Reading All 54 Books in the Animorphs Series Disturbed Me To My Core 😱

[@oliviapg]

I know this is a bit old now, but have you read the letter KA Applegate wrote to fans who complained about the ending? It's an incredibly touching piece of writing that really brings home the real life messages and themes. I'll paste it here since I'm not sure if I can post a link: "Dear Animorphs Readers: Quite a number of people seem to be annoyed by the final chapter in the Animorphs story. There are a lot of complaints that I let Rachel die. That I let Visser Three/One live. That Cassie and Jake broke up. That Tobias seems to have been reduced to unexpressed grief. That there was no grand, final fight-to-end-all-fights. That there was no happy celebration. And everyone is mad about the cliffhanger ending. So I thought I'd respond. Animorphs was always a war story. Wars don't end happily. Not ever. Often relationships that were central during war, dissolve during peace. Some people who were brave and fearless in war are unable to handle peace, feel disconnected and confused. Other times people in war make the move to peace very easily. Always people die in wars. And always people are left shattered by the loss of loved ones. That's what happens, so that's what I wrote. Jake and Cassie were in love during the war, and end up going their seperate ways afterward. Jake, who was so brave and capable during the war is adrift during the peace. Marco and Ax, on the other hand, move easily past the war and even manage to use their experience to good effect. Rachel dies, and Tobias will never get over it. That doesn't by any means cover everything that happens in a war, but it's a start. Here's what doesn't happen in war: there are no wondrous, climactic battles that leave the good guys standing tall and the bad guys lying in the dirt. Life isn't a World Wrestling Federation Smackdown. Even the people who win a war, who survive and come out the other side with the conviction that they have done something brave and necessary, don't do a lot of celebrating. There's very little chanting of 'we're number one' among people who've personally experienced war. I'm just a writer, and my main goal was always to entertain. But I've never let Animorphs turn into just another painless video game version of war, and I wasn't going to do it at the end. I've spent 60 books telling a strange, fanciful war story, sometimes very seriously, sometimes more tongue-in-cheek. I've written a lot of action and a lot of humor and a lot of sheer nonsense. But I have also, again and again, challenged readers to think about what they were reading. To think about the right and wrong, not just the who-beat-who. And to tell you the truth I'm a little shocked that so many readers seemed to believe I'd wrap it all up with a lot of high-fiving and backslapping. Wars very often end, sad to say, just as ours did: with a nearly seamless transition to another war. So, you don't like the way our little fictional war came out? You don't like Rachel dead and Tobias shattered and Jake guilt-ridden? You don't like that one war simply led to another? Fine. Pretty soon you'll all be of voting age, and of draft age. So when someone proposes a war, remember that even the most necessary wars, even the rare wars where the lines of good and evil are clear and clean, end with a lot of people dead, a lot of people crippled, and a lot of orphans, widows and grieving parents. If you're mad at me because that's what you have to take away from Animorphs, too bad. I couldn't have written it any other way and remained true to the respect I have always felt for Animorphs readers. K.A. Applegate"

[@jbear3478]

I thought there was a ghost writer at that point..?

[@Rodanguirus]

@@jbear3478 She wrote the last two or three books. She was also never really "gone." KA wrote all of the chronicles and megamorphs, and outlined and approved all of the ghostwritten books (which were all of the main numbered entries after 24 and before the last two or three, except for 26 and 32).

[@Eyecyou64]

Seems ripe for a sequel series

[@jessieandrews6073]

even though her words are true, they come off unnecessarily aggressive.

[@PoorRoleModel]

@@jessieandrews6073 I mean... she's addressing the internet. Do you think the internet was nice to her about it? Poor author probably got death threats because fan ship fantasies were ruined. And, while it may seem aggressive to you, it looks pretty straightforward to me. As someone who actually had to leave the series midway to go fight in a war, I feel like this could have and even should have been even more sharp.

[@ddddeca]

Not reading the side stories was a mistake. The Andalite Chronicles, The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, Visser and The Ellimist Chronicles are very important to the series and are some of the best books writing-wise.

[@SquagelZ]

My intro to the series was reading the Andalite chronicles. I had no idea it was related to Animorphs until it ended. Honestly it gave me a very interesting insight into the series when I started it. And I can’t imagine reading The Prophecy without the context of the Hork-Bajir chronicles.

[@Labinzel]

Absolutely! Visser is integral to understanding why/how the yeerk empire collapses in the end!

[@ldm1244]

I kind of sucks I was hoping you read the side ones that’s why I started watching this video

[@FosukeLordOfError]

It's funny the mega morphs are happening in the timeline of the main series but pretty much have no consequence on the story. The chronicles (including visser) have huge story impacts.

[@DrippUP]

i actually thought the Ellimist book was kinda weak. the others were great. but the Gamer-turned-God thing was ,well... ass

[@LvXGameMaster]

I feel like you're missing a very important detail on book 13. You see the Eliminist basically promise to give Tobias "what he wanted". Tobias assumed that meant the Eliminist would turn him to a human. Instead the Eliminist gives Tobias the ability to morph.

[@Megan-gy4ly]

I think the reason they did the repetitive recap at the beginning of every book was because it was in the age group where kids still might have picked up the books out of order. I didn't know anyone who had all the animorphs books, I had random books in the series myself, so I get it. I think the first book I had in the series was the one with the dolphin on the cover, which definitely isn't book one, but I had no idea and neither did my mom. She just got me the ones with the animals she though I liked, so I had the dolphin, the horse, and the killer whale I think. The store never had all the books available to purchase, it would only be a handful of them, and never even in order. I'm sure it's annoying when you binge-read the series now, but I think you just have to accept it as part of the mechanism for a series at that age group, especially back in the 90s with how books were marketed and sold back then.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

That makes so much sense! Thanks for clearing that up for me.

[@losterthanlife]

I too never got the whole series! I think my family picked by animal as well! I ended up reading the last two or three from the school library (where there also wasn't a full set!)

[@fluffywolfo3663]

I sure as fuck did read it out of order. Got book 1.... first...ish?

[@TheLyokoWarriors]

My first Animorphs book was #26, the one with the tiger. It was also one of the more continuity-heavy books.

[@Aluckyshot-1985]

They wrote it like a TV show that you could have an adventure without changing the status quo you know like transformers or GI joe

[@dzmcroy]

It’s funny how you say “all these coincidences would only make sense if it wasn’t a coincidence that THESE SIX ended up being the ones,” because that’s literally the big reveal of one of the side books: the Ellimist totally stacked the deck.

[@Rodanguirus]

Yep. Sorry, the side books aren't optional.

[@DrippUP]

The Ellimist chose Ax, Tobias, Marco and Cassie.. Jake and Rachel were not chosen.

[@blushworthyspeaks]

@@DrippUP I simply don't believe the Berensons were random. The Ellimist is capping.

[@jordancorgatelli9292]

I saw a theory somewhere that Jake was chosen and Rachel was the random one, according to the theory the Ellimist originally wanted Melissa Chapman instead of Rachel because she was the daughter of a high ranking Yreek's host.

[@micchikins4626]

Gavin: Animorphs is my therapist now. Me, knowing how the series goes: ....oh HONEY.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Yeah that comment aged worse than some of the series 😂

[@XMguy]

This series literally ruined my life.

[@vicdaful]

I almost "Lord have mercy'd" for once I'm glad I kept scrolling 🤣🤣🤣

[@Labinzel]

Rachel is so important to me because a lot of 90's female characters where "strong" because they had traditionally masculine aspects. And Rachel is considered a dangerous fighter but she's also unashamedly "girly" (Rachel would love Buffy basically)

[@Tthaking]

Racheal kinda of reminds me of Buffy but like times 10

[@cruizlee214]

In Megamorphs 4, Cassie describes Rachel's shopping as being similar to determined and skilled hunting. Even when she is doing something as frivolous as shopping, Rachel does it with her whole self.

[@intrusive-th0t]

Name ONE 90s female protagonist who was actually masculine or gender nonconforming in any way. Even Xena wore a miniskirt and a corset with a push up bra.

[@notnotlikeothergirls]

A lot? Name one strong 90’s female who was actually masculine or gender nonconforming in a significant way. Buffy was a literal cheerleader and even Xena wore a miniskirt and corset so it seems to me that the opposite is true. Femininity is treated as the norm and women who are strong were expected to be even more feminine to overcompensate for this.

[@notnotlikeothergirls]

La Femme Nikita- had long, bleached blonde hair, wore makeup, heels and dresses Buffy- cheerleader, generally a typically feminine straight woman Xena- wore a miniskirt and corset with push up bra and had long hair Dana Scully- had a feminine haircut, plucked eyebrows, usually wore lipstick and earrings- but she wore pantsuits so I guess she’s butch right? 🙄 Sailor Moon- hyperfeminine to the extreme, no explanation needed Now compare this to actual strong women in real life. Look at female MMA fighters for example. Most have a physique that’s far more muscular and “masculine” than any of the examples I gave. Some may have more feminine styles but many are extremely masculine in their personal style and even the feminine ones don’t show up to a fight in heels, long nails, makeup, jewelry, coiffed hair, etc. So if there are some strong female characters who happen to be more masculine/gender nonconforming/not stereotypically feminine, what exactly is the issue? Those characters are more true to life and serve as better role models to girls than misleading them into thinking you can fight just as well in heels, corsets, with nails and loose long hair vs without those things. You know what I think the real issue is? Unfeminine/masculine women make you uncomfortable and you’re grossed out at the idea of being associated with them. It has nothing to do w femininity being underrepresented in media though, that’s for sure.

[@cassiewilliams7654]

2:17:10 "I hope they have a happy ending" (about Tobias and Rachel) me, having read the last book of this series 10-15 years ago: honey, you have a big storm coming

[@GavinReadsItAll]

That part of the vlog really didn't age well 😭

[@asliwins337]

@@GavinReadsItAll, I paused at that moment to tell my partner "oh no, this poor person is about to relive the trauma of my childhood"

[@stormbringer223]

The way Rachel’s death was written is literally my worst nightmare and still haunts me to this day. You go from being to nothing.

[@avsambart]

The way this video is 15 minutes longer than Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King Extended Edition. What a treat.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

My ultimate goal was to make a video longer than an extended LOTR movie 😂

[@TwentyNineJP]

Devil's advocate: In the 90s, *nobody* read them in order or started with book 1. We just read whatever we could find in the order that we found them. I checked out all the copies that my school library had. Because of this, I think the recaps were pretty important at the time.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Yeah totally understandable for the 90s, I get it, but not so great for the present day and reading them in order.

[@turtleanton6539]

Oh they were

[@hal7741]

Man finding the later books was so hard

[@MoshDelgado]

I think I'm one of the rare few who managed to start with book one, but I have my brother to thank for that. He started with book eight or nine and then managed to track the older ones down and when I showed interest he basically threw the first one at me and said, "read them in order or don't read them at all. You'll go mad otherwise."

[@FosukeLordOfError]

I started with 14 and then got like 12 or something and then as they came out going forward. Only eventually getting the earlier books and having to guess what happened in them.

[@CrazyDontMeanWrong]

1:33:52 "There is a moment where Jake is almost swatted" They peeled that boy of the ceiling, ain't no "almost" about it

[@jturner2577]

If you're writing a book targeted at middle schoolers and feeling you're going too dark reminds yourself about Animorphs

[@GavinReadsItAll]

This 😂

[@degeneratemale5386]

I remember when unwind had an entire chapter dedicated to a kid getting all his organs harvested, and be completely conscious through it all. And we read it all through his perspective. You know, for kids!

[@MattPerk7]

Cassie's parents jobs were the source of almost all of their morphs so it was kind of an important plot point

[@floraandfauna9069]

That twist in book 5 takes me back to losing my absolute MIND over it as a child, like running around the house telling anyone who would listen "You wont BELIEVE who Visser 1 is!!!!" lol my poor parents

[@colinbanning9416]

Wait, I read all of these and.... Book 5? REALLY? That early?

[@lexi4booksilovebenji]

Same here except I got my small handful of books from a sale in 2010 so nobody around me would be able to celebrate in an almost (at the time) 14 year old book series with a mostly dead fan base . My little haul was books #3-6 #10 #16 and #23 imagine my surprise at the reveal in #23 lol. A little later I got book #35 at goodwill and did that knock my socks off I couldn’t wait to grow up and buy them all which I did at 18. Now our little fan base is getting a revival, new fans getting the graphic novels and audiobooks, old fans getting into it again , I love it

[@FreebirthBoccara]

"they forced these kids into a situationt hey shouldn't have been handling" is 100% the story of every book. and kind of the point of the books.

[@gwenfairholm8080]

I was thinking the same thing! He said that and I was like "oh wow, he ran face first into the point"

[@snezhok4300]

everyone: the future of video content is short tiktoks Gav: wELL, I DISAGREE *comes up with a 4 hours video* bravo, Gav 👏 thank you so much!

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Honestly wish I could have done all of this in TikTok format but I talk too much 😂

[@snezhok4300]

@@GavinReadsItAll as your Russian viewer I wasn't introduced to the 'Animorph' books as a child so you talking about each and every book in the series sort of gave me the experience of reading it this series is truly WILD 😂 I enjoyed the hawk pov idea so much!

[@HarvestLockwood]

Gavin: Welcome to my 4 1/2 hour reading vlog of all of the Animorphs books. Me: I AM SO READY.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

YYEESS 🎉

[@bananafairy59]

Regarding recaps- Animorphs gained traction as a series from Scholastic book fairs. Yes, they were obviously available at stores at the time, but most kids first saw these at their school's book fairs. That was great, but generally they only had the most recent 3, so you were basically buying them for the crazy covers and were surprised to find that the stories were actually decent. It made recaps repetitive, but 100% necessary.

[@HuxtableK]

The recaps functioned like the opening lines of certain cartoons. It was for these episodic shows for kids. Because you were often going to get in later than episode 1.

[@ImAlsoMerobiba]

I think animorphs were the only books I bought from those fairs. 😍

[@phoenixpinkmyn5535]

I can't believe I watched this whole video in one shot. Great to see your reactions! I think the treatment of the auxiliary animorphs was meant to be horrific, I always took it that way, anyway. It's right while Jake is going through his arc of just taking more and more desperate, morally gray acts, and then he takes advantage of a group of children with disabilities and uses them as sacrificial child soldiers, talk about dark. I'm disabled, myself, and I was ok with how things were portrayed. Maybe because it felt like they got to choose whether they wanted to "be cured" or not. Some ppl with disabilities definitely don't want to be cured and resent that idea, but it's far from everyone. I have violent seizures during my sleep that happen with no way to predict and medication only partially controls them. I go to sleep every night knowing I might just stop breathing and die with no warning... I would be THRILLED to give it up. I wouldn't want to be sent into war on a suicide mission because I'm disabled, but I don't think they portrayed what happened to the auxiliary team as a good thing. Anyway, I'd love to see you do another video on the rest of the books. I don't really remember the megamorphs novels, so they may be fillerish, but the Chronicles books go wild, I always really liked them.

[@hyenaedits3460]

I also like that they were able to gain back some agency. They died free, in a way. Not completely, they were still drafted, but they were able to take control of their destiny after spending so much of their lives in an institution being forgotten.

[@sarahnightingale3419]

Listening to you recap the series that defined my childhood has been a bit of a revelation to me. I remember how much I hated the ending because they killed Rachel and ruined all of the relationships at the end. The cliffhanger was particularly enraging as well, since my brain automatically decided they all died in the final act. Looking back at it (without having to reread it myself - thanks, lol) has given me a perspective 13-year-old me couldn't have, especially pre-9/11 and the dumpster fire of the last 20 years. It is definitely a commentary on war and it's side effects, as well as how it never really ends, not for the soldiers, not for the innocent people caught up in it, and the ending of one war just heralds the start of a new one. As a high school teacher, I am appalled at the idea that children the age of my students were put into those positions and forced to make those decisions, as too many children that age and younger are even today. It also really explores the moral gray area of war, and in retrospect, this book series probably helped me open my eyes to just how much darker history and war actually was versus what I had been taught is school up to that point. That definitely influenced me during my later studies in university in history. This series affected me more than I realized, even as most of the finer details of it completely escape me 20 years later. Thanks again for reintroducing me to my favorite childhood book series and giving me a new perspective on it.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

You are so right re: the effects of war and what it does to people, and how this series actually did something incredible with its themes. So glad I can add to some of the conversation on that and you enjoyed the video! I know Animorphs isn't perfect and I had my issues every now and then, but I can't deny its power in what it was saying.

[@Rodanguirus]

I'm sure the comments have this covered at this point, but the "Chronicles" books (Andalite, Hork-Bajir, Visser, and Ellimist) are both some of the most integral to the overall story, and some of the best-written entries in the series. Like, I'd prioritize them over at least half of the "main" entries. The Megamorphs books get little more than a throwaway line here and there in the main series, and can be largely ignored, though if you're after more series content, I certainly wouldn't say avoid them.

[@Eidlones]

The hardest part of being an Animorphs fan, is convincing people that haven't read it, that it's good. Definitely should read the side stories. Most of them are the best books in the series for me.

[@zephyros2522]

I really liked the Andalite Chronicles. Finding out more about Elfangor and why left was great and heart wrenching. RIP Arbron

[@blastoiseddr]

I really enjoyed the Hork-Bajir chronicles. A beautiful love story, and a tragedy.

[@gentlemankaiju1997]

I feel like you didn't give the Erik/chee introduction story enough credit. Erik is a peaceful Android that will essentially live forever. He was temporarily reprogrammed to save the others and slaughtered their enemies with such cruel efficiency it had even Rachael in tears(keep in mind they were also severely overwhelmed with enemies). What Erik did will live on fresh in his mind for the rest of his life as androids can't suppress it or forget like humans. He has to re-experience his horrible deed every day.... This messed me up when I first read this, the idea of knowing too much and never forgetting the most horrible day in your life in extreme detail is a living nightmare.

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

"I'll only read the main 54 books." Oh, that is a MISTAKE. Important background stuff happens in the Hork-Bajir Saga, and the plot of Visser ties into the main series in a way that really makes you feel for a character or two. (I own every ebook of this series, they were put up on a website with the blessing of the authors.)

[@breckenc]

Where is the website?

[@TheDanishGuyReviews]

@@breckenc Oh, yeah, sorry, that's unfortunately where the "were" comes in. They apparently got taken down by Scholastic. It's called Richard's Animorphs Forum, or RAF.

[@Rodanguirus]

And they're among the best entries in the series. I'd only rank a few of the "main" books over the worst Chronicles book.

[@michaelinthebathroom7560]

​@@breckenc there's a link on Reddit with a PDF of all the books. Just look it up.

[@rivetsquid8887]

@@breckenc if you're still looking the ebooks are no longer permitted to be up... but people shared them a lot. As of this week, there's at least one reddit post with a zip of every book.

[@danielgonzalez-pf5el]

Gavin, it’s not ablelist to recognize that disabled people are ten times more likely to die in combat than an able body person and therefore it would be a waste of their potential and lives if they are expected to fight without curing their disabilities first. The book already does an excellent job at showing how stupid the aliens were for disregarding disabled people.

[@waltascher]

It’s also not ableist to recognize that (a) yes, the auxiliaries died but they knew that was a risk going in and they weren’t forced to accept the powers, and (b) recruiting the auxiliaries in the first place is one of the many examples of the Animorphs loosening their morals as the war goes on, and you’re not necessarily supposed to agree with it.

[@thesaintlymarco]

Also, isn’t it instead ableist to go, “how could they kill the disabled animorphs?” His whole problem with the auxiliary Animorphs being used as pawns and being sacrificed was that they were disabled. That’s ableist to go, “oh it’s fine to use auxiliary animorphs as pawns, but only if they weren’t disabled.”

[@MichelleWilliams-wk3ig]

I was complaining about movies being over 3 hours. Instantly clicks and remains unfazed of the length. Love this content.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Haha thanks Michelle, I really didn't want it to get this long, believe me 😂

[@jayt9608]

I broke it up into four or five segments. 1) After getting home from work at 0200 until bed around 0300. 2) Waking at 0930 until getting to church at 1045. 3) After church at 1945 or so until Walmart at 2030. 4) From Walmart at 2130 until 2220. All times are rough estimates only I am sorry to say. It also helped that I listened while driving much of the time, or was busy running things from the car to my apartment.

[@abbewinter9249]

I love that Gav starts to go off about "Who is even pick this series up in the middle?!" on book 12, which, incidentally, was the only book in the entire series that we owned when I was a kid.

[@laurencole2937]

Right? My intro was book 13. It was also the only one I ever owned. I read it a LOT, lol

[@libbyhanzlik3110]

Gav, you are going to be known as the one to come to for feature length film style vlogs. I don't know if they do well for your channel, but I love these long vlogs. I'm only on your sixth review so far but love that you having better luck with this series so far than you did with goosebumps.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Thank you so much Libby, I love doing these longer videos and I love the challenge of reading a whole series in one go, whether they do well or not, I'm so happy you seem to enjoy them 😊

[@ClumsyCharlott]

Gavin is really kickstarting the year with reading 54 books and kicking all Goodreads' challenges' asses.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Literally 54 books out of 100 for my Goodreads goal done already 😂

[@ClumsyCharlott]

@@GavinReadsItAll I think you're on to something with that

[@ChristiferDuxbury]

I’m pleasantly shocked to hear someone use KA’s originally intended pronunciation of Elfangor. Most fans call him El-fang-gor, even though she intended it to be Elfan-gor. Loved the video!

[@jeslybarillasmeraz880]

I use the Elfan-gor pronunciation too, I didn't know other people pronounced it a different way!

[@christopherb501]

#34 - Actually, she was originally an Andalite; she was a Hork-Bajir _nothlit._

[@taloutezero]

It's a shame that you didn't add the chronicles books into the mix because they weren't side or extra books, they were directly related to the story and in interesting ways they did move the plot on because we got key pieces of historical information. If it weren't for the idea of marketing (to promote them as special books) and being strict with keeping the main pov cast directly involved then those chronicle books would have just been numbered in the series. Your video has convinced me to re-read the series myself and create a comprehensive reading guide that cuts out all of the fat but does diligence to retain all key plot points and character growth. I might even go to a level of only recommending some chapters (or even paragraphs) of the filler books (that were likely ghost written) if the information carries over to the rest of them.

[@turtleanton6539]

Yes

[@karlsaintlucy]

I'm sure the reason she has the intro and the description at the top of every book is because of how most of us were reading these: from getting them at the Scholastic book fairs. You'd see a title and get it and you'd have to be able to sort of dive into the story wherever that book fit into the broader narrative. Thanks for the recaps, this is great! I'm reading through these right now

[@ravenous_reads]

This series seems darker than most adult series 😱😲

[@GavinReadsItAll]

You know what, it really is haha

[@turtleanton6539]

It is true

[@positively-]

He didn't even cover when Jake ripped parts of Rachel's unconscious body off her to make ants go to war over which colony would get to eat her so she'd have time to wake up and demorph.... I can't believe my parents let me read these when I was young.

[@rebeccamorrison1313]

I only ever read the Andolite Chronicles (book 12.5) because I found it at a garage sale when I was like 9 and I loved it. It was all about Elfangor the Andolite war prince. If you haven't read that one, I swear by my 9 year old self it's good and you should read it lol

[@GavinReadsItAll]

I shall absolutely get to that one, the side books actually look really good!

[@archivist_of_dragonstone]

Andalite Chronicles was the one I came back to over and over. I think I reread it some crazy number of times, like 9 times 😅

[@yurinoworry]

@@GavinReadsItAll The Hork- Bajir Chronicles, The Andalite chronicles, the Ellimist chronicles, and the one called Visser are all important to the main plot. But you are actually supposed to read each one after a certain “arc” in the story. From the time they were released. After the first 15, 1st side book, so on and so forth. Think of the side books as movies released between seasons of a TV show, you won’t be completely lost if you skip the movies but you’ll definitely miss out on some references in the next arc of books and may not understand why certain characters behave the way that they do.

[@cruizlee214]

A boy becomes a man story, but aliens. A war journal about a conflict we have no context for. A galaxy spanning epic where earth is one small stop on the journey. A struggle against fate where the hero is only the beginning of other's destiny.

[@phz7107]

"So this blog isnt 3 and a half hours like the last one." Frantically checks the runtime to find it 4.5 hours long and i sigh in relief 🤣

[@jcoff85]

It might take me a few sittings, but I'm excited to see this entire double-feature length review 😅 Bravo editing it 👏👏

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Haha thank you Jessica!

[@A_Bookish_Obsession]

I would love to see him do all the Magic Treehouse books at some point.

[@zom8979]

Yeah, the reason why so many books seem repetitive is because as you pointed out many were written by ghost writers and their books were basically filler to be released between the books that continues the plot being written by Applegate so no matter how crazy the story they couldn't have a permanent effect on the status of the main plot

[@jessasininger]

Thank you for this. I grew up reading the series and it was a thrill hearing your thoughts on each book. The ending was crushing. Rachel was my fav : (

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Aw yay glad you enjoyed Jessa, the ending really is crushing 😭

[@lexi4booksilovebenji]

The side books intertwine with the main book series , mega morphs #1 takes place right after book #7 ect they make references to the mega morph books throughout the series , sometimes it could get confusing if you haven’t read them chronologically with the main story The chronicles are the ones that are way before animorphs but are some of the best written books in the series , the hork Bajir chronicles is by far one of the best , heart wrenching stories ever!!! Visser is extremely important to read between #35 and #36 like Omggg!!!

[@joliraisinreads]

Omg I remember seeing these at the library when I was a child all the time and I was weirdly fascinated by them but always too scared to read them haha

[@GavinReadsItAll]

It's those covers, you just don't know what to expect with them 😂

[@joliraisinreads]

@@GavinReadsItAll yes disturbing yet weirdly hypnotising

[@ShelbyReads]

Same! 😆

[@miriamfalk7139]

Thanks so much for doing this. I enjoyed every minute of it. I'm an adult -- actually, I'm ancient, tbh -- and read this series for the first time last year. I found it absorbing and frequently thought-provoking. Your video was the next best thing to reading them in a book club or with a friend.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Ah I am so happy to hear that, and glad you enjoyed the video! love that it was like a book club with a friend, that makes me very happy 😊

[@losterthanlife]

I haven't finished this yet, but I still remember the pain I felt over this finale, probably a good 20 years since I read it. Such an intense series for books I read as a kid! Glad to see them getting some love!

[@GavinReadsItAll]

We will never forget 😭

[@awesomo546]

Visser 3 is literally Team Rocket. Everytime he shows up I think “prepare for trouble”

[@GilmarGirl]

Please please read the side stories. A few of them are some of the best installments to the series in my opinion and are 100% worth your time (The Andalite Chronicles, Hork Bajir Chronicles, and Visser are the best in my opinion). Also thanks so much for doing this and reminding me why these series has such a special place in my heart ❤

[@thekawaiislartibartfast42]

seriously! the side stories explain so much!

[@laurenl1088]

The Andalite and Hork Bajir Chronicles blew my mind as a kid, I definitely have to reread them.

[@thekawaiislartibartfast42]

@@laurenl1088 I'm 42 and the Ellimist Chronicles still does my head in.

[@laurenl1088]

@@thekawaiislartibartfast42 my parents made me downsize my bookshelf when I went to college and I actually saved the 2 books I mentioned. I just found them 😭 I can’t wait to get on this.

[@thekawaiislartibartfast42]

@@laurenl1088 I still have the Ellimist and the Andalite Chronicles. No clue what happened to Visser.

[@chriscze6153]

Animorphs was UNDOUBTEDLY my favorite book series as a child. I related so much to Tobias as the outsider - I would have also 100% given up my human form to be a bird, also because I always had a certain affinity for birds. But the way Tobias was written, his perspective, it helped me understand that escaping your problems by running away doesn't solve them, and being someone different presents its own set of problems. Truly incredible character writing and development for all of the main characters, really. I will admit, I never finished reading the full series - pretty sure I stopped somewhere around 27/28, but as the main stories and plots became increasingly bizarre and far-fetched, and I also got older, I really loved the Megamorphs side stories. You really get a good look and insight from the Andelite perspective and a better look at the universe as a whole. Among the books I remember, it was definitely the David trilogy that I kept returning to over and over and over. I just loved the idea of a person coming in by accident and eventually becoming a rat to them - literally and figuratively. The video was amazing, thank you so much Gavin for helping me relive my own nostalgia and childhood. You're doing amazing work.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Thank you so much for watching! I love your perspective on Tobias and I can imagine he was someone a lot of people related to in their childhoods, and had I read this when I was younger, I also think Tobias would have been the character I gravitated towards. Agree on everything you say about the series, so well developed, and the David trilogy truly was a great moment in this series 😊

[@christopherb501]

@@GavinReadsItAll If you feel that way about Tobias...don't read Megamorphs #2. Trust me on this.

[@MajilBo]

Animorphs are kinda the main reason I started reading in English: I used to read them in Italian when I was 11-13 which was the period they were coming out, and they stopped translating and releasing them in Italy at volume 52!!! Fast forward 5-6 years: I was living and studying in London and I finally felt comfortable enough with my level of English to be able to read a full book so I went and bought the last 2 volumes. Always loved the series. I remember also reading like the first ten volumes of Everworld when I was young and those were really promising too!

[@NekoHibaCosplay]

Yeah, kinda like what I did. Never found the last ten and kinda forgot about them after a while. Time skip 15 years, I stumble upon the wikipedia page in a fit of nostalgia, I come to know that there was an actual ending and the last two didn't even got published in Italy And decided to read them all again in english (since by that time on a subreddid there were all the ebooks available)

[@libbyhanzlik3110]

I've had to start and stop several times, but I've finished! I loved this vlog. And I want to say that I appreciate your honest commentary or serious issues. I do know that these books are older and certain topics weren't handled with nuance and grace in the 90s, but it still deserves addressing. I always know I can come to you when I need recs for my boys, because I will know when topics my need some extra discussion from me and I can help them work through what the character should do differently. You are doing good things Gavin, never doubt that moral compass of yours!

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Thank you so much Libby for the kind words and for watching the vlog too! I feel like I should give you something for watching 4 hours 35 minutes of me rambling on, you're a hero 🥰

[@libbyhanzlik3110]

@@GavinReadsItAll it was my me time that I broke up and sprinkled throughout the day, so it was a prize in itself!

[@jessicagolden1631]

I love this video the amount of effort you put is so amazing. It also seems like this was a 10x better experience than the goosebump books

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Oh it really was haha this was such a ride in all the right ways 😂

[@maniacslap1623]

Definitely should’ve read at least the Andalite Chronicles and the Hork Bajir Chronicles. The HBC is probably the best book in the series from world-building to plot to the characters. The AC, the parallels between El Fangor’s and Tobias’ story easily make it worth the read. The auxiliary Animorphs really help show wat Jake has become. The plan required for everyone to think the real Animorphs were dead. So, as grisly as it was, the auxiliaries served their purpose as cannon fodder. Think about it like this, the war was a hot one at that point. Most of the secrets were out. And the auxiliaries were thrown right into the front line. Highly unlikely a group of just assembled disabled kids survive that. And they don’t. But Jake felt he needed to be as ruthless as the opposition to win at this point so everybody became pawns. The only thing he didn’t really account for was Eric the Chee being pissed and disabling the ship after they blackmail him. Definitely one of the best reviews of the series tho fam.

[@drewteora8169]

okay i am literally screaming - i became a fan of yours from your video where you read all the goosebumps books and did a little summary of each one. i have watched it many times over because your long form videos are just comforting & absorbing, like sitting with a friend who is telling you something they are passionate about. i am SOOOO excited to see another long form video from you and i LOVE this theme of reading all the books in a series - it takes a lot of work and commitment, but WOW i think its impressive and pays off. you just get SO MUCH information, like i read the series myself 😂 love this and love you! cant wait to watch this 10 times lol

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Thank you so much 😭I am glad you like the recaps too, I was worried about doing that but then I think it's hard to review a book fully without it cause then you'd have no idea what I'm referring to when I say "this is good" or "this is bad" so I like to paint a complete picture, even though I may not do the best job sometimes. But thank you so much for the kind words, I really do appreciate it Drew 🥰

[@NyxaGrayheart]

This kinda thing is why I subbed to you. Gavin legit you are a legend for doing this.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Gosh thank you 😭

[@NyxaGrayheart]

This is such a fun video. Keeping me company tonight ♡

[@elise85391]

I wouldn't have thought a kids series about kids turning into animals would've had a larger overall plot like that

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Me too! Or that they would get that deep! Was such a pleasant surprise

[@realpaatuhod]

First of all oh my god thank you so much, the effort this took!! I always love when people talk about Animorphs. Haven’t reread it since college but this series was an essential part of my childhood. This video was such a treat! ❤ As to the filler-like books in the series, I saw a video on youtube saying Animorphs was like a tv series in book form, which is why there are books that feel like filler (because they are)! That was really interesting, as someone who isn’t familiar with how this series was published back in the 90s.

[@mattpen]

Excellent video Gavin. I remember going to book fair just to get a handful of these. I don’t think I ever finished but I could never resist the covers. I still remember some of the side stories being some of my favorites. Tobias was always my favorite character probably because he was the more outsider character but also his stories always tended to be the more introspective. The one thing about being obsessed with these as a kid though is it sort of ruined other books for me at that age as if you fall in love with their plotting, characters, and how dark they are. There were almost no other books like it and not any really since then. I should also say at least in the US they were basically the only books people talked about for years and years and then they basically disappeared.

[@ravenhairedreader]

Just finished watching this whole masterpiece! I had so much fun watching sections as I did my hair and makeup in the mornings! 💕 I felt so invested in all the characters stories you did a wonderful job recapping!

[@Scarylyn14]

As a teen I was under the impression that each of these books was about a different teen learning to morph, I assumed there was a lab testing on them somewhere, kinda like Maxiumum Ride. I never did pick one up and I’m glad, because I’d never get my hands on all 54 books 😂

[@ShadysideLibrary]

You’re a legend for committing to reading all of these! I could never…

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Thank you very much!

[@ChimeratAlpha]

2:14:36 It's revealed in The Andalite Chronicles, but I don't recall any hint of that in the base books, no.

[@christopherb501]

#54 - Want the full story in the first character's sign-off? Read the Ellimist Chronicles.

[@bentheoverlord]

Excellent vid man, I love these long form vids. I remember Animorphs really impacting me because of how dark it got, and I like how the theme is really anti war, and that in war there are no victors, only survivors.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Omg yes, like even as a reader, I didn't feel like we really had a victory at the end, as much as I wanted the Animorphs to win of course, overall I was just left feeling numb and exhausted from it. The series was so well done as a whole!

[@bentheoverlord]

@@GavinReadsItAll with this vid I've been convinced to try and give them a reread this year. I'll try and get them done by my 30th haha.

[@libbyhanzlik3110]

Gavin I hope your dad is well, idk what your religious stance is and don't want to say the wrong thing, but he and you will be in my thoughts and I will be sending all the good vibes and positive energy I can your way. We love you!

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Thank you so much, that means a lot to me ❤️

[@1917yee]

YES IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS OMG. I was a huge animorphs fan! I couldn't afford the books when I was a kid so I always bought them out of order. My first one was actually the attack and i was hooked. Loved this!!

[@CJazzed]

I watch these videos over the span of a few days so I'm still in the middle, but when the line brought up says "is it possible to die of total willies" and Gavin says "I don't know Cassie but that's how I'd want to go" I laughed so damn hard. Thanks for that one haha

[@slashb7836]

As a person with disabilities myself, I feel like there might be a bit too much reading into ableism here. There are a lot of people, especially with physical disabilities, who do wish to be able-bodied, and I don't really have an issue with that being depicted. I do have an issue with that being shown as the only path, however. Animorphs is a very progressive series for its time, with things like multiple times defending gay kids' existences, but it still has a lot of liberal trappings it falls into. I think you're too hard on Ax, tbh. The torn loyalty between his race, Andalites, and his people, the Animorphs, is a major theme with him, which is easily observed. As the series goes, we become steadily disillusioned with Andalite society, realising the flaws they have. So when we see in 18 and 38, his turning loyalty over to the Andalite hierarchy, or in 40, his ableism, I don't see those as condemnations of Ax as a person. He was heavily indoctrinated by his culture, and those times are ones where we 1) really recognise the major flaws of the Andalites' culture, and 2) see Ax struggle with and eventually break away from the societal norms he grew up with. As for the things with closure and hollow victories, the ending making one feel empty and numb, I don't feel like it could end any other way. It's part of the point. The adventure continues, there's always a direct line from one battle to the next, war has no winners. I think the series has too much respect for its audience to insult them with a decisive ending. It's part of what I love about the series

[@alonedownthere47]

it was really about as woke as you could expect for the time period. including disabled people in the fight at all was already enough wish fulfillment imo, try joining the military in a wheelchair or as a blind person in the real world. and if they didn't have it so that morphing cured non genetic disabilities, it would've opened a plot hole and been a completely different thing to complain about

[@hisdudeness8328]

Don’t forget, Ax is also the little brother to Elfangor, the greatest Andalite hero of his people’s current lifetime. He has the added pressure from both his family and his society to step up and become a great hero just like his older brother. Living in Elfangor’s shadow, while trying to create his own legacy, is a constant theme throughout the series.

[@christopherb501]

I disagree on "direct line". Something else came up, yes, but it was hardly a direct or logical progression from what came before. The better construction for a pyrrhic ending, based on what we had just from the book itself, would have been that scene on the beach. That, or actually involve the Kelbrid or The One in some way earlier, to establish that tragic transition. As is...it's more uneven than I'd like, even for the intended purpose of this conclusion.

[@tjet34]

I think it's also important to remember that these kids are 13 at the beginning of the series, and it's implied Ax is at a very similar level of development. Of course 13-16 year olds fall into shitty thought patterns they've been indoctrinated in their entire lives, they're kids. Human brain development doesn't even finish until the mid twenties. We don't have proper long term planning capacity until around 20-22. Kids are sometimes going to be shitty, just like adults, but without half as much ability to think things through and change.

[@rationaltrekker2509]

I've not read the books in a while, but the first time I read them I was already an adult.I read them as my kids brought them home from school when they were coming out. I liked them even more than my kids did because I appreciated the difficulty the characters are in - the choices they are being forced to make at such a young age and what it does to them. I have always said, "Don't underestimate kids." That is don't think that because a person is 13 he/she absolutely cannot or would not do x. Some can and will, some can't and won't, some could but won't and some would if they could. That's true of adults to. Each of the Animorphs has strengths and weaknesses. They're all above average intelligence. They've all had to take some level of responsibility before becoming Animorphs. Marco's dad is virtually nonfunctional. Rachel's parents are divorced and she has two little sisters. Tobias doesn't even have parents and the adults in his life don't really take care of him. Cassie has solid parents but she's been raised to help treat animals (take care of others) as part of her growing up. Jake is a natural leader from what his friends say - he's the responsible type anyways. And when Ax comes in, well, he's already a military cadet. No they aren't trained, and my recollection is that they've are painfully aware of how badly things could go wrong and that they could get killed. Knowing what is at stake, knowing they have no outside support, forces them to be resourceful and just try their best against all odds. Their first trip to the Yeerk pool really drills in just how dangerous their new job is and how a mission can so easily go bad. I think that comes so early in the series in order for the kids to have to cope with that and learn from it. Tobias becoming a nothllit so early also reinforces that the 2 hour time limit isn't just something someone said. It's not just a written rule that might get set aside by some authority sometimes. It's like gravity. It's just hard, cold reality. They have to learn how to assert themselves over the animal minds they become joined to while in morph. There's a saying that necessity is the mother of invention. These kids live that out throughout the series. At the same time, there are some forgettable and some cringeworthy entries in the series and some elements that strain even imagination.As much as I liked the aspects I mention above (and some others like Marco's humor and Ax's bizarre behavior when in human morph), I doubt I would go back and re-read the entire series. I'd probably look for the highlights.

[@jeilee3860]

It took me a couple sittings to finish this video, but I loved every second. Thank you for the time you took to film and edit this. I read the letter the author wrote after the backlash she got from how the book ended and it really put the ending into context. Honestly, I think we are so used to big series having a relatively clean conclusion that it's hard to have one that's more "realistic" and representative of the aftereffects of war, especially on kids. So many YA protagonists are so young when they are going against real threats that want to kill them with no mercy. It's interesting to have a book series show that characters who don't just bounce right back and look on the bright side after so many tough decisions. It's also interesting for a book series for kids having so much death and true morally grey decisions. Normally characters have to wrestle with making a tough decision and a deus ex machina comes out of the clear blue and they don't have too anymore. I remember watching the animorphs show but I don't remember much about it outside of it existing in general. I wish I was into reading when they were coming out regularly, I think I would've really enjoyed them.

[@jasmined9394]

Also I have to say, if there was only 1 really outstanding representation issue I think it can be called a success, especially given the time period it was written in. Doesn't excuse it, but definitely shows that a lot of thought went into it and it was in some ways ahead of its time.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Absolutely agree! I would still recommend Animorphs as a great series that did so many great things in terms of its themes, and it's really hard not to fall in love with the characters and feel attached to them. I'm going to remember them for a long time!

[@odile8701]

@@GavinReadsItAll not gonna remember them? Or…..😆

[@ChimeratAlpha]

All 54 books. Hmm. You do miss out on a lot of plot by skipping the Chronicles, but I'm in!

[@afilthycasualplays4007]

I don't know if you find an answer to your question later in the series but, the reason the animorphs can lose limbs or get other bad wounds without it affecting their human form is because they transform using DNA. A person or animal that loses a limb can still have fully formed children because that wound doesn't change the parent's DNA. Likewise, when they transform from one form to another, it's the DNA that determines how they are shaped. As for the morphing curing disabilities, I think it might just be a side affect of them following the rules they've established. Because the act of morphing heals battle wounds (because those kinds of wounds don't affect DNA), morphing affects older disabilities as well (because if you become paralyzed for ten hears, it still doesn't affect your DNA). As for how characters are written to react to this sudden change and all...yeah, I don't know how to feel about it. But it feels like making the morphing reverse some physical disabilities is just the creators exploring how the rules they've made for their sci-fi would affect things they may not have considered back in the day. If I can give a recommendation for a couple of books that treated disabilities VERY well while empowering those with them, I'd say check out The Ables. It's a book about a group of disabled children superheroes who have both amazing powers and disabilities. The main character has telekinesis so he can manipulate objects he can see...and he is blind. The journey he and his friends take to really make use of his powers is amazing.

[@thiadesg]

My sister had maybe 20 of the Animorphs books, out of order of course, which didn't keep us from reading them all. I never read to the end, but it was nice to get there with you!

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Collecting books like this isn't the same these days, we really can't beat collecting these 50+ series back in the day

[@BadlyRoy]

Some of those side books are really good. Hork-Bajir Chronicles is one of my favorite in the series and Ellemist is nuts.

[@jayt9608]

I wish to preface the following by stating a few quick facts. 1) I very much enjoyed your review. 2) I am not offended by anything you said. 3) It is not my purpose to cause offense. 4) The following statement is entirely my sharply worded opinion about politically correct "ableism". As a person with muscular difficulty, I have little patience with the idea that people who look at disability as a problem or difficulty are bigoted, or that people who are blind, deaf, lame, or have other difficulties should nor desire to see, hear, walk, or have other physical ailments corrected, if they so desire. I spent time in a wheelchair, and I have no desire to again be so restrained. I will not presume to speak for others, but while I do consider wheelchair ramps and crossing areas to be beneficial, I consider it to be more toxic for the unimpeded to tell me that I should be content and happy with my position in life. Granted, being angry and bitter about that which can not be changed is useless self-pity, for which I also have no patience...reality is harsh and wishful thinking about daisy chains will do nothing to lessen the truth. I therefore had no problem with the use and final outcome of the Auxiliaries from a writing perspective. I did not approve of the in universe plan to use these kids as cannon fodder even though you could tell that was exactly the intent. The fact they needed their disability to be healed before they could serve in the battle meant nothing to me as it would be no different in an authentic military unit. The body MUST be able to meet basic requirements in order to take the strain that combat places upon it. This has been and always will be the case, and calling such realities "ableist" is to construct fairy castles. If perhaps you have read my entire statement and are contuing to read, I wish to say how much I enjoyed your review. I believe, though I would need to trace your listing through the series against confirmed authors by comparison, your lowest ratings are almost universally reserved for the ghost written novels, especalially the few that entirely revisited previous character development. You also requested response about how many times the "split of a personality between two or more bodies" has been done. The original Star Trek did this, Star Trek: Voyager did the opposite and composited a single individual from two disparate beings, Star Trek: Next Generation, and one could argue StarGate also did this. However, the first documented incident that occurs to my mind would be Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on the 19th century novel of that name. This would be a common science fiction trope. BTW, how many books do you own? Your library looks to be substantial.

[@Dhor16]

With a 5 months old baby, at 1.5 speed, took me 3 or 4 days I think but I WATCHED THE WHOLE VIDEO and I feel accomolished. Not as accomplished as if I'd just read the whole animorph series, but still.

[@misosoupcup]

Just binged this today, and wow???? I've been meaning to read this series (I'm don't freak out a lot if I hear spoilers) and it just makes me want to pick up the series. I think my elementary school library had about 20 copies of the series and i regret never picking them up (I was too freaked out my the covers).

[@tjet34]

Did you get to read them? There's an easily found link to all the books, and side books (gotta read the chronicles, they're spectacular), in pdf form. KAApplegate has said she's perfectly fine with folks reading them that way, given how hard it can be to find physical copies nowadays.

[@brandim1230]

Wow thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. And read these books. I really enjoyed all of this video.

[@aliciaawayreading2911]

Great video Gav! It seems like you enjoyed this series more than you did Goosebumps. I remember reading a few of these when I was younger, but I never really got to into them.

[@livslibrary]

Okay why have I NEVER seen these before?! The covers are terrifying. 😂

[@GavinReadsItAll]

RIGHT?! I saw them as a kid and said "nope" and watched the TV show instead 😂

[@turtleanton6539]

They are !

[@archivist_of_dragonstone]

If you read these in ebook format, you don't get to flip the pages and watch the morph happen in the bottom corner of the page. You're missing out. XD Also, behind each cover is an illustration and some of the art on those is pretty crazy. I remember being excited to get the next book to look behind the cover and see what was there.

[@Chessie]

Siri, play unbreak my heart by Toni Braxton please. Siri: Apple music doesn't support that. I literally felt your pain.

[@emashane7035]

Great vid this is one of my favorite book series I have all of them as pdfs and planning to buy the physical copies. These books definitely have shaped my world view

[@cakt1991]

I wonder if the character recaps were in case readers couldn’t keep up with all of them? I read the Babysitters club as a kid, and my mom was like, “you don’t need them all” or “you don’t need to read them in a certain order,” and I like that the recaps made that possible. And considering how much I forget between fantasy series installments, I kinda wish they’d do something a tad more subtle, but at least allowing you to catch up. I was so happy when Epic Reads asked Roseanne A. Brown for a recap of A Song of Wraiths and Ruin, ahead of the release of A Psalm of Storms and Silence! And in romance, with most series being interconnected standalones, I like how they often give you the information you need if you’re a new reader/forgot a prior book, without beating binge readers over the head.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Yeah I kinda wish I didn't complain about it so much now in the video haha I see the need for it, but they were so repetitive at the time I was pulling my hair out every time it happened 😂fortunately the positives outweighed the constant recaps

[@cakt1991]

@@GavinReadsItAll and that’s what’s important! I’m glad this series aged better than Goosebumps!

[@sarahetter-yt]

FOUR AND A HALF HOURS?!?!? *grabs snacks*

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Stock up on those snacks 😂

[@rachaels7893]

Me at every cover that came on: "Ok no, THIS one is my favourite" 👑

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Haha imagine trying to do a ranking of them all 😂

[@paulchaisson8301]

Stumbled onto this and half of my responses to every thought are 'oh you sweet summer child'.... this series goes hard, and a lot of the criticism early on, once you get the hindsight at the end, you go 'huh... yeah actually a lot of that makes sense.'

[@samanthahunt9654]

Have you ever read the Gone series by Michael Grant? He co-wrote Animorphs (KA Applegate is his wife) and since you seemed to appreciate the really dark elements of this series, and that it really doesn’t gloss over the harsher realities of the world, I think you might like Gone. It’s YA, but it is BRUTAL. Anyway, thanks for keeping me company for 4 hours- hope your dad is feeling better ❤️

[@Ponderpine]

The side books are cool! They add a lot of lore to the series and interesting stories by themselves. I definitely recommend you check them out.

[@archivist_of_dragonstone]

I think he would really enjoy them since they're usually more full-length novels instead of one shots like the regular books. Would love reactions to Andalite Chronicles and Hork Bajir Chronicles. And maybe the dinosaur megamorphs. XD

[@christopherb501]

Mostly. Megamorphs #2 at least is best forgotten.

[@diredachshund]

Ok I can’t watch this whole thing because I’m currently trying to read through them myself and I don’t want to get spoiled but I just wanted to say that I am SO HERE FOR THIS CONTENT

[@GavinReadsItAll]

FAIR ok omg I hope you enjoy the rest of the series, it's such a rollercoaster of emotions 😭this video will still be here to console you when you finish ❤

[@gracie9658]

This thumbnail is almost as cursed as the book covers haha. I had never heard of these books before you talked about them, this should be fun and possibly slightly disturbing *grabs popcorn*

[@GavinReadsItAll]

Hahaha that was exactly what I wanted for the thumbnail, so this makes me so happy to hear 😂

[@ricshawsorin5464]

So, someone else pointed out that the series was written more like a tv show than a book series and that analogy is one of the truest you could think of. But with that you should still check out 8 of the 10 side books. The 4 megamorphs are set up to be your movie episodes. They aren't "canon" directly, but they do influence the story and carry weight. Some more than others obviously. So they're still fun and they directly branch off the story. The Cronicles are stories of individuals outside of our main group, and give us insight into the greater forces at play in the animorphs world, with 3 of them acting like prequel movies and only 1 having a direct correlations with the narrative at large. The megamorphs are very much like the shoehorned in video game adaptations that, while still enjoyable add absolutely nothing to the series. My 2 cent though you definitely didn't need it, as I'm in the process of using this vid to pass time at work.

[@taloutezero]

When it comes to the ideas explored about disabilities it's hard to frame it in a positive way in this story. The 5 main kids would be completely useless in this war if they didn't have the morphing ability (because 1. they couldn't hide and gather information safely and 2. they would not be able to recover from any serious injuries 3. Their identities would impossible to keep hidden) so I can't, in my mind, come up with a realistic way for kids with less mobility and functionality than them to be able to contribute without morphing. In that same vein, they are restricted to one specific place and outside of their morphs they are realistically more vulnerable than the main animorphs because they are at that hospital where their covers can easily be blown. (If the morph capable kids evading Visser Three and the Yeerks seemed so silly to you then imagine them doing that without morphing. Then after that put the morphless auxiliary kids in that spot. I doubt you would have read the books past that point). The morphing healing non genetic injuries or diseases was crucial because if injuries remained then they would remain with the morphs too (because even though they are "de-morphing" it's still technically morphing because they are turning into a human form) and they would need to reacquire every animal that got injured in a fight. When it comes to Lauren's reaction in her introduction, it doesn't seem implausible to me. She wasn't born blind and only recently lost her sight. On top of that she had a litany of personal issues that stem from how Elfangor was removed from her life so her suicidal thoughts are contextually consistent especially if we take into account how mental illnesses can be genetic and her progeny has exhibited suicidal tendencies too. She had just come to terms with being blind and then could finally see again. To know that that was going to be taken away from her led to her reaction and it seemed plausible to me because not everyone is capable of accepting certain life changing things. And finally the Andalites and Yeerks views on disabilities. In the war to defeat each other, they seek an average physicality in their troops so that they don't have to try to compensate for anyone in compromising ways. The Yeerks view on it is very simple, they want perfect bodies to enjoy senses that their normal bodies do not have to their fullest capabilities. The Andalites view on it is very close to human because in war time, we specifically seek "able-bodied people" to join the military ranks because they can meet a standard of physicality. As humans we also immediately discharge people who are injured to the point of disability because the expected pressures and phyiscal labors would either have to be reduced specifically for them (there shouldn't be special treatment like that in military ranks) or their squad would need to form compositions around them. (Not to mention, the lives and safety of their team members can very easily fall into their hands if something were to go wrong). I understood your views on ableism and what you wanted to see in the story but I don't think the story had an unfair representation when tackling the various views on disabilities especially relating to the conflict that they were dealing with. At the point in the story where they recruit the kids, it's an empowering moment but the lengths you wanted to see it go to would have ignored the overall issues with the decision. If those kids die, then the animorphs are directly responsible for their deaths. If those kids are captured then the animorphs just handed their enemies the tools they had been hoarding in this conflict and arguably that not only would have been worse than death (and easy due to their vulnerable bodies), but a huge blow to the entirety of humanity and beyond that, the rest of the universe (if the Yeerks win and conquer earth, the andalites will be outnumbered and the rest of the universe would crumble due to the sheer numbers the yeerks would bring down on future planets). The mind and the desire to achieve and contribute might be willing but if the body is incapable then it won't happen. I reread all of this and I will understand if anyone thinks I'm defending ableism because in the context of this war and how each side has their own desires and goals I might as well be defending it.

[@alonedownthere47]

ableism will always be the most frustrating of the identity politics. KA literally gave disabled kids the ability to FLY and people still want more. they want even the antagonists who have a vested interest in stratifying alien races based on usefulness compared to their own bodies to be these inclusive, woke icons. it's honestly a little insulting to people with disabilities. don't worry if you came off a certain way, your take was nuanced

[@alonedownthere47]

a fantasy series doesn't have to get rid of everything unfair about this world or change all the laws of physics that hold some people back and make them sad, not doing those things shouldn't lead to a strike against you

[@MShaiqable]

Very well said. The books are about war. Nothing in war is fair.

[@Enray11]

I loved this video and it was a great recap of the series, but the takes on the Auxiliary Animorphs were rough to listen to. Moments like Timmy actually being able to use the vocabulary he’s acquired through his life when he got access to thought speech are great representations that people aren’t defined by their disabilities. You’re so right that the series takes a very realistic approach to what it may be like if people with disabilities ended up in these situations. For Lauren it must of been so traumatic and triggering to get the sight of a hawk and then have to face becoming blind BY CHOICE! I was born without a sense of smell, and part of me hopes I never am faced with the choice to have it fixed because I am much happier not knowing what I’m missing then taking a chance of having it fixed then losing it again. Then with the kids, the Animorphs did a good job of offering the options to them, warning them that they may or may not be healed, and if they aren’t that demorphing on the battlefield would be extra dangerous. The fact that the kids wanted to take the risks, then both the ones who were healed and those that weren’t kept their promise to stay in the hospital, says so much about their strength of character. They could have left, either as healed humans or free animals, but they all stayed to help their friends and planet, and to keep their word. The point isn’t to show how much they can accomplish in their differently-abled bodies, it’s to show how much they have grown and overcome in their short lives, and how if they just had the right resources they could be just as good, if not better, then anyone else. That all said, books 53 and 54 dropped the ball so hard on the Auxiliary Animorphs (and the parents to a lesser extent). I just finished the series last week after finally getting access to the last 15 books so I don’t know if there is an official explanation, but it feels like they dropped all of the amazing progress to go all in on “war sucks and people die” and to not have to worry about any other characters outside of the core 6 for the last book. “We’re ready for the end, what should we have the other Animorphs doing in the background?” “Oh crap, I forgot about those. Let’s just have them all die off screen in the second-to-last book.” “Oh ok, will Jake be upset about that?” “Not really, he’ll be too busy being upset about be nameless Yeerks that also die.”

[@booksnbeauty3745]

Gavin out here posting full movies 🍿 and I’m watching every minute of it.

[@GavinReadsItAll]

James Cameron, eat your heart out 😂

[@Taiyougetsu13]

The recaps are so that anyone could jump in anywhere. You have to remember this series was made to be released at monthly school book fairs, and they wouldn't always have every book there. You didn't always have the option to buy all of the books before the one you were reading. For example. The first book I bought was #8 and they didn't have any of the previous books or I think I would have gotten them. (I never did get the first 7 books)

[@tristan4206]

2:35:38 i sorta feel like that ending is an even further commentary on the world, reaching across the fourth wall a bit. i think the writers were trying to make the observation that many other things to raise awareness about the cruelty that happens in slaughterhouses already exist and yet people still support the meat industry and this sentiment is reflected in the animorphs themselves. i feel like theres something there

[@TomSmith-ll2lp]

The reason the auxiliary’s all died is exactly as you said. They were pawns. That’s it.

[@mossphillips]

0:44 "I should probably stop stalling because this is going to a very long video" Well, you weren't wrong 😂

[@GavinReadsItAll]

And I still ended up stalling, a lot 😂

[@marcellom]

I just wrapped a series on Tobias's main arc! This is solid animorphs content dude keep it coming

[@julieannelovesbooks]

I currently have covid and I’m really not feeling good, mind you it’s still a mild case, so I feel lucky about that. But these extremely long videos of yours are keeping me going today. Having something to distract me a bit from the discomfort and pain. Thanks for all the work you put into these videos, 4,5 hour video is insane man!!!!