This article is written from a Real World point of view. |
- "The Yeerks have managed to repair the Helmacron ship and they've reactivated the sensors that locate morphing energy. [...] That would be the energy from the morphing cube. [...] That's why you and the others have to keep it moving until the Helmacron ship can be destroyed."
- ―Erek King to Cassie
The Hidden, published in February 2000 and written by Laura Battyanyi-Wiess based on an outline by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant, is the thirty-ninth book in the Animorphs series. It is the eleventh book narrated by Cassie and her sixth book as sole narrator.
Plot
Official Description
The Yeerks have discovered and repaired a damaged Helmacron ship. They know of its morph-seeking capabilities, and they plan to use the ship to capture the "Andalite bandits." And to find Elfangor's blue cube. The one that gave the kids the ability to morph.
Cassie, the other Animorphs, and Ax are in a pretty bad situation because they can't leave the cube in one place, they can't morph without being discovered, and they have to keep moving. It looks like this may be a battle the Visser can't lose...
Plot Summary
The Yeerks repair a downed Helmacron ship and use its sensors to track the Escafil Device and the Animorphs morphing abilities. Cassie is forced to relocate the Escafil Device. During the process, a Cape buffalo and an ant inadvertently gain the morphing ability. The buffalo morphs Chapman and begins to learn speech, and the ant morphs Cassie. Cassie kills the ant when it demorphs, and near the end of the book the buffalo is killed by a Dracon beam.
Appearances
Protagonists:
Supporting Characters:
- Erek King
- Michelle
- Buffa-Human (First Appearance) (Only Appearance) (Death)
Antagonists:
- Visser Three
- Hedrick Chapman
- Various Taxxon, Hork-Bajir and human-Controllers
- Helmacrons (Mentioned Only)
Other Characters:
- Ant-Cassie (First Appearance) (Only Appearance) (Death)
- Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul (Mentioned Only)
- Karen (Mentioned Only)
- Aftran 942 (Mentioned Only)
- Walter (Mentioned Only)
Locations:
Items:
- Escafil Device
- Bug fighter
- Helmacron ship (Mentioned Only)
Major/Highlighted Events
- The Yeerks managed to repair the damaged Helmacron ship and reactivate its morphing energy sensor, using it to track the energy coming off of the Escafil device, although the helicopter containing the sensor is eventually destroyed when a seagull gets sucked into its engine.
- An African Cape Buffalo touches the box and receives the power to morph, accidentally acquiring and morphing Chapman as well as Visser Three's host, Alloran-Semitur-Corrass.
- A black ant also receives the power to morph, partially morphing into Cassie before the buffalo, dubbed "Buffa-Human" saves her. Buffa-Human is then killed by a Dracon beam fired by the Yeerks.
Morphs
Morpher | Morphs acquired | Morphs used |
---|---|---|
Jake | -- | Seagull, Peregrine Falcon (possibly), Great Horned Owl (possibly), Wolf, Siberian Tiger, Housefly, Bottlenose Dolphin |
Rachel | -- | Seagull, Great Horned Owl, Wolf, Grizzly Bear, Housefly, Bottlenose Dolphin |
Tobias | -- | Housefly, Bottlenose Dolphin |
Cassie | African Cape Buffalo (Buffa-Human) | African Cape Buffalo (Buffa-Human), Wolf, Housefly, Osprey, Humpback Whale (partially) |
Marco | -- | Seagull, Osprey (possibly), Great Horned Owl (possibly), Wolf, Silverback Gorilla (Big Jim), Housefly, Bottlenose Dolphin |
Ax | -- | Seagull, Northern Harrier (possibly), Great Horned Owl (possibly), Housefly, Bottlenose Dolphin |
Visser Three | -- | Human (Main), Unnamed Acidic Tentacled Creature |
Buffa-Human | Human (Hedrick Chapman), Andalite (Alloran-Semitur-Corrass) | Human (Hedrick Chapman), Andalite (Alloran-Semitur-Corrass) |
Ant-Cassie | Human (Cassie) | Human (Cassie; partially) |
Trivia
- The front cover quote is, "To morph or not to morph? That is the question...."
- The inside front cover quote is, "Where the buffalo roam..."
- This marks the tenth time that an Animorph is acquired, the second time that Cassie is acquired, and the second time that Alloran-Semitur-Corrass is acquired and morphed.
- This is also the first instance where an Animorph is acquired and morphed by a non-Animorph.
- This marks the fifth time that the Chee pose as the Animorphs while they are on a mission.
- Cassie makes a reference to the events of The Andalite's Gift; she mentions that their mission of having the others in dolphin morph lure a morphing energy sensor into the ocean as she attempts to destroy it as a humpback whale was something they had done before.
Goofs/Inconsistencies
- Cassie claims that the Yeerks are like a disease filled with malice and intent, despite the fact that at this point, she, of all the Animorphs, is aware that the Yeerks are not collectively filled with malicious intent.
- Cassie states that Elfangor gave them the blue box prior to being murdered by Visser Three; Elfangor did no such thing. The box was presumed destroyed upon Elfangor's death until being found by David, at which point the Animorphs recovered it.
- The sensor from the Helmacron ship, which the Yeerks salvaged from The Suspicion, is able to track the energy put off by the blue box and the morphing energy signature emitted by the Animorphs while morphing or demorphing. However, in The Suspicion, the Helmacrons revealed that their sensors also could tell which individuals were morph-capable even when in their normal forms, as they still emitted a signature. Since the Yeerks were using the same sensor, the Yeerks should have been able to track the Animorphs even when they were not morphing or in possession of the blue box.
- There is an extra space when Jake says <Cassie, move,> on p12.
- An African Cape Buffalo acquires the power to morph by brushing past the blue box, and later an ant is able to gain the same power by crawling on the box. However, based on the rules of morphing provided thus far, one can only acquire the power to morph by maintaining direct, physical contact with the box while a morph-capable user activates it. This is why David, despite possessing and manhandling the box, did not receive the power until it was activated by Ax.
- The buffalo is able to acquire Hedrick Chapman and Alloran-Semitur-Corrass after brief contact. However, the series thus far has established that one must maintain physical contact for a few seconds while simultaneously using focus and concentration in order to acquire and subsequently morph into another creature. The ant also would not be able to acquire or morph Cassie since the series also established that ants do not possess a mind of their own, let alone one that is capable of focus, concentration or awareness of any kind.
- The ant is able to acquire Cassie without placing Cassie in a trance. While it is possible for some to be immune to the trance, Cassie is not, as she fell under the acquisition trance in The Message.
- The buffalo is able to acquire Hedrick Chapman and Alloran-Semitur-Corrass after brief contact. However, the series thus far has established that one must maintain physical contact for a few seconds while simultaneously using focus and concentration in order to acquire and subsequently morph into another creature. The ant also would not be able to acquire or morph Cassie since the series also established that ants do not possess a mind of their own, let alone one that is capable of focus, concentration or awareness of any kind.
- It is alluded that Ax is running with the others in wolf morph while it is also stated that Tobias is "running" and later "demorphed", although neither Ax nor Tobias possess wolf morphs.
- Cassie's line is written as if it was said in thought-speak on p93, despite the fact that she is in human form.