| Rating Scheme | |||||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 |
| 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50 |
| 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | ||||||
| MM1 | MM2 | MM3 | MM4 | Andalite | Hork-Bajir | Visser | Ellimist | ||
| S | Exceptional | This book changed my life. Not only is this book well-written and free of anything more than the most minor issues, it does something to go above and beyond and provide a transcendant experience. Perhaps the characters are utterly fascinating and written with layers upon layers of depth. Perhaps the plot contains one or more moments that left me utterly stunned in all the right ways. Perhaps the atmosphere or the writing or the dialogue stuck with me long after I had finished reading the book. Overall, I will insist you read this book. |
| A+ | Perfect | The book is well-written, enjoyable, and provides good entertainment, intellectual stimulation, emotional exploration or catharsis, and/or a widening worldview. Characters feel real and interesting or effective. The plot is free of major plotholes or sticking points and is well paced. Overall, this is a book I would consider essential reading. |
| A | Essential | |
| A- | Superb | |
| B+ | Great | This is a good book - enjoyable and interesting to read and worth the time invested in it - but does have some flaws that mar the overall experience: for example, the plot may be enjoyable but briefly contrived, characters may be interesting but occasionally out of keeping with past books, the pacing may be good overall but have moments that drag. Overall, I would highly recommend reading this book. |
| B | Really Good | |
| B- | Good | |
| C+ | Pretty Good | This book has some flaws, but they don't render the book unreadable. The plot may be badly paced or contrived, or some characters may be Flanderised. There may be minor issues in many areas, or a larger failing in one specific area. It may simply be boring, or a poor execution of a good idea. Overall, this is a book I would softly recommend. |
| C | Okay | |
| C- | Okayish | |
| D+ | Not Great | This book isn't unsalvageable, but it's more flawed than positive. Characters or plot elements may be out of keeping with the series, or may be uninteresting, unbelievable, or unconvincing. The book may be badly paced, have badly written dialogue, or have a disjointed or vague atmosphere. One element may be egregiously bad, or many aspects may have failings. Overall, this is a book I would consider skipping. |
| D | Bad | |
| D- | Really Bad | |
| F | Terrible | This book actively hurt to read. It is a slog to get through the frustrating, boring, or contrived plot, which may have major plot holes; the characters are uninteresting, unlikeable, and may in fact be different characters with the same name; the dialogue may be forced, events may undermine past books, or the vibes may simply be off. There are few to no redeeming aspects to this book. Overall, this is a book I would avoid. |
| F- | The Worst | |
(Borrowed and modified from the BMBS (Brutalmoose Broadcast System)) | ||
01. The Invasion
Where it all began. Jake, his best friend, his cousin, her friend, and the kid he rescued from bullies, decide to walk home, sticking together for safety through the abandoned construction site. But rather than the muggers or axe murderers they're worried about, they encounter a small blue box that changes their lives.
02. The Visitor
Rachel's friendship with Melissa has been drifting apart for a while, but the new information the Animorphs have about her father, Principal Chapman, means that relationship is more important than ever. Rachel enters the Chapmans' home to spy on them, and learns so much more than she expected.
16. The Warning
Jake finds a website dedicated to the Yeerks. Torn between believing it to be a trap and a genuine source of allies and information, the gang investigate. One cross-country flight later, and the gang are quickly in over their heads.
A book that has definitely got far more entertaining with age - tech never ages well - but also has some issues with balancing humour and intensity.
17. The Underground
The Animorphs rescue a suicidal man who is then institutionalised for being clearly insane - he claims he has a Yeerk in his head. The Yeerk is instead the one driven insane by an addiction for maple and ginger flavour oatmeal.
18. The Decision
The Secret Service's Second in Command is lying in a hospital bed, after being hit with a truck. While attempting to rescue him, their mass in z-space is hit with a spaceship, and they are transported into an Andalite ship.
19. The Departure
Cassie considers the ramifications of leaving the Animorphs and of sacrifice.
More of a character study than an exciting plot, but an effective way of exploring the morality of the series so far. A number of plot and character elements felt contrived, however, that left the ending in particular feeling quite hollow.
20. The Discovery
The first book in a trilogy, the Animorphs discover that not only was the Escafil device not destroyed, it has been found by a kid just like them. The newest member of the Animorphs, however, is not all that he seems.
21. The Threat
The second book in the David trilogy, featuring the newest member of the Animorphs. David continues to get under Jake's skin, and begins to show his true colours - as not an ally, but a rival for leadership and an increasingly real threat.
22. The Solution
The final book in the David trilogy. David has made it clear that he cannot be trusted, that the Animorphs' lives mean nothing to him except as stepping stones to power. The remaining Animorphs will need to decide how far they're willing to go to take him down, if they even can.
23. The Pretender
Tobias receives word that his cousin left a message for him regarding his father's lawyer. Conveniently, his father's will has shown up and is due to be read. Meanwhile, one of the free Hork-Bajir has gone missing.
24. The Suspicion
The "toy spaceship" that Cassie donated to a charity shop turns out to not be a toy at all, but a second, slightly smaller alien invasion. But its size doesn't make it any less of a threat, especially once the Animorphs are brought down to its size.
25. The Extreme
When the team learn that the Yeerks are planning to build a transmitter that would allow them to send Kandrona rays wherever they want, they decide to hitch a ride to deal with that problem. That ride takes them straight to the Arctic, where the cold becomes as much of a threat as the Yeerks.
26. The Attack
The Elimist is back, and he has a vitally important challenge for the Animorphs - one that concerns the fate of an entire species. But Jake has caught the eye of another powerful being - a rival of the Elimist, Crayak. Outwitting them might prove harder - and more dangerous - than anything they've done before.
27. The Exposed
The Chee are failing - their holograms are switching off and their motors are seizing up. All of a sudden, the Animorphs have a countdown to be able to save them. Inconveniently, the place they need to be before the end of that countdown lies at the bottom of the ocean.
28. The Experiment
The Yeerks have acquired both an animal experimentation facility, and a meatpacking plant. Without much more information to go on, but sure that something sinister is going on, the animorphs decide to walk right inside disguised as the animals themselves.
29. The Sickness
The Animorphs are falling ill, one by one. It is left up to Cassie, and Cassie alone, to rescue Aftran from captivity - a punishment from Visser III that would not have happened without Aftran's mercy towards Cassie. One good turn deserves another, after all.
30. The Reunion
Visser One is back, to Marco's joy and fear. Marco's plan to reunite with and rescue his mother quickly becomes a plan to use her and Visser Three to wipe each other out. Ruthless, but effective.
31. The Conspiracy
Jake's Grandpa has passed away, and his funeral is coming up. Tom - or more specifically the Yeerk in his head who can't be away for more than three days - is willing to do anything to get out of it.
32. The Separation
Rachel is accidentally split in half when she morphs as a starfish - not just her starfish body, but her very self. Now the two Rachels have to be kept under control until the team can find a way to reunite her.
33. The Illusion
The Yeerks have developed their newest weapon - the anti-morphing ray. Tobias volunteers for a very risky mission - not only to investigate the Ray, but to convince the Yeerks that it doesn't work. And for that, he has to become their prisoner.
34. The Prophecy
The free Hork-Bajir have been given an opportunity by the last remaining Arn - there is a cache of weapons and a ship on their home planet. But the only person who knows where it is is Aldrea, and she's dead. But there is a "recording" of her from before she died. All it needs is a host.
35. The Proposal
Marco's Dad has a new girlfriend, a fact that Marco struggles with. That struggle takes its mental load, and it shows - Marco begins struggling to morph, shifting into mutant creatures as two morphs happen at once, even during dangerous missions to slow the recruitment into the Sharing.
36. The Mutation
While attempting to stop the Yeerks from reclaiming the Chee's sunken ship, the Animorphs see the Sea Blade - the Yeerks' underwater vessel - taken by unknown creatures. Following, they stumble into a horror version of Atlantis, and are captured. Fighting out might require making unusual allies...
37. The Weakness
Jake is out of town, and so Rachel steps up as leader. The group decide to launch an attack on Visser III with the information they have about his feeding location, and while they don't succeed, they do learn that the Visser is being inspected. Rachel leads the group on a series of increasingly reckless guerilla attacks.
38. The Arrival
A tiny guerilla force of Andalites crosses paths with the Animorphs. Ax and the rest of the team have very different reactions to this - especially when it becomes clear that their intentions don't seem to be quite on the level.
39. The Hidden
While hiding the morphing cube from the Yeerk's scanners, Cassie accidentally gives the morphing power to a buffalo. She now has to deal with the ramifications of that while also trying to survive a very high-stakes game of keep-away.
40. The Other
A blurry video of a strange blue deer shows up on tv. They eventually realise that it isn't Ax - there is at least one more Andalite on earth. But when Marco and the other Animorphs investigate, they are met with hostility, intrigue, and pain.
41. The Familiar
After a difficult mission, Jake doesn't check on a distraught and overwhelmed Cassie, but just walks home and goes to bed. When he wakes up, he is an adult, and he is absolutely not in his bedroom.
42. The Journey
The Helmacrons have returned, and they're just as intense as before. They invade Marco's body to take him hostage, and the rest of the team shrink down to follow after them and save their teammate.
43. The Test
A sequel to The Illusion, Tobias' torturer returns, claiming to be part of the Yeerk rebellion. She has a plan that she says will eliminate Visser III, and all the Animorphs have to do is trust her.
44. The Unexpected
When a mission at an airport gets out of control, Cassie ends up stuck in the cargo hold of a plane headed for SYD. She can't rely on the rest of the team to save her, she'll have to save herself.
45. The Revelation
Marco's dad returns home, elated by the success his team has had developing technologies for communicating through what he calls Z-space. Marco is terrified when he realises what that means for his father, for his life, and for the Animorphs' secret.
46. The Deception
Visser Two has made it to Earth, and his plan is noticeably different from Visser One. He intends to start World War Three, and it is up to the Animorphs to stop him - by any means necessary.
47. The Resistance
One of the free Hork-Bajir has been captured and infested, and now the Yeerk in their head is directing the Visser's army towards the secret valley. Toby insists that the Hork-Bajir will stay to defend their home, parallelling Jake's Civil War ancestor.
48. The Return
Rachel has a series of dreams where she battles with Jake for leadership or feels isolated and ostracised from the other Animorphs. It quickly becomes clear that not only is this a twisted plan by a vengeful David, but he has had powerful help.
49. The Diversion
The Yeerks are running a blood drive - not out of the goodness of their hearts, but to test the blood for animal DNA. It becomes clear that the Yeerks are aware the team are human. And when they leave their blood right in the testing facility, it becomes even clearer that they need to get their families out and safe - including Tobias'.
48. The Return
Rachel has a series of dreams where she battles with Jake for leadership or feels isolated and ostracised from the other Animorphs. It quickly becomes clear that not only is this a twisted plan by a vengeful David, but he has had powerful help.
Megamorphs #1: The Andalite's Gift
Rachel's holiday quickly becomes a lot more complicated when a dust storm rolls in - especially when that dust storm turns out to be out of the ordinary and under orders from someone else.
The Andalite Chronicles
Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul gave the Animorphs the power to morph when he landed on Earth. But it was not his first time on the planet. As a cadet, a simple mission to return two captured humans quickly became a catastrophic descent into horror and also love.
Megamorphs #2: In the Time of Dinosaurs
While assisting with the recovery of a downed sub, the Animorphs are caught in a nuclear explosion, and the resulting time rip that catapults them back into the era when dinosaurs roamed the earth - and they didn't roam alone.
The Hork-Bajir Chronicles
The Hork-Bajir are drawn into the war between the Andalites and the Yeerks. Aldrea, daughter of Seerow, is sent to the Hork-Bajir planet to monitor for Yeerk activity. While she is out exploring with Dak Hamee, a Hork-Bajir who is different, she suddenly needs to do far more than monitor them.
Megamorphs #3: Elfangor's Secret
The Time Matrix is a tool that can allow the holder to travel back in time, quite dangerous in the hands of Visser Four. The Animorphs are dragged along in the wake of the Matrix to chase down the Visser, though that might be difficult if humans take them out first.
VISSER
Visser One is on trial, with Visser Three as a witness. As Visser One recounts her discovery of Earth and the humans, she and Visser Three play the Council against their rival.
Megamorphs #4: Back to Before
Jake is offered the chance to go back, and make a different choice. The group take the safe route home, avoiding the construction site. They never meet Elfangor, they never learn to morph, and they never become embroiled in the war. But the war still happens regardless, and now they're powerless to stop it.
The Ellimist Chronicles
The Ellimist recounts the story of their life as a young Ketran on the giant powered Crystals, their flight from Ket and search for a new home, and along that journey, becoming the reality-shaping being who has helped and confounded the Animorphs.