The Threat (Animorphs)

infobox Book |
name = The Threat
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption = Jake morphing into a golden retriever
author = K. A. Applegate
illustrator =
cover_artist = David B. Mattingly
country = United States
language = English
series = Animorphs #21
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher = Scholastic
release_date = August 1998
english_release_date =
media_type = Print
pages = 158
isbn = 0-590-76254-0
preceded_by = The Discovery
followed_by = The Solution

"The Threat" is the twenty-first book in the "Animorphs" series, written by K.A. Applegate. It is narrated by Jake. It is the second book in the David trilogy.

Plot Summary

After falling from the Blade ship, the Animorphs are snagged from mid-air by Rachel and Tobias, in their respective eagle and hawk morphs. They land on the beach, needing a plan to infiltrate the Marriott resort. Jake becomes aware of the tensions between David and Marco, and is disturbed by David's unnecessary excesses. The team morphs into seagulls, and spy out the area, crawling with security agents armed to the teeth and accompanied by dogs. They're zapped by a man wearing sunglasses with weak Dracon beam emitters built into them. Jake tells them to leave.

Upon his return home, his parents tell Jake and his brother Tom that their obnoxious cousin, Saddler, was gravely injured in a car accident, and that they were leaving town to spend time with the his parents. Jake is presented with the opportunity to advance his plans. Unfortunately, that night, David disappears from Cassie's barn. Jake morphs into a dog, Homer, and tracks David's scent to an inn. David had morphed into a golden eagle, smashed the window with a rock and entered without paying. Jake warns him of the consequences of this action. David doesn't hide his contempt, but leaves with Jake anyway.

Cassie formulates a plan to infiltrate the resort. Jake morphs into a dragonfly, while the other Animorphs, with the exception of Tobias, morph into fleas and latch onto Jake's body. Tobias guides them to the hotel. Inside, Jake tries to find the banquet hall where the speeches and infestations will take place. Inside an air vent, he gets caught in a spider web. Terrified, Jake demorphs, and the others follow. Cassie is badly wounded when Jake's demorphing creates a human artery that forces more blood into her flea body than it is prepared to hold. He releases them, and they begin demorphing. Marco is stuck mid-morph, as a giant flea. They begin to despair, but Cassie guides Marco and enables him to demorph.Marco then becomes emotional, something very unlike him.

Jake inspects the banquet room, and notices the number of holograms in place. Here they discover how the Yeerks plan to infest each world leader. They return to the barn, and Cassie explains why the Visser is in personal command of the operation. Now the Animorphs need a plan to thwart it. They return to the resort, knock out the guards, morph into them, and reenter the banquet. Soon they realise they'd been deceived, and had fallen into Visser Three's trap. David is frightened and turns against the Animorphs in order to preserve his own life. It isn't long, though, before they discover that the Hork-Bajir surrounding them were only holograms. They took the Visser hostage, and withdrew. The Animorphs, now disgusted and angry with David, try to plan their next move before it's too late.

But during the night, David returns to his old home in eagle morph. Jake and Ax pursue him, only to find that David had apparently killed Tobias. David explains that the Animorphs weren't treating him as an equal, and that he'd have to take matters into his own hands. Enraged, Jake engages David, only to be ambushed by Hork-Bajir. Ax rescues Jake, and escape. David then leads Jake to the mall, and they each morph their battle morphs, lion and tiger respectively. After a brief duel, David severs Jake's carotid artery, leaving him to bleed to death...

Contributions to the Series' Story Arc

*David becomes an enemy of the Animorphs

Morphs

Trivia

* This was the first book in the series to feature the "Watch Animorphs TV on Nickelodeon" logo on the front cover. The logo was also printed on #24 "The Suspicion", but returned on #30 "The Reunion" as "Watch Animorphs TV", and appeared on every cover until #53 "The Answer"
*This is the sixth book to feature a cover morph that was not acquired in the book. Jake acquired his golden retriever, and first ever morph in the first book, "The Invasion".
* This marks the first time that any of the Animorphs acquire an unknowing human host.
* The front cover quote is, "The newest Animorph has a secret. And it's not good...."
* The inside front cover quote is, "Jake's really gone to the dogs...."