"This is my last time." "What do you mean?" "I'm in for this time, but that's it. No more after that. And I'm serious. No one is going to 'guilt' me into it. I've done enough."
1996 Official Website Synopsis: Marco never wanted to be an Animorph. He never wanted the ability to change into any animal he touches. He just wants to chill. Whatever happens, happens.
Jake, Rachel, Cassie, and Tobias know why Marco feels the way he does. He's worried about his dad -- the only family Marco has left. And if anything happens to him, his father will be all alone.
But something is about to change Marco's mind. It seems the Yeerks have a little surprise waiting for him. And it's definitely not nice. Now Marco has a reason to fight...
2011 Reprint Website Synopsis:
Marco never wanted to be an Animorph. He didn't want the ability to change into any animal he touches. And he certainly didn't want to be one of a handful of kids that are the planet's only defense against a secret alien army. His friends know why he feels the way he does. He's worried about his dad—the only family Marco has left. If anything happens to him, his father will be alone. But something big is about to change for Marco. Something that could finally give him a reason to fight.
1996 U.S. Back Cover Synopsis: Marco never wanted to be an Animorph. He never wanted the ability to change into any animal he touches. He just wants to chill. Whatever happens, happens.
Jake, Rachel, Cassie, and Tobias know why Marco feels the way he does. He's worried about his dad—the only family Marco has left. And if anything happens to him, his father will be all alone.
But something is about to change Marco's mind. It seems the Yeerks have a little surprise waiting for him. And it's definitely not nice.
Now Marco has a reason to fight...
2011 Reprint Back Cover Synopsis: Marco never wanted to be an Animorph. He didn't want the ability to change into any animal he touches. And he definitely didn't want to be one of a handful of kids who are the planet's only defense against a secret alien army. His friends know why he hangs back. He's worried about his dad—the only family Marco has left. If anything happens to him, his father will be alone.
But something big is about to change for Marco. Something that could finally give him a reason to fight.
1997 UK Back Cover Synopsis: Marco's not so sure that having the power to morph is a good thing. It's just leading him and his friends into more and more danger. Wouldn't it be better to lie low and stay out of trouble?
But something's about to change Marco's mind. He's about to discover a new horror, even worse than everything else the Animorphs have seen. Something that will give him a real reason to fight...
While walking home from a 7-Eleven after 10:00 PM, Marco witnesses an old man being mugged by three men in a dark alley. Choosing to save the man, Marco morphs into his gorilla morph and attacks the muggers, although the old man picks up a gun that one of the muggers dropped and uses it shoot it at Marco, forcing him to flee and leave behind most of his purchases. The next day, Marco informs the other Animorphs of the incident as they walk across Cassie's farm to speak to Ax. Jake notifies them that Ax wishes to return to the Andalite homeworld and that they would need to steal a Yeerk ship in order to get Ax back home. Marco wonders how they would manage to acquire a Yeerk ship, and Ax reveals that he would be able to summon a Bug fighter using a Yeerk Distress Beacon.
A few days later, on Saturday, Ax assumes his human morph and takes the bus to the mall along with Jake and Marco, as the plan is to visit Radio Shack in order to obtain the parts that Ax needs to build the distress beacon. While at the mall, Ax is overwhelmed by the smells of food and drink, and wanders off to a Starbucks, although Jake and Marco manage to get him to Radio Shack. While Ax is able to make use of the items available at Radio Shack, he mentions that he needs a Z-Space transponder, a device that can translate signals into Z-Space, also known as Zero space, which he reveals is an anti-reality dimension where faster-than-light travel is possible. Marco tells Ax that humans do not have faster-than-light travel and therefore do not have Z-Space transponders, but Jake remarks that they can worry about that later. As Jake goes to pay for the items, Ax is enticed by a particular smell and runs out of Radio Shack. Jake and Marco rush out of the store to try and find him, and notice a huge crowd of people heading towards the food court. When they arrive, they see Ax eating people's food in a mad frenzy; Ax then shoves a cinnamon bun from Cinnabon in his mouth and states that this was what he was smelling, and relishes the taste. As mall police congregate on Ax, Marco yells at him to run; however, due to not being able to run well on two feet as well as the inability to look behind him as he flees, Ax demorphs publicly, causing shoppers to scream and run in panic.
Marco and Jake catch up with Ax and run out of the mall, still chased by mall police, when city police start heading towards them, having been notified of the incident. The three of them run through the parking lot and are surrounded by the police, and are forced to run into a grocery store. Marco pushes grocery carts into the entrance of the supermarket before screaming out a bomb threat to get the shoppers to evacuate, with the shoppers also screaming and panicking at the sight of Ax, as he is in his Andalite form. The three then make their way to the back of the store, where they notice a giant lobster tank. They acquire lobsters and then strip down to their morphing outfits, stashing their outer clothing and the Radio Shack bag in a nearby trash can. They then morph into lobsters and hide out in the tank, intending to remain there as close to the two-hour limit as they can get. However, after an hour, they are purchased by a woman, who takes them home. When Ax informs them that they only have seven minutes left in morph, they begin demorphing; Marco demorphs just as the woman is about to drop him in a pot to boil him alive, and narrowly avoids falling into the pot as he resumes his human form. The woman screams at the sight of three of her lobsters turning into two human boys and an alien, but Marco tells her that it is just a dream while Jake tells her not to tell anyone about what she saw, citing that she would get in trouble with certain people and that people in general would think she is crazy.
Returning home, Marco has a nightmare about the lobster incident and is awakened by his father, who has been severely depressed ever since Marco's mother died, and the pair have a brief conversation before Marco returns to sleep. In the daytime, the Animorphs meet up in the woods and have a picnic; with the Radio Shack bag having been recovered, Ax successfully builds the distress beacon, although it is useless without a Z-Space transponder. Tobias reminds them that "Chapman" must have a transponder since he communicates with Visser Three, but neither Rachel nor Jake wish to infiltrate the Chapman Residence again and risk putting Melissa Chapman in danger. Cassie then asks Ax how small a transponder is, and when he indicates that it is quite tiny, Cassie proposes that they morph into ants, which would allow them to enter Chapman's basement and steal the transponder without him even realizing.
The Animorphs acquire black garden ants from Cassie's barn and then make their way to the backyard of an empty house next to Chapman's, with Tobias watching from above, and they morph into ants. Due to ants being hive insects, they lose their sense of self and individuality in the morph, although they manage to regain control. While making their way into Chapman's backyard, their ant minds warn them that they are in enemy ant territory, with enemy ant markings everywhere, but the Animorphs trudge on. Through a crack in the foundation of Chapman's house, the five are able to enter into Chapman's basement office, where they demorph. Ax manages to retrieve a Z-Space transponder out of the communication device, but also takes the time to read through some documents on the Yeerk computer, and informs them that Visser One, who has a human host body, will apparently be visiting. The Animorphs put the transponder near the crack and morph back into ants, and manage to push the transponder back through the crack and into the garden. However, they are swiftly ambushed by the ants whose colony they invaded, and scream in agony as the ants sting them with poison, rip out their limbs, and lock their mandibles around their waists in an attempt to bisect them. With no other choice, the five of them demorph and burst out the ground. Marco then retrieves the transponder while Rachel attempts to flatten the ground before they leave.
The next day at school, Marco watches as Rachel, Jake and Cassie struggle with the trauma they received in ant morph the night before; while Marco was traumatized as well, he finds himself able to adjust and put it past him. When a student named Jessica bumps into Rachel and provokes her, Rachel attacks Jessica, forcing Marco to intervene. The three are then brought to Chapman's office, where Marco takes the blame by stating that both girls were fighting over him as they are in love with him. "Chapman" then dismisses them, and Rachel tells Marco that she wishes she could be cool and funny like him; she adds that as much as he gets on her nerves with her jokes, he should not stop as they need his sense of humor.
A few days later, the Animorphs regroup in the woods to discuss when and where to use the distress beacon, and decide to activate it in a quarry an hour's flight away on the upcoming Saturday. While walking home, Marco tells Jake that this will be his last mission as he is retiring from the Animorphs, recalling all of the times he was almost killed, such as nearly being eaten by sharks, nearly being boiled alive as a lobster, as well as being dismembered as an ant. Jake accepts his resignation, but asks him what he will be doing on Sunday, which is the two-year death anniversay for Marco's mother, who drowned out at sea. Marco replies that he is unsure but that he does not want his father going to leave flowers on two graves in the future. On Saturday, the Animorphs fly to the quarry, where Ax activates the beacon as the rest of them, minus Tobias, assume battle morphs. When a Bug fighter arrives, Tobias, Jake and Rachel take out the Hork-Bajir-Controller while Marco, Cassie and Ax rush to try and take out the Taxxon inside, only to find their path cut off by Dracon beams. The group are surrounded by a hundred armed Hork-Bajir-Controllers as well as Visser Three himself, who admonished them for using an outdated frequency. With no way to escape, the Animorphs are forced to comply with Visser Three's demands that they board his Blade ship, as he wishes to take them to the mother ship in order to present them to Visser One.
Arriving on the mother ship, Marco is stunned to see that Visser One's host body is none other than his mother and realizes that her deatn had been faked. Jake privately thought-speaks to Marco and urges him not to say anything and reminds him that the woman in front of them is a Yeerk Controller and not his mother. Marco agrees, but asks Jake not to tell the other Animorphs about his mother, since they had never met Marco's mother and therefore did not recognize her. When Visser Three ponders what to do with the Animorphs and considers infesting them, Ax yells at him, prompting Visser Three to ask why Ax is the only one of the "bandits" who has spoken to him while the others remain silent and in their Earth morphs; however, he then shrugs it off and orders his guards to confine the Animorphs to a holding cell. Invigorated with new purpose, Marco suggests morphing to ant in order to escape, but before the plan can be initiated, Visser Three's guards are incapacitated by Visser One's guards, who then free the Animorphs. One of Visser One's soldiers tells them where to find an escape pod and adds that the autopilot on the pod has been programmed to return them to the quarry; the Animorphs wonder why Visser One would have them freed, but Ax and Cassie indicate that it is political, as preventing Visser Three's successful capture of the "Andalite bandits" prevents him from affecting Visser One's career. The Animorphs leave their cell, head towards the escape pod and fight their way through some of Visser Three's Hork-Bajir-Controllers, successfully managing to use a dropshaft to find and enter the escape pod. As the pod ejects from the mother ship, Marco reminds Jake via private-thought speak to not divulge the truth about his mother and muses that someday, humans and Andalites would end the war and that all of the Yeerks' slaves would be freed. Marco is no longer a reluctant Animorph, and strives to free his mother in the future.
The next day, Marco visits his mother's grave with his father, and the two cry. Marco's father admits that he has not been a good father for the past two years and that Marco's mother would not appreciate how he has been living. He tells Marco that he will be returning to work the next day, and jokes about whether he still remembers how to use a computer. Marco fires a joke back about his father being bad at video games, and the joke knocks his father out of his depressive mood, who then laughs as he hugs his son. As the pair leave the graveyard and walk home, Marco looks to the sky and wonders where his mother is, but affirms that one day he will see her again.
Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill wants to leave Earth in order to return to the Andalite homeworld, which he plans to do so by stealing a YeerkBug fighter. In order to lure a Bug fighter, he decides to build a distress beacon using parts obtained from Radio Shack at the mall. During their visit to the mall, Ax becomes overwhelmed by his sense of taste and is chased by mall security. In the chaos, he demorphs publicly, creating a panic at the mall, and Jake, Marco and Ax flee from both mall security and city police by exiting the mall and running into a grocery store, which Marco evacuates using a bomb threat. They succeed in evading capture in the grocery store by morphing into lobsters from the seafood section and hiding in the lobster tank. However, the three are purchased for dinner and are nearly boiled alive before they can demorph and escape to safety.
Using the parts purchased from the mall, Ax states that all he needs is a Z-Space transponder, which Tobias theorizes "Chapman" would have. The five, minus Tobias, acquire and morph black garden ants obtained from an ant colony on Cassie's farm and invade an enemy ant colony in Chapman's backyard. While they do manage to steal the transponder, the enemy ants attempt to kill them, and the Animorphs endure the pain and torture of being stung with poison while having their limbs torn off before they can demorph. The experience of being nearly massacred, along with the ant's hive mind robbing them of their individual sense of self, cause the Animorphs to vow to never morph ants again, a vow that is brought up multiple times in the series henceforth.
Marco, who has been a reluctant Animorph from the beginning, declares to Jake that their mission to get Ax home will be his last and that he will be resigning from the Animorphs. In the first book, Marco only tagged along in order to save Tom for Jake's sake. His only morphing role in the second book, other than morphing an osprey for fun, was to save Jake and Rachel from being captured. In the third book, he begrudgingly tags along with the Animorphs' plan to uncloak the Yeerk truck ship, citing that he is only participating to protect them but also because he believes exposing the ship publicly would most likely alleviate them from their duties. In the fourth book, Rachel is fed up with Marco's reluctant behavior, but Marco agrees to join the Andalite rescue mission in honor of Elfangor-Sirinial-Shamtul. However, after nearly being killed by sharks in the rescue attempt, along with the lobster and ant incident on the same week as his mother's two-year death anniversary, Marco is reminded that his father, depressed and empty after his wife's death, would not continue living if his son died as well.
Ax's plan is foiled when Visser Three arrives, announcing that he noticed the distress beacon had used the wrong frequency. He forces them them to board his Blade ship and leaves Earth, heading for the Pool ship in space, in order to parade them to his superior, Visser One.
Marco discovers that his mother is actually Visser One's host, and that her drowning two years ago, an incident in which her body was never found, was faked. In order to prevent Visser Three from using the capture of the "Andalite bandits" to potentially take her title, Visser One arranges for the Animorphs to escape and return back to Earth. Marco asks Jake, who recognized his mother, having met her many times in the past, to not share this information with the other teammates, who are unaware of his mother being Visser One's host. With a new conviction, Marco sheds his former reluctance, wanting to fully engage in the war effort in order to one day free his mother from her infestation.
This gives Marco his personal reason for fighting in the war.
This marks the first time all six Animorphs are embroiled in close combat against the Yeerk Empire, specifically against their Hork-Bajir-Controllers.
Marco's father, who had stopped working after his wife's death and therefore was forced to sell his house and car and move to a run-down apartment, overcomes depression and guilt and goes back to work in a bid to move on and support his family once again.
The existence and function of the Pool ship is first shown, and informs the Animorphs of another Kandrona source outside of the one in their city.
Marco is revealed to be of mixed descent, as he says his mother is Hispanic while he describes his father as pale; later books would clarify that his father is white.
This book marks the second time that the Animorphs leave their hometown, as well as the first time they leave Earth.
Marco reveals that Rachel's favorite phrase to use prior to a mission is "Let's do it!", a catchphrase that would be mentioned multiple times in the series henceforth. Ironically, Marco first used the catchphrase in The Encounter while Rachel used "insane", which would become Marco's word of choice.
It is revealed that the Visser rank goes from One to Forty-Seven.
The book's title, The Predator, may be a reference to the Yeerk Pool ship, which this book introduces. As Marco looks out the window of the Blade ship, he observes, noting the Pool Ship's massive size: "It just hung in orbit, like a predator gazing down hungrily at blue Earth below."
This was the only book cover in the entire series to show Marco with longer hair. Starting with Marco's next cover (The Android) Marco would have his hair in a shortened style for the rest of the series.
This is also the first time the word "demorph" is used; the previous books used variations such as "morph out" or "morph back" or merely "morph".
During the ambush at the quarry, the sound of the Dracon beams are written as "Zzzzzzaaaapppp". In all future books, the sound is written as "TSEWWW".
Marco morphing lobster on the spanish edition cover. For some reason, many of the international edition books featured the Marco/lobster morph instead of the Marco/gorilla morph.
The UK, French, Argentinian Spanish, Brazilian, Portuguese, Dutch, and Polish edition's cover art depicts Marco morphing into a lobster rather than a gorilla. This is the only book where international editions featured a different cover morph.
This marks the first time when Ax tries out human food, as well as the first occurrence of his love of human food, cinnamon buns in particular, as well as his tendency to play with mouth sounds through vocal speech.
Promotional Tie-in: This book came attached with a free iron-on shirt decal.
ANIBASE: "One some of the stepbacks (inside covers) -- the pages behind the front cover that show a scene from a book -- cover artist David B. Mattingly would hide little images of his beloved, deceased cat Orson, as well as some other surprises. If you look on the brick wall on the stepback of this book, you can see "ORSON" spray-painted across it in white, and the initials "DBM" to the left in black, right above "96" -- the year the cover was made. Below Orson but above the trashcan is the name of another of David's cats, "MOUSE". There're a few more hidden images (of David's other cover work) and even part of the name of another of David's cats, but you'll have to find those for yourself!"
Goofs/Inconsistencies
Marco asks Ax if he has fought any Controllers, and Ax admits he hasn't. However, Ax did briefly engage in a skirmish with Taxxons/Taxxon-Controllers at the end of the previous book.
Ax demorphs publicly at the mall and is assisted by Jake and Marco (in their regular human forms) to elude capture. The three then run out of the mall through a main entrance, across a parking lot and into a grocery store, all while being witnessed by both mall and city police. Despite this, as well as the possibility of security cameras at the mall or in the grocery store, Jake and Marco aren't caught; additionally, the Yeerks do not investigate into the two humans who aided an Andalite, although it is possible they naturally assumed they were also Andalites in human morph.
Tobias mentions that his vision at night is no better than a human's. In reality, a red-tailed hawk has much worse vision at night.
Upon noticing Ax, Visser Three is shocked to see that he is a child and remarks that the Andalites have resorted using child soldiers. However, later books would reveal that Esplin 9466, the Yeerk who would become Visser Three, engaged in memorable and significant conflict against two Andalite child soldiers in the past; Aldrea in the late 1960s and Elfangor in the mid-1970s. Therefore, the concept should not be foreign or shocking to him.
Visser Three tells Visser One that she could return to the Yeerk homeworld; however, in The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, set before the Yeerk invasion of Earth, it is stated that the planet is under Andalite quarantine. Additionally, VISSER (set during the middle-final half of the series) confirms that the homeworld is still under quarantine after all these years.
Upon meeting all six of the Animorphs for the first time, Visser Three wonders why Ax is the only one who speaks to him and is in Andalite form and why the others, whom he has never seen in Andalite form nor has he heard speak before, continue to remain silent and in morph. He finds it curious and deliberates on this thought. However, for the following three years, the Animorphs continue to face him, with them almost always in the same battle morphs while Ax is in Andalite form doubling as their spokesperson, and yet Visser Three never remarks again why it is always the same Andalite who is not in morph who often speaks to him, while the others in animal morph remain mostly silent.
Marco refers to the plural of Hork-Bajir as "Hork-Bajirs", even though the plural is still Hork-Bajir. This is fixed in the reprint.
After demorphing from lobster to Andalite, Ax's speech is written with quotation marks. This is fixed in the reprint.
There is a sentence where Dracon is mistakenly written with lowercase letters; this is fixed in the reprint.
While on the Pool ship, Ax tells the Animorphs: "We have been in morph for forty percent of the allowable time." However, as Ax was not in morph, he should have said "You" instead of "We". This is fixed in the reprint.
2011 Relaunch Differences
Original Edition
2011 Relaunch
Then the punk said something I can't repeat. Basically, he was getting ready to pound the old man. I heard other voices. Three punks total. It didn't look good for the old man.
Then the younger guy said something I can't repeat. Basically, he was getting ready to pound the old man. I heard other voices. Three total. It didn't look good for the old man.
Three punks. Each of them probably twice as big as I was. I'm not exactly Arnold Schwarzenegger. I'm not even average height for my age, although I make up for it by being incredibly cute.
Three guys. Each of them probably twice as big as I was. I'm not exactly a bodybuilder. I'm not even average height for my age, although I make up for it by being incredibly cute.
But I was in that head, too, along with the gorilla's instincts. And I had decided to teach those punks a little lesson.
But I was in that head, too, along with the gorilla's instincts. And I had decided to teach those guys a little lesson.
Further down the alley, the punks had lost patience with the old man.
Further down the alley, the muggers had lost patience with the old man.
If the punks had had any sense, they would have run.
If the muggers had had any sense, they would have run.
Hah, I thought. Who needs Spiderman, when Marco is on the case?
Hah, I thought. Who needs Spider-Man, when Marco is on the case?
"Yeah, so then I do the gorilla thing, right? I save the old man. I'm the hero. I amSpiderman. I am Wolverine. I am Batman—"
"Yeah, so then I do the gorilla thing, right? I save the old man. I'm the hero. I amSpider-Man. I am Wolverine. I am Batman—"
"There is always at least one Hork-Bajir and one Taxxon aboard each Bug fighter," I pointed out. "Anytime you start playing with Hork-Bajirs, it's not a minor thing."
"There is always at least one Hork-Bajir and one Taxxon aboard each Bug fighter," I pointed out. "Anytime you start playing with Hork-Bajir, it's not a minor thing."
The mall was a zoo. Wall-to-wall people. Old people moving real slow. Married people with squalling babies in big huge strollers. High school kids trying to look cool. Mall police trying to look tough. Good-looking girls carrying bags from The Limited. Your basic Saturday at the mall. "Okay, where is Radio Shack?" Jake wondered. "I don't know," I said. "Is it up on the second level? You know, down by Sears?" "Is that it? Or is that Circuit City?"
The mall was a zoo. Wall-to-wall people. Old people moving real slow. Married people with squalling babies in big huge strollers. High school kids trying to look cool. Mall police trying to look tough. Good-looking girls carrying bags from clothing stores. Your basic Saturday at the mall. "Okay, where is Radio Shack?" Jake wondered. "I don't know," I said. "Is it up on the second level? You know, down by Sears?" "Is that it? Or is that the computer place?"
"Over at Starbucks. The coffee place."
"Over at Starbucks."
"That will be two ninety-five." Ax stared some more. "Fi-ive." Jake reached into his pocket and yanked out the money he'd brought to pay for things at Radio Shack. "Here you go," he said, peeling off three dollars.
"That will be three fifty-five." Ax stared some more. "Fi-ive." Jake reached into his pocket and yanked out the money he'd brought to pay for things at Radio Shack. "Here you go," he said, peeling off four dollars.
"This must be a primitive gairtmof," he said, inspecting a small switch. "And this could be a sort of fleer. Very primitive, but it will work."
"This must be a primitive gairtmof," he said, inspecting a small switch. "And this could be a sort of fleer: very primitive, but it will work."
Ax couldn't care less. He had found a piece of Cinnabun.
Ax couldn't care less. He had found a piece of Cinnabon.
<Guys?> Cassie's "voice" in my head. <If you try, you can kind of use these ant eyes — a little, anyway. If you concentrate you can notice light and dark. It's like watching a really, really bad black-and-white TV that's almost all snow. And you can only see what's right in front of you. But you can almost see a picture.>
<Guys?> Cassie's "voice" in my head. <If you try, you can kind of use these ant eyes — a little, anyway. If you concentrate you can notice light and dark. It's like watching a TV screen with the brightness set really, really dark. And you can only see what's right in front of you. But you can almost see a picture.>
My dad's a janitor now. Part-time. He gets jobs with a temporary service.
My dad's a janitor now. Part-time. He gets jobs with a temp service.
A couple days after the ant episode, we hooked up again in the fields of Cassie's farm, up against the trees of the forest. This was one area we definitely had to keep safe. It was the only place we had to keep Ax if this mission to help him escape failed.
A couple days after the ant episode, we met up again in the fields of Cassie's farm, up against the trees of the forest. This was one area we definitely had to keep safe. It was the only place we had to keep Ax if this mission to help him escape failed.
We talked about basketball and disagreed over which was the best NBA team. We talked about music. Neither of us had bought a new CD recently. We even talked about whether Spiderman could kick Batman's butt or vice versa.
We talked about basketball and disagreed over which was the best NBA team. We talked about music. Neither of us had bought a new album recently. We even talked about whether Spider-Man could kick Batman's butt or vice versa.
Jake rolled away as the Hork-Bajir slashed the air like an out-of-control Cuisinart.
Jake rolled away as the Hork-Bajir slashed the air like an out-of-control food processor.
<We have been in morph for forty percent of allowable time.>
<You have been in morph for forty percent of allowable time.>
Was it a Yeerk, handing out the presents on Christmas morning? A Yeerk, singing in the church choir? A Yeerk, pulling the puppet strings of my mother's body when she dragged me through J. C. Penney's and made me buy school clothes I didn't really like?
Was it a Yeerk, handing out the presents on Christmas morning? A Yeerk, singing in the church choir? A Yeerk, pulling the puppet strings of my mother's body when she dragged me through JCPenney and made me buy school clothes I didn't really like?
"Oh, right! So why did I always kick your butt whenever we played Doom?"
"Oh, right! So why did I always kick your butt whenever we played just about anything that required two hands and a screen?"
The 2011 reprint removed or changed all instances of the word "punk" that the original 1996 version had.
The original 1996 edition has Spider-Man's name written as "Spiderman"; the 2011 reprint correctly spells it with the hyphen.
The mention of Arnold Schwarzenegger is changed to a generic bodybuilder in the reprint.
Tobias is referred to as a "red-tail hawk" in the original edition, much like he was in The Encounter; however, the 2011 reprints for both books rectify this error by stating it as "red-tailed hawk."
Ax's full name is spelled Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthil, whereas it should be spelled Isthill. This is fixed in the reprint.
Marco refers to the plural of Hork-Bajir as "Hork-Bajirs", even though the plural is still Hork-Bajir. This is fixed in the reprint.
In the original edition, Marco remarks "Hey, that's my hair!" when witnessing Ax's human morph. In the reprint, the emphasis on "my" is removed.
Marco's statement about the mall on a Saturday including "Good-looking girls carrying bags from The Limited" is changed to "Good-looking girls carrying bags from clothing stores"; additionally, Jake's mention of Circuit City in the original 1996 edition is changed to a generic "the computer place" in the 2011 reprint.
The original 1996 edition has Jake refer to Starbucks as "the coffee place." This is removed in the reprint due to the surging popularity of Starbucks at the time of the relaunch, rendering the additional explanation irrelevant.
In the 1996 edition, Ax's Starbucks order costs $2.95, and Jake gives the clerk $3. In the 2011 reprint, the price is changed to $3.55, and Jake gives the clerk $4.
Ax's discussion of the fleer is written slightly different in the reprint. The original edition writes it as: "And this could be a sort of fleer. Very primitive, but it will work." whereas the reprint writes it as: "And this could be a sort of fleer: very primitive, but it will work."
After demorphing from lobster to Andalite, Ax's speech is written with quotation marks. This is fixed in the reprint.
In the 1996 original, Cassie refers to the ant's vision as "It's like watching a really, really bad black-and-white TV that's almost all snow." while in the 2011 reprint, she says: "It's like watching a TV screen with the brightness set really, really dark."
"Temporary service" (referring to a temporary job service or agency) is shortened to "temp service" in the reprint.
"Hooked up" is changed to "met up" in the reprint due to the meaning of the term "hook up" having changed from the 1990s to the 2010s. However, the 2011 reprints for #1: The Invasion and #2: The Visitor still retain all usages of "hook up" with no changes made.
Marco's line: "Neither of us had bought a new CD lately" is changed to "Neither of us had bought a new album lately."
"Spandex" and "Superbowl" in the original are changed to "spandex" and "Super Bowl" in the reprints.
Marco compares a Hork-Bajir to a Cuisinart in the original edition. The reprint changes this to "food processor."
The original's mistake of "Hork-Bajir Controller" is fixed to the correct "Hork-Bajir-Controller" in the reprint.
The original has a paragraph where Dracon is mistakenly written with lowercase letters; this is fixed in the reprint.
While on the Pool ship, Ax tells the Animorphs: "We have been in morph for forty percent of the allowable time." However, as Ax was not in morph, he should have said "You." This is fixed in the reprint.
The original spells "Dome ship" as "dome ship"; this is fixed in the reprint.
The original 1996 edition spells JCPenney as "J. C. Penney's". The 2011 reprint changes it to the correct "JCPenney."
The spelling of "Salad Shooter" is changed to "SaladShooter."
Doom is mentioned in the 1996 edition; the 2011 reprint changes it to "just about anything that required two hands and a screen."
TV Adaptation
The Predator was adapted as part of the Animorphs TV series, which aired on Nickelodeon and YTV between the fall of 1998 and the spring of 2000. The fifth book in the series was covered by the fourteenth and fifteenth episodes, "The Leader" (Part 1 & 2), which also partially covered the seventh book. The TV episodes did not follow the books faithfully, altering many aspects of the characters' roles within the Animorphs, the events in the war against the Yeerks, and added plot lines that were not present in the books.
Changes from Book to Episode
In the book series, the Animorphs rarely acquired morphs if they did not have a specific use for them. In the TV series, Cassie encourages this behavior, acquiring whenever they can.
The only Animorphs to be captured by the Yeerks' trap and taken to the Pool ship are Jake and Marco, while in the book all six are caught.
After being brought aboard the Pool Ship, Jake and Marco hide from the Controllers and witness Visser One arriving, and escape in the Blade Ship instead of an escape pod, while Cassie and Rachel spend the episode destroying the Kandrona, a plot line from The Stranger.
The Animorphs initially trigger the trap by trying to get Ax a ride back to his home planet and sending an outdated distress signal. In the episode, they find the location of the Kandrona by overhearing Tom on the phone, only to find the Yeerks have taken precautions.
Gallery
"Someone took a picture of me? Not cool. Do you see what I'm wearing? I'm Spandex-boy. Totally not cool."
The image gallery for The Predator may be viewed here
