The Arrival

Well written story showing moral and ethical quandariesThis was a great story in the series. It maybe wasn’t as in depth as some of the other installments, but it shined when it came to dispensing advice on morality and ethical dilemmas.When the Animorphs go off, after Ax supposedly leaves them as a group and they decide to check out as far as the Yeerk war. As the reader, you must realize that this is just a ploy, but the Andalite Assassin troop, would not have recognized such behaviors as false. I believe that not only did Ax realize this, he may have even suggested the entire plan. After what occurred on Leera, the Animorphs have no reason to completely trust that all Andalites act at face value any longer. A difficult concept for the team and especially Ax to handle.Sadly the Andalite War Council and Intelligence branch had decided to destroy the Yeerks on Earth and if that caused the extermination of the humans, oh well. Humans aren’t Andalites after all. You would think that knowing that the okEllimist has contact with humans and has helped them in the past, would show the Andalites maybe there is some worth to the humans and Earth. If Andalites are such highly moral and ethical sentient beings these actions have certainly shown them to be hypocrites, at least for some.Elfangor and Ax have definitely embraced the mutual adoration of humans and Andalites working together. It was sad to see when Ax was confronted with how some of his own species react to the humans. Even more so, it was heartbreaking when he saw Estrid’s outlook. His devastation, as painful as it was, was a great story line for the series. Hopefully after the ship is returned to Andalite space and they find out about these orders that were created in secret, it will force them to come to terms with their societal outlook on other species. Maybe this will give them the courage to work more fully with other species in the future and bring about a faster end to the war without the destruction of all involved.Since Ax has not had the opportunity to be around many females in his age group, it is understandable when he feels a bond to Estrid. First crush is never easy, and during war and highly dangerous missions, this would feel even more potent. In the future, when he finds a better match for himself, he will be amazed at how different it will be from what he experienced with Estrid.This story did a great deal to expand on Ax and his temperament, outlook on his life and society, and what it means for him to continue fighting with the Animorphs. It showed significant character development.