In the ’90s, R.L. Stine’s “Goosebumps” books unleashed a wave of truth-telling about the horrors of modern America. Stine primed the zeitgeist with suburban mythology so the Animorphs could make Millennial tweens wary of demagogues and authoritarianism.
The Yeerks were clearly symbolic of America’s burgeoning ethnocentric theocracy, but readers were too busy getting participation trophies to grasp the importance of the paperback manifestos in their shit-stained hands! To save the soul of our democracy, we must revisit the top five Animorphs books about America’s slow descent into fascism.
The Alien – 1997
Post-WWII, Americans were comfortable that evil had been vanquished in 1945 even though racism, sexism, homophobia, and puritanical values thrived in the states. Scholastic reminded us when Ax took the form of a rattlesnake and bit a fellow Andalite in an attempt to kill Visser Three that sometimes America treads on itself.
The Arrival – 2000
In this book, the Animorphs and a band of well-intended space extremists require a human shield to save them from dying at the hands of the Yeerks. Scholastic wanted us to remember that fascists will murder and imprison the most vulnerable members of society first as a way to consolidate power.
The Unknown – 1997
In 2023, America is literally a sick horse stumbling around the midwestern plain states, but everyone is too focused on Martians to see what’s really going on. Coincidentally, that is exactly how this book from 1997 starts. The only problem is that we can’t horse morph to get away from all this bullshit. I really wish I could fucking horse morph.
The Secret – 1997
In this subversive check on the pulse of fascism in the United States, the Yeerks have set up a logging company and are deforesting in an attempt to find Andelites in hiding. If that doesn’t sound like industry being used to punish and exploit dissidents, I clearly don’t understand metaphors.
The Threat – 1998
You couldn’t foreshadow the coming of Donald Trump any better than writing a sci-fi YA fantasy novel where the heroes need to break into a Marriott Resort. AND WHILE THEY’RE IN THE RESORT, THE FUCKING ANIMORPHS DISCOVER SECRET DOCUMENTS WITH PLANS TO OVERTHROW THE GOVERNMENT, YOU GUYS.
Looking back, it seems like Scholastic really saw what was coming. Why didn’t they do more than just publish a series of poorly-written young adult novels that could never live up to the hype of the cover?