https://simplecast.com The Animorphs Cookbook Everything you need to know about literary theory, philosophy, politics, and the human condition that can be learned from reading The Animorphs. 2026 The Animorphs Cookbook en Mon, 3 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Mon, 3 Aug 2026 12:00:12 +0000 https://animorphscookbook.com The Animorphs Cookbook https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/934a8f0b-c0d3-4ab3-a9fb-f2e1f2f197fb/9e8ba994-d32d-46b8-86ce-08af82a65700/3000x3000/ac.jpg?aid=rss_feed https://animorphscookbook.com episodic Everything you need to know about literary theory, philosophy, politics, and the human condition that can be learned from reading The Animorphs. Caleb, Max, Thaddeus true https://feeds.simplecast.com/EUhSwq3G 90s,animorphs,books,culture,fiction,humanity,lgbtq,literary analysis,philosophy,politics,science fiction The Animorphs Cookbook animorphscookbook@gmail.com 44474cc4-e741-4b3f-8088-236866944cf6 Book 7 - The Stranger It's Elimist time! The ultimate race of deus ex machina-loving John de Lancie analogs shows up to stop our heroes from non-consensual vore and ask "Dr. Who, who?" We reintroduce the series' #1 bullshit wizard and prep for the ensuing time shenanigans.

Fittingly, all this time-travel has Max Thoughtspeaking about contingency and lost futures.

Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

]]> Mon, 3 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000 animorphscookbook@gmail.com (The Animorphs Cookbook) https://animorphscookbook.com/episodes/book-7-the-stranger-_ZWP9NnV It's Elimist time! The ultimate race of deus ex machina-loving John de Lancie analogs shows up to stop our heroes from non-consensual vore and ask "Dr. Who, who?" We reintroduce the series' #1 bullshit wizard and prep for the ensuing time shenanigans.

Fittingly, all this time-travel has Max Thoughtspeaking about contingency and lost futures.

Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

]]> Book 7 - The Stranger The Animorphs Cookbook 01:31:51 Trauma and Time-Travel Trauma and Time-Travel true full 97f47179-3893-4515-ba8c-7301e2159990 Book 6 - The Capture As if the cosmic and body horrors weren't enough! It's time for some full-blown existential dread in Book 6 as Jake gets a front-row seat to Yeerk infestation. We discuss alien jacuzzi genocides, extraordinary Animorph rendition, and how well Ax can actually throw hands [tail].

In , Thaddeus locks us inside our own minds for the deconstruction of the Self in literary theory, and what that has to say about a book series where child soldiers fight the enslavement of all human subjectivity.

Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000 animorphscookbook@gmail.com (The Animorphs Cookbook) https://animorphscookbook.com/episodes/book-6-the-capture-P5A1gS5e As if the cosmic and body horrors weren't enough! It's time for some full-blown existential dread in Book 6 as Jake gets a front-row seat to Yeerk infestation. We discuss alien jacuzzi genocides, extraordinary Animorph rendition, and how well Ax can actually throw hands [tail].

In , Thaddeus locks us inside our own minds for the deconstruction of the Self in literary theory, and what that has to say about a book series where child soldiers fight the enslavement of all human subjectivity.

Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

]]> Book 6 - The Capture The Animorphs Cookbook 01:16:30 It's all in your head... It's all in your head... true full f791b268-a936-4b4b-9343-3a267c18e6a2 Book 5 - The Predator Marco takes his first stab at narration when he's not busy refusing the call to action. Our shorms provide a recap and discuss the DNA-deep treat-lust of human teens, the genre of Animorph-ian farce, and the incompetence of Yeerk expeditionary forces.

In Thoughspeak, Caleb mindcasts about the concept of the panopticon and the paranoid surveillance logic that drives narration of the whole series. 

Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

 

]]> Sun, 12 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000 animorphscookbook@gmail.com (Max, Caleb, Thaddeus) https://animorphscookbook.com/episodes/book-5-the-predator-JCqFlaas Marco takes his first stab at narration when he's not busy refusing the call to action. Our shorms provide a recap and discuss the DNA-deep treat-lust of human teens, the genre of Animorph-ian farce, and the incompetence of Yeerk expeditionary forces.

In Thoughspeak, Caleb mindcasts about the concept of the panopticon and the paranoid surveillance logic that drives narration of the whole series. 

Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

 

]]> Book 5 - The Predator Max, Caleb, Thaddeus 01:23:19 The Yeerks are not sending their best. The Yeerks are not sending their best. true full 738daa20-8d10-4be7-bd98-c82edcd3f4e5 Book 4 - The Message It's time to get aquatic and rescue some Andalites! Our hosts dream-SOS a summary of the first Cassie book and discuss the addition of the sixth Animorph: Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill

For < Thoughtspeak >, Max takes us through the Utopian Scholastic aesthetic that so dominated the world of the characters and their young audience.

Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

]]> Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000 animorphscookbook@gmail.com (The Animorphs Cookbook) https://animorphscookbook.com/episodes/book-4-the-message-ALDgcSM9 It's time to get aquatic and rescue some Andalites! Our hosts dream-SOS a summary of the first Cassie book and discuss the addition of the sixth Animorph: Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill

For < Thoughtspeak >, Max takes us through the Utopian Scholastic aesthetic that so dominated the world of the characters and their young audience.

Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

]]> Book 4 - The Message The Animorphs Cookbook 01:36:42 Cassie and the gang dive into the ocean and we dive into Utopian Scholastic Cassie and the gang dive into the ocean and we dive into Utopian Scholastic true full 2b2cfa5b-3ccd-4330-8327-a5a8556eb25c Book 3 - The Encounter It's the first Tobias book! Our underground podcasting cell talks about hawk-4-hawk, light ecoterrorism, and nepo Yeerks, delighting as KA Applegate follows Chandler's immortal writing advice: "When in doubt, have a hawk fly through the window with a dracon beam."

In , Thaddeus introduces us to New Criticism with some big feelings about Tobias as a metaphor for trans experience.

HOSTS
Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

]]> Mon, 1 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000 animorphscookbook@gmail.com (Max, Caleb, Thad) https://animorphscookbook.com/episodes/book-3-the-encounter-Qin0wc__ It's the first Tobias book! Our underground podcasting cell talks about hawk-4-hawk, light ecoterrorism, and nepo Yeerks, delighting as KA Applegate follows Chandler's immortal writing advice: "When in doubt, have a hawk fly through the window with a dracon beam."

In , Thaddeus introduces us to New Criticism with some big feelings about Tobias as a metaphor for trans experience.

HOSTS
Max (he/him)
Thaddeus (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

]]> Book 3 - The Encounter Max, Caleb, Thad 01:18:09 Tobias is doing "fine" & Thaddeus might not be. Tobias is doing "fine" & Thaddeus might not be. tobias true full 4d6706b2-73e3-4aff-a6b1-fcd810401ea3 Book 2 - The Visitor We delve into Book 2 - The Visitor this week, our first foray into the mind of the most militant of Animorphs. Rachel takes control as Fluffer the feline spy, and we get our first look into the interior workings of the Yeerk conspiracy (and also learn Visser Three is a cat guy).

In , Max introduces us to Francis Fukiyama and "The End of History": the cultural "logic" saturating both the setting of the Animorphs and its late 90's readers. 

]]> Mon, 18 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000 animorphscookbook@gmail.com (The Animorphs Cookbook) https://animorphscookbook.com/episodes/book-2-the-visitor-XnACTjJy We delve into Book 2 - The Visitor this week, our first foray into the mind of the most militant of Animorphs. Rachel takes control as Fluffer the feline spy, and we get our first look into the interior workings of the Yeerk conspiracy (and also learn Visser Three is a cat guy).

In , Max introduces us to Francis Fukiyama and "The End of History": the cultural "logic" saturating both the setting of the Animorphs and its late 90's readers. 

]]> Book 2 - The Visitor The Animorphs Cookbook 01:48:05 "What better form for an Andalite to use? Better kill it, just to be safe." "What better form for an Andalite to use? Better kill it, just to be safe." true full 30ef164d-65de-4d4d-b5cb-89db374995d1 Interview with Gretchen Felker-Martin The Cookbook has the privilege of interviewing Gretchen Felker-Martin (she/her), award-winning and bestselling author of Manhunt, Cuckoo, and Black Flame. 

We talk about the influence of Animorphs on her upcoming novel CHIMERA, as well as the shifting landscape of children's literature, the perils of adaptation, the best morph for a night on the town, and much, much more.


HOSTS
Thad (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

Check out The Animorph's Cookbook Patreon for early access for future episodes. 

]]> Mon, 4 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000 animorphscookbook@gmail.com (The Animorphs Cookbook) https://animorphscookbook.com/episodes/gretchen-felker-martin-interview-pNq79CYi The Cookbook has the privilege of interviewing Gretchen Felker-Martin (she/her), award-winning and bestselling author of Manhunt, Cuckoo, and Black Flame. 

We talk about the influence of Animorphs on her upcoming novel CHIMERA, as well as the shifting landscape of children's literature, the perils of adaptation, the best morph for a night on the town, and much, much more.


HOSTS
Thad (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

Check out The Animorph's Cookbook Patreon for early access for future episodes. 

]]> Interview with Gretchen Felker-Martin The Animorphs Cookbook 00:46:21 "I'm constitutionally incapable of sitting down and writing something appropriate for children." - GFM "I'm constitutionally incapable of sitting down and writing something appropriate for children." - GFM true full 58d8bb8e-ebbb-4996-86d3-afaa50b03cf3 Book 1 - The Invasion The book that started it all! Like everything in the 90s, it all starts at the mall. Less than a chapter later, five teens are conscripted child soldiers in an alien war.... 

After a recap of the plot, the gang indulges in some on the material conditions that created the Animorphs phenomenon: namely, the Scholastic corporation. The market conditions of the late 90's forged what Animorphs could be, who it could reach, and how fast it had to get there, but it also enabled the radical politics of the authors to shine.
 

HOSTS
Max (he/him)
Thad (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

Check out The Animorph's Cookbook Patreon for early access for future episodes. 

]]> Mon, 4 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000 animorphscookbook@gmail.com (The Animorphs Cookbook) https://animorphscookbook.com/episodes/book-1-the-invasion-ANZh1udK The book that started it all! Like everything in the 90s, it all starts at the mall. Less than a chapter later, five teens are conscripted child soldiers in an alien war.... 

After a recap of the plot, the gang indulges in some on the material conditions that created the Animorphs phenomenon: namely, the Scholastic corporation. The market conditions of the late 90's forged what Animorphs could be, who it could reach, and how fast it had to get there, but it also enabled the radical politics of the authors to shine.
 

HOSTS
Max (he/him)
Thad (she/her)
Caleb (he/him)

Check out The Animorph's Cookbook Patreon for early access for future episodes. 

]]> Book 1 - The Invasion The Animorphs Cookbook 01:24:06 "This is some radical stuff, Jake" "This is some radical stuff, Jake" true full a97d88ca-c9de-498e-9792-9a109f79c02b Touch the Cube In which Max, Caleb, and Thaddeus discuss how they first got into the Animorphs and what to expect from this podcast.

]]> Tue, 21 Apr 2026 23:21:04 +0000 animorphscookbook@gmail.com (The Animorphs Cookbook) https://animorphscookbook.com/episodes/touch-the-cube-z8icz4hP In which Max, Caleb, and Thaddeus discuss how they first got into the Animorphs and what to expect from this podcast.

]]> Touch the Cube The Animorphs Cookbook 00:16:34 true full