, that Eva herself is like her son and can see the clear line from point to point. Visser One wonders if this means Eva knows what she must do, but finally gives in and leave Eva’s mind.
After a long period in darkness, she is surprised to find that once again she is being given entrance into Eva’s mind. Accessing her memories, Edriss witnesses the converation between Eva, Marco and the Animorphs. She see Eva convince them that she has to remain with Visser One, that is Visser One dies or is seen as disloyal, than Visser Three will win and will get his way with open warfare. In the memory, Marco address Visser One directly, telling her that if they hear that she has retaken control of attacking Earth they’ll send a recording of this meeting to the Council of Thirteen, whom they very much can contact because not all Yeerks are as loyal as Visser One may think.
The Animorphs then stun Visser One and retreat. As she lays waiting to be discovered, she thinks over some of the parts of her tale that she didn’t share. How Essam had been in on the plan of creating The Sharing originally, how it had always been Edriss’s ambition that drove them still. She reflects on her success of the first human to willing agree to be Controlled. The real break with Essam came weeks later when Edriss decided that she no longer needed Allison’s body, but would instead switch permanently to the body of the leader of The Sharing. Essam is horrified by her plans to kill Allison, the mother of their children. She thinks back on how part of the reason she may have chosen Eva as her next host body is the fact that Eva had a husband and child, something that part of her still missed.
The trial finally starts again, and Edriss concludes her story by explaining how she finally caught up with Essam, Allison and the children in a hospital. Essam is almost dead from starvation, and when he starts coming out of Hildy’s ear he dies and Edriss tries to pull him the rest of the way out. But he was still fairly attached, so part of his body remained in Hildy’s head, leading to his insanity. She kills Allison as well and leaves the children in the hospital, knowing that they will be adopted out from there.
As the Council leaves to discuss things, Eva vents that she regrets helping Edriss, that only a monster would kill Essam, Hildy, and Allison and then leave her children to be adopted away. The Council returns and says that both Vissers have been convicted, but that their sentences have been suspended. Visser Three is excited to start open warfare on Earth, but Garouff says no, that a large Andalite fleet is finally starting to gather and that open warfare would draw them out even more quickly. As for Visser One, she remains their most successful military office, so they are sending her to another system where she is to begin taking over yet another race.
Visser One is thrilled, and as they leave, she taunts Visser Three that she has information on the Andalite bandits. But she’d rather not share it just now.
Edriss 563: Edriss is a fascinating character. It’s clear that she is much more clever that Visser Three, but it is also this same cleverness that likely got her in all of this trouble to begin with. It seems in many ways that she began to understand humans too well and this is what lead to her feelings for her children. Throughout her story, Edriss continuously reflects on the strangeness of her attachment to the children, but we also see throughout the narrative that her ambition always came first, even in her moments of weakness. Not only ambition, but self-interest and survival. Had the Animorphs not attacked when they did, she would have shot her own son. And, towards the end of the story, she reflects on how it may be ok if her kids end up Controlled anyways; that way at least they will be forced to love her. Even her concept of love is corrupted, ultimately.
Eva: Eva is also an excellent character. It’s easy to see the connection between her and Marco. She herself draws comparisons between them with their ability to “see a clear line,� and some of her sarcastic and biting retorts are right there with what we would expect to hear from Marco. She’s also incredibly strategic, repeatedly anticipating what the Council will need to hear and predicting the fact that Visser Three might have something up his sleeve with regards to the children.
Eva laughed.
Our Fearless Leader: At one point when Edriss is reviewing Eva’s memory of the discussion between herself and the Animorphs, the “tiger� make a particularly strong strategic point which leads Edriss to conclude that he, too, must be an Andalite to have that type of logic and clarity. When Jake later leaves it up to Marco to decide what to do with regards to killing Edriss or letting her re-infest Eva, Edriss finally realizes that Jake is also a human and is even more shocked at the capability of the group.
Xena, Warrior Princess: Both Tobias and Rachel are in Hork Bajir morph and are never really identified between them. They only get a line or two of dialogue, and it’s not too distinguishable which one said what.
A Hawk’s Life: [see Rachel section]
Peace, Love, and Animals: Cassie strangely chooses to use her polar bear morph in the attack on the pool, so other than Jake, Marco, and Ax, the group isn’t in their usual formation. It’s an interesting choice. I’m guessing that they knew having two Hork Bajir morphs would be useful in adding to the confusion and that Cassie’s wolf morph wouldn’t have enough fire power with out the usual backup of Rachel’s grizzly, so she went polar bear. At one point, Marco turns to Cassie to confirm the truth of what is being said and she also, in bear morph, tries to hug him at one point.
The Comic Relief: Obviously Marco has the most of all the Animorphs in this book. And from the very beginning, Edriss is impressed not only by his quick thinking and ability to strategize, but by his cold-heartedness with regards to his mother. When he’s talking Edriss in the end, threatening to kill her/Eva if she doesn’t come out of his mother’s head, he references a license plate that said “Live Free or Die,� knowing that his mother (and Edriss through her) will recognize this discussion from his childhood and know that Marco knows that Eva will agree with his decision to approach things like this. Marco is really at his best in books like this when he’s dealing with Visser One/Eva. His ruthlessness is at its peak, but is balanced by his unique ability to quickly think through all of the options and anticipate the moves of other ones, like Visser One.
E.T./Ax Phone Home: Edriss witnesses a bit of Ax’s particular vendetta against Visser Three as Ax goes straight for him in the initial fight at the Council meeting.
Narrator: Edriss 562
Plot: It’s pretty well-established that most fans love “Visser.� Not only is it such a unique story, but it’s a great insight into the Yeerk mindset, culture and history. All told from the perspective of one of the few Yeerks that, even while still terrible, it’s hard to not kind of like and root for. Though this might also just be a side effect of rooting against Visser Three.
Edriss 563, or Visser One, is on trial for treason. Leading the prosecution is none other than her nemesis, Visser Three. Hosted on earth, the Council of Thirteen, the leading Yeerks of the Empire are holographed in to oversee and rule over the case. Unknown to the Council, Visser Three has beaten and starved Edriss for the last several days and she is already close to Kandrona starvation. However, not one to be cowed by a Yeerk she sees as so beneath her as Visser Three, Edriss begins relating her tale, beginning all the way back to before Earth was discovered and she was a lowly subvisser. While she begins spinning this tale, she neatly implicated Visser Three in some suspicious behavior regarding Elfangor, the Taxxon home world, and two humans. All too soon, she has successfully raised enough suspicion to make it clear that now this trial is not only evaluating her own actions but the amazing lack of progress that Visser Three has made in the effort to conquer Earth.
In her early years as a subvisser, Edriss participated in the ongoing main objective of the Yeerk Empire: locating a Class 5 species. This would be a species that would serve as good Controllers, be easy to conquer, and, most importantly, exist in large numbers. While on duty, she hears a report come in of a new species that was seen on the Taxxon home world. This report was filed by none other than Visser Three (then a subvisser himself). Using these early interactions with Elfangor and Alloran, Visser One neatly ties Visser Three into the trial as a potential traitor himself.
Without the exact location, Edriss searches for an entire year to find the homeworld of this new species. But when she learns she is to be transferred to a new host, this time a Taxxon, she knows she must do more. She and a subordinate Yeerk, Essam, steal a ship and set out for the solar system that Edriss has narrowed her search down to. Visser Three tries to use this example of stealing a ship to end the trial, but the Council is unimpressed, knowing they have all committed some crimes in their quest to rise to power.
Throughout this all, Edriss’s host, Eva, Marco’s mom, fights back against Edriss. She mocks the Yeerk, saying that she will be killed for treason here and that her son Marco will defeat Visser Three. Edriss pushes Eva’s thoughts aside, but reflects that she has to get through this, to protect…them.
At this point in the trial, the Council requests to use a live memory file to relieve Edriss’s experience first hand. Through this medium, they see the next chunk of time. Edriss and Essam finally discover Earth. They make their way to Earth and disembark only to find themselves in the midst of a battle. They are shocked to find the humans attacking each other and worry that the humans have a level of weapons that would put them as a Class Four instead of Five, being too dangerous to overtake. Edriss, however, is determined. They locate a lost solider and Edriss infests him. Through his mind, she begins to start piecing together what makes up humanity. She discovers that the soldier she is in is on the losing side of this war and that he sees his enemies, the Americans, as the most powerful beings on Earth. Edriss decides that the way to conquer Earth will be to conquer its most powerful first, so she and Essam set off for America.
The Council calls a break in the trial. While alone, Visser Three very unsutbly tries to trick Visser One into ganging together to take out the Council. Visser One sees through this plot quickly and mocks Visser Three for his idiocy.
“The real wonder, Visser, is that you ever rose to your present rank.�
The memory transfer continues. Essam and Edriss make their way to Hollywood. There, they each take on a human host. Edriss ends up in a young woman who has a drug problem and isn’t the brightest bulb. Essam takes on a male host as well, and through these two, the Yeerks continue to expand their knowledge of humans. Edriss is disappointed with her host, finding her silly and ignorant. But after digging further, she discovers what may be a weakness in humanity: people are sad and lonely, looking to belong and needing validation from others. She begins to think that humans can be made to come to the Yeerks willingly.
The memory transfer ends, and Visser One accuses Visser Three of squandering the opportunity she had left him, to conquer Earth. Visser Three claims that she left before the Andalite bandits showed up. Visser One ponders telling Visser Three the truth, that some of the “Andalite bandits� are human children. But Eva mocks her and warns her that by doing so, all Edriss will succeed in doing is handing over an easy victory to Visser Three that he can then claim as his own. Visser One goes on to explain that this understanding of human weakness is what lead to her idea of forming The Sharing. Visser Three calls for all-out war, saying Visser One’s strategy has been failing. Visser One can’t let this happen, she fears for the lives of two humans.
As the debate continues, two Hork Bajir suddenly attack Visser Three. Following them comes a tiger and a bear. As the battle wages, Visser One quickly becomes suspicious. There are only four attacking, not the usual six. What’s more, in all of the past attacks, there was always an Andalite fighting in his true form. He is notably absent. The tiger also seems unaware the its being fired at and the bear looks confused. It all becomes clear when the tiger suddenly turns and swipes at the bear itself: these are not the “Andalite bandits� at all. Visser Three has set the whole thing up. Visser Three takes out the tiger and incinerates the poor, confused bear.
After all four are killed, Visser One acknowledges that this round goes to Visser Three. He can now claim to have dealt with the Andalite bandits, and the flaws that Visser One saw would not be apparent to the Council who witnessed it. Visser One’s claim that Visser Three is incompetent is severely damaged. Eva is pleased, she would gladly die and be free to see Edriss herself defeated. Garouff, one of the Council members and a past mentor of Visser One, does seem skeptical of the convenience of the bandits attacking just now, but calls for the trial to continue.
There is a gap in Edriss’s memory dump of about a year, but Visser Three claims to have a witness for this time period: the host body of the deceased Essam. A human man is brought in raving and clearly mentally unhinged. But when asked, he clearly remembers Essam and Edriss and his time as a Controller. He claims that he, Hildy, and Essam were married to Edriss/Allison, and that Essam was in love with Edriss and was sure she felt the same way. That’s why he agreed to having the twins with her.
Edriss is shocked, as is the Council. She struggles to continue her story in calm, rational voice, all the while thinking that her only possible saving grace would be being able to contact Marco and the other “bandits.� Eva appreciates this irony. As her tale unfolds, she discusses her switch from her original, drug addict host to the much more clever and conniving, Allison Kim. Allison showed her the greater depths of humanity, especially their ability to patiently plan and work against a foe.
Visser Three is not satisfied with Visser One simply recounting this tale and calls for a live memory recall, a process in which others can enter the consciousness of the target and relive their memories. Visser One is horrified at this violation. Eva smugly points out that this is how it feels to be Controlled. After protesting, Edriss has to finally agree to letting Garouff perform the memory recall.
Through Edriss’s memory, Garouff witnesses her grow closer and closer to humanity. Not only does being disconnected from her own people have a great effect, but Allison Kim is a clever host and finds ways to draw Edriss and Essam further into the sway of the pleasures of living life as a human. Garouff is surprised and put off to find Edriss and Allison merging in a way and developing feelings for Essam/his human host. Through a series of flash forwards, Garouff sees what he thought to be impossible: two Yeerks falling in love along with their hosts. He witnesses the announcement that Edriss and Essam are expecting twins and finally concludes that Edriss, too, had become an addict, but to humanity itself. He says that while he believes Edriss may not be a traitor in the present, this is proof that she was in the past.
After the birth of the twins, the situation becomes more dire for Edriss and Essam as they realize that their portable Kandrona is running low and will soon expire. Not knowing what to do, the four of them, Edriss, Essam, Allison and Hildy all agree that if nothing else, the children must survive. Garouff ends the memory recall and calls for the trial to continue.
Edriss is shocked. What was revealed in the memory dump was more than enough to convict her, but Eva realizes what is going on: Visser One was not supposed to be convicted and the Council is still looking for a way to avoid it. They need to discredit Visser Three. To delay, Edriss claims that her host body needs food, and the Council agrees to adjourn for an hour.
Visser Three and One make their way out and we discover that the trial is being held in a room off of the Yeerk Pool. In the cafeteria, Visser One notices that another human Controller has a cell phone on her that seems to be working. After bumping into said Controller, she manages to snag the phone and make her way to the bathroom where she calls Marco.
Marco is wary, but impresses Visser One with his clear thinking and, to her surprise, cold-blooded approach to helping. It’s only after Visser One comes up with a clear plan on how to get the “bandits� into the Yeerk pool through a Taxxon feeding station that he tepidly agrees, speaking directly to his mother and saying that he’s not sure he can save her, but that he’ll do what is right.
Back in the trial, Edriss continues her story, explaining how she finally contacted the Yeerk Empire and delivered the news of a Class 5 species and her idea for The Sharing. Back home, she described Essam as behaving emotionally and becoming upset. Edriss continued work building The Sharing, but one day came home to the announcement that Essam was taking the children and leaving. He had decided that he couldn’t go through with it and would let himself die after the three day period of time, after which Hildy could take the children and care for them. He partially starved Edriss until she was forced to retreat to the pool, though he left her alternative host attached so she could Control him. After she regained a host body, Edriss set off after Essam/Hildy, Allison and the children.
Visser Three is lived at the story being told and the clear bias that Garouff shows towards Visser One. But Visser One scoffs at him and rattles off a long list of foolish plans of his that would have been avoided had he, like her, spent the time to more fully understand the humans. Visser Three continues pushing until Visser One finally bursts, ignoring warnins from Eva, that she doesn’t care for the human children. Visser Three uses this moment to walk in her son, now Controlled and tells her to prove her loyalty and shoot him. Visser One struggles, but it is clear that she still values her own life over love and prepares to fire the gun. Luckily, she is interrupted at the last minute by an attack by the Animorphs.
The Animorphs are fierce in their battle, quickly taking out large numbers of the Hork Bajir. Edriss observes that now the Council will see what fighting this group really looks like, unlike the silly pantomime that Visser Three put on earlier. In the midst of the battle, gorilla!Marco shows up and knocks Visser One out.
When she wakes up, the Animorphs have her retrained within a hologram while still in the Yeerk pool. Visser One tries to threaten them and tell them that their job is done, but Marco notes that if any of them are ever captured now, then her treason will be known to Yeerk who has access to their memories and Visser One’s little plea for help. Marco tells Visser One to leave his mother, that he knows his mother would rather die than continue living like this. Eva tells her to go, that Eva herself is like her son and can see the clear line from point to point. Visser One wonders if this means Eva knows what she must do, but finally gives in and leave Eva’s mind.
After a long period in darkness, she is surprised to find that once again she is being given entrance into Eva’s mind. Accessing her memories, Edriss witnesses the converation between Eva, Marco and the Animorphs. She see Eva convince them that she has to remain with Visser One, that is Visser One dies or is seen as disloyal, than Visser Three will win and will get his way with open warfare. In the memory, Marco address Visser One directly, telling her that if they hear that she has retaken control of attacking Earth they’ll send a recording of this meeting to the Council of Thirteen, whom they very much can contact because not all Yeerks are as loyal as Visser One may think.
The Animorphs then stun Visser One and retreat. As she lays waiting to be discovered, she thinks over some of the parts of her tale that she didn’t share. How Essam had been in on the plan of creating The Sharing originally, how it had always been Edriss’s ambition that drove them still. She reflects on her success of the first human to willing agree to be Controlled. The real break with Essam came weeks later when Edriss decided that she no longer needed Allison’s body, but would instead switch permanently to the body of the leader of The Sharing. Essam is horrified by her plans to kill Allison, the mother of their children. She thinks back on how part of the reason she may have chosen Eva as her next host body is the fact that Eva had a husband and child, something that part of her still missed.
The trial finally starts again, and Edriss concludes her story by explaining how she finally caught up with Essam, Allison and the children in a hospital. Essam is almost dead from starvation, and when he starts coming out of Hildy’s ear he dies and Edriss tries to pull him the rest of the way out. But he was still fairly attached, so part of his body remained in Hildy’s head, leading to his insanity. She kills Allison as well and leaves the children in the hospital, knowing that they will be adopted out from there.
As the Council leaves to discuss things, Eva vents that she regrets helping Edriss, that only a monster would kill Essam, Hildy, and Allison and then leave her children to be adopted away. The Council returns and says that both Vissers have been convicted, but that their sentences have been suspended. Visser Three is excited to start open warfare on Earth, but Garouff says no, that a large Andalite fleet is finally starting to gather and that open warfare would draw them out even more quickly. As for Visser One, she remains their most successful military office, so they are sending her to another system where she is to begin taking over yet another race.
Visser One is thrilled, and as they leave, she taunts Visser Three that she has information on the Andalite bandits. But she’d rather not share it just now.
Edriss 563: Edriss is a fascinating character. It’s clear that she is much more clever that Visser Three, but it is also this same cleverness that likely got her in all of this trouble to begin with. It seems in many ways that she began to understand humans too well and this is what lead to her feelings for her children. Throughout her story, Edriss continuously reflects on the strangeness of her attachment to the children, but we also see throughout the narrative that her ambition always came first, even in her moments of weakness. Not only ambition, but self-interest and survival. Had the Animorphs not attacked when they did, she would have shot her own son. And, towards the end of the story, she reflects on how it may be ok if her kids end up Controlled anyways; that way at least they will be forced to love her. Even her concept of love is corrupted, ultimately.
Eva: Eva is also an excellent character. It’s easy to see the connection between her and Marco. She herself draws comparisons between them with their ability to “see a clear line,� and some of her sarcastic and biting retorts are right there with what we would expect to hear from Marco. She’s also incredibly strategic, repeatedly anticipating what the Council will need to hear and predicting the fact that Visser Three might have something up his sleeve with regards to the children.
Eva laughed.
Our Fearless Leader: At one point when Edriss is reviewing Eva’s memory of the discussion between herself and the Animorphs, the “tiger� make a particularly strong strategic point which leads Edriss to conclude that he, too, must be an Andalite to have that type of logic and clarity. When Jake later leaves it up to Marco to decide what to do with regards to killing Edriss or letting her re-infest Eva, Edriss finally realizes that Jake is also a human and is even more shocked at the capability of the group.
Xena, Warrior Princess: Both Tobias and Rachel are in Hork Bajir morph and are never really identified between them. They only get a line or two of dialogue, and it’s not too distinguishable which one said what.
A Hawk’s Life: [see Rachel section]
Peace, Love, and Animals: Cassie strangely chooses to use her polar bear morph in the attack on the pool, so other than Jake, Marco, and Ax, the group isn’t in their usual formation. It’s an interesting choice. I’m guessing that they knew having two Hork Bajir morphs would be useful in adding to the confusion and that Cassie’s wolf morph wouldn’t have enough fire power with out the usual backup of Rachel’s grizzly, so she went polar bear. At one point, Marco turns to Cassie to confirm the truth of what is being said and she also, in bear morph, tries to hug him at one point.
The Comic Relief: Obviously Marco has the most of all the Animorphs in this book. And from the very beginning, Edriss is impressed not only by his quick thinking and ability to strategize, but by his cold-heartedness with regards to his mother. When he’s talking Edriss in the end, threatening to kill her/Eva if she doesn’t come out of his mother’s head, he references a license plate that said “Live Free or Die,� knowing that his mother (and Edriss through her) will recognize this discussion from his childhood and know that Marco knows that Eva will agree with his decision to approach things like this. Marco is really at his best in books like this when he’s dealing with Visser One/Eva. His ruthlessness is at its peak, but is balanced by his unique ability to quickly think through all of the options and anticipate the moves of other ones, like Visser One.
E.T./Ax Phone Home: Edriss witnesses a bit of Ax’s particular vendetta against Visser Three as Ax goes straight for him in the initial fight at the Council meeting.
March 21, 2019
This approaches the difficult task of humanizing an antagonist while maintaining that they're objectively awful but opting not to resolve any of the contradictions that creates--and there are many, and they don't always make for cogent characterization, but it's still the right choice. The ambiguity creates nuance, while everyone else is in-character enough to sell the whole. And it shouldn't be able to surprise me anymore, but still does: this is dark, mean, and honestly doesn't feel like middle grade, especially with the focus on motherhood. I also appreciate the wealth of worldbuilding details, particularly re: Yeerks and the way they're affected by their host bodies. I still didn't enjoy this--the narrative is disjointed, and I have mixed luck any time the series moves away from the core cast. But it's surprisingly successful.
February 25, 2017
Holy cow this book is so freaking good. I think this is my fave of the chronicles so far.
August 7, 2014
An astonishing peek in to the mind of the head of the bad guys. Wow.
Notable moments and inconsistencies:
The Yeerk Empire identifies five "classes" of alien. Those are the following: Class One are unfit, physically, for infestation; Class Two are infestable but have physical issues that are difficult for the Yeerk to manage; Class Three are infestable but exist only in small quantities; Class Four are perfect for infestation but cannot be challenged because of military excellence; and Class Five are perfect for infestation and aren't strong enough to resist. Yeerks, of course, hoped to find a Class Five species . . . and found it in humans.
In this book, Visser One mentions while in a Hork-Bajir body that her "heart" leaped. Hork-Bajir have more than one heart, so this was a poor description.
The Animorphs books seem to point out regularly that it's so bizarre and backward for humans to make war on each other. But considering the Andalites clearly have a high respect for tail-fighting and the Yeerks don't seem at all shy about sacrificing and killing each other for status, it seems a bit hypocritical of them to be judging humans for fighting among themselves.
Marco's family's answering machine has this outgoing message: "Hi, we're not at home, or maybe we just don't feel like answering the phone, so leave a message, you know the drill."
Notable moments and inconsistencies:
The Yeerk Empire identifies five "classes" of alien. Those are the following: Class One are unfit, physically, for infestation; Class Two are infestable but have physical issues that are difficult for the Yeerk to manage; Class Three are infestable but exist only in small quantities; Class Four are perfect for infestation but cannot be challenged because of military excellence; and Class Five are perfect for infestation and aren't strong enough to resist. Yeerks, of course, hoped to find a Class Five species . . . and found it in humans.
In this book, Visser One mentions while in a Hork-Bajir body that her "heart" leaped. Hork-Bajir have more than one heart, so this was a poor description.
The Animorphs books seem to point out regularly that it's so bizarre and backward for humans to make war on each other. But considering the Andalites clearly have a high respect for tail-fighting and the Yeerks don't seem at all shy about sacrificing and killing each other for status, it seems a bit hypocritical of them to be judging humans for fighting among themselves.
Marco's family's answering machine has this outgoing message: "Hi, we're not at home, or maybe we just don't feel like answering the phone, so leave a message, you know the drill."
May 12, 2021
Like with the Ellimist Chronicles, the cover completely throws me, because the book is about Visser 1, not Visser 3. Visser 1 is not an Andalite...
A dynamic and fast-paced novel about one of the most interesting Villains I've read about.
Edriss-five-six-two is a wonderful addition to Applegate's expansive, rich, and quite believable universe. Her struggles give humanity to the enemy, and though her transformation is not complete, her story, and that of Essam, are indicative of Applegate's foray into a fleshed-out story.
This novel gives the others perspective. The Yeerks are no longer simply bloodthirsty parasitic villains, but creatures with desires, dreams and, dare I say it, hearts.
Applegate's passages of first contact are amusing. The way she conveys the Yeerk reaction to the human brain, and our copious amounts of fictional and real information, is convincing and delightful to read.
While Edriss-five-six-two is not the most beloved character, she is elaborate and captivating. This novel blurs to lines between the black and white, us versus them world of the Animorphs.
If only there were more Essam's out there...
A dynamic and fast-paced novel about one of the most interesting Villains I've read about.
Edriss-five-six-two is a wonderful addition to Applegate's expansive, rich, and quite believable universe. Her struggles give humanity to the enemy, and though her transformation is not complete, her story, and that of Essam, are indicative of Applegate's foray into a fleshed-out story.
This novel gives the others perspective. The Yeerks are no longer simply bloodthirsty parasitic villains, but creatures with desires, dreams and, dare I say it, hearts.
Applegate's passages of first contact are amusing. The way she conveys the Yeerk reaction to the human brain, and our copious amounts of fictional and real information, is convincing and delightful to read.
While Edriss-five-six-two is not the most beloved character, she is elaborate and captivating. This novel blurs to lines between the black and white, us versus them world of the Animorphs.
If only there were more Essam's out there...
December 3, 2022
reading this book again to experience the ruining again
--
i'm gonna cry i'm gonna cry i'm gonna cry
there's something so beautiful about this book. irredeemable evil meets human love. regret and loss and bitterness. the love doesn't redeem her, but it was there. she is capable of love. she didn't choose it in the end, but it was there. it mattered. oh god. i'm gonna cry. she wanted them back. she has always wanted them back.
--
Aw this was so good and also so sad. I loved the perspective and Visser One's journey as a mother. Definitely my favorite Animorphs book, and yeah I agree that the cover is misleading (though the cover does look really cool)
One of my favorite quotes comes from this book. I gave up on the Animorphs series at around book twenty, but I skipped ahead and read this and am glad.
--
i'm gonna cry i'm gonna cry i'm gonna cry
there's something so beautiful about this book. irredeemable evil meets human love. regret and loss and bitterness. the love doesn't redeem her, but it was there. she is capable of love. she didn't choose it in the end, but it was there. it mattered. oh god. i'm gonna cry. she wanted them back. she has always wanted them back.
--
Aw this was so good and also so sad. I loved the perspective and Visser One's journey as a mother. Definitely my favorite Animorphs book, and yeah I agree that the cover is misleading (though the cover does look really cool)
One of my favorite quotes comes from this book. I gave up on the Animorphs series at around book twenty, but I skipped ahead and read this and am glad.
February 22, 2023
Nu-s fan SF si nici nu stiu cum a ajuns aceasta carte in biblioteca mea, dar coperta mi s-a parut draguta si m-am gandit sa ii dau o sansa.
In volumul de fata este vorba despre judecata unor extraterestrii yeerk, ce au avut legatura cu planeta Pamant si au savarsit fapte impotriva natiei lor.
Nu am inteles foarte multe si mi s-a parut ciudatica. Insa curiozitatea m-a zgandarit prea mult si am aflat de pe net ca face parte dintr-o serie. Daca nu ma insel Visser este chiar ultimul volum si asta explica de ce nu am inteles eu prea multe.
Dar, desi in limba romana nu este tradusa toata seria, mi s-a parut interesant subiectul ei. Va zic imediat si despre ce e vb, poate voi aveti rabdarea si curiozitatea sa o parcurgeti pe toata.
Este povestea a 5 copii care intr-o seara gasesc un extraterestru pe moarte, ce le daruieste puterea de a se transforma in orice fiinta vie, obtinandu-i codul ADN. Acest extraterestru - Elfangor este numele lui - ii avertizeaza si despre o apropiata invazie a Pamantului.
In volumul de fata este vorba despre judecata unor extraterestrii yeerk, ce au avut legatura cu planeta Pamant si au savarsit fapte impotriva natiei lor.
Nu am inteles foarte multe si mi s-a parut ciudatica. Insa curiozitatea m-a zgandarit prea mult si am aflat de pe net ca face parte dintr-o serie. Daca nu ma insel Visser este chiar ultimul volum si asta explica de ce nu am inteles eu prea multe.
Dar, desi in limba romana nu este tradusa toata seria, mi s-a parut interesant subiectul ei. Va zic imediat si despre ce e vb, poate voi aveti rabdarea si curiozitatea sa o parcurgeti pe toata.
Este povestea a 5 copii care intr-o seara gasesc un extraterestru pe moarte, ce le daruieste puterea de a se transforma in orice fiinta vie, obtinandu-i codul ADN. Acest extraterestru - Elfangor este numele lui - ii avertizeaza si despre o apropiata invazie a Pamantului.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2025
maybe my new favorite animorphs book??? maybe the best animorphs book of all time????????????
possibly the darkest book of the series, right along with 33 which is literal child torture. and possibly my new favorite animorphs book of all time!!! such a well written fucked up story from the pov of an imperial colonizer, slaver, abuser, murderer - mother. visser one is such a wonderfully nuanced evil. her voice - and more specifically, eva's voice trapped within her - has been sorely needed in this series, simultaneously yearning and empathetic yet twisted and unapologetic. i almost wish she was the primary villain all along. my heart is breaking for marco all over again - how many times is he going to have to watch his mother die - by his own hand - before this story ends?
possibly the darkest book of the series, right along with 33 which is literal child torture. and possibly my new favorite animorphs book of all time!!! such a well written fucked up story from the pov of an imperial colonizer, slaver, abuser, murderer - mother. visser one is such a wonderfully nuanced evil. her voice - and more specifically, eva's voice trapped within her - has been sorely needed in this series, simultaneously yearning and empathetic yet twisted and unapologetic. i almost wish she was the primary villain all along. my heart is breaking for marco all over again - how many times is he going to have to watch his mother die - by his own hand - before this story ends?
May 3, 2024
Watch out Rachel, Marco is coming for your number 2 spot as favorite. This kid is cold as motherfucking ice and it breaks my heart
December 10, 2019
Ooooooooooh man. This is one of the best depictions I've seen of abuse, control, and the lies that abusers tell not only their victims but themselves, and all of this in a kids' book about a group of teens who turn into animals to fight an invasion of alien brain slugs! It's... actually pretty awesome. (On the other hand, this also says a few things about the sorry state of both YA and adult literature that actually managed to humanize an abuser while also never forgetting about how horrible she was.)
It's... kind of insane, actually. Edriss abducts multiple sentient individuals in quick succession. She forces her way into their brains and takes over their bodies without consent. She leaves them locked up in underground rooms or chained to hotel radiators when she's not using them. She and another Yeerk actually had children using the host bodies they were controlling—sure, the hosts might have had a physical attraction for each other, but I'm betting that neither Edriss nor Essam ever thought or cared to ask the humans who were still helpless spectators in those bodies for consent for having their bodies mated and bred! And, whenever she's decided that a particular host body is no longer useful to her, she eliminates that host—swiftly, efficiently, in completely cold blood.
Yet, as far as she sees it, she actually has a genuine fondness for some of her hosts. In some twisted way, she comes to actually care for Allison Kim. When Allison Kim tries to get herself and her children away from the entity that kidnapped her, forcibly controlled her body, and kept her enslaved for multiple years, Edriss's reaction is "How dare she defy me, after I've been so kind to her?" All of which fits her general characterization of wanting so badly so many of the things that humans have (love, family, close interpersonal bonds), while refusing to understand that such things cannot be taken by force:
It might even be a bit too subtle, if not for the fact that Eva (her current host) does not let up on her for all the shit she's pulled. It's a constant barrage of telling her she's a monster and it would be better to die than to spend another minute with her and "Oh, so they're going to be digging through your most personal memories and leaving you no privacy whatsoever; how do you like it, Yeerk?" Eva, for all she's just a voice in the background, shows an amazing degree of courage and character, .
(Oh yeah, and not that it matters that much, but the cover is a lie. This is Visser One's story; why are they showing Visser Three?)
It's... kind of insane, actually. Edriss abducts multiple sentient individuals in quick succession. She forces her way into their brains and takes over their bodies without consent. She leaves them locked up in underground rooms or chained to hotel radiators when she's not using them. She and another Yeerk actually had children using the host bodies they were controlling—sure, the hosts might have had a physical attraction for each other, but I'm betting that neither Edriss nor Essam ever thought or cared to ask the humans who were still helpless spectators in those bodies for consent for having their bodies mated and bred! And, whenever she's decided that a particular host body is no longer useful to her, she eliminates that host—swiftly, efficiently, in completely cold blood.
Yet, as far as she sees it, she actually has a genuine fondness for some of her hosts. In some twisted way, she comes to actually care for Allison Kim. When Allison Kim tries to get herself and her children away from the entity that kidnapped her, forcibly controlled her body, and kept her enslaved for multiple years, Edriss's reaction is "How dare she defy me, after I've been so kind to her?" All of which fits her general characterization of wanting so badly so many of the things that humans have (love, family, close interpersonal bonds), while refusing to understand that such things cannot be taken by force:
But someday she would know me. I would tell her all about me, all about who I was, how she had come to exist. And she would love me, as a daughter loves a mother.
And if not, then I could always infest Madra, place some well-trained Yeerk in her head. Then she would love me. She'd have no choice.
It might even be a bit too subtle, if not for the fact that Eva (her current host) does not let up on her for all the shit she's pulled. It's a constant barrage of telling her she's a monster and it would be better to die than to spend another minute with her and "Oh, so they're going to be digging through your most personal memories and leaving you no privacy whatsoever; how do you like it, Yeerk?" Eva, for all she's just a voice in the background, shows an amazing degree of courage and character, .
(Oh yeah, and not that it matters that much, but the cover is a lie. This is Visser One's story; why are they showing Visser Three?)
April 5, 2012
I think this book was good but it was creepy. It kept you interested and not wanting to stopr reading it. At the end of the book i already knew what was going to happend. It was a simple but very intersting book.
June 20, 2020
The Animorphs reread continues! I hadn't read this one before either. It's the backstory of Visser One, largely before she infested Eva, Marco's mother. I didn't like it as much as the other auxiliary works, but the backstory was pretty interesting.
March 9, 2011
An insightful look into Visser One's mind and a fun political drama; I enjoyed watching V1 and V3 spar.
January 28, 2016
I know I read this once before, but I didn’t realize how completely I had forgotten what happens in it. There is just so much!
Seeing Vissers One and Three go at each other in this very dangerous situation is also, to put it mildly, thrilling. They turn the tables on each other so many times, and there are so many pitfalls and sudden inspirations, that I couldn’t help but read it slowly and savor the subtleties along the way. Especially when you also consider that Visser One is cherry-picking the details she discloses to the Council. She discloses more to Eva, but everything? Surely not. Just as she denies her own evolution of character, her own changing views, so too would she deny letting on that she would be weak enough to ever succumb to it more than momentarily.
Then there was Visser One’s novel experiences at encountering the human mind and society, and taking the time to learn all she could possibly could about them � and then some. Seeing her journey to get from where she was, ambitious but stuck on a backwater planet, to ambitious and spear-heading the Earth invasion and everything in between which shaped her personality and character� It really gives us a greater understanding of not only the things she learned, but also puts out there truthful observations about humanity as a whole. An outside perspective, if you will, and a mature one at that. She was a Yeerk on a mission of personal ambition � at least most of the time.
Essam 293 was her counterpoint:
Furthermore, it truly reads, to me at least, like a young adult novel: the Vissers and the Council of course use more sophisticated language � they are adults, after all. It also shows us Ms. Applegate’s flexibility with different voices, and just how different of voices she can write. We’ve seen/heard the different voices of the adolescent Animorphs/Ax/Aldrea, and now also the grown-up voices of Elfangor and the Vissers. She also gives us that tantalizing look at how the Yeerk invasion began, and how their political/judicial and military systems operate. The Yeerks are not some simple hierarchy with the ones at the bottom doing all the grunt work and the ones at top lording it over � they have layers, and differing viewpoints which are more complex than just “Take over the humans by outright warfare!� or “Take over the humans by slow and steady infiltration!� Not to mention the irony of the Yeerks having laws against and hefty punishments for, say, killing subordinates (which Visser Three does on a daily basis), but then they can be persuaded to overlook it if you rank high enough and are doing a good enough job. Not unlike some people getting their hands just a little bit dirty in order to realize their goals.
We each fight this war in our own way
Quotes and comments (hey! A few of these aren’t complete spoilers!) :
Sailing was one of the best things about being in a human. It was such a perfect blend of power and subtlety, bending to the inevitable and yet resisting great forces. Dangerous and exhilarating. You skimmed along between sea and sky, a part of each, trusting neither. � page xi
As I had the power to kill, so I had the power to give life.
That’s the subtlety so many Yeerks miss. Threats are very useful. But for the more subtle, and thus complete control over your subordinates, you need the helping hand as well as the killing blade. � page 13
Not a fully redundant system, almost a second, different brain! …] It was then that I knew I was seeing something new. This brain worked by dialectic. Each half of the brain saw and heard and smelled and touched a slightly different world. Each tended toward specialization, but not a hard, fast split. The left half had more language, but not all the language. The right side had more spatial perception, but not all of the spatial perception.
Confusion! Disorder! Illogic!
This mind could argue with itself. This mind could see the same even in different ways. It was insanity! A democratic brain, arguing within itself, with no sure, certain control, only a sort of uneasy compromise. A consensus of disputatious elements.
This brain contained its own traitor!
And, as I began to sift the memories I saw, again and again, the internal argument. The “Should I? Should I not?� debates. The paralysis of internal disagreement.
But I also saw decisions improved as a result of uncertainty. Hesitation and internal discord leading to decisions that were wiser, more useful, than quicker decisions would have been.
And yet that seemed a small compensation for internal treason and confusion and conflict.
No wonder they kill each other, I thought. They very nearly kill themselves!
It was madness. Humans, as a species, were mad. � page 50-51 � It is so interesting to read observations Edriss 562 makes about humans � the sources of her information, then the deductions she makes based on that information and anything else she can gather.
Seeing Vissers One and Three go at each other in this very dangerous situation is also, to put it mildly, thrilling. They turn the tables on each other so many times, and there are so many pitfalls and sudden inspirations, that I couldn’t help but read it slowly and savor the subtleties along the way. Especially when you also consider that Visser One is cherry-picking the details she discloses to the Council. She discloses more to Eva, but everything? Surely not. Just as she denies her own evolution of character, her own changing views, so too would she deny letting on that she would be weak enough to ever succumb to it more than momentarily.
Then there was Visser One’s novel experiences at encountering the human mind and society, and taking the time to learn all she could possibly could about them � and then some. Seeing her journey to get from where she was, ambitious but stuck on a backwater planet, to ambitious and spear-heading the Earth invasion and everything in between which shaped her personality and character� It really gives us a greater understanding of not only the things she learned, but also puts out there truthful observations about humanity as a whole. An outside perspective, if you will, and a mature one at that. She was a Yeerk on a mission of personal ambition � at least most of the time.
Essam 293 was her counterpoint:
Furthermore, it truly reads, to me at least, like a young adult novel: the Vissers and the Council of course use more sophisticated language � they are adults, after all. It also shows us Ms. Applegate’s flexibility with different voices, and just how different of voices she can write. We’ve seen/heard the different voices of the adolescent Animorphs/Ax/Aldrea, and now also the grown-up voices of Elfangor and the Vissers. She also gives us that tantalizing look at how the Yeerk invasion began, and how their political/judicial and military systems operate. The Yeerks are not some simple hierarchy with the ones at the bottom doing all the grunt work and the ones at top lording it over � they have layers, and differing viewpoints which are more complex than just “Take over the humans by outright warfare!� or “Take over the humans by slow and steady infiltration!� Not to mention the irony of the Yeerks having laws against and hefty punishments for, say, killing subordinates (which Visser Three does on a daily basis), but then they can be persuaded to overlook it if you rank high enough and are doing a good enough job. Not unlike some people getting their hands just a little bit dirty in order to realize their goals.
We each fight this war in our own way
Quotes and comments (hey! A few of these aren’t complete spoilers!) :
Sailing was one of the best things about being in a human. It was such a perfect blend of power and subtlety, bending to the inevitable and yet resisting great forces. Dangerous and exhilarating. You skimmed along between sea and sky, a part of each, trusting neither. � page xi
As I had the power to kill, so I had the power to give life.
That’s the subtlety so many Yeerks miss. Threats are very useful. But for the more subtle, and thus complete control over your subordinates, you need the helping hand as well as the killing blade. � page 13
Not a fully redundant system, almost a second, different brain! …] It was then that I knew I was seeing something new. This brain worked by dialectic. Each half of the brain saw and heard and smelled and touched a slightly different world. Each tended toward specialization, but not a hard, fast split. The left half had more language, but not all the language. The right side had more spatial perception, but not all of the spatial perception.
Confusion! Disorder! Illogic!
This mind could argue with itself. This mind could see the same even in different ways. It was insanity! A democratic brain, arguing within itself, with no sure, certain control, only a sort of uneasy compromise. A consensus of disputatious elements.
This brain contained its own traitor!
And, as I began to sift the memories I saw, again and again, the internal argument. The “Should I? Should I not?� debates. The paralysis of internal disagreement.
But I also saw decisions improved as a result of uncertainty. Hesitation and internal discord leading to decisions that were wiser, more useful, than quicker decisions would have been.
And yet that seemed a small compensation for internal treason and confusion and conflict.
No wonder they kill each other, I thought. They very nearly kill themselves!
It was madness. Humans, as a species, were mad. � page 50-51 � It is so interesting to read observations Edriss 562 makes about humans � the sources of her information, then the deductions she makes based on that information and anything else she can gather.
December 16, 2021
Whew, we've got another Chronicles book on our hands. Compared to the Megamorphs, these have proven to be hefty. Not just because of length, but the content within. These lore books give us so much to chew on. To recap, The Andalite Chronicles had so great stuff but felt too long and had some sludge to work through as well. The Hork Bajir Chronicles didn't focus on grand big moments and was all the better for it, creating a very solid story.
Now comes Visser, a book so cool it's just called that. It's one word, like Madonna. This is pretty different from the others. And it's Great. Man this was really something and I really dug it. I won't have much to say but here we go. This is set during and after the last mainline book, The Proposal. Visser One is on trial for treason, and using not so great methods to get their way and possibly could be a traitor.
Visser One is forced to tell their story, while dealing with possibly being punished for their crimes, and trying to get Visser 3 punished as well. Their backstory shows up how the Yeerks discovered humans and how the invasion of Earth began, and all that. Despite the cover, Visser One is the narrator. Applegate stated it was gonna be both and the by the time she changed her mind, it was too late. Wah wah.
I don't mind, since we got Visser 3 narration already One is far more interesting, I agree with her on that. First off, I like how tightly this ties into the main series. This may as well 35.5 as the cliffhanger is revolved, and this has a big impact on the deal Marco dealt with. The Animorphs even get to appear, kinda.
I appreciated how important it is and how well it addresses certain things. Granted, it has kind of a status qou payoff but I liked how it was done. You almost could have called the Yeerk Chronicles but it's really all about Visser One exactly. We get Yeerk insight via this POV, but it's about their own experiences and such.
Visser One is a fairly complex villain. They are truly evil with how ruthless they can be, We see a more complicated side with what they go through, and some sympathetic moments. Even early on I was weirdly rooting for them despite everything. Despite the other side we see as it goes on, we are still reminded of their general nature and their mission. Even at the end, we get great stuff that reminds us who we are dealing with here.
The first half or so is like Hork Bajir in that it's really good more for just being interesting. It doesn't have big moments at first, just simply showing us what went down and all that. Then it hits you with bigger stuff as it goes on, stuff I can't spoil here. I enjoyed the stuff with the trial as much as the backstory. In a way the backstory is a framing device for that, makes it feel even bigger.
The part where it really connects to 35 is a standout moment. One part actually did get close to making me teary eyed. It's weird this is the one that got there, maybe The Departure get closer, I don't recall. Either way it was good.
It goes on for a bit longer after the point where you think it'll end and while I usually hate that, it kinda worked and gave us more good moments and a solid ending moment. It was paced well and even as I was hoping to get it done, I got more invested as it drew closer to the end.
It has a lot going for it. If I had to nitpick, maybe there are some things I would have liked to se going in, but by the end what we got was more interesting than what I wanted. So there's not much to truly complain about, at least at the moment.
Overall, Visser 3 is my favorite of these so far. It has a lot of what makes the others work and adds its own spin, crafting an engaging story with a lot to offer. I was pretty exciting and I wasn't let down. It's slow at first but becomes something special once it all unfolds. So yeah, it was good.
Curious to see the next/last Chronicles book will go but that's not for a while. Worth noting that from this point forward, the special edition books go at the end of a cycle, which is easier on me. Next time, we begin the next cycle, as Jake brings us a story where they go to Atlantis. What.
See ya then.
(Side note, they say damn here. Well, damn. Also, pretty explicit drug mention here, and a use of "bimbo". That's something)
Now comes Visser, a book so cool it's just called that. It's one word, like Madonna. This is pretty different from the others. And it's Great. Man this was really something and I really dug it. I won't have much to say but here we go. This is set during and after the last mainline book, The Proposal. Visser One is on trial for treason, and using not so great methods to get their way and possibly could be a traitor.
Visser One is forced to tell their story, while dealing with possibly being punished for their crimes, and trying to get Visser 3 punished as well. Their backstory shows up how the Yeerks discovered humans and how the invasion of Earth began, and all that. Despite the cover, Visser One is the narrator. Applegate stated it was gonna be both and the by the time she changed her mind, it was too late. Wah wah.
I don't mind, since we got Visser 3 narration already One is far more interesting, I agree with her on that. First off, I like how tightly this ties into the main series. This may as well 35.5 as the cliffhanger is revolved, and this has a big impact on the deal Marco dealt with. The Animorphs even get to appear, kinda.
I appreciated how important it is and how well it addresses certain things. Granted, it has kind of a status qou payoff but I liked how it was done. You almost could have called the Yeerk Chronicles but it's really all about Visser One exactly. We get Yeerk insight via this POV, but it's about their own experiences and such.
Visser One is a fairly complex villain. They are truly evil with how ruthless they can be, We see a more complicated side with what they go through, and some sympathetic moments. Even early on I was weirdly rooting for them despite everything. Despite the other side we see as it goes on, we are still reminded of their general nature and their mission. Even at the end, we get great stuff that reminds us who we are dealing with here.
The first half or so is like Hork Bajir in that it's really good more for just being interesting. It doesn't have big moments at first, just simply showing us what went down and all that. Then it hits you with bigger stuff as it goes on, stuff I can't spoil here. I enjoyed the stuff with the trial as much as the backstory. In a way the backstory is a framing device for that, makes it feel even bigger.
The part where it really connects to 35 is a standout moment. One part actually did get close to making me teary eyed. It's weird this is the one that got there, maybe The Departure get closer, I don't recall. Either way it was good.
It goes on for a bit longer after the point where you think it'll end and while I usually hate that, it kinda worked and gave us more good moments and a solid ending moment. It was paced well and even as I was hoping to get it done, I got more invested as it drew closer to the end.
It has a lot going for it. If I had to nitpick, maybe there are some things I would have liked to se going in, but by the end what we got was more interesting than what I wanted. So there's not much to truly complain about, at least at the moment.
Overall, Visser 3 is my favorite of these so far. It has a lot of what makes the others work and adds its own spin, crafting an engaging story with a lot to offer. I was pretty exciting and I wasn't let down. It's slow at first but becomes something special once it all unfolds. So yeah, it was good.
Curious to see the next/last Chronicles book will go but that's not for a while. Worth noting that from this point forward, the special edition books go at the end of a cycle, which is easier on me. Next time, we begin the next cycle, as Jake brings us a story where they go to Atlantis. What.
See ya then.
(Side note, they say damn here. Well, damn. Also, pretty explicit drug mention here, and a use of "bimbo". That's something)
July 19, 2020
Original Review at
4.5/5
I gave this novel four and a half stars!
In this installment of the Animorphs series, we are in Visser One's POV. Crazy, right?
She's on trial by the Council of Thirteen for her supposed crimes over the years, and Visser Three is there to sneer and demand her execution. But Visser One has extensive knowledge of his failings over the years as well and isn't about to go down without a fight.
Can she convince the Council to see things her way without exposing her lapses in judgment, or is her fate already sealed?
I have to say, I was surprised by how good this was. Lately I've been kind of disappointed with the series, and this really raised my spirits back up.
At first thought, having Visser One as the MC seems strange, but it really worked for me. For starters, it's not just Visser One but Marco's mom, and I enjoyed the duality there. Clearly Marco's mom hates Visser One for stealing her life, but her wellbeing is tied to Visser One's, so she has to make hard decisions as to whether or not she should help the Visser.
The Visser's origin story was interesting. She is the first Yeerk to control a human, and her adventure into the realm of humanity was intriguing and felt fresh. I enjoyed the journey and the depth that was given to her character. Duty, love, and loss were all explored from a new perspective.
The plot was simple and executed well. The Visser is on trial and forced to recall her interactions on Earth. While there wasn't a ton of action, the story more than made up for that, and I really blazed through this one because of that. We also got some information without this book that excited me and has me hoping that this series begins to ramp up towards a stellar end.
Overall, this was a great continuation of the series, and I can't wait to read what happens next!
4.5/5
I gave this novel four and a half stars!
In this installment of the Animorphs series, we are in Visser One's POV. Crazy, right?
She's on trial by the Council of Thirteen for her supposed crimes over the years, and Visser Three is there to sneer and demand her execution. But Visser One has extensive knowledge of his failings over the years as well and isn't about to go down without a fight.
Can she convince the Council to see things her way without exposing her lapses in judgment, or is her fate already sealed?
I have to say, I was surprised by how good this was. Lately I've been kind of disappointed with the series, and this really raised my spirits back up.
At first thought, having Visser One as the MC seems strange, but it really worked for me. For starters, it's not just Visser One but Marco's mom, and I enjoyed the duality there. Clearly Marco's mom hates Visser One for stealing her life, but her wellbeing is tied to Visser One's, so she has to make hard decisions as to whether or not she should help the Visser.
The Visser's origin story was interesting. She is the first Yeerk to control a human, and her adventure into the realm of humanity was intriguing and felt fresh. I enjoyed the journey and the depth that was given to her character. Duty, love, and loss were all explored from a new perspective.
The plot was simple and executed well. The Visser is on trial and forced to recall her interactions on Earth. While there wasn't a ton of action, the story more than made up for that, and I really blazed through this one because of that. We also got some information without this book that excited me and has me hoping that this series begins to ramp up towards a stellar end.
Overall, this was a great continuation of the series, and I can't wait to read what happens next!
April 15, 2025
4.75 Visser is the third book in the Animorphs Chronicles series, offering a fascinating deep dive into Visser One’s origins, the Yeerks� discovery and initial infiltration of Earth, and—uniquely for a Chronicles entry—a present-day storyline interwoven with the past. It executes this blend to great effect.
It’s intriguing that a book in this series explores how Visser One became who she is today. Not that the story itself wasn’t compelling—it absolutely was—but I’m both surprised and delighted that this perspective exists at all. Watching her transformation unfold is gripping, packed with enough twists and moments that reframe subtle details throughout the series. Additionally, it's clear that Visser is laying groundwork for what feels more and more like a segway into the series' endgame. Though that finale is still 20+ books away, the momentum for it is there. I just hope the revelations here are used to heighten the drama moving forward.
As for the events themselves, they unfold with a masterful play-by-play of tit-for-tat, guerrilla-style tactics that bring out the series' best themes. Seeing Visser One develop a fondness for humans in her own way—while remaining fatally ignorant of humanity’s true danger—is telling, particularly when she finds herself at the mercy of the one human who arguably wants her dead more than anyone. As for that human, Marco has never been more badass in this series than he is here. The confrontation between Visser One and his mother—absolute perfection. That scene alone was worth the price of admission.
Yes! Animorphs has been on fire in this second wind, and I’m crossing my fingers the final act maintains this strength. On it goes...
41 down. 21 to go.
It’s intriguing that a book in this series explores how Visser One became who she is today. Not that the story itself wasn’t compelling—it absolutely was—but I’m both surprised and delighted that this perspective exists at all. Watching her transformation unfold is gripping, packed with enough twists and moments that reframe subtle details throughout the series. Additionally, it's clear that Visser is laying groundwork for what feels more and more like a segway into the series' endgame. Though that finale is still 20+ books away, the momentum for it is there. I just hope the revelations here are used to heighten the drama moving forward.
As for the events themselves, they unfold with a masterful play-by-play of tit-for-tat, guerrilla-style tactics that bring out the series' best themes. Seeing Visser One develop a fondness for humans in her own way—while remaining fatally ignorant of humanity’s true danger—is telling, particularly when she finds herself at the mercy of the one human who arguably wants her dead more than anyone. As for that human, Marco has never been more badass in this series than he is here. The confrontation between Visser One and his mother—absolute perfection. That scene alone was worth the price of admission.
Yes! Animorphs has been on fire in this second wind, and I’m crossing my fingers the final act maintains this strength. On it goes...
41 down. 21 to go.
July 12, 2024
Book 35.5 of the Animorphs series. This was an in-depth telling of the Yerk known as Visser 1. It was interesting and gives us just a little more backstory to this in and out villain that gets touched on several times throughout the series. Overall mostly an exposition/trial and nothing critical to the series, just a fun side story. �
Joseph McKnight
Joseph McKnight
March 23, 2023
…okay, that was actually REALLY good.
So good, in fact, that it wasn’t until I finished that I realized the cover to the book is completely false advertising. They show Visser Three to sell it, but the book is about Visser One.
It’s a bad ass cover. But it’s a filthy filthy lie.
So good, in fact, that it wasn’t until I finished that I realized the cover to the book is completely false advertising. They show Visser Three to sell it, but the book is about Visser One.
It’s a bad ass cover. But it’s a filthy filthy lie.
April 24, 2024
Another nostalgic read 🙌🏽
June 1, 2024
Talk about a book! Intrigue, war, human emotions, and all the rampant destruction of a normal Animorphs book but about Visser One! This is by far one of my favorite books ever, not just of the series. It's an in-depth look at a bad guy, and boy, is it a ride!
July 26, 2024
Concept: what if The Host by S Meyer was actually unbelievably fucking good
January 17, 2023
this one is insane in the membrane, did scholastic really market this for children wow
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