So... that last book sure happened. By which I mean In the Time of Dinosaurs, not The Decision. A bloated book that ended with the Animorphs being cool with Tobias letting a genocide happen. It also was a book that definitely seemed to push Cassie's ethics button hard. The last few books have actually. So we're back with her as narrator with a book that puts this recent streak of hers to the forefront. Does it make for a good book? Dude, it could be mid as all hell and it would still be a step up from that last book. It's time for The Departure.
I will also note the cover is interesting for one real reason. It's the most accurate to what the books describe. Not so much the process of morphing butterfly and all, but the skin tight leotard worn by Cassie is actually accurate clothing to what they wear during morphs. Just a neat factoid to start us out on.
Cassie opens the book telling the reader that while she'll be narrating the majority of the book, Jake will take over around the end. You could say "why are we bumping Cassie out of her own book" but it will make sense when we get there. The reason's been in front of you this whole time is what I'll say. We then open as the Animorphs are fighting Hork-Bajir while trying to stop a Sharing meeting, meaning more victims to become controllers. Cassie, in wolf morph, attacks a Hork-Bajir's leg, then, giving into the wolf's instincts, tears its throat apart. The group spot human controllers and make a run for it. In the midst of their running, Cassie says that she's done. She quits being an Animorph. Yeah, remember when I said that Cassie's actions as of late would matter in this book? This is what I mean. And to add to Cassie's shitty evening, when she returns home her dad says that the pet food company that helps fund their animal clinic is pulling out, meaning that if they can't find a new partner, they may lose their clinic. Also Cassie has some Hork-Bajir flesh in her teeth, so yeah. Not a good night. Also, there's a leopard on the loose that got away from its owner. You know if I had stuck to a schedule with these books, I'd have been able to make a Tiger King reference that would have been super timely.
Cassie is still confused about everything lately. She didn't want to kill the Hork-Bajir, knowing that it's being controlled. She has a nightmare, recalling her incident as a T-Rex in the last book where she killed a triceratops. She skips school the next day and finally runs into the others, telling them that she's been having these issues for a while. Tobias notices it, to which Cassie mentions all the sacrifices he made. None of which being letting a race of aliens be led to their deaths after sending them off with a broken bomb. Which means I'm not forgiving this feathered fuckwit yet BTW. I'm not going to harp on it all book, just getting it out of the system early. Cassie tells them that she's felt nothing lately. When she killed the Hork-Bajir, she felt nothing, when her dad mentioned the clinic shutting down she's felt nothing. She can't go on feeling like a being who is simply numb to violence. The others don't take it well with Marco pretty much calling her a selfish coward and being pissed because of how he was treated when he wanted out. Rachel is super angry because she thinks Cassie is referring to turning into her. Jake just tells her that if she's out of this battle, then she's not to morph ever. So yeah, great circle of understanding friends we got there.
Some time later, Cassie is cleaning the barn when she spots a red-haired girl being chased by a black bear. She rides on horseback to follow her and manages to save her, before both go over the falls. Both manage to survive, but are lost in the woods. The girl introduces herself as Karen. She's got an injured ankle. Oh, and more importantly, a Yeerk in her head. In fact, she's the sister of the Yeerk in the Hork-Bajir that Cassie killed. She was one of the controllers at the Sharing meeting that night. She followed the group after they ran off, and saw Cassie morph back to human. So she now realizes there can't just be Andalite bandits, but humans with morphing powers as well. Cassie tries to poker face it, claiming that she must have just seen things. She also realizes that she could leave Karen, but the wolves would find and kill her. Alternatively, if she were to help Karen, Karen would no doubt sell her out to the Yeerks and the Animorphs are screwed. But, she ultimately relents and helps build a splint for Karen's ankle. They set up shelter with Karen not buying what Cassie is saying, thinking she'll kill her at the first chance, but Cassie keeps claiming not to get what she's talking about. They then notice a deer hide in a tree, meaning oh yeah, the escaped leopard.
The duo find a cave. Cassie runs off to morph wolf, but remembers what Jake said, and decides not to. Too bad the leopard's there. Karen tries to use the Dracon beam on it, but she keeps missing due to her fear. So Cassie morphs full wolf and attacks the leopard long enough for it to run off. So now Cassie's cover is blown. Karen now knows for sure that she can morph. Both tell their story, with Karen mentioning she was a Gedd, then a Hork-Bajir, but was then given a human host. Unfortunately for her, it was a little girl, so not exactly the strong warrior she hoped for. Cassie mentions getting their powers from Elfangor and how the Yeerks killed him. Karen says that it was in defense. That the Yeerks, like anyone, has the right to live. Cassie says it's not about living, they enslave others, to which Karen notes that's because they're parasites, it's how they have to live. But they don't kill their hosts like humans kill animals, which, point for Karen on that one. The two take turns with night watch with Cassie having a nightmare about the events of book #10: The Android and Erek being forced to kill. Karen noticed her nightmare but thinks that Cassie would have at least celebrated that victory. Cassie says that not all victories are worth celebrating. Karen says that's BS just like Cassie's claims of morals. To which Cassie notes that if she didn't have morals, Karen would have been killed at least a few times at this point, so Cassie wins on a valid clapback of her own.
The two continue to talk as Karen won't accept eating mushrooms in the woods, even if Cassie knows which ones are edible. Cassie notices that Karen's Yeerk is frustrated, and that its host hates her, and it bothers the Yeerk. Karen tells us how Yeerks are born and that they are born blind. It's not until they enter a host that they can be able to see. Which is something that she feels they should be allowed to have. But most importantly, Karen tells Cassie that not all Yeerks want this invasion, that there are ones who would prefer it to not be this way. For there to be a middle ground. But this conversation is cut short when the leopard returns. But before it can attack, an osprey shows up and attacks the leopard. Cassie immediately realizes that it's Marco. But the leopard easily bests Marco and grabs Karen, dragging her off before Cassie can fully morph back to wolf. She goes to attack the leopard, but also again wrestles if this is a good idea or not. If she's saving a little girl, or someone already gone to the Yeerk in her head. Marco, now in gorilla form, helps chase off the leopard for now which I'm sure we're not done with given about 60 pages left.
Karen's leg is now pretty much badly damaged, so the Yeerk thinks that they're now stuck with a crippled girl. She thinks that all of this niceness from Cassie, this saving her is a ploy to turn the Yeerk against its kind. Marco, who now knows everything, thinks that Yeerks deserve nothing but death. He also thinks they need to get rid of the Yeerk, which means getting rid of Karen in the process. To which Cassie notes "Hey dumbass, your mom and Jake's brother Tom are controllers now, would you do the same to them?" But Marco is still ready to kill this Yeerk one way or the other. That's when Cassie decides that if it means Karen's freedom, she'll let the Yeerk into her head, which of course freaks Marco out given this would mean that Cassie might have to die. Or you could tie her up for a few days. You did that with Jake. Marco runs off to get the others as the Yeerk enters Cassie's brain.
The Yeerk, Aftran-Nine-Four-Two, takes control of Cassie's brain. Cassie is now awash in the memories of Aftran, as Aftran is of her memories, including the death of Estril-Seven-One-Three. Aftran sees everything that's happened so far. The fated meeting with Elefangor, the many battles, the nightmare of the termite morph, the meeting with the Chee, Marco's mother, even the whole alien toilet debacle. Aftran then has Cassie morph osprey and begins to fly. They spot a search party to which Aftran says is a group of controllers looking for Karen. If they find her without Aftran, they'll kill her. They return and Aftran once again takes over Karen. Cassie tells her that she has to let Karen go free, which Aftran says would be a sacrifice she doesn't want to make, but knows she has to. But she wants one thing in return. Cassie has to morph into a caterpillar and stay in that form for two hours. Let herself be trapped in the form. Then she'll acquiesce. And she's telling the truth on this given that she's letting a host with morphing powers slip through her fingers... err, the fingers she's controlling I guess? Cassie ultimately agrees, acquires the caterpillar and morphs caterpillar, not demorphing and backing out on the bargain.
As mentioned earlier we shift narration over to Jake for the next four chapters. Marco told the others about the whole thing with Cassie having a Yeerk in her head. Both Rachel and Marco think that she's an idiot for letting that happen and not killing the Yeerk. The others note that he's being too blind to this with Tobias saying he can't be mad at someone who wouldn't want to kill. Good point but, again, you caused a genocide so cram it Tweety Bird. They see some controllers and fight them off for a bit before running off. They soon find Karen next to caterpillar Cassie, saying that she begged her by the end to turn from the deal. Rachel, Ax and Marco are ready to kill her, but she tells them of the deal with Cassie, and because Cassie gave her end of the deal, she'll do the same. To prove that not all Yeerks seek power like Visser Three. The leopard shows up and almost kills Karen for what, the third time now, but Marco in gorilla form subdues it. Ultimately the group relents on her and lets Aftran/Karen live with the group grabbing the leaf with Cassie now in her chrysalis.
Cassie eventually frees from the Chrysalis and is now a butterfly. The group arrive as she hatches and I guess because this is a natural morph it counts as a morph and it's a reset button? So she can be human and morph again because this was a morph within a morph? You know what, it's an asspull, but I'll allow it. Some time passes, Cassie's dad managed to get a new partner to keep the clinic financially stable. Cassie heads to the mall with Rachel and runs into Karen. The real Karen. Aftran gave her promise and left her body. Karen's free, Aftran paid her deal in full, and Cassie is an Animorph again who I guess has made peace that she'll have to fight, but that peace truly could be achieved.
This book is great. Like perhaps up there in terms of great Animorphs books. After a real dud in the last Megamorphs, and a slew of books that have been fine but feel very much like skippable filler, to get this book feels like a godsend. Something we badly needed. And it means that finally, truly, Cassie has a great book. Not a book that ultimately is about the debut of another character, not a book that devolves to silly skunk antics, not a book about a goddamn alien toilet. A book about Cassie and what this entire Animorphs situation is doing to her mentally. That she's becoming something she fears. She fears losing her empathy, being numb to the violence, and becoming a killer. It's been a thread that the books recently have been weaving. And if In the Time of Dinosaurs did anything right, it's accentuate that. Build on Cassie's fear of going too far. So this book puts her in a situation where she either works with the enemy, or becomes everything she fears for being. And it's absolutely great.
Aftran is a great character. Arrogant and cocky at first, with her banter with Cassie being a highlight of the book. And to imagine all of this pithy speak coming from a little girl is a funny visual, but also really works to sell the situation being about is this right, and is this what Aftran ultimately thinks is right for Karen? Should she have to suffer for Aftran to be able to see the world, or should she be allowed to be free? And she does the right thing in the end. That Cassie's actions and sacrifice changed how she sees the humans and the ones who protect the earth. I also like how the Animorphs are presented in this argument. Of course Marco and Rachel are the first ones to want to kill without thought. They only see hatred of their enemies and revenge. Ax is the same. Leave it to Jake and Tobias to be the ones who seem to have any reason to allow Cassie's sacrifice to be honored. Otherwise this would have been a far darker book.
As a kid, I liked Cassie. I think in many ways I get her character. Her ethics, her concerns, her empathy. It doesn't always lead to wise decisions, or in many cases feels like she takes things too far in terms of semantics. Stuff like the dolphin argument for example. It's easy to see why some people classified her as an idiot. I don't think that, and this book cements why. She's just like the others. A kid stuck in a war she never wanted to sign up for. A lover of animals who lives with parents who take care of animals. I see why it paints her ethics the way they are. And why it scares the hell out of her that she's losing so much of her own humanity in this fight. To the point that she would quit the Animorphs. And that yeah, she could have killed Aftran/Karen at any time. But she didn't. She couldn't. That's not who she is. That's not who she wants to become. But in the end, she also ultimately has to come to that realization of what this fight means and that she will have to fight in this war. She just can't lose what makes her who she is in the process.
So yeah, this was a book this series sorely needed. It's filled with action, emotion, some amazing character work. It's the much-needed Yeerk worldbuilding that the series was lacking for a good while. And it works in finally giving Cassie a story she so badly needed. Granted, I think my only issue is the butterfly stuff being a reset button on the two-hour morph and how it does feel like a bit of an asspull. But if that's really the only issue I have with this book, then I think that's easy enough to look past. I mean, at least she didn't shrug another genocide. The Departure Gets an A.
Next up is book #20 which means it's finally time. At long last I finally get to talk about THAT saga. Can't wait.
RELATABLE REFERENCES
Hatchet
Gary Paulsen
The X-Files
Bambi
Jackie Chan
Dairy Queen
The Joker
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