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The Arrival

(Animorphs #38)

K.A. Applegate,

Katherine Applegate

3.84 · Rating details · 2,112 ratings · 58 reviews

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? ...more

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Mass Market Paperback, 148 pages

Published February 2000 by Scholastic Paperbacks

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The Andalite Chronicles by K.A. Applegate

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· 2,112 ratings · 58 reviews

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Jul 30, 2015 Julie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, reader-i-wept, applegrant, rereads

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 milit ...more

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Mar 01, 2017 Kara Babcock rated it really liked it

Shelves: ebook, science-fiction, young-adult, 2017-read

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….

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 ...more

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Sep 18, 2016 Claire rated it it was amazing

Shelves: owned, lingers-in-my-thoughts

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. I 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. ...more

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Dec 31, 2014 Janelle Dazzlepants rated it really liked it

Shelves: aliens, sci-fi, from-my-childhood, adaptation, animorphs

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 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 o 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. ...more

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Jul 19, 2018 Jon rated it it was amazing

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 Al ...more

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Aug 24, 2015 Jen rated it really liked it

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, b ...more

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Apr 03, 2015 Stephanie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childhood-memories, animorphs, own, child-soldiers

   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, thoug ...more

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Aug 26, 2020 Jonathan Pongratz rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, science-fiction

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 ...more

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Mar 24, 2019 Juushika rated it really liked it

Shelves: genre-mg-and-ya, genre-science-fiction, status-owned

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 tensio ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Kate Crabtree rated it really liked it

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 h ...more

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Nov 13, 2018 The Library Ladies rated it it was amazing

Shelves: science-fiction, middle-grade, animorphs

(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 h ...more

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Jun 16, 2017 Jenny Clark rated it it was amazing

Shelves: childrens, animorphs

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The hypocritical, better than you, know everything Andalites are here! A few of them, on a suicide mission. Two war criminals, a genius and a spy, all listed as dead. Aloth being a organ seller is chilling, as is the realization that the Andalites care nothing for anyone who is not their own. And Estrid's suggestion that they could use her virus to wipe out any evil species before it did evil... Are we sure these are the good guys here? I love how Ax is willing to double cross hos own people for The hypocritical, better than you, know everything Andalites are here! A few of them, on a suicide mission. Two war criminals, a genius and a spy, all listed as dead. Aloth being a organ seller is chilling, as is the realization that the Andalites care nothing for anyone who is not their own. And Estrid's suggestion that they could use her virus to wipe out any evil species before it did evil... Are we sure these are the good guys here? I love how Ax is willing to double cross hos own people for those whom he considers his people, because they fight honestly.

But in reality life seldom comes in simple back and white. The choices ib the real world, the choices we most often face, are in shades of grey.

Tobias said quietly. He sat on a rail overhead.
"Well, it's just cowardly," Cassie insisted, putting her hands on her hips. "The easy way out. If you're dead, you don't have to fight for your freedom, do you?"

"Hey, Cassie, you know what?" Marco snapped. "Who cares? I mean, who cares about all your moralizing? Are you even paying attention? What do you think, that the six of us are going to win this war? By ourselves? Four kids, a bird, and an alien? Six kids who can turn into animals, big deal! We've hurt the Yeerks, we've frustrated them, we've slowed them down, but we're pebbles in their shoes. This has always been about us being the resistance until the Andalites could do a D-Day and save our sorry butts."
I had never heard Marco speak so harshly to Cassie. But more shocking still was that Jake did not step in to silence him.
I had been so distracted by Estrid, by seeing my own people again that I had overlooked how devastating this news would be to my friends. They had hoped for salvation. Instead they were presented with another complex problem, more dangers, more futility.
I scanned each of their faces with my stalk eyes. These were not the humans I had known for so long.
Prince Jake stood. "If the Andalites were serious about helping us, they'd have sent an invading force. And Cassie's right, they trade Visser Three for some other visser, how does that help us? And Marco's right, too. We're tired. We're so tired there are times I don't think I can get up the energy to breathe. And now, instead of help, big-time help, we have what are obviously the dregs of the Andalite forces. Gonrod's a fool. Aloth is just a foot soldier. Estrid's a rookie. And Arbat's a guy off on his own."
"So what's our plan?" Rachel demanded.
Prince Jake said nothing.

Estrid looked at me, half amazed, half angry.
I shook my head.
"Yeah," Marco said. "Besides, we humans make a mean cinnamon bun."
I laughed.

Their backs were to the cages. It would have been child's play for the Yeerks to simply shoot them through the bars. Shoot them in the back.
But the human hosts in that cage, slaves of the Yeerks temporarily free of those Yeerks, stood there, arms linked, blocking the shot. A human shield.

The ship lifted and slid toward the cages.
If Arbat had thought to demorph instantly he might have lived a while longer. He stood there, raging, trapped on a segment of pier, alone.
Alone but for the Taxxons whose eternal hunger would not let them ignore the smell of his blood.

I thought of the human hosts who had made a shield of their bodies to protect my friends. Thought of the many, many, uncountable times Prince Jake or Rachel or Cassie or Marco or Tobias had risked death to help me.
I said.

I shook my head. I said.
She tried for a lighthearted tone.
I nodded. I said.
I left the ship. Walked away from my chance to be home again. I rejoined my friends.
The Ralek River took off. Did it escape Visser Three's dragnet? Did it make it safely into Zero-space?
I do not know.
I walked away and did not look back.
I morphed to human as we six walked together. Even Tobias became human, I think to be near me, to "hang" as the humans say.
Cassie put her arm around my shoulder. It is a human gesture of comfort. "You okay?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't he be?" Marco said. "You heard him. He didn't even like her."
Cassie said nothing but squeezed me a bit tighter. Cassie is not easily deceived.

"I asked him if we could burn through into the Yeerk pool. He said, 'Maybe, but only at the thinnest point.' Anyway, late as it was, even the night cleanup crew was gone..."
"No," Prince Jake said. "You didn't. You did not obliterate a McDonald's."
"Like it was never there," Tobias said with a laugh. "The Yeerks will fill the hole before anyone realizes what's down there underneath the ground, but if we want burgers, I'm thinking Burger King."
"I would like a burger," I said. "Burrr-ger."
We walked along the dark streets, my friends and I. My more-than-friends. We laughed, so relieved to simply be alive. We joked.
Cassie held my hand, and in the darkness where no one could see, I cried. ...more

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Jul 23, 2011 Weathervane rated it liked it

Shelves: animorphs

This one kind of confused me. Did the Animorphs trick the Andalites earlier in the book by acting crazy and disunified, or was that legitimate? It can't have been, otherwise they wouldn't have reunited later in the book. It's strange.

Otherwise, I was pleased with the plot, though one has to wonder if the Animorphs would've had a different reaction to the virus if it had a chance to kill another species instead of humans, and if they had seen it as absolutely necessary to stopping the Yeerk plagu ...more

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Jan 22, 2015 Faye rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-110-fics, animorphs, 2015-animorphs-reread

Omg Ax. :[

This one's sad. We get to see more of Ax and how it's like to be lonely, away from home, surrounded by species who are very different from you.

I just hate it that he cried, I mean... nooooo Ax is too cool to cry. He's always sad, that I know, and have accepted, but it's the kind of sad that's beautiful even for an Andalite. Like a graceful kind of sad. So when he cried, my respect for Ax increased. ...more

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May 13, 2016 Alejandro Fernandez rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The book Animorphs The Arrival was kind of boring at the beginning because I wasn't interesting. But then I got to the middle and I got interesting because the kid changed into an eagle and that was cool. My opinion on this book is that it should be on book self everywhere in the world because it is funny and interesting. I would recommend this book to my friends because I think they would like this book. ...more

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Jan 14, 2012 Ian rated it it was amazing

Shelves: animorphs

One of my favorites.

One of my favorites. Ax's story arc is one of the more solid ones in the series. Coupled with #18 this book is downright perfect. ...more

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Jun 25, 2013 Lindsey rated it really liked it

ALIEN EMOTIONS

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Aug 04, 2016 Darcy rated it it was amazing

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.

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Aug 05, 2019 Thistle rated it it was amazing

Disclaimer: I'm reading this series for the first time as an adult. (Unfortunately) I have no fond memories coloring my reading.

Wow. Usually when I love an Animorphs book, it's because of how dark it is. While this one was dark, it was so much more than that. This was easily one of the best books in the series. This was a very good book, Animorphs or not.

The dark, seriousness amped up a notch: Is genocide worth it to win a war? If you risk wiping out a whole species (humanity), is it worth it to ...more

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May 29, 2017 Arkham Reviews rated it liked it

Shelves: reviewed-on-blog

While this is by no means one of the worst Animorphs books, it is a very strange book. The Andalite arrival on Earth should have been a big deal, but I feel that this book cheats a little. This book doesn't herald the arrival of the Andalite fleet on Earth, it's just four of them on a specific mission that is entirely completed within this book. It's a bit of a cheat and not the gamechanger that it could have been.

While the plot builds to a high-stakes final act and maintains tension well, somet ...more

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Oct 06, 2019 Davy Kent rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction-sff

The Arrival has a very weak start but gradually improves as you keep reading. Based on the first half of the book, it'd be worth a 4/10 at most. It rallies and claws its way back up to an 8/10 by the end.

This book illuminates slightly the war effort from the Andalites against the Yeerks, and displays (between the lines) how arrogant their species is. They are burdened with being the only species capable of containing the Yeerk Empire but see themselves as #1 first and foremost. Their strategies ...more

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Mar 25, 2020 Joshua Glasgow rated it liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 12, 2019 Chelsea Gouin rated it really liked it

Shelves: animorphs

This was sooo good! Especially following the previous two! Ax's books are always rather hit or miss but this one was so brilliant! Some Andalite's show up on Earth and the Animorphs are excited to think it's the fleet to help with the war...it's not, just some rogues on a personal mission. Ax once again faces the crisis of his people vs. his friends. He also gets his first crush and heart break when he chooses what's right over his duty. And he totally leaves a person to just be eaten alive...it ...more

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Apr 02, 2020 Books That Burn added it

This series established several generalizations about alien species early on and then has spent the last ~15-20 books dismantling those assumptions. No group is a monolith, and here Ax encounters more of his people, not all at their best.

The levels of narration in this book are so good! I don't want to spoil anything, but the way Ax's internal monologue is handled is masterful. I hadn't remembered this one very well, it just hadn't stayed with me. Ax's description of humans for Andalites and of ...more

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Jan 26, 2019 Sharon rated it liked it

Pretty intense. I liked it on the whole, though I'm not sure if Ax POV books are my favorite. It wasn't all too surprising except where it really as and, man, this series is just getting darker.

(view spoiler) ...more

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Dec 26, 2020 Lingui5t rated it really liked it

An excellent book in the series, but missing too much of the characters I love to warrant five stars.
The title before this, The Weakness (#37) gave us a discussion of hubris, but surely the hubris angle belongs more in a book all about Andalites, a race whose vanity and arrogance knows no bounds. Honestly the sheer inability of Andalite characters (even Ax) to be dynamic from these personality vices in any real way makes me dislike books that put them in focus.

Andalites should consider using th ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Andrew rated it really liked it

Finally some other Andalites arrive! But, alas, they are there to mass genocide the Earth to kill the Yeerks (and by extent all humans). The hard-liner military approach of the Andalites that is now pretty well established gets bogged down later in the series however when we learn that Andalite civilians in general are much less dogmatic and violent. The scene where the gang shows up to save Ax from the cage was also *chef's kiss*. ...more

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Oct 20, 2017 T Berry rated it really liked it

Aside from some flaws (which honestly may have been tied up by the end, better than I remember since I read this on not much sleep and in something of a rush) this is probably one of my favorite Animorphs books.
Both for the relative uniqueness of being an Ax book and dealing largely in Andalite culture and such, as well as for the plot which I won't spoil. But it was pretty dang good. ...more

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