ABBY REVIEWS: DAEMORPHING BY POETRY
Yes. All of it. All of the first fifteen parts of it, anyway.
Link: http://archiveofourown.org/series/8983
While I’ve been familiar with Poetry’s Daemorphing for a while now, it wasn’t until after reading her Animorphs/Leverage crossover, “The Hork-Bajir Project,” that I dived into her Animorphs/His Dark Material series. I’d been holding myself back from it because I wanted to leave her reviews as I read through the stories, but unfortunately (or fortunately) after getting started, I couldn’t bear to put it down long enough to leave comments as I went.
Now, a few months later, I thought I would remedy that. Since AO3 and Tumblr don’t have easy-to-use inboxes, I’ll be posting this publically. As such, spoilers for parts one through fifteen of Daemorphing will be below the cut.
Before that, though, I’ll give my general thoughts on the series. Overall, Daemorphing blends the canons of Animorphs and His Dark Materials well, with Poetry incorporating elements of the world building and cultural customs surrounding daemons into the conflict present in Animorphs. Each of the characters and their daemons are explored well here, with Poetry preferring to be less symbolic and more scientific in which settled form each daemon has. This, I think, fits better with the science fiction genre of Animorphs, but also tells us more about the characters themselves – because while animal symbolism varies by culture, animal behavior does not. This also, in a later story, allows Poetry to confront the dissonance between cultural perceptions of certain animals and what those animals are actually like, which adds depth to the settling process.
That additional depth can be seen throughout the series in other ways as well. While the original books were aimed towards children ages 9-12, Daemorphing is aimed towards fans of the books who have since grown up. As such, while one could argue that the Animorphs themselves act a little older than they probably should – they are more mature, self-aware, and analytical than their canon counterparts are – this means that they behave and address problems in ways that are much more satisfying to an older audience. The Animorphs go get martial arts training. They do research on guerilla warfare tactics. They get therapy (reluctantly, yes, but they have people to talk to). In addition, because they have older mindsets than their canon counterparts, this means that Poetry can address more complicated moral and social issues. Three instances readily come to mind: when the Animorphs are determining what to do about David in this series, when the Animorphs discuss what kind of crime touching another person’s daemon is, and when interacting with the Yeerks and realizing that there can be potential benefits to being a host to one.
While Poetry’s series might lack strict realism (the kids probably wouldn’t be able to self-diagnose in canon, and them being lost as to what to do/having stupid plans would be more natural at their age), I hesitate to call this a weakness. I find that the series resonates more with me than canon because of it, actually. It makes Daemorphing feel like a fix fic, but I’m not going to call it that, because I don’t think that was Poetry’s intention while writing it. However, it certainly doesn’t hurt that Poetry has a cohesive vision for her story, as opposed to what Applegate’s many ghostwriters brought to the table. The quality here is consistent throughout and the content is both touching and makes you think. I can’t help but love it for that.
If there is one real weakness to this fic, it’s that it assumes that you’ve read the entire Animorphs series before picking this fic up. I’m not sure whether that is a safe bet to make or not, honestly. I’ve found that most of the people I know who read Animorphs never managed to read all of the books. On the other hand, the Animorphs fandom is a small and devoted one, so the people who read and write fanfic have probably read all of the books. All the same, Daemorphing is something you can’t read as a standalone series. There are points where events that happened in the books are summarized instead of explored, and sometimes the chapters hopscotch through days or weeks at a time. You can still follow the progression in the series itself without much difficulty, but you might be a bit confused at points if events in the canon books aren’t fresh in your mind. The tone also shifts depending on what the narrative is covering. The “same as canon” material is often just alluded to or written passively, with the divergences being more highlighted and active in tone. This makes stories like “The Cowardice of Lions” and “Bridge to the Stars” the strongest of the lot, while others like “When We Were Children” don’t stand out as much.
This a fanfiction series, though, so while this tendency technically weakens the narrative, it is also an understandable and maybe even necessary one. Poetry obviously can’t copy passages from the books and stick them in there, and even if ze paraphrased, that probably wouldn’t be very fun for zir readers. So while zir series doesn’t entirely stand on its own, it’s still written well enough that this complaint is more of a nitpick than an actual problem. What it brings to the table is more important than what it leaves out.
Though on that note, before I get into each story, readers should know that Daemorphing largely downplays the romance subplots in canon. There are hints of them still there, but the series prefers to focus on platonic and familial relationships instead. I have mixed feelings about this, because while I enjoy the relationships Poetry brings to the forefront and find them refreshing, I do miss the romantic ones that were a part of the original books. They may still be explored in the future, but if they are, my hope is that Poetry gives them the same sort of depth ze’s parceled out through the rest of zir series. If ze doesn’t…well, I didn’t even realize how downplayed they were until “Bridge to the Stars,” so I suppose it won’t really matter. There are more important things in this series to focus on. But for shippers, this may come as a disappointment, so there’s your fair warning.
All in all, though, I would happily recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the Animorphs series. It makes for a very engaging alternate universe, which I look forward to exploring more in the future. Now, without further ado, I’ll give a few thoughts on the first fifteen entries in this series.
Daemorphing - Part 1 - “Make a Little Birdhouse in Your Soul”:
This is the first story in Daemorphing, which covers book one – but it’s told from Tobias’s perspective, rather than Jake’s. What stands out to me the most here is Tobias’s discussion with Elhariel at the end. Poetry uses the relationship between a person and their daemon as a way for them to debate with themselves about an issue – in this case, they debate whether or not Tobias should risk demorphing and thus avoid becoming a nothlit. Tobias’s motivation for choosing not to do so, even though it will mean the end of his life as a human, is made much clearer here than in canon. It is not only understandable, but also admirable in the sense that he didn’t want to risk being infested and dooming his friends for his own sake. It is also very sad and sets the tone of the series to follow as well as book one did for canon.
Daemorphing - Part 2 - “The Shapes of Our Souls”:
So these are little vignettes over the first few books. Things that stood out to me this time: Rachel’s comment that daemons only self-harm when there is mental illness involved; Jake’s daemon taking on more desert-adapted forms as time goes on; and Tobias being Ax’s daemon, which will allow Tobias to stay with the group more, which may help with him feeling isolated. I also love that Mercurio is an emperor penguin and that Mirazai’s color change reflects how Marco’s father is feeling. Cassie observing her friends and documenting how they are growing and changing through drawing them – but not wanting to do the same for herself – is a neat choice. I think that last one with her might be my favorite out of these mini-episodes.
Daemorphing - Part 3 - “Prometheus in Chains”:
So this is the one where Jake is infested with Tom’s Yeerk. There are some nice, though horrifying touches here, like Tom’s daemon settling after he has been broken by his Yeerk, as well as the distance between Jake and his daemon being used by Temrash as a form of torture. Less horrifying, but still interesting, is Ax feeling the human instinctual longing for a daemon (Tobias and him cuddle to soothe that ache, dawww) and Jake glimpsing Dust and Crayak when Temrash dies. I love all of these little details that make this crossover so seamless.
Daemorphing - Part 4 - “Because All Men Are Brothers”:
Hearing about Andalite culture, particularly their naming conventions, is pretty cool. The bit about how even brushing against a person’s daemon is considered harassment and can be charged as such also sets up certain events in “The Cowardice of Lions” nicely. I am a little frustrated that none of the Animorphs have tried to explain why that taboo is in place to Ax, though. Is it too embarrassing or awkward for them to try to explain the intimate nature of it to him, or is it more that they don’t know how to explain it to him, since he doesn’t have a frame of reference for it? Either way, it strikes me as irresponsible that they don’t appear to have tried to do so, considering what’s at stake. Maybe someone will later. There has to be some Andalite ethical equivalent to it which, while not the same, would nonetheless impart the gravity of the situation to Ax.
Also, no, Mr. Pardue will not be fine. I wonder if any of the others whose Yeerks are dying managed to avoid drawing attention to themselves while it happened? Did any of them escape or were they all tracked down and killed? I’m glad this story confronted what happens to the hosts who are caught, anyway. Then it moves on to dinner at Cassie’s and Ax missing his family. The part about how movies are made, with humans and daemons cast separately and their counterparts being hidden, is really neat. The ending scene with all of the gang getting together and asking each other questions is also very cute.
Daemorphing - Part 5 - “When We Were Children”:
Marco’s comment about his life sucking and that he’s going to laugh at it anyway really sums up his character in a line. That the Chee’s “daemons” always settle as dogs in tribute to the Pemalites is very clever and cute at the same time. I dig that Jake asks Erek about previous wars and if they’re fighting right, and that Erek points out that everything is going to change, whether the Animorphs win or lose, because humanity is going to discover that they’re not alone in the universe. This shattered Jake’s dream of everything going back to the way it was if they win, but better to realize that now and grapple with the idea than having it hit him in the gut later.
Ugh, Rachel beginning to cut herself off from her emotions – and the dreams she used to have, what form Abi would settle as included - is ominous. Then we have Cassie’s section, which is the most interesting, both with her trying to understand Rachel by morphing her (and encountering a little rape culture in the process, ew) and her trying to reject the reality of who she’s turning into by making Quincy change into a sheep, with all of the gentleness and purity the symbolism surrounding that animal implies. She’s not that person anymore, though, as much as she wants to believe it, but she still wants to cling to the illusion while she can. It’s an understandable and complex reaction, so I really like its inclusion here.
Daemorphing - Part 6 – “A Change (in perspective)”:
Yay, more Hork-Bajir! And Toby makes an appearance! I’ve always adored her, so I might have squealed when she showed up. But anyway, this is the story in which the Ellimist gives Tobias back the morphing power and allows him to acquire his own DNA so he has the option of becoming human again if he wishes. This story also sets up the free Hork-Bajir colony and, more importantly, the Hork-Bajir’s ability to see the hrala – or as we know it, Dust. The fact that they can manipulate and mend the hrala’s currents, and know that it likes stories (nice nod to His Dark Materials with that), fits them perfectly. There’s also a nice theme running through this entry – that different is not bad, in regards to how the Hork-Bajir see things, Toby’s status as a Seer, and Tobias being not quite human. Overall, I think this story is one of the stronger, if quieter ones in the series.
Daemorphing - Part 7 – “My Heart Can’t Forget About This Self-Defense”:
By part seven we’re starting to really diverge from canon – and we’re doing so in part by having the Animorphs sign up for self-defense classes. The concept of four-eyes is an interesting one, as is the fact that Marco loses himself in it and remembers encountering his mother for the first time in years. I’m not entirely sure how him meeting her in her new study happened, but it makes for a good scene even so. Then we go to Cassie and Rachel’s section and all I can think is, “HI LOREN!” It looks like she has fragments of her memories from the past, which then draw her to Cassie and from there to Ax. This naturally frightens the Animorphs, who agree to keep her under watch, since they’re not sure if she’s a threat to them or not. They’re sure she’s not a controller because of Ax’s extremely ableist comments, though. At least the rest of the group has no tolerance for that and have told him that it’s inappropriate, but it will take a story or two before the ableism is fully confronted. It is challenged, though, which is the important part.
Daemorphing - Part 8 – “Seeing in Color”:
So this is one of my favorite entries in the series, in large part due to the introduction of Aftran (who is amazing and was so underused in canon) and the character development in Cassie and Rachel, but mostly Cassie. Cassie wants to bail on the war because she can’t take it anymore and doesn’t want to become like Rachel, who is slowly but surely starting to lose control. It’s an understandable reaction (and done in the interest of self-care), though as her friends point out, it’s not really a fair one, because the Animorphs are Earth’s only defense at this point, and she’s abandoning the group by doing this. In any case, Aftran basically smacks her in the face with reality, telling Cassie she’s actually been crueler than Rachel by maiming hosts instead of killing them (so they just die later, after hours of pain) and that she should be fighting to defend her and everyone else’s freedom. This snaps Cassie out of her funk, and then we get a really cool plot twist: Aftran goes to live with one of the Chee. This means she – and the Yeerk Peace Movement she becomes the leader of – gets to play a much larger role in this universe, which is a welcome change. Like Aftran, the Peace Movement was woefully underused in canon.
“Trust Cassie to make friends with the one good Yeerk we’ve ever come across.” – Cassie’s character in a line. I love the writing here.
This section ends with what might be my favorite conversation in the entire series thus far: Cassie making amends to Rachel. She knows she hurt Rachel and wants to make up for it, first by admitting that she messed up, then that Rachel’s approach to the fight was more humane, and then saying that she won’t judge Rachel anymore. When I was reading this, it felt like a quieter, but still really important turning point to me – because part of what doomed Rachel in canon was how isolated she began to feel from the group. She knew that they feared her, which made her start thinking of herself as a monster, which made her self-value take a nosedive. So when that suicide mission was presented to her, she took it without seeming to care that it would mean her death. By making it so that Cassie maintains a connection to her, though, we might just be able to diverge from that path. At least that’s my hope.
Daemorphing - Part 9 – “The Cowardice of Lions”:
This is definitely my favorite entry in Daemorphing thus far, which I feel is probably the case for many readers. Part of that may be because the David arc in canon was so memorable, but this story also feels like the strongest one to me – or at least it’s the one that burned itself into my brain the most. The first thing that stuck out to me was the Animorphs stating, again, that they find large prey animals to be more brave and dangerous than predators, who are more opportunistic and don’t typically stand and fight in the wild. This links well with the rejection of animal symbolism in favor of animal behavior in the daemon settling process – it’s more about the reality of the animal than the cultural perception of it. Of course, David favors the cultural perception of large predators, so naturally he chooses the lion as his battle morph – which is going to be very appropriate for him later, since he is a coward (hence the title of this story).
So there’s a lot I like about this one. I like that the Animorphs discuss why David might be reacting to the situation the way he is. I like that David contextualizes his willingness to kill with the fact that daemons disappear while people are in morph – so he could claim that those people lack souls and that he’s not doing anything worse than killing an animal (which isn’t true and he knows it, but it’s an interesting twist on his canon viewpoint). As utterly horrifying as it is, the language in the scene where David touches Diamanta really drives home what a violation that is – the licking along the seam of Marco’s brain, the feeling of some sort of cockroach-monster kicking against his chest, the way his thoughts flinch away from what David is doing. Though this does make me wonder why we’ve never seen Cassie reacting like this, or even thinking about it later, since someone grabbing her daemon happened in part one.
In any case, how everyone reacts afterwards is effective too. Rachel points out that legally, touching a daemon like that is considered rape in their world – which makes sense, given that touching a person’s daemon was likened to having sexual contact with them in His Dark Materials. It’s not really the same, but it’s still extremely intimate and can do the same psychological damage to its victim. This thread is followed through with David “molesting” Jordan by letting her daemon perch on him while he’s in dog morph. This and the attack on Marco really work well as an alternative for the Saddler Incident, as deeply disturbing as it is.
Anyway, then we get this awesome conversation between Aftran and Cassie where they discuss what to do about David. Since trapping him in morph and leaving on a deserted island would be torture, and Cassie and Quincy don’t want to be torturers, they decide to murder David instead. And their plan is as weirdly ruthless and kind as one would expect from Cassie: make David think that he had his parents back, and then one of the Animorphs, while pretending to be one of their daemons, kills Kirianor, which kills David. Rachel does the deed, even though Jake was supposed to, because she figures she can live with it.
Then they have to deal with the fact that there’s a body that needs to be disposed of, which is rather chilling. But also Cassie and Rachel’s daemons have both settled because of this situation with David. Rachel’s is a sable antelope, which can kill lions – which feels pretty appropriate – and Cassie’s is a vampire bat. Cassie freaking out about that makes sense, considering she’s been struggling with who she’s growing up to be for a while now, and that form would probably scare anyone. Her parents help her accept it by explaining what kind of creature a vampire bat is and with a cool ceremony, though. On another note, I appreciate it that Marco is still dealing with his trauma – that’s the realistic reaction to it and it’s refreshing to see that depicted. Jake affirming that they have to keep trusting each other is also a sweet note to leave off on, considering everything that came before it.
Overall, this feels like one of the deepest and most intense parts of the series, which makes me that much more interested in seeing how Poetry will handle later books in canon (though obviously, this story will be diverging farther and farther as it goes on).
Daemorphing - Part 10 – “Carry on Wayward Son”:
So this is the one where Tobias and Loren have their reunion, which happens like…thirty books earlier than it does in canon? I might be overestimating that. Anyway, some things that I liked about this one: that Tobias and Ax are tutoring Toby, which among other subjects includes a discussion which confronts speciesism (and Toby and Ax play chess, which is super cute). It’s clever of Tobias to pretend to be handicapped so he seems like a less appealing host; it’s what saves him from being targeted after the will is read. Loren and Jaxom being angry with Elfangor over leaving and giving the morphing power to Tobias and the others was something that I didn’t expect, but it feels true and adds a counterpoint to the hero-worship the kids have for him.
Toby and Loren also get the morphing power in this story! This opens up so many possibilities for the future – and god, do I wish that had happened for Toby in canon. It would have shown the Animorphs being more accepting of the Hork-Bajir, for one thing. As for Loren getting it now, that ties her back into the story, rather than making her a sort of sad afterthought like she was in canon.
Loren’s faith is a good touch, as is Magdalene being Christ’s daemon. It’s interesting to me that Elfangor married for “genetic compatibility,” which would explain his second family in canon. I think I always assumed that that was a picture of his parents and younger versions of Elfangor and Ax, but perhaps that’s incorrect. Anyway, we also get another little character turning point for Tobias in that Loren makes him think about what he might want to do after the war is over and he (in her mind) presumably becomes human again. Having her be much more present in his life and possibly setting up Rachel living could make things very different for him. It doesn’t seem nearly as likely that he’ll retreat into isolation and remain a hawk for the rest of his life, which is, again, a welcome change.
Tobias’s naming ritual is very sweet. I love all of the alien cultural touches Poetry scatters throughout this series, though I admit to finding the Yeerk’s culture to be the most compelling out of them. But we get a great confrontation of ableism here, since Ax and Tobias go straight to the, “Oh, with the morphing power we can cure you!” idea instead of Loren’s takeaway, which is, “This way, I could fight alongside you.” They see her blindness as a problem, rather than as a part of her identity, so I don’t blame her for being angry with them. Hmmm…I like the Andalite version of singing, too, since it fleshes out some canon material. We also get maybe the first instance of an Animorph morphing a Yeerk and getting permission to be in someone’s brain, in this case to prove that Loren isn’t a threat to them. This is definitely going to come up later in really cool ways.
“I’d appreciate it if you’d stop calling me gross,” Aftran snapped. “That’s my body he’s morphing.” I love Aftran so much. She might be my favorite character in Daemorphing. I hope she rises to lead the Yeerks someday. Like Jake says, it also does seem fitting for Loren to become the seventh Animorph, since she knew Elfangor as well. Elfangor’s daemon being an orchid bee is neat. How do Poetry come up with what all of the daemons are going to be? Ze must have done so much research! The rituals at the end wrap things well, too. This is definitely another story in the series with a lot of depth, though it’s quieter than “The Cowardice of Lions.”
Daemorphing - Part 11 – “Put a Light On [podfic + transcript]”:
So I actually read the transcript for this before listening to it, since much of my fanfic reading is done while I’m on public transport. Actually listening to this, though, left me very impressed. I’ve tried to do some vocal work and sound editing, so this sounds really polished to me. Everyone’s voice is distinct and the effect on Tobias’s thought speech really makes it stand out. The singing was also quite impressive too. And of course the contents of this piece are touching, with Tobias and Loren bonding more. While I prefer the other stories in the series to this one, this was still a nice change of pace and, I think, a successful experiment.
Daemorphing - Part 12 – “Love the Warrior”:
So this is the story where I stalled during my initial read-through. It’s not because it isn’t well-done, because it is, and Loren’s crisis of faith here makes it compelling. But I’m also an atheist who grew up in an otherwise very Christian family, so it brings back some negative feelings. Still, Loren’s faith does compel her towards positive actions, such as calling out the Chee for their “half-measures” and asking them to help the Animorphs in ways that don’t involve fighting, like helping them with their homework and giving them therapy. Getting the kids therapy will help so much and will fly in the face of that whole There Are No Therapists trope that the original series had. I also like that the Animorphs are easing her into being one of them with recon missions, unlike what they did with David, which was throwing him into the fray. Though I can’t imagine David on recon missions working out at a thing; he’d probably skive off.
Anyway, the discussion we get about race and recognition after the war is a nice touch. The Chee’s belief in the Kolumatiy makes perfect sense for them, so kudos on this glimpse into an alien culture. I also like how this fic actually has the Animorphs discussing the weirdness that it the Yeerks targeting Santa Barbara and not places like Washington D.C. Acknowledging that it’s weird helps make it seem less so. Meret and Elgat’s story is a good story-within-a-story. Aftran being fond of her hosts is sweet in its own way. I appreciate that Marco’s trauma hasn’t gone away, and that it’s manifesting in panic attacks, which he then is seeking help to deal with. It’s awful for him, but it is a realistic handling of the aftereffects of David’s attack. I love everything about the Animorphs talking things out with the Chee, really, though I feel like I’m going to adore Rachel and Lourdes’ conversations the most. Lourdes seems like a lot of fun [note from the future: she is. Oh my god I love her].
Daemorphing - Part 13 – “Bridge to the Stars”:
“Bridge to the Stars” is my second favorite out of all of these fics, hands down. There’s just so much Aftran and Yeerk culture here, like proverbs and oral traditions, which makes the anthropology student in me swoon. Also, Aftran’s character journey after meeting the Iskoort is amazing and so is having the Animorphs experience a more…symbiotic version of the Yeerk and host relationship by having to pass as Iskoort to defeat the Howlers. As for specific things that I enjoyed: Rachel using four-eyes to see her haircut made me laugh. Aftran’s friendship with the Yoorts is so sweet. The history of the Iskoort is interesting, as is Aftran mentioning that sometimes the Gedds would partner with the Yeerks to help each other out. The pity for the Howlers and the understanding that giving them the Animorphs’ memories will lead to their extinction is sobering. I never really made the connection that the Howlers are like the Anti-Pemalites before, since they consider genocide to be a fun game. The Howlers getting the memory of Loren singing, rather than the Cassie/Jake kiss, was what first made me realize how downplayed the romance in canon was in this version, but considering the emphasis on platonic and familiar relationships here, it’s fitting.
It’s good to see Aftran dissecting the Yeerk Empire’s propaganda: that they’re saying that a Yeerk without a host doesn’t have worth, which she knows now isn’t true. Man, everything then seems to go wrong at once with Aftran being captured and everyone getting sick from Ax’s potentially lethal illness. It works out, though it does so with the twist of Tobias having to infest Ax to help him, so the number of Animorphs who have been hosts goes up again. Also, Aftran giving a Reason You Suck speech to Naxes and getting him to release Estril was wonderful, and especially this line that followed it: “In my head, Bachu played the sound of slow clapping. Bless her.” I laughed.
As for the confessions that followed, they were all good, but Rachel and Lourdes’ stood out to me the most. Lourdes’ saying she’d like to kill dogs was shocking, but fitting, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY RACHEL WANTS TO BE A VOLUNTARY CONTROLLER TO TOBIAS SO HE CAN STOP HER INTRUSIVE VIOLENT THOUGHTS. My jaw dropped when I read that, because I could understand Cassie wanting to be a voluntary controller, but Rachel? And yet it makes so much sense considering what Rachel is struggling with. I really like this idea and this twist on the Tobias/Rachel relationship. I want to see what comes of it.
Daemorphing - Part 14 – “A Place to Stand”:
So I also really like this one, because we get to travel to the Yeerk home world, which we never saw in canon. As a setting, it’s creepy, with the acid rain and Berryman’s remains being enough to fuel some nightmares. I think the latter was actually even more unsettling because there was no graphic description there – the narration left it to our imaginations. Telling the Yeerks about the Iskoort early is an inspired move on Cassie’s part, even if it doesn’t work out, since the Andalites are the real antagonists in this one, namely their military, who have genocidal tendencies. All of the scenes with Loren, Tobias, Ax, and Elfangor surrounding Tobias’ speech to the Electoral were bittersweet, given that they were a family unit in that AU, but the Earth and everyone else had been torched off screen. That Tobias might still have the destiny of showing the Andalites another way, like Cassie has done for the Yeerks through Aftran, is going to be amazing to see unfold in the future.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE THIS EXCHANGE BETWEEN TOBIAS AND RACHEL AT THE END:
Rachel lifted a hand toward me, then put it back down. She bit her lip. Uncertain. “I don’t know what I want to fight for. Not yet. Can you… can you help?”
Oh, El thought. I’ve missed the inside of you, Rachel. I’m so glad you asked.
How would she react if you said that out loud? I wondered.
Not ready to find out, El replied.
So I just said, «Of course, Rachel. Whenever you need me.» And I focused on the Yoort DNA swimming in my blood. I didn’t know how to change minds yet, not like the Tobias I’d been in another life. But I could start with this: I could change hers.
First, wow that’s sensual and intimate right there. Second, if Rachel dies at the end of this series, I am going to feel so cheated, because it won’t make sense after Poetry has nudged the characters into different directions from their canon counterparts. There’s just such a potential for hope for Rachel running through this, especially with that last line. I can understand and even respect why Rachel died in canon – it made sense with her character arc and it made sense that at least one of the Animorphs wouldn’t make it out alive (though I will still forever be heartbroken over it, damn it). But here it’s different – she seems like she has more of a chance, so her dying here would feel doubly cruel. So here’s hoping that she makes it. I will cry that much harder if she doesn’t after all of this build up.
Daemorphing - Part 15 – “The Bright Clear Line”:
And finally, we have the most recent fic in the series. I admit that Marco was never a favorite of mine, but I appreciate the strategist side of him and his conflict with Visser One over Eva, who is one of the most awesome characters in the series. The plan to take out both Vissers – and protect the Hork-Bajir colony at the same time - is a ruthless one on Marco’s part, but I was expecting it not to work. For one thing, Visser Three seems like a villain who needs to stick around longer, and I couldn’t imagine Poetry killing Eva without giving her a chance to shine first. So instead we have Eva and Aftran teaming up and getting the morphing power to impersonate Visser One, which is an inspired twist! Admittedly, it also made me laugh – not because of anything this story does, please understand, but because I’m actually in the middle of an RP where this kind of impersonation is happening left and right, so my brain was like, “I recognize this spying tactic and approve of it so very much.” It will be interesting to see what the new Visser One manages to accomplish and what we’ll learn about the Empire that way!
Diamanta settling as a rattlesnake here makes sense and fits her well. As much as Marco didn’t like the idea of her becoming something poisonous because of the public perception of it (something he is sensitive to, given the advice that he gave Ax on how to behave at Mass), it really does work for him. As for Edriss’s fate – now this genuinely shocked me. After reading Visser, it was hard for me not to feel sympathy towards her, even while knowing that she did terrible things and hadn’t really changed for the better by the end of the book. But for her to die at Eva’s hand, and so brutally, too – I can’t imagine Eva not doing that if she had the chance, but it feels horrifying all the same, thanks in part to Aftran being the narrator at the time. I didn’t realize this universe would have it so Yeerks can’t be crushed – canon indicated they could be, but given what the Yeerks do to take over their hosts, that doesn’t make much sense, as Poetry pointed out. Anyway, I hope we see Darwin and Madra in the future, though how they will fit into things, I don’t know. I guess we’ll see.
The last chapter of this is very sweet, with Marco and his mother’s goodbye, Cassie and Bachu and Aftran’s goodbye, and the Hork-Bajir having a celebration for Marco, since he’s come of age. Other parts weren’t as sweet, but still engaging, like Eva confessing that she won’t be able to get back together with Peter because of that last year of their marriage; Eva insisting on being in control of the spying operation, which Aftran accepts; and Jake’s daemon having a fondness for Siberian morphs currently. I think he’s recently shifted from desert-adapted forms to cold-adapted forms after their trip to the arctic, but I could be wrong. Which reminds me – how in the world does Poetry come up with everyone’s daemons’ names?
Anyway, this was another lovely story. Thank you, Poetry, for sharing it with us this holiday season!
With that, I think I’ve reached the end of my review. Thank you again to Poetry for writing this series! It’s been a joy to read and I look forward to seeing more of it in the future. Happy holidays!
Sincerely,
WiseAbsol