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This article is written from a Real World point of view.

"My father-father was a seer. Different. Not like other Hork-Bajir. Not like Jara Hamee and Ket Halpak. Like... like Tobias. Seeing far. Knowing much. Father-father learn story of Andalite. Learn story of Yeerk. Give story to Jara Hamee father. Jara Hamee father give story to Jara Hamee."
"I'd like to hear the story of the Hork-Bajir war with the Yeerks."
Jara Hamee and Tobias[src]

The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, published in October 1998, is the second Chronicles companion book to the Animorphs series, written by K.A. Applegate and Michael Grant. It takes place between The Change and The Pretender, although the events of the main story occur before The Andalite Chronicles. It is primarily narrated by the Andalite warrior Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan, a Hork-Bajir seer named Dak Hamee, and the Yeerk Esplin 9466, who would one day become Visser Three.

Plot

Official Description

The unforgettable story of the fierce Hork-Bajir wars in a time before the Animorphs...

Dak Hamee is a unique Hork-Bajir. His people call him a "seer." He learns more quickly and completely than the rest of his docile race. Hork-Bajir like him are born once a generation.

Aldrea is a young Andalite. Daughter of the notorious Prince Seerow. It is only after she and her family are sent to the Hork-Bajir home world that she begins to fight the Yeerks -- and, with Dak's help, ultimately discovers their hideous plan.

Plot Summary

In the Earth year 1968, Aldrea and her family come to live on the Hork-Bajir homeworld after her father Seerow, formerly Prince Seerow, is relieved of duty by Alloran-Semitur-Corrass and many other Andalites who feel he is no longer fit to command because his peaceful philosophy towards the Yeerks (which has resulted in the Yeerks' enslavement of many other species). On the Hork-Bajir homeworld, Aldrea makes friends with Dak Hamee, a Hork-Bajir who is a seer, meaning he possesses intelligence greater than most others of his species. Aldrea's mother, a biologist, is fascinated with the reptilian, tree-dwelling, peaceful Hork-Bajir, as well as with the other life on the planet. Aldrea herself begins to learn more about Hork-Bajir culture from Dak, and he in turns learns about Andalites. But then tragedy strikes in the form of a Yeerk invasion, and Aldrea's entire family is killed. She and Dak barely escape, and Dak is sickened by his first taste of violence when they are forced to fight Yeerks and Gedd-Controllers. The Yeerks arrive at the enormous tree where the other members of Dak's tribe live, and proceed to enslave every single Hork-Bajir they find.

Aldrea and Dak, meanwhile, continue to flee the Yeerks, and they journey down into a huge chasm called Father Deep. There they meet the Arn, a powerful but arrogant race who created the Hork-Bajir, as well as many other creatures that inhabit their planet. Aldrea convinces the Arn that it is in their best interest to fight back against the Yeerks. Aldrea also urges Dak to round up the remaining Hork-Bajir and train them to fight. Eventually, Dak does so, and he and Aldrea then lead their Hork-Bajir army, along with various monsters and terrifying creatures created by the Arn, against the Yeerks on the ground. In the ensuing bloodbath, Aldrea is disgusted by the carnage, and Dak blames Aldrea for turning his people from innocence and peacefulness towards violence. Dak becomes more distant with Aldrea. After many months, an attack force of Andalite ships appears, though not enough to fight off all the Yeerks. The Andalites, including Alloran, who is now a powerful leader, joins Dak and Aldrea on the ground and take part in their campaign of guerilla warfare against the Yeerks. As their numbers began to dwindle, Alloran becomes desperate, and finally resorts to using a biological weapon called the Quantum Virus, which will kill all Hork-Bajir, from the Hork-Bajir-Controllers to all the free Hork-Bajir still alive on the planet to prevent them from becoming enslaved.

When Aldrea realizes what is about to happen, she betrays Alloran and her fellow Andalites in order to help Dak destroy the virus before it can be employed. In the resulting conflict, the virus is accidentally released into the environment. Aldrea, who had morphed into a female Hork-Bajir during the struggle, stays too long in that form and is thus trapped and is now a Hork-Bajir Nothlit. She and Dak realize their love for each other, and the two become a mated pair. They go to live in the deep valleys, where the toxin will not reach for some time. Their descendants become part of the small Hork-Bajir colony on Earth. Years later, Jara Hamee, Dak and Aldrea's descendent, tells the story of the Yeerk invasion of the Hork-Bajir homeworld to Tobias, revealing at the end that he and his mate, Ket Halpak, have named their daughter Toby after Tobias, responding to his comment about it being a strange name for a Hork-Bajir by commenting that Toby, like her great-grandfather, is different; she is a seer like Dak.

Appearances

Protagonists:

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Major/Highlighted Events

  • In 1966, after armed with knowledge and purpose by the Andalite Prince Seerow, a group of four hundred Yeerks, led by Akdor 1154, steal Shredders and massacre a small army of Andalites, stealing their Andalite fighters and transport ships. However, before leaving the Yeerk homeworld, the Yeerks land next to one of the Yeerk pools and load up the ships with a quarter million Yeerks before escaping potential Andalite pursuit through Z-space. Due to his actions, Seerow is relinquished from his command and disgraced by warrior Alloran-Semitur-Corrass, and the law of Seerow's Kindness is established.
    • It is also revealed that Seerow built the Yeerks portable Kandronas, allowing the Yeerks to survive outside of their homeworld.
  • Three of the quarter million Yeerks taken from the homeworld pair up, giving birth to Esplin 9466 and his younger twin, Esplin 9466 Lesser. Aware of the fact that there are not enough hosts for everyone, Esplin 9466 takes it upon himself to become an expert on Andalites so that he may be found useful by his Yeerk superiors and thus given a host.
  • In 1968, Seerow, his wife, his daughter Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan and son Barafin are sent to Sector 5, RG-21578-4, with the official mission of scouting the planet to see if the Yeerks are interested in taking the local Hork-Bajir population as shock troops, although the true mission is to get Seerow out of Andalite society, with the Andalites refusing to believe that the Yeerks are interested in the Hork-Bajir. However, Akdor and his troops land on the planet as well, and after kidnapping three Hork-Bajir, present one to Esplin. Akdor then asks Esplin to evaluate whether the Hork-Bajir could be used as weapons and Esplin agrees; Akdor then announces the birth of the Yeerk Empire, and arranges for the mass infestation of the Hork-Bajir.
  • Aldrea strikes up a friendship with Dak Hamee, a Hork-Bajir seer who possesses Andalite-level intellect, sharing information about each other's homeworlds. Dak sees Aldrea as a source of knowledge while Aldrea admits that despite missing Dak's company when he is not there, she is with him since she is interested in males and must make do with Dak as there are no other Andalite males present.
  • The Yeerks discover that Seerow and his family have a settlement on the planet and incinerate them, although Aldrea survives as she was with Dak. Dak is made aware of the Yeerk threat, and while escaping from Yeerk pursuit, enters Father Deep with Aldrea, where they encounter the Arn.
  • It is uncovered that the Arn, a master biological and genetical engineering race, created the Hork-Bajir, as well as the various monsters that dwell in the Deep. Dak and Aldrea convince Quatzhinnikon, one of the Arn, into allowing them to mind control the animals and use them against the Yeerks.
  • Dak begrudgingly leads the Hork-Bajir from a peaceful race unable to grasp the concept of killing into a race of killers, desperate to protect his people from the parasitic threat.
  • Aldrea manages to send a plea for help to the Andalite homeworld, who ignore her since she is female and is Seerow's daughter. With no help from her people, Aldrea forms a resistance faction with Dak, fighting for seven months with over seventy percent of their army being killed. Meanwhile, the Yeerk Empire mine several elements from the planet, and create among other things, the Dracon beam, Bug fighters and Blade ships.
  • The Andalites finally send a small fleet to scout the planet, only to be ambushed by numerous Yeerk forces. Alloran, now a War-Prince, lands on the planet and is debriefed by Dak and Aldrea. Alloran commissions a Quantum Virus to be used against the Hork-Bajir, eliminating both the Controllers and the ones who are free, in order to render the species extinct, thus depriving the Yeerks of their most powerful hosts. Aldrea and Dak destroy the computers that produce the virus and take the existing sample to be destroyed, although Alloran and the Yeerks interfere. In the process, the virus is unleashed, killing several Hork-Bajir.
  • Esplin 9466 develops a desire to possess an Andalite host and manages to partially infest Aldrea, although his eagerness leaves him careless, allowing his now-freed host, Gah Fillat, to prevent his infestation.
  • Aldrea, who had acquired and morphed a Hork-Bajir named Delf Hajool, decides to trap herself in morph and becomes a nothlit.
  • With the quantum virus being unleashed, the Andalites flee the Hork-Bajir homeworld. Aldrea, now a Hork-Bajir, remains on the planet with Dak. Dak and Aldrea have fallen in love, and the pair mate, conceiving a son, whom Aldrea names Seerow. Seerow Hamee is none other than Jara Hamee's father, and it was Seerow who had passed down the tale of his parents to Jara, who in turn passes it down to the free Hork-Bajir, his mate Ket Halpak and Tobias.
  • Jara and Ket have a daughter, whom they name Toby, who is a seer as well.
  • It is revealed that the morphing technology is a recent invention, having been created between 1966 and 1968.
  • Yeerks are shown to be able to communicate through sound and palps when in their natural forms.

Morphs

Morpher Morphs acquired Morphs used
Aldrea-Iskillion-Falan Djabala, Chadoo, Jubba-Jubba, Andalite (Alloran-Semitur-Corrass), Hork-Bajir (Delf Hajool) Djabala, Chadoo, Jubba-Jubba, Andalite (Alloran-Semitur-Corrass), Hork-Bajir (Delf Hajool; becomes trapped in morph)

Trivia

  • The paperback inside cover quote is "They say that terror is in the Deep...". The hardback edition did not have a quote.
  • While the UK cover may look the same as the US inside cover, look closely - in the UK cover Aldrea is looking at the reader, in the US inside cover she is looking away.
Aldrea and dak hork bajir chronicles US and UK covers compared

Aldrea on the US back cover (left), looking away, compared to the UK cover where she is looking toward the viewer. The rest of the picture is otherwise the same.

  • ANIBASE: Around the time K.A. Applegate was developing and writing The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, she was participating in a week-long author "chat" on a Scholastic Network message board. Many of the fans that visited suggested ideas in addition to asking questions. It was during that week that K.A. saw the constant requests for a female Andalite and read the fan suggestions for having a Hork-Bajir "thinker". These ideas led to the creation of Aldrea and Dak Hamee, two classic Animorphs characters and the heroes of The Hork-Bajir Chronicles.
  • This is the only Animorphs book to be published in both hardback and paperback where the paperback is not a Scholastic School Market Edition.
  • The pages of the book include a flipbook "morph" of Yeerk – Gedd – Hork-Bajir – Andalite – Human.
  • In the introduction, Seerow makes the assumption that the Council of Thirteen is unaware, and therefore not responsible nor supportive of the attack on the Andalite-Yeerk Peace and Cooperation Center. If he is to be believed, it means Akdor 1154 and his allies were in fact rebels inside the Yeerk population, who took over with this coup, recreating a new off-planet Council afterwards.

Goofs/Inconsistences

  • Jara Hamee knows the full story of the events that transpired on Sector 5, RG-21578-4, claiming that his father Seerow Hamee had told him. However, in The Prophecy, it was disclosed that Seerow was taken and infested at a young age. As Jara himself was born in captivity, the only possible way he could have hear the story was from his father while their Yeerks swam in the pool, although the time would be nowhere near long enough for Seerow to tell the full story, although it is possible Seerow told Jara the story over multiple days.
    • Jara Hamee also knows Esplin 9466's life story, although it is possible that when Esplin partially infested Aldrea and their minds were connected, Aldrea received his memories and thus passed Esplin's tale down to her son, who in turned passed it down to his son.
  • Upon landing on Sector 5, RG-21578-4, Seerow informs his family that they are there to make sure that the Yeerks do not move against the Hork-Bajir. By the next chapter or so, Seerow states that they are there to study the Hork-Bajir, with Aldrea remarking that their true mission was to scout for Yeerks but that her father could not bring himself to admit that the Yeerks were a threat, contradicting his earlier mission statement.
  • In The Alien, Ax mentions that the next species the Yeerks infested after the Gedds were the Nahara, right before they infested Hork-Bajir. However, in this book, there is made no mention of the Nahara, with the only species infested between the Gedds and the Hork-Bajir being the Ongachic and the Hawjabran.
  • Aldrea says Andalites are not superstitious, contradicting Ax and Elfangor's reactions to the Ellimist.
  • Aldrea and Dak are able to communicate since Aldrea, as an Andalite, possesses a translator chip, which translates her thought-speak to Hork-Bajir language so Dak can understand while Dak's speech is translated to Andalite language. However, when Aldrea morphs into Delf Hajool, Aldrea is able to communicate verbally using the Hork-Bajir language, a language she never learned.

Gallery

U.S. Images

International Covers

Books
Main Series #1 The Invasion | #2 The Visitor | #3 The Encounter | #4 The Message | #5 The Predator | #6 The Capture | #7 The Stranger | #8 The Alien | #9 The Secret | #10 The Android | #11 The Forgotten | #12 The Reaction | #13 The Change | #14 The Unknown | #15 The Escape | #16 The Warning | #17 The Underground | #18 The Decision | #19 The Departure | #20 The Discovery | #21 The Threat | #22 The Solution | #23 The Pretender | #24 The Suspicion | #25 The Extreme | #26 The Attack | #27 The Exposed | #28 The Experiment | #29 The Sickness | #30 The Reunion | #31 The Conspiracy | #32 The Separation | #33 The Illusion | #34 The Prophecy | #35 The Proposal | #36 The Mutation | #37 The Weakness | #38 The Arrival | #39 The Hidden | #40 The Other | #41 The Familiar | #42 The Journey | #43 The Test | #44 The Unexpected | #45 The Revelation | #46 The Deception | #47 The Resistance | #48 The Return | #49 The Diversion | #50 The Ultimate | #51 The Absolute | #52 The Sacrifice | #53 The Answer | #54 The Beginning
Megamorphs The Andalite's Gift | In the Time of Dinosaurs | Elfangor's Secret | Back to Before
Chronicles The Andalite Chronicles | The Hork-Bajir Chronicles | VISSER | The Ellimist Chronicles
Alternamorphs The First Journey | The Next Passage
TV Tie-Ins Meet the Stars of Animorphs
Graphic Novels #1 The Invasion | #2 The Visitor | #3 The Encounter | #4 The Message
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