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- "This was my family. My brother, the killer. My father, the target. And me, the fool in the middle. Just the three of us. If my brother Tom, in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to save himself, tried to kill my father, then I would morph. And the last thing my brother would see was me, his brother, his unknown enemy, rear up and destroy him with all the ruthless, savage power that was mine to command. I had told myself that I would do whatever had to be done, and I would."
- ―Jake
The Conspiracy, published in June 1999 and written by Laura Battyanyi-Wiess based on an outline by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant, is the thirty-first book in the Animorphs series. It is the eleventh book narrated by Jake and his seventh book as sole narrator.
Plot[]
Official Description[]
Jake's grandfather has died. It blows the family away -- especially Jake's mom. So Jake's parents decide they should all travel to the grandfather's home to help with the arrangements. In another state. For three or four days.
This is a very big problem for Jake's brother, Tom. He can't be away from the Yeerk pool for that long. So Tom refuses to go -- and his father insists. But Tom's Yeerk will do anything to survive. Including making his father less of a problem.
Now Jake, the other Animorphs, and Ax have to find a way to protect his father without Tom discovering their secret. And without having to choose between his father's life... and Tom's.
Plot Summary[]
To be added
Appearances[]
Protagonists:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Tom / Tom's Yeerk
- Hedrick Chapman / Iniss 226
- Mrs. Chapman
- Visser Three (Mentioned Only)
- Temrash 114 (Mentioned Only)
Other Characters:
- Jean
- Melissa Chapman
- Grandpa G (Mentioned Only)
- Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul (Mentioned Only)
- Walter (Mentioned Only)
- Michelle (Mentioned Only)
- Eva (Mentioned Only)
Locations:
- Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic
- Yeerk pool (Mentioned Only)
Major/Highlighted Events[]
- Jake's great-grandfather, Grandpa G, passes away, prompting the family to leave town for four days in order to attend the funeral. This presents an issue for Tom, since his Yeerk cannot survive four days without Kandrona rays.
- Tom's Yeerk decides to have his host body's father infested, which Jake is against, unwilling to lose another family member to the Yeerks.
- After Marco prevents Jake's father from being infested, Tom has Chapman and a few other human-Controllers attempt a drive-by to assassinate Jake's father, although they are stopped by Jake.
- The Animorphs kidnap Chapman and Jake asks Ax to torture him before allowing him to escape. Following the ordeal, Ax temporarily drops the "Prince" honorific, telling Jake that he would never do such a thing again, angry that Jake made him commit torture for personal reasons over the war effort.
- Forced to go to the cabin, Tom decides to use a knife to kill his father in the middle of the night, prompting Jake to morph into his Siberian tiger to kill Tom. However, as Jake was too emotionally invested, Marco takes over as temporary leader and formulates a plan, which involves Rachel and Ax breaking Tom's leg, forcing Tom to be transferred to the city hospital, where he would have access to Kandrona rays.
- Marco explains that as interim leader, his number one priority was ensuring the safety and security of the Animorphs, and admits that he was willing to allow Jake's father to die to do so. However, upon realizing that Jake would not have accepted his father being killed but could tolerate Tom's death, Marco divulges that he had a contingency plan where he would kill Tom without making it seem like the "Andalite bandits" were involved, prompting Jake to realize that he and Marco have changed drastically since joining the war.
- Rachel reveals that she is related to Jake through his father. Since Jake's family stated in The Solution that Rachel's mother Naomi was only related by marriage, this would mean that Rachel's father Dan and Jake's father are brothers.
- Additionally, Rachel discloses in Elfangor's Secret that her father is Jewish, meaning that Jake's father is Jewish as well.
Morphs[]
Morpher | Morphs acquired | Morphs used |
---|---|---|
Jake | -- | Peregrine Falcon, Cockroach, Rhinoceros, Siberian Tiger |
Rachel | -- | Bald Eagle, Grizzly Bear, Bottlenose Dolphin |
Tobias | -- | -- |
Cassie | -- | Osprey, Humpback Whale |
Marco | -- | Osprey, Silverback Gorilla (Big Jim), Great Horned Owl |
Ax | -- | Seagull, Northern Harrier, Human (Main; partially), Bottlenose Dolphin |
Trivia[]
- The front cover quote is, "When they say, 'it's all in your head,' believe it...."
- The inside cover quote is, "No more monkey business...."
- This is the first book in the series where no one acquires a new morph, including the Megamorphs and Chronicles books.
- This marks the last time where Ax speaks with multiple mouth sounds while in human morph, although he would continue to repeat or play with a word or two occasionally up to The Revelation.
- Marco mentions the time they experienced a time-distorted World War II, referencing the events of Elfangor's Secret.
- Jake mentions the first trip to the Yeerk pool, his infestation by Temrash 114 and his experience being swatted as a housefly from The Invasion, The Capture and The Warning respectively.
- Marco's attempt to kill his mother in The Reunion is referenced and paralleled with Jake's decision to deal with his father and brother.
- Jake's father is revealed to be a pediatrician. While his father did state he was a doctor in The Invasion, it was not specified what type of doctor he was.
Goofs/Inconsistencies[]
- Marco reminds Jake of the time they were in World War II, although Jake would have no memory or experience of it as he was dead at the time.
- Marco warns Jake not to call Erek King from the house, even though Erek had told the Animorphs in The Android that his number was safe to call as it could not be traced.
- Chapman's wife is referred to as "Mrs. Chapman" in this book; however, she was referred to as "Ms. Chapman" in The Visitor.
- On p104, Ax morphs into an osprey; his bird-of-prey morph is that of a northern harrier.