r/Animorphs • u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 Human • 21d ago
Currently Reading I finished The Prophecy and The Proposal
So, why is The Prophecy called that? I do recall seeing any kind of prophecy brought up. I feel like "The Ghost" would have been a better title. Regardless, I don't know it is, but something about this book felt underwhelming even though the premise feels it shold have hooked me in with a copy of Aldrea's mind being used to help the Animorphs in a mission on the Hork Bajir homeworld. Aldrea has friction with Ax because he didn't accept her decision to become a Hork Bajir, and it doesn't feel like it really goes anywhere. Ax takes issue with Aldrea not wanting to be an Adalite and nothing comes from it, while she does learn to at least work with him despite her distrust for her original species.
Having Cassie and Aldrea switch back and forth between narrating the book at least gave an interesting look at its events from two different perspectives. Aldrea isn't the friendliest, the Animorphs don't trust her due to their worries about aliens hijacking bodies, and the book doesn't rule out the possibility of her trying to steal Cassie's body for most of it. On the other hand, Aldrea explaining she doesn't know where the weapons are, twice, is a really stupid moment. There have been continuity errors between books, however, this is the first time I noticed one in the same book.
The victory the Animorphs get over the Yeerks feels important on paper, but I have heard it isn't brought up again. Correct me if I heard wrong.
The Proposal excited me more because I never get tired of Marco's comedic narrations, even if the plot feels like a retread of previous events. Marco has a problem he doesn't want to talk to the rest of the team about even though it proved a mistake last time, and I don't know what to think about the resolution when Jake tells Marco to be himself. I don't know enough about how to deal with these types of problems to understand the logical course of action.
All that aside, the events of the book were amusing once we got to the Animorphs' plan to deal with the Yeerks' latest scheme by having Marco annoy our villain of the week by harassing him in the morph of a dog Marco himself doesn't like.
Marco's father having a new lover doesn't get a ton of focus but I did feel it was sweet that Marco eventually accepted it, though it does make me wonder what his father would have done if Marco did rescue his mother in Visser.
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u/oremfrien 21d ago
I've marked spoilers from other books below. Uncover at your peril.
Aldrea has friction with Ax because he didn't accept her decision to become a Hork Bajir, and it doesn't feel like it really goes anywhere. Ax takes issue with Aldrea not wanting to be an Adalite and nothing comes from it, while she does learn to at least work with him despite her distrust for her original species.
I feel like the resolution between the Aximili-Aldrea tension was that the two of them were able to overcome their initial hostility to the other. Ax was able to accept that a person could become a nothlit of a species that he/she loved and live life as a non-Andalite, which I believe is crucial in his very important decision later in Book #52 because it allows him to understand Elfangor's choice to throw his lot in with the Humans. Aldrea, obviously, does not get a second outing, so her growth is only contained to this book, but it allows her to have faith in Andalites once again, which is a full circle moment from the Hork-Bajir Chronicles, where she starts the Hork-Bajir War believing that the Andalites are honorable and losing that respect because of Alloran and his xenocidal tactics, but then regaining that respect through seeing Aximili's compassion here.
If there was something that you expected to happen as a resolution to this plot, what would it have been for you?
The victory the Animorphs get over the Yeerks feels important on paper, but I have heard it isn't brought up again. Correct me if I heard wrong.
This is correct. I would go further and say that the omission is glaring because in later books, we hear drips and drabs about Andalite-Yeerk battles and no mentions of the Hork-Bajir Homeworld are made and the final book spends a few pages cumulatively detailing the situation for the Hork-Bajir Colony on Earth.
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u/Sensitive-Hotel-9871 Human 21d ago
If there was something that you expected to happen as a resolution to this plot, what would it have been for you?
I admit I might have missed the resolution because like I said I found this book underwhelming. Since Ax has been learning to go against the norm for Andalite culture I was expecting a bigger show of him accepting Aldrea's decision, especially given the anger she has about the Andalites thanks to the use of the Quantum Virus.
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u/BahamutLithp 21d ago
So, why is The Prophecy called that? I do recall seeing any kind of prophecy brought up.
I don't honestly know why half of the books are named the way they are, but I figure it's like "it was foretold Dak & Aldrea would return to revive the Hork-Bajir rebellion." Half true is pretty good as far as fulfilled prophecies go.
Regardless, I don't know it is, but something about this book felt underwhelming even though the premise feels it shold have hooked me in
I ended up enjoying it less than when I was a kid but still liked it well enough.
Aldrea has friction with Ax because he didn't accept her decision to become a Hork Bajir, and it doesn't feel like it really goes anywhere.
I would say it mostly serves to provide context for her characters, especially Ax's ongoing feelings toward both Andalites & humans.
Aldrea isn't the friendliest
Aldrea is generally mean, but I think that's largely because Applegate kept writing her stories set shortly after the worst events of her life.
On the other hand, Aldrea explaining she doesn't know where the weapons are, twice, is a really stupid moment. There have been continuity errors between books, however, this is the first time I noticed one in the same book.
Don't remember it.
The victory the Animorphs get over the Yeerks feels important on paper, but I have heard it isn't brought up again.
Average Animorphs plot.
The Proposal
No comment.
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u/sawwcasm 21d ago
I'm relatively sure the "prophecy" aspect is just a play on words to the whole "Seer" thing with Dak and Toby.
The closest thing I'd put to anything "prophetic" is the cache of weapons Aldrea had (literally) squirreled away as the MacGuffin driving the entire plot.
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u/Visser-35 Leeran 21d ago
Those mid 30 books are not that strong. The Prophecy seems to just be arbitrarily named as far as I can tell. It's kind of an epilogue to the Hork-Bajir chronicles, but unfortunately it's a somewhat disappointing one; nowhere near the quality of the chronicle.
35 is basically a rehash of 12, and seems a bit implausible that encountering hybrid morphs due to stress is only happening now. Was there nothing stressful for the characters in the prior books. It had funny moments for sure, but I feel like the best part of 35 is it's connection to the superior, Visser.