 Marco morphing into a wolf spider | |
| Author | K. A. Applegate |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Damon C. Torres and The I-Way Company |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Animorphs #10 |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Publisher | Scholastic |
Publication date | August 1997 |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 170 |
| ISBN | 0-590-99730-0 |
| OCLC | 37525406 |
| Preceded by | The Secret |
| Followed by | The Forgotten |
The Android is the tenth book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Marco.
While sneaking into a concert in dog morph, Jake and Marco discover that they are unable to detect a smell from their friend Erek King, something impossible, as all living things smell (Marco describes Erek as a "black hole of smell"). They then realize that he is also a member of The Sharing. When the Animorphs investigate further, they find out that he is really an android with a hologram projected around him, after he is hit by a bus and his hologram fails for a few seconds.
Marco finds out from Tom that there is a barbecue for The Sharing going on at a nearby lake, and the Animorphs go there to find out whether Erek is working for the Yeerks. Only certain animals can see through Erek's hologram, so Ax and Marco morph wolf spiders, while the rest of the Animorphs go into their bird morphs (except Jake, who morphs a fly) to act as lookouts. While in morph, Marco and Ax confirm their suspicion that Erek is an android. However, Marco is then grabbed by a bird, who tries to eat him. He is forced to demorph in full view of Erek. Erek projects a hologram around him, so he is hidden from the Controllers. Erek tells Marco to come visit him at his house, and to bring the other Animorphs.
After some thought, the Animorphs decide to go. In case it's a trap, they leave Rachel behind, who will morph into grizzly bear and storm the place if Ax thought-speaks a distress call. Once they get there, Erek reveals he is part of an ancient race of androids called the Chee, whose creators, the Pemalites, were destroyed by the Howlers thousands of years ago. The Chee managed to escape to Earth with a few of the last remaining Pemalites (which resembled humanoid canines), and fused their essence with wolves, creating dogs. A few members of the Chee are working against the Yeerks. Erek agreed to "become" a Controller, but in reality he controls his Yeerk. When he goes to the Yeerk Pool, he simply projects a hologram of the Yeerk going in and out of his ear, realizing that the Yeerks have very little ability to communicate while in the pool.
The Chee have amazing physical strength, but they have one drawback: their programming means they cannot hurt anyone. Erek tells the Animorphs that they can change their programming with the Pemalite crystal. They find out that the Yeerks are currently in possession of the crystal, and have it in a high security facility. They agree to attempt to retrieve the crystal so the Chee can join the fight.
To get it, they decide to sneak in using cockroach and spider morphs. They are chased by a rat and just barely escape being burned by a furnace, but they reach the highly guarded room. They morph into bats to echolocate and avoid the complex wiring that protects the crystal from normal means. However, once Jake has the crystal in his mouth, the Animorphs realize that he can't echolocate out of there. They go into battle morphs and race out, where they are stopped by twenty Hork-Bajir warriors. Marco sees Erek outside the windows looking in, powerless to help them. During the fighting, Marco ends up by the windows. Gasping, he smashes the window and gives the Pemalite crystal to Erek before dying.
When Erek delivers an electric shock to Marco's heart and he comes to, Marco realizes that all of the Hork-Bajir are dead, and the Animorphs and Erek are fine, Erek having massacred the Hork-Bajir. Erek says that he has realized why the Pemalites put the pacifist programming in him—as his memory remains perfect, Erek will never be able to move past the memory of the violence that he has committed and will constantly remember it as though it just took place—and changes his programming back to what it was. He says that he can never join the actual fight, but he can pass on information. He gives Marco a phone number for a safe, untappable line so they can communicate. At the end of the book, Homer, Jake's dog, drops the Pemalite crystal into the ocean.
| Morpher | Morphs acquired | Morphs used |
|---|---|---|
| Jake | Brown bat | Golden Retriever, peregrine falcon, housefly, great horned owl, cockroach, brown bat, Siberian tiger |
| Rachel | Brown bat | Bald eagle, grizzly bear, great horned owl, cockroach, brown bat |
| Cassie | Wolf spider, brown bat | Wolf spider, osprey, great horned owl, cockroach, brown bat, wolf |
| Marco | Irish Setter, wolf spider, brown bat | Irish Setter, osprey, wolf spider, great horned owl, brown bat, Silverback gorilla |
| Ax | Wolf spider, brown bat | Northern harrier, wolf spider, human (main), great horned owl, brown bat |
The Beginning is the 54th and final book in the Animorphs series. Unlike other Animorphs books in the main series, but similar to the Megamorphs, all characters conduct narration instead of just one.
The Answer is the 53rd and penultimate book in the Animorphs series. It is the final book (fully) narrated by Jake and is the final book to fully be narrated by only one character.
The Predator, published in 1996 and written by K. A. Applegate, is the fifth book in the Animorphs series. It is narrated by Marco.
The Change is the 13th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Tobias.
The Unknown is the fourteenth book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Cassie.
The Decision is the 18th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Ax.
The Departure is the 19th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated primarily by Cassie and secondarily by Jake, who narrates several chapters towards the end of the story.
The Discovery is the 20th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Marco. It is the first book in the David trilogy.
The Threat is the 21st book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Jake. It is the second book in the David trilogy.
The Exposed is the 27th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Laura Battyanyi-Weiss, although due to an editorial oversight, Battyanyi-Weiss was uncredited for this book. It is narrated by Rachel.
The Reunion is the 30th book in the Animorphs series, authored by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Elise Donner. It is narrated by Marco.
The Animorphs Chronicles is a series of 4 books written by K. A. Applegate alongside the main series as a companion collection to detail the backstories of characters introduced in the series, and help explain and expand upon concepts that were briefly defined in the series, but, as the series is told from a human point of view, were limited in terms of what could only be explained through in-story dialogue. Four Chronicles books were published; The Andalite Chronicles in 1997, The Hork-Bajir Chronicles in 1998, Visser in 1999, and The Ellimist Chronicles in 2000. The Chronicles books are unique amongst the Animorphs continuity in that they are told from previously largely unfamiliar aliens' perspectives, and not from one of the 5 main human points of view, bar the beginning and end of The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, which are narrated by Tobias. All four books feature artwork by Romas Kukalis on their covers.
The Sacrifice is the 52nd book in the Animorphs series, written by K. A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Kim Morris. It is the final book to be (fully) narrated by Ax.
The Prophecy is the 34th book in the Animorphs series, authored by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Melinda Metz. It is narrated primarily by Cassie and secondarily by Aldrea. It was published on September 27, 1999.
The Arrival is the 38th book in the Animorphs series, written by K. A. Applegate. It was ghostwritten by Kim Morris. It is narrated by Ax.
The Revelation is the 45th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Ellen Geroux. It is the first book in the ten-book arc that finalized the story of the Animorphs. It is narrated by Marco.
The Resistance is the 47th book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Ellen Geroux. It is the third book in the ten-book arc that finalized the story of the Animorphs. It is primarily narrated by Jake, with flashbacks secondarily narrated by Isaiah Fitzhenry, a great-uncle of Jake's grandfather who was an American Civil War lieutenant.
The Diversion, published in 2001 and written by K. A. Applegate, is the 49th book in the Animorphs series. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Lisa Harkrader. It is the final book (fully) narrated by Tobias.
Animorphs is a science fantasy series of youth books written by Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant, writing together under the name K. A. Applegate, and published by Scholastic. It is told in first person, with all six main characters taking turns narrating the books through their own perspectives. Horror, war, dehumanization, sanity, morality, innocence, leadership, freedom, family, and growing up are the core themes of the series.
The Pretender is the 23rd book in the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate, first published in November 1998. The book is narrated by Tobias.
