Series
Genres
Description
David, the newest Animorph, is not what he appears. His need to control the other Animorphs is all he thinks about. And the things he does are starting to break up the group. Rachel and the others know that time is running out. The newest battle against the Yeerks is the most important one yet. And it's not one that will wait. Winning this fight could mean slowing down the invasion. But no one knows what to do with David. Because the newest Animorph is more than just a little problem. He's deadly...
Subjects
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1998-10-01
Publication
[Oslo] Gyldendal Tiden 2000
Pages
138
ISBN
8247806533 / 9788247806531
Local notes
Part 3 of the "David" trilogy.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member asha.leu
"Just us, against a person who could become any animal he could touch. A person who could become any living, breathing thing. A flea in your hair, a cat in a tree, a bat in the night, and, when you were unprepared, when you were vulnerable, a lion or tiger or bear.
I was starting to realize why
"You can never be sure whether the pretty blond lugging a pair of bulging Express bags through the mall is just another sweet, ditzy, harmless mall rat.
Or me."
*
The 'David Trilogy', comprising the 20th, 21st and 22nd 'Animorphs' books, holds a special place in my heart, and not just because 'Animorphs #20: The Discovery' was the first 'Animorphs' title I ever read. After sixteen years and countless rereads, this trio of books remain one of the absolute high points of what was probably my favourite series as a child. Just while flicking through 'The Solution' to find the quotes above, not having read a single 'Animorphs' book in at least 6-7 years and expecting the memories of this particular one's quality to have been exaggerated by nostalgia, I was surprised at the elegance of the prose, which is simple and concise but never childish or hackneyed, and the depth with which its themes are explored.
A lot is made of how dark 'Animorphs' was for a children's series, and that is certainly true, but far more striking than the graphic violence and the grim execution of its cartoony premise is the maturity and subtlety of its darkness, and the things these books have to say about the human condition, about war and violence and the loss of innocence, can be just as compelling to adult eyes. And 'Animorphs #22: The Solution" is one of the best examples of the series' thematic depth and compelling characterisation.
As a kid, I was drawn in by the violence, by gritty (for a MG series) elements like the apparent death of a main protagonist and the POV character's own homicidal urges (this book was heavily responsible for Rachel supplanting Marco as my favorite Animorph), and, of course, the horrifying and yet somehow unavoidable fate-worse-than-death delivered to the villain. As an adult, its the morally ambiguity of both the protagonists' and the antagonist's actions, Rachel's struggle to retain her humanity and justify her rage and ruthlessness to both herself and her fellow Animorphs, and what is probably the darkest and most settling moment in the entire series: the fate of poor Cousin Saddler, which becomes increasingly disturbing the older you get.
And holding it all together is the very best 'Animorphs' character: Rachel, the suburban mall-rat turned savage warrior. She's by turns hilariously snarky and disturbingly savage, and somehow utterly sympathetic throughout. Whereas later books saw Rachel going over the edge into absolute recklessness and brutality, this early in the series she's still a fundamentally good, loving, stable person, frightened by the darkness inside her and just how much she *enjoys* the fight. In many respects this is her turning point, where she comes to terms with just who (or what) she is and begins to embrace it, and it's always compelling.
I could rave about this book for days, praising such things as the creative, intense action set-pieces (such as the finale, which features a fight between the protagonist and antagonist morphed into rats that is just *brutal*), the hilarious little cameo from an inebriated US President (unnamed, but so obviously Bill Clinton), the characterisation of characters like David (an arrogant monster or a scared kid driven over the edge by his shitty luck? Ultimately, he is both), Jake (the most stable and "normal" of the protagonists, yet one who is becoming a ruthless commander and strategist in his own way) and Cassie (the empathetic "moral centre" who comes up with the plan to manipulate the bad guy into a truly terrifying fate), and the ending, where the main characters "win", but it's a traumatic and depressing victory for all of them.
Soon after this book, K.A. Applegate's increasingly workload would mean ghostwriters would wind up writing most of the series from around Book #25 onwards, and while there are still some excellent books in that much-criticized period, the quality would gradually but steadily drop until improving dramatically in the final ten books or so. 'Animorphs #22: The Solution" is both one of the best 'Animorphs' books as well as one of the last great 'Animorphs' books, and an excellent book in it's own right, even when judged against more "worthy", "adult" fiction.
I was starting to realize why
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Visser Three hated us so much.""You can never be sure whether the pretty blond lugging a pair of bulging Express bags through the mall is just another sweet, ditzy, harmless mall rat.
Or me."
*
The 'David Trilogy', comprising the 20th, 21st and 22nd 'Animorphs' books, holds a special place in my heart, and not just because 'Animorphs #20: The Discovery' was the first 'Animorphs' title I ever read. After sixteen years and countless rereads, this trio of books remain one of the absolute high points of what was probably my favourite series as a child. Just while flicking through 'The Solution' to find the quotes above, not having read a single 'Animorphs' book in at least 6-7 years and expecting the memories of this particular one's quality to have been exaggerated by nostalgia, I was surprised at the elegance of the prose, which is simple and concise but never childish or hackneyed, and the depth with which its themes are explored.
A lot is made of how dark 'Animorphs' was for a children's series, and that is certainly true, but far more striking than the graphic violence and the grim execution of its cartoony premise is the maturity and subtlety of its darkness, and the things these books have to say about the human condition, about war and violence and the loss of innocence, can be just as compelling to adult eyes. And 'Animorphs #22: The Solution" is one of the best examples of the series' thematic depth and compelling characterisation.
As a kid, I was drawn in by the violence, by gritty (for a MG series) elements like the apparent death of a main protagonist and the POV character's own homicidal urges (this book was heavily responsible for Rachel supplanting Marco as my favorite Animorph), and, of course, the horrifying and yet somehow unavoidable fate-worse-than-death delivered to the villain. As an adult, its the morally ambiguity of both the protagonists' and the antagonist's actions, Rachel's struggle to retain her humanity and justify her rage and ruthlessness to both herself and her fellow Animorphs, and what is probably the darkest and most settling moment in the entire series: the fate of poor Cousin Saddler, which becomes increasingly disturbing the older you get.
And holding it all together is the very best 'Animorphs' character: Rachel, the suburban mall-rat turned savage warrior. She's by turns hilariously snarky and disturbingly savage, and somehow utterly sympathetic throughout. Whereas later books saw Rachel going over the edge into absolute recklessness and brutality, this early in the series she's still a fundamentally good, loving, stable person, frightened by the darkness inside her and just how much she *enjoys* the fight. In many respects this is her turning point, where she comes to terms with just who (or what) she is and begins to embrace it, and it's always compelling.
I could rave about this book for days, praising such things as the creative, intense action set-pieces (such as the finale, which features a fight between the protagonist and antagonist morphed into rats that is just *brutal*), the hilarious little cameo from an inebriated US President (unnamed, but so obviously Bill Clinton), the characterisation of characters like David (an arrogant monster or a scared kid driven over the edge by his shitty luck? Ultimately, he is both), Jake (the most stable and "normal" of the protagonists, yet one who is becoming a ruthless commander and strategist in his own way) and Cassie (the empathetic "moral centre" who comes up with the plan to manipulate the bad guy into a truly terrifying fate), and the ending, where the main characters "win", but it's a traumatic and depressing victory for all of them.
Soon after this book, K.A. Applegate's increasingly workload would mean ghostwriters would wind up writing most of the series from around Book #25 onwards, and while there are still some excellent books in that much-criticized period, the quality would gradually but steadily drop until improving dramatically in the final ten books or so. 'Animorphs #22: The Solution" is both one of the best 'Animorphs' books as well as one of the last great 'Animorphs' books, and an excellent book in it's own right, even when judged against more "worthy", "adult" fiction.
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LibraryThing member Cheryl_in_CC_NV
A short comment for every book of the series until I get a chance to re-read them. All three of my sons and I loved this series and read every single book - I even bought every single book (most, but not all, used; some through school book sales). I'm excited to re-read them to see how the five
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main characters develop and to watch all the different transformations again. Show Less
LibraryThing member mutantpudding
Well that was messed up.