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Animorphs #38
The Arrival
Ax's people have arrived on Earth, and they want Ax back on board with them. Ax is torn. Should he join his fellow Andalites? Can he desert the Animorphs?
145 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2000
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927 people want to read
About the author
K.A. Applegate
251 books489 followersalso published under the name Katherine Applegate
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
October 12, 2016
Ghostwriter: Kimberly Morris.
I'm so so so happy to see that she writes more of the books later, because oh my god this one was SO GOOD. This is the first time I'm spoiler-marking an entire review, as well, because I want to talk about it uncensored.
In The Arrival, the Andalites have, surprise!, finally arrived... but it isn't the triumphant fleet we were all hoping for: it's a small group of ragtag misfits on a desperate suicide mission. One of them is Alloran's brother: a former brilliant military spy, now retired into academia, and set on assassinating his own brother to rid the galaxy of the Abomination.
Which is already a tangled, complicated situation: once again we're faced with Ax's split loyalties between humans vs. Andalites, except that he swore absolute fealty to Jake the last time this happened, upon risk of being thrown out of the Animorphs. This book perfectly picks up on past plot arcs as well: his transmission to the Andalite military, his failed assassination attempt on Visser Three, their experiences on the frontlines of Leera, the Andalite involvement in the Hork-Bajir war. It's the perfect followup to that arc, because of where it goes: at last, finally, Ax is not actually conflicted at all. He feels pangs of deep, abiding loneliness at having this opportunity, but his heart is squarely placed with the Animorphs and with humans, his obedience to Jake. He deceives his own people, and the Animorphs pull an act similar to what they did when facing David, loudly arguing in the barn and pretending to splinter: it's a great tactic for when they know their adversaries can morph, and are likely listening in.
Ax's characterisation is pitch-perfect, as are the rest of the group. We get more delicious Andalite worldbuilding (universities! science nerds! morph-dancers! exhibition tail fighters!). It also dovetails nicely with The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, because even this complicated mission is not what it seems: the Andalites are actually planning to unleash another genocidal virus to kill the Yeerks, even if it might kill their human hosts as well. This reveal is horrific, and completely in keeping with the Andalite nature we've seen thus far; it's another act of betrayal from Ax's species, another attempt at outright murdering an entire species they were supposed to save, except with the additional condemnation of it being a secret, off-the-books clandestine mission, giving their government plausible deniability. It's horrible and realistic. My opinion of the Andalites drops almost every time we meet more of them.
So there are twists and turns and unearthing secrets, something claustrophobic and sinister that reminded me more of, say, the plot of Alien, wherein the real mission statement is hidden from the crew themselves. The scenes where Ax is hacking into the computer files and discovers the crew is already marked as K.I.A., and the one where he enters the supposedly sealed-off lab and discovers the smell of rot and putrefaction and death, are genuinely chilling.
During the 'deception' scenes around the middle, in which the Animorphs are pretending that they're fractured and splintered, the characterisations and arguments start off pretty plausible, but then fly off the rails (Marco patronisingly slapping Rachel, Rachel physically attacking him, Cassie throwing temper tantrums, Rachel terrorising civilians as a grizzly, Jake whining about Tom bullying him). Except that I genuinely fell for it and thought that they had fallen apart, because my trust in some of the ghostwriters is that low -- Rachel flying off the handle in this one is so similar to her ATROCIOUS characterisation in the previous book. So it was a really wonderful, amazing twist to realise that Kimberly Morris might have been playing with those exact expectations: she nailed their characterisations, they were perfect, the whole thing was an act.
The end of the book literally made me choke up, with tears in my eyes. Ax lying through his teeth, Cassie catching his real feelings, holding his hand while he cries in the darkness. All six of them walking off together as humans, side-by-side, granting each other comfort by their very presence. Ax forsaking a clear-cut opportunity to go home, in favour of humans.
The caged people at the Yeerk pool making a human shield to protect them. Ax making the call to abandon Arbat and leave him behind to be fucking eaten alive by Taxxons.
The Arrival's plot is emotional, contributes a lot to the worldbuilding and overall arc, and is relevant to the war as a whole, with wonderful characterisations and high-stakes, and even slow horror at times. The fact that it opens with an actual torture scene is a sign of how dark this series has gotten.
This book is the quality I expect from this series, and I'm so glad we're still getting it even this late in the game.
I'm so so so happy to see that she writes more of the books later, because oh my god this one was SO GOOD. This is the first time I'm spoiler-marking an entire review, as well, because I want to talk about it uncensored.
In The Arrival, the Andalites have, surprise!, finally arrived... but it isn't the triumphant fleet we were all hoping for: it's a small group of ragtag misfits on a desperate suicide mission. One of them is Alloran's brother: a former brilliant military spy, now retired into academia, and set on assassinating his own brother to rid the galaxy of the Abomination.
Which is already a tangled, complicated situation: once again we're faced with Ax's split loyalties between humans vs. Andalites, except that he swore absolute fealty to Jake the last time this happened, upon risk of being thrown out of the Animorphs. This book perfectly picks up on past plot arcs as well: his transmission to the Andalite military, his failed assassination attempt on Visser Three, their experiences on the frontlines of Leera, the Andalite involvement in the Hork-Bajir war. It's the perfect followup to that arc, because of where it goes: at last, finally, Ax is not actually conflicted at all. He feels pangs of deep, abiding loneliness at having this opportunity, but his heart is squarely placed with the Animorphs and with humans, his obedience to Jake. He deceives his own people, and the Animorphs pull an act similar to what they did when facing David, loudly arguing in the barn and pretending to splinter: it's a great tactic for when they know their adversaries can morph, and are likely listening in.
Ax's characterisation is pitch-perfect, as are the rest of the group. We get more delicious Andalite worldbuilding (universities! science nerds! morph-dancers! exhibition tail fighters!). It also dovetails nicely with The Hork-Bajir Chronicles, because even this complicated mission is not what it seems: the Andalites are actually planning to unleash another genocidal virus to kill the Yeerks, even if it might kill their human hosts as well. This reveal is horrific, and completely in keeping with the Andalite nature we've seen thus far; it's another act of betrayal from Ax's species, another attempt at outright murdering an entire species they were supposed to save, except with the additional condemnation of it being a secret, off-the-books clandestine mission, giving their government plausible deniability. It's horrible and realistic. My opinion of the Andalites drops almost every time we meet more of them.
So there are twists and turns and unearthing secrets, something claustrophobic and sinister that reminded me more of, say, the plot of Alien, wherein the real mission statement is hidden from the crew themselves. The scenes where Ax is hacking into the computer files and discovers the crew is already marked as K.I.A., and the one where he enters the supposedly sealed-off lab and discovers the smell of rot and putrefaction and death, are genuinely chilling.
During the 'deception' scenes around the middle, in which the Animorphs are pretending that they're fractured and splintered, the characterisations and arguments start off pretty plausible, but then fly off the rails (Marco patronisingly slapping Rachel, Rachel physically attacking him, Cassie throwing temper tantrums, Rachel terrorising civilians as a grizzly, Jake whining about Tom bullying him). Except that I genuinely fell for it and thought that they had fallen apart, because my trust in some of the ghostwriters is that low -- Rachel flying off the handle in this one is so similar to her ATROCIOUS characterisation in the previous book. So it was a really wonderful, amazing twist to realise that Kimberly Morris might have been playing with those exact expectations: she nailed their characterisations, they were perfect, the whole thing was an act.
The end of the book literally made me choke up, with tears in my eyes. Ax lying through his teeth, Cassie catching his real feelings, holding his hand while he cries in the darkness. All six of them walking off together as humans, side-by-side, granting each other comfort by their very presence. Ax forsaking a clear-cut opportunity to go home, in favour of humans.
The caged people at the Yeerk pool making a human shield to protect them. Ax making the call to abandon Arbat and leave him behind to be fucking eaten alive by Taxxons.
The Arrival's plot is emotional, contributes a lot to the worldbuilding and overall arc, and is relevant to the war as a whole, with wonderful characterisations and high-stakes, and even slow horror at times. The fact that it opens with an actual torture scene is a sign of how dark this series has gotten.
This book is the quality I expect from this series, and I'm so glad we're still getting it even this late in the game.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 24, 2022
A very small group of Andalites arrives on earth. They’re rather condescending though and don’t particularly like the idea of working together with the lowly human Animorphs to fight the Yeerks. They do have quite a bold plan that can potentially have some major implications though. And they ask Ax to join them. Now Ax has to do some soul-searching and choose between his own people or his new friends. But then the Animorphs start arguing amongst themselves.
It’s been a very long time coming but, after a ridiculous and exhausting amount of filler stories that didn’t really change the status quo, this story finally starts to show that we’re actually progressing and making our way towards the end of the series. Which is good news for anyone who makes it this far into the series, as you’re probably committed to getting to the end now.
The Animorphs and the Andalites not trusting each other makes for a very good base to build a gripping story on, with some suspense and some good twists and turns. This story has quite a strong plot, making this a very enjoyable chapter in the Animorphs series.
It’s been a very long time coming but, after a ridiculous and exhausting amount of filler stories that didn’t really change the status quo, this story finally starts to show that we’re actually progressing and making our way towards the end of the series. Which is good news for anyone who makes it this far into the series, as you’re probably committed to getting to the end now.
The Animorphs and the Andalites not trusting each other makes for a very good base to build a gripping story on, with some suspense and some good twists and turns. This story has quite a strong plot, making this a very enjoyable chapter in the Animorphs series.
April 15, 2017
Tfw you’re too lazy to write a review because Julie’s is literally word-perfect.
I’m actually just going to quote stuff I like from her review and add a few thoughts of my own in order to pretend I’m doing work here and justify counting this as a “review” of my own….
So much yes! Ax is a fun narrator because of his alien perspective, but in the wrong hands that perspective becomes too loony. Ghostwriter Kimberly Morris keeps the comic tone from become too over-the-top. I like how Ax doesn’t assume the reader is human, so he explains things that non-humans might be confused by. Also, there are some good moments in here that remind us that Ax is a young Andalite and an inexperienced (by some standards) warrior, which is easy to forget when he is the only non-Controller Andalite on the planet.
Exactly, this is one of the great strengths of the Animorphs series. The Andalites are not a stock species of heroes and the Yeerks are not villains. We’ve seen Applegate time and again work to subvert such Saturday-morning-cartoon readings, portraying honourable Yeerks and devious or nefarious Andalites. However, she still succeeds in presenting a set of Andalite cultural norms that is markedly different from humans. One of my pet peeves about SF is when someone writes aliens as “humans who look different”. Aliens are alien, and we get that here with the Andalites. They may be sentient and very good with technology, but they have slightly different moral philosophies from humans, as this book and previous books have shown us. If Ax hadn’t been “corrupted” by the Animorphs, he would be espousing the same philosophy.
(Emphasis original.) I nearly fell for it too, but I had a vague memory of it being a set-up from when I read this book as a kid, so I kind of suspected that for the rest of the book.
On a related note, though, this is one of those rare Animorphs adventures where only one character features prominently and the rest only appear fleetingly. This is an Ax story and the other Animorphs are support characters.
That being said, Jake standing up to Gonrod? Yes please! Chills down my spine as I saw this human pre-teen (teenager?) telling an adult Andalite how things will go down. But please, keep telling me how teenagers aren’t going to fix this world if we just let them.
What she said!
Much like this book, the next book will pick up on continuity from earlier in the series. Guys, we have officially entered TNG-season-6 mode. As Rachel says, let’s rock and roll.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #37: The Weakness | #39: The Hidden →
I’m actually just going to quote stuff I like from her review and add a few thoughts of my own in order to pretend I’m doing work here and justify counting this as a “review” of my own….
Ax's characterisation is pitch-perfect
So much yes! Ax is a fun narrator because of his alien perspective, but in the wrong hands that perspective becomes too loony. Ghostwriter Kimberly Morris keeps the comic tone from become too over-the-top. I like how Ax doesn’t assume the reader is human, so he explains things that non-humans might be confused by. Also, there are some good moments in here that remind us that Ax is a young Andalite and an inexperienced (by some standards) warrior, which is easy to forget when he is the only non-Controller Andalite on the planet.
My opinion of the Andalites drops almost every time we meet more of them.
Exactly, this is one of the great strengths of the Animorphs series. The Andalites are not a stock species of heroes and the Yeerks are not villains. We’ve seen Applegate time and again work to subvert such Saturday-morning-cartoon readings, portraying honourable Yeerks and devious or nefarious Andalites. However, she still succeeds in presenting a set of Andalite cultural norms that is markedly different from humans. One of my pet peeves about SF is when someone writes aliens as “humans who look different”. Aliens are alien, and we get that here with the Andalites. They may be sentient and very good with technology, but they have slightly different moral philosophies from humans, as this book and previous books have shown us. If Ax hadn’t been “corrupted” by the Animorphs, he would be espousing the same philosophy.
Except that I genuinely fell for it and thought that they had fallen apart, because my trust in some of the ghostwriters is that low…
(Emphasis original.) I nearly fell for it too, but I had a vague memory of it being a set-up from when I read this book as a kid, so I kind of suspected that for the rest of the book.
On a related note, though, this is one of those rare Animorphs adventures where only one character features prominently and the rest only appear fleetingly. This is an Ax story and the other Animorphs are support characters.
That being said, Jake standing up to Gonrod? Yes please! Chills down my spine as I saw this human pre-teen (teenager?) telling an adult Andalite how things will go down. But please, keep telling me how teenagers aren’t going to fix this world if we just let them.
The Arrival's plot is emotional, contributes a lot to the worldbuilding and overall arc, and is relevant to the war as a whole, with wonderful characterisations and high-stakes, and even slow horror at times.
What she said!
Much like this book, the next book will pick up on continuity from earlier in the series. Guys, we have officially entered TNG-season-6 mode. As Rachel says, let’s rock and roll.
My reviews of Animorphs:
← #37: The Weakness | #39: The Hidden →
January 22, 2022
Come check out my 4 hour 35 minute deep dive into reading every single Animorphs book for the first time on YouTube. I recap and review all of the books from the main series: https://youtu.be/H8kUM2q3CIU
May 12, 2024
Yo I’m just saying, Jake giving biiiig captain America vibes here (in the best way possible)
September 18, 2016
Until this book, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill was the only Andalite on Earth… other than Alloran, the host body of Visser Three, the only Andalite to be infested by a Yeerk. Suddenly, four more Andalites appear, telling Ax that their mission on Earth is to assassinate Visser Three. If only things were that simple.
I've always loved the books from Ax's point of view. Usually, they're packed with amusing observations on human food, culture, and behavior, all of which amaze and confuse Ax endlessly. In some of them, Ax is forced to make tough decisions based on the fact that he is an Andalite aristh (cadet) and his friends are young humans (along with a nothlit, Tobias, a young human trapped in a hawk morph). This book forces Ax to make some of the most difficult decisions so far.
This series can be cheesy at times. There are a few inconsistencies and plot holes. The science is not always plausible, even by science fiction standards. However… overall, the alien species are fascinating, the action is quick and compelling, and the moral questions are complex enough to leave any reader pondering the correct decision long after the book is finished. These books are in the "young adult" genre only based on their brevity, simple language, and the ages of the characters. The subject matter falls under another category entirely.
Best quote from this book: "Anyone who believes in freedom, anyone who resists tyranny, anyone who pursues peace is 'my people.' Andalite, Hork-Bajir, or human." Ax finally decides where his true allegiance lies. Until now, Ax has been somewhat guarded and distant with humans in the hopes that his people may finally join him on Earth. It's a relief to finally hear him commit himself to his human friends with such conviction.
I first started reading this series at the age of 11. I devoured every book I could get my hands on, but this is one that had eluded my grasp until now. I have to say this is one of my favorite Animorph books so far. At the age of 22, I'm not even remotely ashamed to admit that.
I've always loved the books from Ax's point of view. Usually, they're packed with amusing observations on human food, culture, and behavior, all of which amaze and confuse Ax endlessly. In some of them, Ax is forced to make tough decisions based on the fact that he is an Andalite aristh (cadet) and his friends are young humans (along with a nothlit, Tobias, a young human trapped in a hawk morph). This book forces Ax to make some of the most difficult decisions so far.
This series can be cheesy at times. There are a few inconsistencies and plot holes. The science is not always plausible, even by science fiction standards. However… overall, the alien species are fascinating, the action is quick and compelling, and the moral questions are complex enough to leave any reader pondering the correct decision long after the book is finished. These books are in the "young adult" genre only based on their brevity, simple language, and the ages of the characters. The subject matter falls under another category entirely.
Best quote from this book: "Anyone who believes in freedom, anyone who resists tyranny, anyone who pursues peace is 'my people.' Andalite, Hork-Bajir, or human." Ax finally decides where his true allegiance lies. Until now, Ax has been somewhat guarded and distant with humans in the hopes that his people may finally join him on Earth. It's a relief to finally hear him commit himself to his human friends with such conviction.
I first started reading this series at the age of 11. I devoured every book I could get my hands on, but this is one that had eluded my grasp until now. I have to say this is one of my favorite Animorph books so far. At the age of 22, I'm not even remotely ashamed to admit that.
February 3, 2015
In this novel the Andalites come to Earth, but it’s not at all what the Animorphs anticipated. It’s not the Andalite fleet arriving to save the day, but a ragtag bunch of criminals sent on a suicide mission to commit genocide against the Yeerks. Basically, the Andalites have engineered a virus not unlike the one used on the Hork Bajir homeworld, which may not only destroy the entire Yeerk race, but take more than a few humans with it.
The Animorphs understandably can’t let this happen, so they outwit the Andalite group and save the day. They con the Andalites into thinking that the Animorphs have disbanded, and Ax heads off to be with his own species. Ax learns the truth of what they’re up to and reunites with the Animorphs to foil their plan and kick their arses. The problematic Andalites are gone and the Animorphs are heading the resistance once again.
---
In spite of one of the main themes of this book being genocide, it really is a cute little tale. It’s all about teamwork, learning from your mistakes, right and wrong, and Ax developing a crush on a female Andalite. :3 While the arrival of the Andalites threatened to shake the foundations of the Animorphs resistance, they came together and are now stronger than ever.
I was incredibly frustrated that this didn’t turn out to be the actual Andalite fleet, but I’m glad we finally got some damn answers as to why they haven’t hauled ass to Earth yet - they’re fighting another war in another galaxy! It makes me wonder how many damn wars are going on, between whom, and why the Andalites always have to be the ones to broker the peace. Unless a species is viral like the Yeerks and they won’t be content until they’ve subjugated the entire universe, it might be more appropriate to just let them battle it out. Let the fire burn itself out, as it were.
I was also incredibly frustrated that Visser Three still.is.not.dead.yet. Sure, he’s a sneaky bastard with a host of crazy morphs up his sleeve, but give it a rest already. It seems like the Animorphs never get close enough to kill him, and when they do, they waver about whether it’s the right thing to do. Y’all, if Marco can see how sacrificing his mother would work for the greater good, you can suck it up and grant Alloran some final freedom.
The Animorphs understandably can’t let this happen, so they outwit the Andalite group and save the day. They con the Andalites into thinking that the Animorphs have disbanded, and Ax heads off to be with his own species. Ax learns the truth of what they’re up to and reunites with the Animorphs to foil their plan and kick their arses. The problematic Andalites are gone and the Animorphs are heading the resistance once again.
---
In spite of one of the main themes of this book being genocide, it really is a cute little tale. It’s all about teamwork, learning from your mistakes, right and wrong, and Ax developing a crush on a female Andalite. :3 While the arrival of the Andalites threatened to shake the foundations of the Animorphs resistance, they came together and are now stronger than ever.
I was incredibly frustrated that this didn’t turn out to be the actual Andalite fleet, but I’m glad we finally got some damn answers as to why they haven’t hauled ass to Earth yet - they’re fighting another war in another galaxy! It makes me wonder how many damn wars are going on, between whom, and why the Andalites always have to be the ones to broker the peace. Unless a species is viral like the Yeerks and they won’t be content until they’ve subjugated the entire universe, it might be more appropriate to just let them battle it out. Let the fire burn itself out, as it were.
I was also incredibly frustrated that Visser Three still.is.not.dead.yet. Sure, he’s a sneaky bastard with a host of crazy morphs up his sleeve, but give it a rest already. It seems like the Animorphs never get close enough to kill him, and when they do, they waver about whether it’s the right thing to do. Y’all, if Marco can see how sacrificing his mother would work for the greater good, you can suck it up and grant Alloran some final freedom.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2015
I accept this offering as reparation for the awful travesty of #37.
Poor Ax almost always gets the narratives of will-he-won't-he, but somehow this one totally worked. I wasn't so sure about the beginning--although I loved the quiet and subtle nod to how incredibly powerful the Chee are that even torture isn't a thing but also that their holograms can't create the idea that it is--because it just seemed as unnecessarily over-the-top as some of the recent books. I was all set to be disappointed, but suddenly ANDALITES! I love how nonchalantly they were introduced, like oh hi violence and death and aliens we've been waiting the whole series for, no big thing.
But then it gets complicated, because Animorphs, of course. Firstly, I would like to throw a shout-out to the adorableness of Ax dealing with a girrrrrrrl and trying to pretend that's not A Thing when it totally is (especially in seeing how totally sexist Andalite thought is, which is just another way to contrast the self-described superior Andalites to the much more welcoming/diverse humans). It was adorable to remember he's a kid, and furthermore a kid who is growing up away from his people and the whole concept of being in relationship with his own kind, which is something that's easy to forget. Then we get this ragtag group of his kind--and he begins to remember that "his kind" is a whole lot more complex than he once thought. Watching the Andalites through his eyes and his growing maturity was a completely engaging and rough journey, and HOLY CROW ARBAT. This is a whole other dimension of how impossibly war grinds people down and how truly horrific governments and groups can get in the name of the greater good.
Restoring my faith, ghostwriter. Well played.
Poor Ax almost always gets the narratives of will-he-won't-he, but somehow this one totally worked. I wasn't so sure about the beginning--although I loved the quiet and subtle nod to how incredibly powerful the Chee are that even torture isn't a thing but also that their holograms can't create the idea that it is--because it just seemed as unnecessarily over-the-top as some of the recent books. I was all set to be disappointed, but suddenly ANDALITES! I love how nonchalantly they were introduced, like oh hi violence and death and aliens we've been waiting the whole series for, no big thing.
But then it gets complicated, because Animorphs, of course. Firstly, I would like to throw a shout-out to the adorableness of Ax dealing with a girrrrrrrl and trying to pretend that's not A Thing when it totally is (especially in seeing how totally sexist Andalite thought is, which is just another way to contrast the self-described superior Andalites to the much more welcoming/diverse humans). It was adorable to remember he's a kid, and furthermore a kid who is growing up away from his people and the whole concept of being in relationship with his own kind, which is something that's easy to forget. Then we get this ragtag group of his kind--and he begins to remember that "his kind" is a whole lot more complex than he once thought. Watching the Andalites through his eyes and his growing maturity was a completely engaging and rough journey, and HOLY CROW ARBAT. This is a whole other dimension of how impossibly war grinds people down and how truly horrific governments and groups can get in the name of the greater good.
Restoring my faith, ghostwriter. Well played.
July 11, 2022
Andalites have finally come to earth to assist in the fight against the Yeerks and Ax develops his first crush.
There’s always discomfort when we meet other Andalites who aren’t Ax. With a heavy air of superiority hanging around them and far too frequent secret-keeping, the Andalites comfortably place themselves in a position to only be somewhat respectable but always feared.
So callous and quick to genocidal means of “problem solving” while they look down on all species that aren’t them.
This is one of those installments that drives home the understand that the war between Yeerks and Andalites is not one of good vs. evil, but of the rest of us struggling to root for whoever would be the lesser of two evils in hopes of not becoming collateral damage.
CW: war, violence, slavery, death, grief, genocide, suicide
There’s always discomfort when we meet other Andalites who aren’t Ax. With a heavy air of superiority hanging around them and far too frequent secret-keeping, the Andalites comfortably place themselves in a position to only be somewhat respectable but always feared.
So callous and quick to genocidal means of “problem solving” while they look down on all species that aren’t them.
This is one of those installments that drives home the understand that the war between Yeerks and Andalites is not one of good vs. evil, but of the rest of us struggling to root for whoever would be the lesser of two evils in hopes of not becoming collateral damage.
CW: war, violence, slavery, death, grief, genocide, suicide
April 25, 2023
The more Andalites we meet, the less inclined I am to trust them. Anyway, I thought this was a terrific exploration of the complexities of loyalty. I thought for a minute that we would have a relatively happy ending and then the last sentence had me in tears.
October 9, 2024
*** 4 ***
It's an Andalaide book and Ax's people just can't stop disappointing us, can they? They are supposed to be these benevolent creatures who take care of the peace in the Galaxy, but they just can't live up to those expectations... I am glad, but kind of sad too, that the kids and Ax have learned that the hard way and have little enough expectations, that they have some tricks up their sleeves to protect against unfortunate situations...
It's an Andalaide book and Ax's people just can't stop disappointing us, can they? They are supposed to be these benevolent creatures who take care of the peace in the Galaxy, but they just can't live up to those expectations... I am glad, but kind of sad too, that the kids and Ax have learned that the hard way and have little enough expectations, that they have some tricks up their sleeves to protect against unfortunate situations...
June 29, 2024
Ax 😭😭😭😭
March 11, 2023
Alien boy meets alien girl and doesn't learn his lesson. Alien girl violates the Geneva convention.
July 20, 2018
5/5. Wow. This one was good! I must say I was beginning to worry after books 36 and 37 so thoroughly disappointed me!
Kimberly Morris is an amazing ghost writer, just wow!
I can't write a long review on this. It would just be too long. BUT:
SPOILERS
I loved the Ax kissing scene and then him later denying he liked her.
The plot was very well constructed with several excellently crafted surprises.
Arbat being eaten alive... just wow.
The humans in the Yeerk pool acting as a shield... wow.
Arbat killing Aloth... wow... didn't see that coming...
Another alien super virus to kill the Yeerks... and the humans!!!! We saw how that worked with the Hork Bajir!! Damn you Arbat!
Pretty sure I got a touch teary eyed at one point in this one! So much emotion!
OMG the Andalites have come to save Earth... oh wait... no... no... fuck.
Fuck you Andalites. Well, mostly Arbat. Fuck you Arbat. Sorry I know these are childrens books.
There is just too much content in this one to write a lengthy review on. I'd be here all night! I might re-read this one before moving on, it was that good.
Kimberly Morris is an amazing ghost writer, just wow!
I can't write a long review on this. It would just be too long. BUT:
SPOILERS
I loved the Ax kissing scene and then him later denying he liked her.
The plot was very well constructed with several excellently crafted surprises.
Arbat being eaten alive... just wow.
The humans in the Yeerk pool acting as a shield... wow.
Arbat killing Aloth... wow... didn't see that coming...
Another alien super virus to kill the Yeerks... and the humans!!!! We saw how that worked with the Hork Bajir!! Damn you Arbat!
Pretty sure I got a touch teary eyed at one point in this one! So much emotion!
OMG the Andalites have come to save Earth... oh wait... no... no... fuck.
Fuck you Andalites. Well, mostly Arbat. Fuck you Arbat. Sorry I know these are childrens books.
There is just too much content in this one to write a lengthy review on. I'd be here all night! I might re-read this one before moving on, it was that good.
August 7, 2014
Woo-hoo, the Andalites arrived. Or should we be rejoicing? Urgh, poor Ax. This one totally wowed me. Jake really kicked butts and took names. He's pretty confident as the leader of the secret military of Earth, yes?
Notable moments and inconsistencies:
This book is ghostwritten by Kimberly Morris.
Odd that subordinate Yeerks are cautioning against killing a person because Visser Three will be furious at the loss of a host body. Visser Three constantly kills host bodies unnecessarily. If it was really about preserving hosts, Visser Three would hold a host until the Yeerk inside starved, then re-infest the person with a different Yeerk. Of course, Visser Three is also a hypocrite, so it's possible that he would be angry at an underling doing something he himself would do, but in general he does not act like host bodies are precious.
Usually, if one of the Animorphs is morphing to an animal that shares some characteristics with humans, those features will morph into the animal version (e.g., arms will become front legs, human noses become animal noses, etc.). But in this book, instead of having his ears migrate up to the top of his head like every other morph so far, Jake's tiger ears pop out of his hair before his human ears disappear. This is really an inconsistency, because while there's not a whole lot of logic to morphing in general, it does seem to have some general rules, and this description broke them.
In a previous book, Ax refers to having his second and third heart stop when he becomes a human, leaving him with one heart. This is the first place where it's clearly stated how many hearts Andalites have. But twice since then--once in The Andalite Chronicles and now again in this book--an Andalite refers to "both his hearts." Question is, which account is correct?
When Tobias and Ax find Estrid at the mall in human morph, it's made clear that she nabbed the DNA of another customer at the mall because they see the same person there. But it's never made clear how the heck an Andalite got into the mall to acquire a kid's DNA.
The Andalites the group meets in this book are named Estrid-Corill-Darrath, Gonrod-Isfall-Sonilli, Arbat-Elivat-Estoni, and Aloth-Attamil-Gahar. All are male except Estrid.
It seems ridiculous that Jake and the other human Animorphs would go into the Yeerk pool in their actual bodies. Especially Jake, whose brother is a Controller. He has another human form he could have used, though they were short on time. Just seems like an unnecessary, ridiculous risk.
Notable moments and inconsistencies:
This book is ghostwritten by Kimberly Morris.
Odd that subordinate Yeerks are cautioning against killing a person because Visser Three will be furious at the loss of a host body. Visser Three constantly kills host bodies unnecessarily. If it was really about preserving hosts, Visser Three would hold a host until the Yeerk inside starved, then re-infest the person with a different Yeerk. Of course, Visser Three is also a hypocrite, so it's possible that he would be angry at an underling doing something he himself would do, but in general he does not act like host bodies are precious.
Usually, if one of the Animorphs is morphing to an animal that shares some characteristics with humans, those features will morph into the animal version (e.g., arms will become front legs, human noses become animal noses, etc.). But in this book, instead of having his ears migrate up to the top of his head like every other morph so far, Jake's tiger ears pop out of his hair before his human ears disappear. This is really an inconsistency, because while there's not a whole lot of logic to morphing in general, it does seem to have some general rules, and this description broke them.
In a previous book, Ax refers to having his second and third heart stop when he becomes a human, leaving him with one heart. This is the first place where it's clearly stated how many hearts Andalites have. But twice since then--once in The Andalite Chronicles and now again in this book--an Andalite refers to "both his hearts." Question is, which account is correct?
When Tobias and Ax find Estrid at the mall in human morph, it's made clear that she nabbed the DNA of another customer at the mall because they see the same person there. But it's never made clear how the heck an Andalite got into the mall to acquire a kid's DNA.
The Andalites the group meets in this book are named Estrid-Corill-Darrath, Gonrod-Isfall-Sonilli, Arbat-Elivat-Estoni, and Aloth-Attamil-Gahar. All are male except Estrid.
It seems ridiculous that Jake and the other human Animorphs would go into the Yeerk pool in their actual bodies. Especially Jake, whose brother is a Controller. He has another human form he could have used, though they were short on time. Just seems like an unnecessary, ridiculous risk.
August 26, 2020
Original Review at Jaunts & Haunts
4/5
I gave this novel four stars!
Though this book wasn't perfect, I did enjoy the journey greatly.
Ax always has a great POV in my opinion. He shakes up human phrases and makes comical references that stick with you. Either that or he goes crazy over some cinnamon buns, bun-zah.
As the blurb suggests, we get to see some Andalites on Earth finally, yay! Understandably, Ax is torn. Jake is his prince, but should he go back on his oath and join his brethren?
I did have some mixed opinions throughout this book. There are some great things and some not so great things.
I think that overall, the general plot and concept of this book was great. Some Andalites have touched down on Earth, and I wanted to know everything that was going on. That really kept those pages turning. Like usual, nothing is as it seems, and that element of mystery was also really great.
Ax's POV was solid, with plenty of funny food references within. I enjoyed him interacting with the other Andalites and creating a bond.
On the other hand, I felt that the other Animorphs weren't portrayed consistently. There's a turning point in the plot (must ... remain ... spoiler ... free!) that occurs that didn't completely make sense, and the resolution seems to have happened behind the scenes without any explanation to Ax. I really would've liked to see what had happened to change things, but before and after this portion of the book, I will say that the characters were consistent.
Also, is it just me or was the beginning kind of clunky? It got better when things picked up but those first few pages weren't very great to me.
All this being said, I did have fun on this little Animorphs journey, and I'm looking forward to more!
4/5
I gave this novel four stars!
Though this book wasn't perfect, I did enjoy the journey greatly.
Ax always has a great POV in my opinion. He shakes up human phrases and makes comical references that stick with you. Either that or he goes crazy over some cinnamon buns, bun-zah.
As the blurb suggests, we get to see some Andalites on Earth finally, yay! Understandably, Ax is torn. Jake is his prince, but should he go back on his oath and join his brethren?
I did have some mixed opinions throughout this book. There are some great things and some not so great things.
I think that overall, the general plot and concept of this book was great. Some Andalites have touched down on Earth, and I wanted to know everything that was going on. That really kept those pages turning. Like usual, nothing is as it seems, and that element of mystery was also really great.
Ax's POV was solid, with plenty of funny food references within. I enjoyed him interacting with the other Andalites and creating a bond.
On the other hand, I felt that the other Animorphs weren't portrayed consistently. There's a turning point in the plot (must ... remain ... spoiler ... free!) that occurs that didn't completely make sense, and the resolution seems to have happened behind the scenes without any explanation to Ax. I really would've liked to see what had happened to change things, but before and after this portion of the book, I will say that the characters were consistent.
Also, is it just me or was the beginning kind of clunky? It got better when things picked up but those first few pages weren't very great to me.
All this being said, I did have fun on this little Animorphs journey, and I'm looking forward to more!
March 25, 2020
I wish I had liked this one more. Despite the supposedly significant development of Andalites appearing on Earth, it still felt so bloodless. The kiss between Ax and Estrid is like a perfect metaphor for the book as a whole. Seeming important, but passionless and then, well, I guess that happened.
I’m also, sorry, very frustrated by the Animorphs’ fake-out in which the team pretends to be falling apart, only to appear at the end because they were keeping tabs on Ax the whole time and it was all *part of the plan*. The fake fracturing of the group was bad enough, but what was the plan exactly? There were numerous times Ax was in mortal peril, the rest of the group was apparently present, but they didn’t do anything.
I’m also, sorry, very frustrated by the Animorphs’ fake-out in which the team pretends to be falling apart, only to appear at the end because they were keeping tabs on Ax the whole time and it was all *part of the plan*. The fake fracturing of the group was bad enough, but what was the plan exactly? There were numerous times Ax was in mortal peril, the rest of the group was apparently present, but they didn’t do anything.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 24, 2019
This is a vast improvement over the last few books. I wish, as always, that Andalite worldbuilding were more robust than "pretentious warrior-scientists--surprise, actually they're huge hypocrites!" but at least Ax's relationship with his people, as a race and as individuals, is nuanced. I have a hard time getting a grasp on Ax's character, as he vacillates between boring and comic relief, but the rare book like this one does a lot to correct that. The plot is manipulative for the sake of tension, but I'll take elided details over bad communication or characterization any day, and honestly it works.
August 10, 2024
gotta say my truth 2.5☆ I got bored sorry ax
no but it had it's interesting moments and I geeeet the plot is finally moving along a bit but I just didn't feel as engaged (maybe animorphs burnout lol) and I couldn't keep the names of the other andalites apart so I just kinda gave up at some point. I guess I generally like the humans' side of the story best
no but it had it's interesting moments and I geeeet the plot is finally moving along a bit but I just didn't feel as engaged (maybe animorphs burnout lol) and I couldn't keep the names of the other andalites apart so I just kinda gave up at some point. I guess I generally like the humans' side of the story best
June 18, 2016
This series delivers once again!
August 4, 2016
Ohhhh, Ax. Ax. I love you so much. Bless your baby bones.
This is hands down my favorite Animorphs book so far. I hope this ghostwriter comes back.
This is hands down my favorite Animorphs book so far. I hope this ghostwriter comes back.
September 21, 2022
Why do the aliens have misogyny
January 28, 2016
At long last an Andalite ship has arrived on Earth! But why is it only the one ship, and with only four Andalites? Instead of bringing hope to the human Animorphs, it crushes their spirits. As for Ax, he faces new dilemmas not about his loyalties to the Animorphs, but about his people and their pride and morals, as well as what his own morals are in this war.
Are the Andalites really here to take out Visser Three, or are they hiding some other mission?
This was a beautiful, complex, though-provoking story which I very much welcomed after the last two book plots. Everyone’s characterizations are spot on; the Animorphs voice some of the fears and feelings of hopelessness which they have been harboring; and the moral conundrums of war are once again brought to the forefront.
My little summary/observations above do not do this book full justice – probably does not help that I am writing this late at night - though I hope that my comments and quotes section helps (with its major spoilers). If you want eloquence, read Julie’s majorly spoiler review here.
The choices in the real world, the choices we most often face, are all in shades of gray.
Quotes and comments:
For human readers I should explain that my own Andalite body is of course sufficient for battle situations. I have four eyes, four legs, two arms, and a tail blade that can slice a human in half with one swipe.
Well, perhaps two swipes. I may perhaps have a tendency to overstate my capabilities. – page 10
[Tobias wheezed as he ran,] “Haul buns.”
“Bunzzzzz,” I repeated, unable to resist the impulse. “Zuh. Zuh. Zuh.”
“Please, Ax,” Tobias yelled, breaking into a run. “Not now!” – page 36 –HAHA!
Are the Andalites really here to take out Visser Three, or are they hiding some other mission?
This was a beautiful, complex, though-provoking story which I very much welcomed after the last two book plots. Everyone’s characterizations are spot on; the Animorphs voice some of the fears and feelings of hopelessness which they have been harboring; and the moral conundrums of war are once again brought to the forefront.
My little summary/observations above do not do this book full justice – probably does not help that I am writing this late at night - though I hope that my comments and quotes section helps (with its major spoilers). If you want eloquence, read Julie’s majorly spoiler review here.
The choices in the real world, the choices we most often face, are all in shades of gray.
Quotes and comments:
For human readers I should explain that my own Andalite body is of course sufficient for battle situations. I have four eyes, four legs, two arms, and a tail blade that can slice a human in half with one swipe.
Well, perhaps two swipes. I may perhaps have a tendency to overstate my capabilities. – page 10
[Tobias wheezed as he ran,] “Haul buns.”
“Bunzzzzz,” I repeated, unable to resist the impulse. “Zuh. Zuh. Zuh.”
“Please, Ax,” Tobias yelled, breaking into a run. “Not now!” – page 36 –HAHA!
November 13, 2018
(Full review here at the thelibraryladies.com.)
Narrator: Ax
Plot: Oh thank god, a return to sanity as far as these books go. Not only is our narrator blessedly in character, but we once again have a team that is capable of rational thought and pulling off complicated (and, importantly, NECESSARY) plans.
The story starts off with the Animorphs already in the midst of a mission: rescuing Mr. King from where he’s being held by the Yeerks. In their battle morphs, they succeed in breaking in to where he is being held and fending off the few Controllers there. But before they can leave, things get bad. This is a trap and Hork Bajir warriors begin pouring out of all the doors into the room and even falling in through the ceiling. Of course, Visser Three is there as well. Very beaten up, the Animorphs struggle to escape. It doesn’t look good until suddenly a small troop of Andalites show up and start kicking butt. Ax ends up fighting alongside a young female warrior who he immediately admires. As they escape, she tells Ax that her name is Estrid and that they will find him.
Back in the barn, they all meet up to discuss what’s happened. Ax is thrilled to see his people again, but the others are skeptical, given that their last experience with the Andalites resulted in Ax’s abandonment to a traitor Andalite on Leera. Ax reassures them that he knows who is Prince is.
The next day, Tobias and Ax decide to go to the mall to get some tasty food. Once there, they realize a commotion is going on in the food court: some woman has gone crazy and is eating all of the jelly beans. They quickly realize that this is one of the new Andalites in morph. They nab her and manage to get her out of the mall and arrange a time to meet with her leader.
Jake and Ax make their way to the designated meeting place. Once there, they are introduced to the other Andalites: the commander of the mission, Gonrod, an assassin named Aloth, and a high-up intelligence officer named Arbat who also reveals that he is the brother of Alloran, the Andalite host body of Visser Three. Gonrod blusters about leadership, but Jake doesn’t flinch, stating that he is in charge on Earth and he and his team don’t take order from them. Ax agrees and remains with Jake. Enraged, Gonrod orders the others to fire on Ax but before they can get off a shot, they realize that cobra!Marco and snake!Cassie are poised to strike and poison each of them. Everyone calms down a bit, and they reveal that the larger Andalite forces are not coming, that they are away in another sector dealing with problems there. This small group has only come to assassinate Visser Three, as his remaining in control of an Andalite body is a shame the Andalites can no longer tolerate.
Back in the barn, the team discuss what they have learned. They are all disheartened and demoralized to learn that the Andalites aren’t coming. One by one they begin falling apart under this new reality. Marco takes one of his cynical jokes too far and Rachel gets in a fight with him. Tobias announces that he is out of the fight and flies off. Rachel says that she’s going to take out as many as she can before she dies and leaves as well. Cassie agrees that if there is no hope of winning without Andalite reinforcements, there’s no excuse for killing innocent Hork Bajir hosts. Marco throws his hands in the air and decides to spend his remaining time on the beach. Alone, Jake releases Ax from his vow to follow him as it looks like the Animorphs are through. After they are all gone, Ax calls out to Estrid and points out that Earth rabbits don’t typically follow larger animals into barns full of yelling humans, but that it’s ok, he’s decided to join the Andalites.
On the Andalite ship, Ax begins to notice strange things about these Andalites. Estrid doesn’t seem to follow orders from the leader. And, in many ways, it seems as if Arbat is calling the shots more than Gonrod. They ask Ax where Visser Three is most likely to be found and Ax points them to the Sharing, then the Community Center, and as a last resort, the Yeerk pool. While the first are more obvious choices, Arbat presses about how to get to the Yeerk pool, but Gonrod insists that the Sharing meeting will suffice.
Later Ax and Estrid go on a “date” to the Gardens where they morph humans and eat more candy and practice the odd human custom of kissing. As birds, they begin to fly back but Ax says he wants to see his friends once more. As they pass a McDonalds they see grizzly!Rachel destroying the parking lot. They see owl!Cassie fly off and follow her back to the barn. There, they watch as Cassie tries to convince Jake and Marco to do something about Rachel. But Marco is supremely uninterested in getting involved and Jake is too busy hiding from Tom who has been picking on him. Sadly, Ax says he has seen enough and they leave. Estrid crows that Andalites would never behave so poorly in defeat. As they fly back, Estrid points out that she’s seen a certain fierce looking bird near them before. Ax waves it away saying that there are many such birds.
Back at the ship, Ax takes the first shift to stand guard. He tries to access the computer files, but is denied access. Aloth catches him at it, but Ax talks his way out of it. Aloth then reveals that he and Gonrod were each in prison before this mission. Aloth for illegal organ sales from dead soldiers and Gonrod for cowardice on the battlefield. They were each chosen for their unique skills as an assassin and a skilled pilot, respectively.
The next day, they attack the Sharing meeting. Visser Three is there in human morph. They manage to get in quickly, but Arbat, who insisted that he would be the one to take the shot on his “brother” (another weird question for Ax who thought Aloth was there as the assassin), misses an easy shot. Ax and Gonrod also take shots and miss, but by this time Hork Bajir are pouring into the building. As they flee, Aloth is hit and injured. Ax tries to help carry him out, knowing he could survive, but Arbat shoots and kills him. They run out and find Gonrod already at the helm of the ship; he had fled.
Arbat hastens through any mourning and insists that now their only option is the Yeerk pool. Gonrod resists, and Arbat takes over leadership and locks Gonrod away. They all decide to rest before their next mission. Ax sneaks out and returns with Mr. King. Again, they break into the computer, but are successful due to Mr. King’s better tech abilities. There they discover the truth: in the records, Aloth, Gonrod, and Arbat are already listed as having died on their ship in some other sector and Estrid isn’t listed at all. This is a suicide mission.
Ax sneaks off to find Estrid and confront her. He discovers her in a new part of the ship and sees her conducting some type of science experiment. He grabs the vial she is holding and she panics. He forces her to tell him the truth or he will drop it. She reveals that she is not an aristh, but a science student who was recruited by Arbat. She has developed a virus that is deadly to Yeerks. However, it also mutates and can become deadly to humans as well. Ax realizes that Gonrod and Aloth were dupes and that Arbat was in charge the whole time. He doesn’t care about taking out Visser Three but instead wants to release this virus in the Yeerk pool. Arbat arrives and confirms this all.
Arbat admits that he was looking for a science student, any science student, to pull of this mission and Estrid can’t live to confirm what’s been done here. Only high level intelligence will ever know of this mission. He pushes a button, and Ax and Estrid become trapped in a laser cage. Arbat leaves with the virus to complete the mission, and Estrid despairs, regretting that she allowed Arbat to convince her that the humans were a sacrifice worth making because they are weak and easy to give up. She reveals that Arbat was also in the barn that day when the Animorphs broke up.
Ax replies that they knew that just as Marco walks in. Around the room, the rest of the Animorphs demorph from bugs. Estrid accuses him of lying to his people, but Ax replies that the Animorphs are his people.
They make their way to the Community Center and down into the Yeerk pool. Their they all morph/demorph to human and spread out trying to find human!Arbat. Ax realizes that Arbat has little experience with a human morph, so he is able to spot him just as he reaches the pool due to the fact that he turns his head often, not used to not having an extra set of eyes. Arbat spots them and fires a Dracon beam at them, creating chaos. The others all morph battle morphs and Estrid and Ax return to their regular forms.
The battle quickly goes badly with many Hork Bajir converging around them. Estrid begins to panic and starts to think that maybe just using the virus is better. But they continue to fight, with Ax making his way towards Arbat. He realizes that he is not going to make it, but Estrid manages to fire a Dracon beam and destroy Arbat’s hand and the vial. But the Animorphs are still losing and Ax prepares to die in battle. At the last minute, Gonrod shows up in his ship, having blown a hole down through the roof of the McDonalds (Tobias had seen things going south for his friends and retrieved Gonrod and the ship). They all run for the ship and Arbat calls for them to take him with them. They do not, and he becomes the Taxxons’ dinner.
The next day, Estrid and Gonrod prepare to leave. Estrid tries to convince Ax to join them, but he refuses, and they leave. Ax and the Animorphs go to get burgers, but only Cassie realizes how hard this has been for Ax and holds his hand as they walk.
E.T./Ax Phone Home: This is the kind of book that is again almost so full of action that we miss out on some of the character building beats. I mean, we get a lot of “fake” character building that is exploring how Ax is feeling about all of the fake scenes that he and the Animorphs are putting on. But we don’t get to see the real scene where he agrees that the Andalites aren’t to be trusted initially and that this whole plan is worth trying. Here and there we get a few insights into how he is coping with the continued steep descent of the morality of his people, but I have to imagine it hits harder than we see here.
I do like the fallout with his crush with Estrid. That entire storyline felt very real the entire time, from his initial crush, to their date where he wishes they could just fly away (he doesn’t say it here, but part of this has to be because he’s putting on a whole show that inherently speaks to the fact that he can’t trust his own people. No wonder he’d want to escape before getting any real confirmations either way), to his reaction when he finds out that she was playing at least a partially willing role in the planned genocide on Earth. He tells her in the end that she is beautiful but that he doesn’t think he likes her very much. I’m sure she makes up for it some with her shot on Arbat, but probably not fully.
We also get a few references early on to the fact that Ax still feels terrible for abandoning his friends on the escapade in Leera. So it’s also nice seeing him here so fully loyal to his human friends and Jake as his Prince.
Our Fearless Leader: Jake’s showdown with Gonrod in the very beginning is a really great scene. It’s awesome seeing him in these types of scenes where he has fully embraced his leadership role and is facing down someone else.
“Now we stop playing games. You’re not the Andalite fleet. And I’m not going to snap a salute and say ‘yes, sir!’ We deal as equals. Which, to be honest, is generous of us under the circumstances.”
The clearest giveaway that something is up is when we see Jake “hiding” from Tom in Cassie’s barn because Tom is picking on him. Every part of it is ridiculous for those who know Jake. He’s not only hiding in the barn, but is actually crouched down in a horse stall as if Tom is going to appear at any moment on Cassie’s farm to bully him. Right.
Xena, Warrior Princess: In the fake scene, Rachel’s response is pretty accurate to what we’d expect. She’s clearly stressed and a stressed Rachel is an angry Rachel so when Marco pushes it too far, she goes after him. It also makes sense that her approach would then be to go out fighting. Probably the most honorable of them all if this was a real scene, as the rest of them seem to be “out” in the sense that they’re going to just wait around for the end. But her destroying the McDonalds in the second scene was also kind of a give-away as it doesn’t seem like that’d be what she’d choose to do, go after one little Controller at a fast food place, when she could go out in a blaze of glory at the Yeerk pool trying to get to Visser Three or something.
A Hawk’s Life: In the fake scene, Tobias is the first to quit and really gives no reason for it, he’s just out of there. Probably the first sign that something’s off as Tobias has always been the most gung-ho about sticking with the fight and is the only one who is continually sacrificing himself (remaining a bird) to do it because it matters that much to him. He also follows around Estrid and Ax, getting spotted by Estrid at one point. And then in the end, he’s the one to fetch Gonrod and get him to bring in the ship to rescue the rest of them.
Peace, Love, and Animals: As it was all a fake scene, we can’t really take anything that any of them said here at face value. But at one point, Cassie is going on and on about how immoral it is for the Andalites to be there to take revenge on Visser Three because “revenge is wrong.” But wait, wasn’t it literally just two books ago that Cassie’s whole motivation for going after the Yeerks was in revenge for what they did to the Hork Bajir and Marco had to actually call her out on it? We’re just going to have to assume that this was part of the act, but a small part of me also wouldn’t have been surprised if this was her actual outlook, again conveniently adjusted for how others should behave vs. herself. But that scene at the end where she holds Ax’s hand is quite sweet, showing the one consistent strength of hers: to understand when others are feeling pain and to try to comfort them.
The Comic Relief: Marco has some good lines in this book, especially in the barn scene when he’s highlighting just how hopeless the whole scenario is if the Andalites aren’t coming. Makes me want to see the real scene where they discuss the fallout of this new situation. But Marco’s reaction is also out of character for where he is at this point in the series. Sure, the early version of Marco would have been all for beach days while you wait for the end of the world. But this version of Marco has been coming up against some of the hardest scenarios in the entire series with the interactions with his mom/Visser One. I think at this point that he’d likely follow a similar track to Rachel in going out swinging rather than waiting. Of course, his “going out” would likely be better planned than hers and have a greater chance of success, too. I could even see the two of them ganging up for something like this, though.
Best (?) Body Horror Moment: There really weren’t many in this book. At one point Ax describes morphing human and how the flesh “flowed down to cover the bones” which is a pretty icky way of thinking of it. He also talks a bit about the non-pain of morphing and how knowing that it should hurt is its own kind of pain anyways.
Couples Watch!: Awww, Ax goes on a date. I had completely forgotten this bit of the series and had been fully prepared to never really have much to include for Ax in these sections. But he goes on a full-on date here, more than we’ve seen from the other two couples really. There’s an event/location with the Gardens. There’s food with the candy. And there’s kissing. Of course, Ax and Estrid are just “practicing” a “strange human custom.” But alas, it all goes south fairly quickly and Ax ends up disliking Estrid quite a bit for a while there due to her role in things. He does come around a bit in the end, but I think his tears at the end were more for the loss of his people once again than Estrid specifically.
If Only Visser Three had Mustache to Twirl: Visser Three only makes a few brief appearances in this book, though Ax does note that he seems to be learning that bigger is not always better. When the Andalites attack at the Sharing meeting and begin shooting at him, he wisely chooses to morph something small and hard to hit.
In many ways, the Andalites themselves are the villains of this story. At what point do you have to start fully questioning their whole “moral leaders of the universe” claim? The Animorphs’ initial skepticism of them is completely and utterly justified, and I’m sure it turned out even worse than they had suspected. At this point, other than Elfangor and Ax, the Animorphs’ knowledge/experience of the Andalites has been finding out about the genocide of the Hork Bajir, being betrayed by a high up Andalite traitor on Leera, and then here, watching the Andalites seemingly go all-in on genocide 2.0, this time taking out the humans. As readers we’re taught that the Andalites are the good guys, but at this point…The story never really gets back around to the Animorphs’ true feelings about the Andalite fleet not arriving, but, I mean, after all of this, it doesn’t necessarily seem like them showing up is much better than them not. If anything, the Yeerks are a known and understood enemy with clear motives and goals.
Adult Ugly Crying at a Middle Grade Book: You have to feel bad for Ax. Not only did his first crush turn out to be a willing participant in plans to commit genocide, but as a whole, the Andalites are really not putting a good face forward. Not only does this make it hard to face his friends, but the story never really gets into the existential crisis that must be going on to realize how low your people have really sunk. And really, they’ve already killed off one species and planned on a second. Who knows what other atrocities they’ve done? Kind of seems like a regular thing for them. All of this makes that last scene where they’re walking to get food and Cassie is hold Ax’s hand while he cries a pretty dark experience.
What a Terrible Plan, Guys!: Hurrah for a return to the smart Animorphs who can spot a con early and pull off complicated plans of deception! I mean, after the David incident, they’re kind of old hands at this whole “put on a scene for the spies in the barn” thing. The one bit I do question is the necessity of the second little scene they put on, where Rachel is destroying things, Marco is supremely lazy, and Jake is bizarrely hiding from his brother. It’s the kind of things that just reads funny. For readers, we know something is up by several parts of this, but mostly the whole “Jake hiding from Tom because he’s being picked on.” Clearly, that’s not a thing. But, from a logical stand point, I’m not sure what the value was in putting on this performance. It seemed like none of the Andalites were questioning the original “break up” at all and Ax could have reported that that was the case. As it was, we later learn that Estrid had needed further convincing by Arbat that killing off the humans along with the Yeerks was ok. And he was able to do this by convincing her of how weak, pathetic, and easy to give up humans are. If anything, this extra little scene just reinforced this perspective and perhaps pushed Estrid even further over the edge on this thinking. The Animorphs couldn’t have know this, of course, but still, like I said, the Andalites seemed to already buy the first scene, so this was never necessary anyways.
(Continued on blog)
Narrator: Ax
Plot: Oh thank god, a return to sanity as far as these books go. Not only is our narrator blessedly in character, but we once again have a team that is capable of rational thought and pulling off complicated (and, importantly, NECESSARY) plans.
The story starts off with the Animorphs already in the midst of a mission: rescuing Mr. King from where he’s being held by the Yeerks. In their battle morphs, they succeed in breaking in to where he is being held and fending off the few Controllers there. But before they can leave, things get bad. This is a trap and Hork Bajir warriors begin pouring out of all the doors into the room and even falling in through the ceiling. Of course, Visser Three is there as well. Very beaten up, the Animorphs struggle to escape. It doesn’t look good until suddenly a small troop of Andalites show up and start kicking butt. Ax ends up fighting alongside a young female warrior who he immediately admires. As they escape, she tells Ax that her name is Estrid and that they will find him.
Back in the barn, they all meet up to discuss what’s happened. Ax is thrilled to see his people again, but the others are skeptical, given that their last experience with the Andalites resulted in Ax’s abandonment to a traitor Andalite on Leera. Ax reassures them that he knows who is Prince is.
The next day, Tobias and Ax decide to go to the mall to get some tasty food. Once there, they realize a commotion is going on in the food court: some woman has gone crazy and is eating all of the jelly beans. They quickly realize that this is one of the new Andalites in morph. They nab her and manage to get her out of the mall and arrange a time to meet with her leader.
Jake and Ax make their way to the designated meeting place. Once there, they are introduced to the other Andalites: the commander of the mission, Gonrod, an assassin named Aloth, and a high-up intelligence officer named Arbat who also reveals that he is the brother of Alloran, the Andalite host body of Visser Three. Gonrod blusters about leadership, but Jake doesn’t flinch, stating that he is in charge on Earth and he and his team don’t take order from them. Ax agrees and remains with Jake. Enraged, Gonrod orders the others to fire on Ax but before they can get off a shot, they realize that cobra!Marco and snake!Cassie are poised to strike and poison each of them. Everyone calms down a bit, and they reveal that the larger Andalite forces are not coming, that they are away in another sector dealing with problems there. This small group has only come to assassinate Visser Three, as his remaining in control of an Andalite body is a shame the Andalites can no longer tolerate.
Back in the barn, the team discuss what they have learned. They are all disheartened and demoralized to learn that the Andalites aren’t coming. One by one they begin falling apart under this new reality. Marco takes one of his cynical jokes too far and Rachel gets in a fight with him. Tobias announces that he is out of the fight and flies off. Rachel says that she’s going to take out as many as she can before she dies and leaves as well. Cassie agrees that if there is no hope of winning without Andalite reinforcements, there’s no excuse for killing innocent Hork Bajir hosts. Marco throws his hands in the air and decides to spend his remaining time on the beach. Alone, Jake releases Ax from his vow to follow him as it looks like the Animorphs are through. After they are all gone, Ax calls out to Estrid and points out that Earth rabbits don’t typically follow larger animals into barns full of yelling humans, but that it’s ok, he’s decided to join the Andalites.
On the Andalite ship, Ax begins to notice strange things about these Andalites. Estrid doesn’t seem to follow orders from the leader. And, in many ways, it seems as if Arbat is calling the shots more than Gonrod. They ask Ax where Visser Three is most likely to be found and Ax points them to the Sharing, then the Community Center, and as a last resort, the Yeerk pool. While the first are more obvious choices, Arbat presses about how to get to the Yeerk pool, but Gonrod insists that the Sharing meeting will suffice.
Later Ax and Estrid go on a “date” to the Gardens where they morph humans and eat more candy and practice the odd human custom of kissing. As birds, they begin to fly back but Ax says he wants to see his friends once more. As they pass a McDonalds they see grizzly!Rachel destroying the parking lot. They see owl!Cassie fly off and follow her back to the barn. There, they watch as Cassie tries to convince Jake and Marco to do something about Rachel. But Marco is supremely uninterested in getting involved and Jake is too busy hiding from Tom who has been picking on him. Sadly, Ax says he has seen enough and they leave. Estrid crows that Andalites would never behave so poorly in defeat. As they fly back, Estrid points out that she’s seen a certain fierce looking bird near them before. Ax waves it away saying that there are many such birds.
Back at the ship, Ax takes the first shift to stand guard. He tries to access the computer files, but is denied access. Aloth catches him at it, but Ax talks his way out of it. Aloth then reveals that he and Gonrod were each in prison before this mission. Aloth for illegal organ sales from dead soldiers and Gonrod for cowardice on the battlefield. They were each chosen for their unique skills as an assassin and a skilled pilot, respectively.
The next day, they attack the Sharing meeting. Visser Three is there in human morph. They manage to get in quickly, but Arbat, who insisted that he would be the one to take the shot on his “brother” (another weird question for Ax who thought Aloth was there as the assassin), misses an easy shot. Ax and Gonrod also take shots and miss, but by this time Hork Bajir are pouring into the building. As they flee, Aloth is hit and injured. Ax tries to help carry him out, knowing he could survive, but Arbat shoots and kills him. They run out and find Gonrod already at the helm of the ship; he had fled.
Arbat hastens through any mourning and insists that now their only option is the Yeerk pool. Gonrod resists, and Arbat takes over leadership and locks Gonrod away. They all decide to rest before their next mission. Ax sneaks out and returns with Mr. King. Again, they break into the computer, but are successful due to Mr. King’s better tech abilities. There they discover the truth: in the records, Aloth, Gonrod, and Arbat are already listed as having died on their ship in some other sector and Estrid isn’t listed at all. This is a suicide mission.
Ax sneaks off to find Estrid and confront her. He discovers her in a new part of the ship and sees her conducting some type of science experiment. He grabs the vial she is holding and she panics. He forces her to tell him the truth or he will drop it. She reveals that she is not an aristh, but a science student who was recruited by Arbat. She has developed a virus that is deadly to Yeerks. However, it also mutates and can become deadly to humans as well. Ax realizes that Gonrod and Aloth were dupes and that Arbat was in charge the whole time. He doesn’t care about taking out Visser Three but instead wants to release this virus in the Yeerk pool. Arbat arrives and confirms this all.
Arbat admits that he was looking for a science student, any science student, to pull of this mission and Estrid can’t live to confirm what’s been done here. Only high level intelligence will ever know of this mission. He pushes a button, and Ax and Estrid become trapped in a laser cage. Arbat leaves with the virus to complete the mission, and Estrid despairs, regretting that she allowed Arbat to convince her that the humans were a sacrifice worth making because they are weak and easy to give up. She reveals that Arbat was also in the barn that day when the Animorphs broke up.
Ax replies that they knew that just as Marco walks in. Around the room, the rest of the Animorphs demorph from bugs. Estrid accuses him of lying to his people, but Ax replies that the Animorphs are his people.
They make their way to the Community Center and down into the Yeerk pool. Their they all morph/demorph to human and spread out trying to find human!Arbat. Ax realizes that Arbat has little experience with a human morph, so he is able to spot him just as he reaches the pool due to the fact that he turns his head often, not used to not having an extra set of eyes. Arbat spots them and fires a Dracon beam at them, creating chaos. The others all morph battle morphs and Estrid and Ax return to their regular forms.
The battle quickly goes badly with many Hork Bajir converging around them. Estrid begins to panic and starts to think that maybe just using the virus is better. But they continue to fight, with Ax making his way towards Arbat. He realizes that he is not going to make it, but Estrid manages to fire a Dracon beam and destroy Arbat’s hand and the vial. But the Animorphs are still losing and Ax prepares to die in battle. At the last minute, Gonrod shows up in his ship, having blown a hole down through the roof of the McDonalds (Tobias had seen things going south for his friends and retrieved Gonrod and the ship). They all run for the ship and Arbat calls for them to take him with them. They do not, and he becomes the Taxxons’ dinner.
The next day, Estrid and Gonrod prepare to leave. Estrid tries to convince Ax to join them, but he refuses, and they leave. Ax and the Animorphs go to get burgers, but only Cassie realizes how hard this has been for Ax and holds his hand as they walk.
E.T./Ax Phone Home: This is the kind of book that is again almost so full of action that we miss out on some of the character building beats. I mean, we get a lot of “fake” character building that is exploring how Ax is feeling about all of the fake scenes that he and the Animorphs are putting on. But we don’t get to see the real scene where he agrees that the Andalites aren’t to be trusted initially and that this whole plan is worth trying. Here and there we get a few insights into how he is coping with the continued steep descent of the morality of his people, but I have to imagine it hits harder than we see here.
I do like the fallout with his crush with Estrid. That entire storyline felt very real the entire time, from his initial crush, to their date where he wishes they could just fly away (he doesn’t say it here, but part of this has to be because he’s putting on a whole show that inherently speaks to the fact that he can’t trust his own people. No wonder he’d want to escape before getting any real confirmations either way), to his reaction when he finds out that she was playing at least a partially willing role in the planned genocide on Earth. He tells her in the end that she is beautiful but that he doesn’t think he likes her very much. I’m sure she makes up for it some with her shot on Arbat, but probably not fully.
We also get a few references early on to the fact that Ax still feels terrible for abandoning his friends on the escapade in Leera. So it’s also nice seeing him here so fully loyal to his human friends and Jake as his Prince.
Our Fearless Leader: Jake’s showdown with Gonrod in the very beginning is a really great scene. It’s awesome seeing him in these types of scenes where he has fully embraced his leadership role and is facing down someone else.
“Now we stop playing games. You’re not the Andalite fleet. And I’m not going to snap a salute and say ‘yes, sir!’ We deal as equals. Which, to be honest, is generous of us under the circumstances.”
The clearest giveaway that something is up is when we see Jake “hiding” from Tom in Cassie’s barn because Tom is picking on him. Every part of it is ridiculous for those who know Jake. He’s not only hiding in the barn, but is actually crouched down in a horse stall as if Tom is going to appear at any moment on Cassie’s farm to bully him. Right.
Xena, Warrior Princess: In the fake scene, Rachel’s response is pretty accurate to what we’d expect. She’s clearly stressed and a stressed Rachel is an angry Rachel so when Marco pushes it too far, she goes after him. It also makes sense that her approach would then be to go out fighting. Probably the most honorable of them all if this was a real scene, as the rest of them seem to be “out” in the sense that they’re going to just wait around for the end. But her destroying the McDonalds in the second scene was also kind of a give-away as it doesn’t seem like that’d be what she’d choose to do, go after one little Controller at a fast food place, when she could go out in a blaze of glory at the Yeerk pool trying to get to Visser Three or something.
A Hawk’s Life: In the fake scene, Tobias is the first to quit and really gives no reason for it, he’s just out of there. Probably the first sign that something’s off as Tobias has always been the most gung-ho about sticking with the fight and is the only one who is continually sacrificing himself (remaining a bird) to do it because it matters that much to him. He also follows around Estrid and Ax, getting spotted by Estrid at one point. And then in the end, he’s the one to fetch Gonrod and get him to bring in the ship to rescue the rest of them.
Peace, Love, and Animals: As it was all a fake scene, we can’t really take anything that any of them said here at face value. But at one point, Cassie is going on and on about how immoral it is for the Andalites to be there to take revenge on Visser Three because “revenge is wrong.” But wait, wasn’t it literally just two books ago that Cassie’s whole motivation for going after the Yeerks was in revenge for what they did to the Hork Bajir and Marco had to actually call her out on it? We’re just going to have to assume that this was part of the act, but a small part of me also wouldn’t have been surprised if this was her actual outlook, again conveniently adjusted for how others should behave vs. herself. But that scene at the end where she holds Ax’s hand is quite sweet, showing the one consistent strength of hers: to understand when others are feeling pain and to try to comfort them.
The Comic Relief: Marco has some good lines in this book, especially in the barn scene when he’s highlighting just how hopeless the whole scenario is if the Andalites aren’t coming. Makes me want to see the real scene where they discuss the fallout of this new situation. But Marco’s reaction is also out of character for where he is at this point in the series. Sure, the early version of Marco would have been all for beach days while you wait for the end of the world. But this version of Marco has been coming up against some of the hardest scenarios in the entire series with the interactions with his mom/Visser One. I think at this point that he’d likely follow a similar track to Rachel in going out swinging rather than waiting. Of course, his “going out” would likely be better planned than hers and have a greater chance of success, too. I could even see the two of them ganging up for something like this, though.
Best (?) Body Horror Moment: There really weren’t many in this book. At one point Ax describes morphing human and how the flesh “flowed down to cover the bones” which is a pretty icky way of thinking of it. He also talks a bit about the non-pain of morphing and how knowing that it should hurt is its own kind of pain anyways.
Couples Watch!: Awww, Ax goes on a date. I had completely forgotten this bit of the series and had been fully prepared to never really have much to include for Ax in these sections. But he goes on a full-on date here, more than we’ve seen from the other two couples really. There’s an event/location with the Gardens. There’s food with the candy. And there’s kissing. Of course, Ax and Estrid are just “practicing” a “strange human custom.” But alas, it all goes south fairly quickly and Ax ends up disliking Estrid quite a bit for a while there due to her role in things. He does come around a bit in the end, but I think his tears at the end were more for the loss of his people once again than Estrid specifically.
If Only Visser Three had Mustache to Twirl: Visser Three only makes a few brief appearances in this book, though Ax does note that he seems to be learning that bigger is not always better. When the Andalites attack at the Sharing meeting and begin shooting at him, he wisely chooses to morph something small and hard to hit.
In many ways, the Andalites themselves are the villains of this story. At what point do you have to start fully questioning their whole “moral leaders of the universe” claim? The Animorphs’ initial skepticism of them is completely and utterly justified, and I’m sure it turned out even worse than they had suspected. At this point, other than Elfangor and Ax, the Animorphs’ knowledge/experience of the Andalites has been finding out about the genocide of the Hork Bajir, being betrayed by a high up Andalite traitor on Leera, and then here, watching the Andalites seemingly go all-in on genocide 2.0, this time taking out the humans. As readers we’re taught that the Andalites are the good guys, but at this point…The story never really gets back around to the Animorphs’ true feelings about the Andalite fleet not arriving, but, I mean, after all of this, it doesn’t necessarily seem like them showing up is much better than them not. If anything, the Yeerks are a known and understood enemy with clear motives and goals.
Adult Ugly Crying at a Middle Grade Book: You have to feel bad for Ax. Not only did his first crush turn out to be a willing participant in plans to commit genocide, but as a whole, the Andalites are really not putting a good face forward. Not only does this make it hard to face his friends, but the story never really gets into the existential crisis that must be going on to realize how low your people have really sunk. And really, they’ve already killed off one species and planned on a second. Who knows what other atrocities they’ve done? Kind of seems like a regular thing for them. All of this makes that last scene where they’re walking to get food and Cassie is hold Ax’s hand while he cries a pretty dark experience.
What a Terrible Plan, Guys!: Hurrah for a return to the smart Animorphs who can spot a con early and pull off complicated plans of deception! I mean, after the David incident, they’re kind of old hands at this whole “put on a scene for the spies in the barn” thing. The one bit I do question is the necessity of the second little scene they put on, where Rachel is destroying things, Marco is supremely lazy, and Jake is bizarrely hiding from his brother. It’s the kind of things that just reads funny. For readers, we know something is up by several parts of this, but mostly the whole “Jake hiding from Tom because he’s being picked on.” Clearly, that’s not a thing. But, from a logical stand point, I’m not sure what the value was in putting on this performance. It seemed like none of the Andalites were questioning the original “break up” at all and Ax could have reported that that was the case. As it was, we later learn that Estrid had needed further convincing by Arbat that killing off the humans along with the Yeerks was ok. And he was able to do this by convincing her of how weak, pathetic, and easy to give up humans are. If anything, this extra little scene just reinforced this perspective and perhaps pushed Estrid even further over the edge on this thinking. The Animorphs couldn’t have know this, of course, but still, like I said, the Andalites seemed to already buy the first scene, so this was never necessary anyways.
(Continued on blog)
March 6, 2022
The Andalites are here! Well, sort of. It's not the reinforcement fleet that the Animorphs have been expecting while waging their desperate resistance war against the Yeerk occupiers. Instead, Ax's people have sent a vanguard of just four warriors, with a stated objective to assassinate the enemy general Visser Three. Cassie is outraged, although that's one of her moral objections that feels somewhat weak given the death and destruction that she and her friends wreak among their foes on any particular day.
It's a question the book dodges too, with the eventual reveal that the commandos have actually come to deliver an unstable virus that will wipe out the Yeerks completely but might mutate into something that will also prove fatal to humanity. Even ignoring the shaky science there, escalating the stakes to the level of genocide makes the story less interesting, because it turns the leader of these new arrivals into a clear villain, in a franchise that's generally best when exploring the murky grays, tough decisions, and ensuing trauma of the child soldiers and their guerilla campaign. Whereas non-combat casualties can at least be debated on ethical grounds, a pathogen that could kill off all humans is obviously, trivially bad. And so Arbat, who as Alloran's brother could have been a poignant tragic figure and a mirror for Jake, himself the sibling to a Controller, is instead only a shallow obstacle for everyone to overcome.
There's also some nominal conflict as to whether our alien protagonist will keep loyal to his earth allies or the delegation of his own species -- including an attractive and intelligent young female cadet, with whom he shares his first kiss in human morph -- but at this point in the series, that's a foregone conclusion as well. We are accustomed to Andalite arrogance and hypocrisy, and Ax has already made his choice to stand with the Animorphs against it. Likewise, while it's amusing to see the team pretend to disband in a crisis of conscience, feigning weakness for a hidden audience at Cassie's barn just as they once did to entrap David, it seems so transparent and repeated a ploy that I doubt many readers would fall for it (and I don't consider it a major spoiler to mention here). But as a consequence of ghostwriter Kimberly Morris framing the narrative that way, the kids are absent for much of this title, leaving only Aximili and his nonstarter of a plot.
As is often the case, individual moments help save the day, to a degree. I love how the initial mission to investigate the local newspaper office turns out to be a Yeerk honeypot, and that it likely would have been the end of the "bandits" had the real Andalites not shown up right then to assist, tracking Ax's DNA. With the group heavily outnumbered, Taxxons surging up the stairwell, and Hork-Bajir pulling back ceiling tiles to drop down from above, it's an outstanding setpiece all-around, matched only by the final showdown at the Yeerk pool, where caged humans stand and link arms to protect the fighters from the guards attempting to shoot them. Gambling that their bodies are too valuable as hosts, those temporarily-free individuals put their lives on the line in a small yet significant act of bravery. Tobias helping to burn straight through the McDonalds overhead is pretty neat too, making this the second volume in a row in which the good guys cause serious property damage with potential for civilian collateral, in a sign of how their struggle continues to escalate.
So it's not a complete bust. The characters are recognizably themselves, and I definitely appreciate the continuity here, following up on the battle for Leera and several other threads from earlier adventures. I just think we spend a bit too long on would-be tensions that seem fairly simple to resolve at this stage of the larger storyline.
[Content warning for body horror, cannibalism, and gore.]
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It's a question the book dodges too, with the eventual reveal that the commandos have actually come to deliver an unstable virus that will wipe out the Yeerks completely but might mutate into something that will also prove fatal to humanity. Even ignoring the shaky science there, escalating the stakes to the level of genocide makes the story less interesting, because it turns the leader of these new arrivals into a clear villain, in a franchise that's generally best when exploring the murky grays, tough decisions, and ensuing trauma of the child soldiers and their guerilla campaign. Whereas non-combat casualties can at least be debated on ethical grounds, a pathogen that could kill off all humans is obviously, trivially bad. And so Arbat, who as Alloran's brother could have been a poignant tragic figure and a mirror for Jake, himself the sibling to a Controller, is instead only a shallow obstacle for everyone to overcome.
There's also some nominal conflict as to whether our alien protagonist will keep loyal to his earth allies or the delegation of his own species -- including an attractive and intelligent young female cadet, with whom he shares his first kiss in human morph -- but at this point in the series, that's a foregone conclusion as well. We are accustomed to Andalite arrogance and hypocrisy, and Ax has already made his choice to stand with the Animorphs against it. Likewise, while it's amusing to see the team pretend to disband in a crisis of conscience, feigning weakness for a hidden audience at Cassie's barn just as they once did to entrap David, it seems so transparent and repeated a ploy that I doubt many readers would fall for it (and I don't consider it a major spoiler to mention here). But as a consequence of ghostwriter Kimberly Morris framing the narrative that way, the kids are absent for much of this title, leaving only Aximili and his nonstarter of a plot.
As is often the case, individual moments help save the day, to a degree. I love how the initial mission to investigate the local newspaper office turns out to be a Yeerk honeypot, and that it likely would have been the end of the "bandits" had the real Andalites not shown up right then to assist, tracking Ax's DNA. With the group heavily outnumbered, Taxxons surging up the stairwell, and Hork-Bajir pulling back ceiling tiles to drop down from above, it's an outstanding setpiece all-around, matched only by the final showdown at the Yeerk pool, where caged humans stand and link arms to protect the fighters from the guards attempting to shoot them. Gambling that their bodies are too valuable as hosts, those temporarily-free individuals put their lives on the line in a small yet significant act of bravery. Tobias helping to burn straight through the McDonalds overhead is pretty neat too, making this the second volume in a row in which the good guys cause serious property damage with potential for civilian collateral, in a sign of how their struggle continues to escalate.
So it's not a complete bust. The characters are recognizably themselves, and I definitely appreciate the continuity here, following up on the battle for Leera and several other threads from earlier adventures. I just think we spend a bit too long on would-be tensions that seem fairly simple to resolve at this stage of the larger storyline.
[Content warning for body horror, cannibalism, and gore.]
Like this review?
--Throw me a quick one-time donation here!
https://ko-fi.com/lesserjoke
--Subscribe here to support my writing and weigh in on what I read next!
https://patreon.com/lesserjoke
--Follow along on Goodreads here!
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/6...
--Or click here to browse through all my previous reviews!
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April 26, 2025
The Andalites arrive with a mission—and ulterior motives—in The Arrival, an Ax-centered story that wisely builds on previous encounters with Andalites, using the established understanding of their history, society, and hubris to great antagonistic effect.
It was a wonder what would happen when the Andalites finally arrived on Earth. But here's the thing: it really wasn't. Given everything we’ve learned—everything established about them, everything they’ve done in the name of defeating the Yeerks—is it any surprise that Earth would be considered collateral damage? Is it shocking that they’d try to pull the same shit they have in the past here? Not really. After reading all 43 books before this, I pretty much saw this coming from the outset, which is part of the issue I had with this outing.
Not only was the Andalites’ plan to unleash an untested virus to wipe out the Yeerks utterly predictable, but the Animorphs faking their breakup to get Ax back in place to spy on them was telegraphed as well. If you’ve been following the series closely, everything here was foreseeable, which stripped the story of its mystery and tension for me. At this point, I’ve read and seen so much that I can anticipate where some of these arcs are headed, which is unfortunate. That said, this needed to happen sooner or later for whatever comes next, so at least we're past it.
Now, with that frustration out of the way—Ax’s dilemma, forced to choose between his people and the Animorphs again, was a valuable revisit. The story wisely shows that he honors the promise he made in Book 18: The Decision, refusing to back the Andalites over his friends. Even more impressively, it highlights the emotional toll this decision takes on him by the book’s end—never have I felt sorrier for the Ax-man's unique predicament.
All in all, a necessary and well-executed installment. Now that this groundwork is laid, let’s hope the Andalites bring more interesting ways to try and fuck over our heroes moving forward. Or at less ones I don't see coming from a mile away.
44 down, 18 to go.
It was a wonder what would happen when the Andalites finally arrived on Earth. But here's the thing: it really wasn't. Given everything we’ve learned—everything established about them, everything they’ve done in the name of defeating the Yeerks—is it any surprise that Earth would be considered collateral damage? Is it shocking that they’d try to pull the same shit they have in the past here? Not really. After reading all 43 books before this, I pretty much saw this coming from the outset, which is part of the issue I had with this outing.
Not only was the Andalites’ plan to unleash an untested virus to wipe out the Yeerks utterly predictable, but the Animorphs faking their breakup to get Ax back in place to spy on them was telegraphed as well. If you’ve been following the series closely, everything here was foreseeable, which stripped the story of its mystery and tension for me. At this point, I’ve read and seen so much that I can anticipate where some of these arcs are headed, which is unfortunate. That said, this needed to happen sooner or later for whatever comes next, so at least we're past it.
Now, with that frustration out of the way—Ax’s dilemma, forced to choose between his people and the Animorphs again, was a valuable revisit. The story wisely shows that he honors the promise he made in Book 18: The Decision, refusing to back the Andalites over his friends. Even more impressively, it highlights the emotional toll this decision takes on him by the book’s end—never have I felt sorrier for the Ax-man's unique predicament.
All in all, a necessary and well-executed installment. Now that this groundwork is laid, let’s hope the Andalites bring more interesting ways to try and fuck over our heroes moving forward. Or at less ones I don't see coming from a mile away.
44 down, 18 to go.
September 19, 2022
As a teen, I read all of the Animorphs books that the library had. Reading one now, there's some stuff that didn't age well, but a lot did. The biggest flaw, to the modern eye, is how episodic the books are, keeping pretty much the same status quo at the end as the start, which lessens the tension because I know that things will be about the same at the end as the start. (More modern MG and YA series like Warrior Cats allow for things to change drastically from book to book.)
The thing that really ages well is the character diversity. These characters have a wide range of moral views, something that is often lacking in modern media, or at least not as apparent. They are each a unique part of the team, not a bunch of cardboard cutouts that look pretty much the same when you dig, and the aliens do feel alien, while still being relatable.
The thing that really ages well is the character diversity. These characters have a wide range of moral views, something that is often lacking in modern media, or at least not as apparent. They are each a unique part of the team, not a bunch of cardboard cutouts that look pretty much the same when you dig, and the aliens do feel alien, while still being relatable.
November 30, 2020
The way Applegate works in shades of gray is incredible. While many Yeerks are despicable, there are some that are allies to the Animorphs. And, while there are honorable Andalites, there are traitorous ones as well (we meet a few in The Arrival- their plan is to utilize a virus like the Andalites used to decimate the Hork-bajir. This virus would kill off Yeerks, but would likely also kill humans as well).
War is a messy, messy endeavor, and Applegate explores its nuances wonderfully.
Also, love how Jake doesn’t put up with Gonrod. Jake is a badass.
War is a messy, messy endeavor, and Applegate explores its nuances wonderfully.
Also, love how Jake doesn’t put up with Gonrod. Jake is a badass.
June 2, 2024
Another one I didn't get to read because of formatting but another good one. Andalites visit, only they are of a traitorous sort! Ax falls a little in love and then has to betray her. It's a good story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 28, 2023
Definitely the best Ax book so far. I enjoyed how much it focussed on Ax and his Andalite culture rather than his relationship with the other Animorphs this time. Xd
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