The Sickness (Animorphs)

infobox Book |
name = The Sickness
title_orig =


image_caption = Cassie morphing into a Yeerk
author = K. A. Applegate
illustrator = David B. Mattingly
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series = Animorphs #29
genre = Science fiction novel
publisher = Scholastic
release_date = June 1999
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 152
isbn = 0-590-76262-1
preceded_by = The Experiment
followed_by =

"The Sickness" is the twenty-ninth book in the "Animorphs" series, authored by K.A. Applegate. It is known to have been ghostwritten by Melinda Metz. It is narrated by Cassie.

Plot Summary

Cassie and Jake are dragged along by Rachel and the others to the school dance. They have a few good laughs when Ax's unfamiliarity with human culture scares away some of the crowd. The laughter stops, however, when he morphs involuntarily. It soon becomes apparent that Ax is suffering from an inflamed Tria gland - much like the lymphatic tonsils in the human mouth. Unlike humans, though, this gland is located at the back of Ax's brain. If it bursts, it will cause irreversible and fatal damage to the brain, as well. Cassie hides the sick alien in her barn, and Erek the Chee erects a hologram around them both.

At the same time, Mr. Tidwell, one of Cassie's teachers, informs her that Aftran has been captured by Visser Three. She will be tortured, and will thus be forced to divulge all of her secrets; including that of Cassie and the Animorphs. Cassie endures her friends' thinly-veiled blame, but they decide to act. They form a plan to enter the Yeerk pool via the facility's extensive piping system. Tobias brings them eels to morph. The children morph and enter the pipes, but Jake falls ill from Ax's virus. The plan fails, and they return to the surface - through a fire hose and into a burning building!

That night, Cassie has a bad dream. In the morning, she discovers that Rachel is ill. Mr. Tidwell reveals he shares control of his body with Illim, a Yeerk, and that he is a member of the Yeerk Peace Movement. He tells her the time and location of Aftran's interrogation. Marco is the next to fall ill. Then, While Cassie is with him, Tobias, too, falls ill to it, flying into one of the barn rafters. To keep Tobias safe, she locks him up next to a golden eagle, much to his dismay.

Cassie is all alone, and she needs to infiltrate the Yeerk pool, so Illim allows her to acquire his Yeerk DNA and take control of Mr. Tidwell. Cassie and Mr. Tidwell enter the enemy stronghold, and she is disgorged into the Yeerk pool. She finds Aftran's cage, and manages to take control of a voluntary host. She rams the Visser, who drops Aftran. Cassie leaves the little girl, dives back into the pool, morphs her osprey, and carries Aftran away, pursued by Visser Three, who has morphed an eyeball with tentacles.

Back at the barn, Cassie learns that Ax is in crisis. She allows Aftran to enter Ax's head and tell her the location of the Tria gland. Cassie makes her incision, and pulls the gland out, saving Ax's life.

A few days later, the other Animorphs have recovered from the illness. Aftran is safe, but the Animorphs need to keep her alive outside the Yeerk pool. They allow her to morph a humpback whale - on the condition that she stays in that form as a "nothlit".

Contributions to the Series' Story Arc

*The Yeerk Peace Movement is introduced.

Morphs

Trivia

*"The Sickness" brought about two firsts for the morphing technology; Aftran was the first Yeerk to morph on their own, outside of a host body (as Visser Three did); Aftran was also the first Yeerk "nothlit".
*The front cover quote is, "Cassie is about to make a change for the better...."
*The inside front cover quote is, "Home, sweet home?"