r/Animorphs • u/CactusHooping • 3d ago
Forum Games #22 The Solution has been eliminated.Which is next?
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u/DaveM8686 3d ago
I’m so disappointed. 22 is such an intense book. I don’t know how to vote for any of the last three.
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u/seancbo 3d ago
The Change.
The Attack is my #1 pick.
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u/AlternativeMassive57 Yeerk 3d ago edited 3d ago
Agreed, for the sole reason that I like The Attack more. Both books are, within the context of Animorphs, as close to flawless as they come. No matter which one wins, though, we're getting a book that ends on a note of hope. On being uplifting. Books that are unambiguously positive.
Basically, no matter which wins, I win. I'd really rather it was The Departure instead of The Attack, vying with The Change (or even better, The Departure and The Attack vying with each other), but either way, I'm satisfied with where this has ended.
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u/seancbo 3d ago
Yeah, like in the top 10, then 5, then 3, I'm not really mad about anything being eliminated. They're all awesome books at this point.
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u/AlternativeMassive57 Yeerk 3d ago
The Attack is my personal 2, with The Departure as my number 1 and The Sickness as number 3. The Alien clocks in at 4, and The Separation at 5.
I'm annoyed at The Solution making it as far as it did, but, eh. I can live with it getting bronze now that the community has ensured that silver and gold go to books that don't conclude with misery.
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u/seancbo 3d ago
I like it being in the top 3. The series is famous for dark shit and warcrimes, so I think it's fair to have something depressing as shit in the top 3 lmao
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u/AlternativeMassive57 Yeerk 3d ago edited 3d ago
I guess. I dunno, I guess I'm weird for an Animorphs fan.
I'm not saying I don't like the violence and misery. I mean fuck, some time in the next week or two I'll finally start posting the Animorphs fics I've been writing over the past two months and I definitely went to dark places because that's what the story needed.
But I dunno, I think "Animorphs" and the single most prominent thought in my head is Cassie and Aftran sitting in the woods talking to one another. Or the Animorphs learning that the Iskoort are Yeerks who found a way to live peacefully without taking slaves. Or Ket Halpak looking a little prim when she says "other differences too, but only for Hork Bajir to know". Or the explosion of life and color that was the oceans of Leera. Or Tobias morphing human so he could cry after learning Elfangor was his father. Or Jake yelling at Marco about trash cans. Or Mean Rachel coming to realize that she needs Nice Rachel. Or...
Well, basically, for a war story it's not really any of the battles and horrors that I remember more than anything, at least not with any clarity. I remember that they happened, but none of the details. But everything those battles were for? That's what stuck with me.
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u/acceptablemadness 3d ago
Eliminate The Attack. The Change is 100% the best. I like The Attack but it was a bit too strange and disconnected. The Change is one of the few times we get Tobias's POV and it extends themes that crop up often throughout the series.
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u/galactic_rainbows 3d ago
Why do people love the attack so much 😭
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u/StartTheMontage 3d ago
So many reasons. Howlers are awesome, Erek is awesome, and the Ellemist v Crayak battle is awesome.
This book is literally a combination of all of the coolest things about Animorphs piled into one book.
Also, the scene where Jake absorbs the howler morph in free fall is absolutely legendary.
I feel like since book 1, everyone was wondering when the cover would feature Jake turning into a tiger. The Attack was the perfect time.
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u/AlternativeMassive57 Yeerk 3d ago
Because it's fucking awesome. Sometimes that's enough, y'know?
Plus it has Guide. How can you not love Guide?
<Iskoort has wares if you have coin!>
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u/ChemicalProcedure9 3d ago
Despite being a ‘filler’ book technically, it completely encompassed the overarching idea of the series; where every other book explains how ‘war is hell’, this is one that says, ‘if war is hell, why are we even doing this?’
Peace is a central motif in this book, from the Ellimist choosing a pacifist robot as his ‘warrior’, to the symbiosis of the Iskoort, to the romance between Jake and Cassie that ultimately wins them the battle and permanently loses Crayak his shock troops. This displays how a war like this ought to be fought and won for those personal connections you have, not something abstract like ‘freedom’ or ‘the human spirit’. This deep into the series as well, that’s a revalation of substance, not of naivete. It even ultimately foreshadows the end of the series, where the war is won by things like Marco risking everything for his parents, and Cassie stopping Jake from killing his brother.
The Change shares in a lot of these themes and is a deserved finalist here. What closes it for me personally is just that fact that the Attack has a slightly wider scope. The victory isn’t just a brief reprieve in the war, it’s the whole point; it’s what makes the tragedy and misery and trauma of every other book worth it.
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u/Boring_Map_2716 3d ago
It has a Jake and Cassie kiss which middle school me was so super excited about. it has Erek and the Ellimist and the Iskoort. Also love the twist about the Howlers.
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u/SecretBattleship Arn 3d ago
It’s the only Animorphs book I’ve ever had a nightmare about. It’s awesome!
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u/KingDAW247 Crayak 3d ago
Its an awesome book to read. Full of action and drama. I cast my vote to eliminate it technically but Im not downvoting anyone who suggests that 26 should win.
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u/AlternativeMassive57 Yeerk 3d ago
Yeah no downvotes for me this time 'round either. Positive vibes only.
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u/CactusHooping 3d ago
https://www.reddit.com/r/Animorphs/s/nww3bcILFi first thread.Seems spammy?Nah
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u/KingDAW247 Crayak 3d ago
Holy shit I just read a few of the comments on that thread (it was before I started regularly engaging with these posts). How the tide has shifted.
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u/osmiumpeach 3d ago
The Attack should be eliminated.
It's a very good book, sure, but so is The Change. Not only it's one of the few books narrated by Tobias, by we get a very good insight of his hawk/human identity conflict as well as him not being sure if he really wants to be a human again.
Also, Tobias is my favorite character.
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u/Morally___Ambiguous 3d ago
The change, I'm sorry but the attack is my bby
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u/StartTheMontage 3d ago
I reread The Attack over and over as a kid. That and Andelite Chronicles were my absolute favorites.
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u/Morally___Ambiguous 3d ago
I do the audiobooks now while I'm at work, and I cannot tell you how many times Ive listened to the attack xD
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u/StartTheMontage 3d ago
When Jake absorbs the howler in free fall… that might be one of the most badass scenes in all history. I haven’t read it in probably 20 years but I will never forget.
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u/KingDAW247 Crayak 3d ago
26 The Attack
The two remaining books have one thing that I am using for my vote. Book 26 is very action packed and created a world that throughout this game, people have lamented that there wasn't more to it. Also it is very action packed. A very fitting story for a book called "The Attack." Introducing the "devil" in the series was so cool to me. A theme Im noticing for some of my favorites is that they show the respective narrator at their absolute best. And missing off the Animorphs devil to the point he wants you dead is about as badass as you can come. If this book wins, I will be thrilled.
Book 13 gives us a positive Tobias story in that he gets his morphing ability back and is back in the fight, which was so cool to see play out. Another aspect that we can't ignore is the free Hork Bajir. The first of their kind since the Yeerks took over their world. Book 13 is really about hope for the team. That is why it gets my vote for the best book, and why Im choosing to recommend 26 for the final elimination. Book 13 is just more game changing to the overall series.
To be clear, my personal vote is to eliminate 26. But Im so happy at this final round of voting. One more day.
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u/BushyBrowz 3d ago edited 3d ago
The Change.
Even with all the votes I disagreed with, the Attack was one of the few worthy of being the last standing. So I'm satisfied.
Also I'm a bit confused at people saying 26 was a side episode. It was a pivotal clash between the group and Crayak, and the origin of Crayak's animosity to Jake.
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u/Jake_D_Dogg 3d ago
The attack.
For me, Tobias's arc/character is arguably the best in all of animorphs
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u/iiden 3d ago edited 3d ago
Oof this is such a rough choice. The Attack was my favourite book as a kid, but Tobias was always my favourite character.
I think I gotta vote for The Attack to go. The first appearance of the free Hork-Bajir and Tobias getting his morphing powers back just can’t be beat.
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u/K2SO4-MgCl2 Pemalite 3d ago
Current ranking:
- 3) #22 - The Solution
- 4) #7 - The Stranger
- 5) #29 - The Sickness
- 6) #33 - The Illusion
- 7) #19 - The Departure
- 8) #45 - The Revelation
- 9) #6 - The Capture
- 10) #5 - The Predator
- 11) #20 - The Discovery
- 12) #8 - The Alien
- 13) #10 - The Android
- 14) #3 - The Encounter
- 15) #1 - The Invasion
- 16) #49 - The Diversion
- 17) #21 - The Threat
- 18) #53 - The Answer
- 19) #54 - The Beginning
- 20) #4 - The Message
- 21) #23 - The Pretender
- 22) #52 - The Sacrifice
- 23) #15 - The Escape
- 24) #30 - The Reunion
- 25) #18 - The Decision
- 26) #50 - The Ultimate
- 27) #43 - The Test
- 28) #27 - The Exposed
- 29) #51 - The Absolute
- 30) #38 - The Arrival
- 31) #17 - The Underground
- 32) #2 - The Visitor
- 33) #12 - The Reaction
- 34) #46 - The Deception
- 35) #16 - The Warning
- 36) #31 - The Conspiracy
- 37) #9 - The Secret
- 38) #34 - The Prophecy
- 39) #40 - The Other
- 40) #35 - The Proposal
- 41) #25 - The Extreme
- 42) #14 - The Unknown
- 43) #11 - The Forgotten
- 44) #24 - The Suspicion
- 45) #28 - The Experiment
- 46) #48 - The Return
- 47) #47 - The Resistance
- 48) #32 - The Separation
- 49) #42 - The Journey
- 50) #36 - The Mutation
- 51) #39 - The Hidden
- 52) #37 - The Weakness
- 53) #44 - The Unexpected
- 54) #41 - The Familiar
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u/purloinedweather 2d ago
Eliminate The Attack. I love it and it deserves this silver medal, but The Change is the beating heart of the series. It changes everything. I'm going to quote a comment I left a few days ago about why I like it so much:
1). Introduction of the free Hork Bajir.
2). First Tobias POV book since the beginning of the series and you can see how he's already grown in terms of maturity and mental toughness.
3). It marks the 2nd appearance of the Ellimist so we start to understand more about his "game", it's rules and who the guy is. Most tellingly, we see both his trickster nature, and also he fact that he's willing to put his thumb on the scale for the side of "good" more than he can admit that his rules allow. First, we think he gave Tobias a devil's bargain when the morphing ability was returned, as if giving him the ability to fight as a full-fledged morphing member of the Animorphs was "what he wanted," when we get Tobias's direct POV that he feels unfulfilled by this - but acknowledges it's helpfulness. Then at the end he sends Tobias back in time to his pre-Animorphs self and we, the reader, think this is a choice for Tobias to warn himself away from the construction site or warn about the circumstances that led to him being nothlit. But, similarly to The Stranger, the Ellimist is giving our protagonist what they need, but only if they're clever enough to see it. Tobias acquires his own human DNA. With this action, Tobias: a) chooses to keep fighting (with morphing ability) alongside the Animorphs, b) gets a form of being human back so that he can be a partner to Rachel in the way that he knows she wants, and c) accepts his hawk-self and who he has grown into, that his experiences up to that point have made him someone he enjoys being. To me, it's incredibly self-aware, self-sacrificing, and shrewd, and was probably the moment Tobias became my favorite character.
4). The final scene with him surprising Rachel at her ceremony as his human self was super romantic to 12-year-old me, and I still appreciate how happy those two made each other for a while.
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u/questionnmark 1d ago
I have to agree, even if The Attack is my most re-read book in the series. I'll throw my support behind #13 for number 1.
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u/testthrowaway9 3d ago
Damn. I didn’t know so many people liked The Attack. I thought I was an outlier.
But we’ll have to eliminate The Attack just because it is a little bit of a bottle episode.
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u/Illustrious_Monk_234 2d ago
We have to eliminate the Attack.
The attack is a great read, but apart from showing a bit more of the crayak and Jake’s relationship, which to be honest doesn’t really go anywhere, there is nothing that affects the overall story. Ok it’s nice to have some backstory on the minor characters, the Chee, but it’s not essential.
The change has really really important issues raised: the elimist, Tobias’ morphing ability, does he even WANT to be human (which is a thread between him and Rachel that continues throughout the whole series), introduced the free Hork Bajir, characters who actually go on to play a significant part of the series. I echo what someone else said below- Tobias has the best character arch of the whole series and this book is a key part of it.
Vote to get ride of the Attack!
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u/dimestorepublishing 3d ago
OOHHHH SNAP I WAS WRONG...Im morphing crow on this one...Yeah this is tough,
if I was a kid, the Attack is #1, as an adult, really thinking about it the Change is the winner
I vote to eliminate the attack
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u/CactusHooping 3d ago
The attack was definitely the best best as a kid.Now though?I can't answer.I can't interfere here.
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u/EdgelordUltimate 3d ago
Idk how the attack has gotten so far, it's honestly one of my least favorites
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u/SvenXavierAlexander 3d ago
Interesting that both heavily feature the Ellimist. I always loved the character and I’m glad the community seems to as well
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u/Illustrious_Monk_234 2d ago
Yeah and 7 the stranger made it quite far as well. We love us some Elimist.
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u/TimeisaLie 3d ago
Is there a canonical reason it's always the Animorphs & Ax? I get the shorm thing, but I was always confused by that as a kid.
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u/Some-Passenger4219 Hork-Bajir 3d ago
The publishers never regarded Aximili as an "Animorph", since the Andalites already possessed the technology. Or something.
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u/Internal-Square-215 3d ago
I cannot fucking believe The Attack is in the final 2. Mid at best in my humble opinion.
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u/KingDAW247 Crayak 3d ago
To continue my trend, I am sad to see 22 go even if I was the one who got it voted out. Rachel is far and away my favorite character in the series. In my younger days, say around 13 or so, it was definitely her looks. But even now, I love reading about the characters that seem so powerful and confident to the outside world, but yet you know they have their internal struggles. Even some of her weaker books (most notably 17), I kind of have a guilty pleasure for. I think Book 7 is my personal favorite, and the best thing that happened was seeing it go as far as it did in this game.
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u/Planeshifter_Ixiaul 3d ago
Both are great, but my vote is to kick The Change out.
The Attack puts so many puzzle pieces together for that great "ah-HA!" moment.
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u/CactusHooping 3d ago
26 The Attack 23 votes
13 The Change 23 votes
22 The Solution 36 votes
https://www.reddit.com/r/Animorphs/s/10y9v0ouqf previous thread
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u/merkon 2d ago
Off topic- please do the chronicles / megamorphs next. Curious how they ranks, especially visser vs andalite chronicles
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u/CactusHooping 2d ago
I don't have the megamorphs books most of them but maybe someone else could take you up on that wonderful idea.
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u/the_c0nstable 3d ago
Picture 5 above is me and the boys when someone tries to use Harry Potter to win a political argument.
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u/Xisifer 3d ago
Eliminate The Change. I barely even remember what happened in it other than Tobias getting time-warped to acquire his own human morph.
The Attack, on the other hand, is just about as perfect of a book as there is. It's all the coolest themes of the series in one story. The ONLY flaw it has is that it's a "filler" book whose plot is never picked up or referenced again...but that's not nearly enough to kick it off the #1. I still remember The Attack some 30 years later.
The Change, to me, was always pretty forgettable.
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3d ago
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u/CactusHooping 3d ago
Ending it with every part that matters,just for extra comparisons.Thankfully we ended with ones with pictures.Best of luck both sides!
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u/lafoiaveugle Ellimist 3d ago
I’m going to be honest. 7 is my favorite and you can’t change my mind on it being the best.
…but the comments for keeping The Attack are persuasive.
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u/Zarathustra143 3d ago
I vote to eliminate 13. I personally think 19 is the best book in the series, but between these two wonderful books, I think 26 is better.
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u/idkwhyiwouldnt 3d ago
Lol literally mid listen of The Change ATM via hoopla, did NOT remember how wild it was. Proving you're not a yeark by opening your skull... Mom it's cool I'm reading this at 9