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 their morphing ability to transform into a creature that is in any way likable. ( )

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This one's from Ax's viewpoint, but some things were odd about it. A small team of Andalites has actually finally shown up- they're suddenly present at a battle alongside Ax- which really threw me off because his reaction was so non-plussed I thought it must be fake. The Andalites, I mean. Nope, they're real. But very few in number. And not acting the way Ax expects. Turns out it's not a rescue ship bringing warriors in to save Earth as the Animorphs had hoped for all this time, but a small secret mission to assassinate Visser Three just to save face for the Andalites (who are off helping a different alien race on another plant). At this the Animorphs despair that the war against the aliens is completely hopeless, and most of them announce they're flat out giving up, can't handle it anymore, yell at each other and storm out of a meeting in the barn. Ax leaves and joins the Andalites, but there's not much explanation of how he feels about leaving the Animorphs, it's mostly about him trying to figure out what's really going on with this new small team. And there's a young female Andalite among them, which um, complicates things for Ax. (She goes bonkers over the taste of jelly beans). In the end, Ax is in a very tight spot down at the Yeerk pool surrounding by enemies, attempting to stop one of his compatriots from doing something to wipe out the Yeerks, which could very well also wipe out the human race. It looks like the end (but can't be, as there's sixteen more books in the series) so things are saved in the nick of time when the Animorphs show up again- having been hidden observing things all along in tiny forms- flies, roaches and things you know. Ax seems to know after they morph into their battle forms, but he hadn't let the reader know. Or I didn't catch on?

I missed the inner look at what it feels like to change into an animal from many of the earlier books, but this one brings back in some of the sci-fi aspects and morality issues which make the series interesting in a different way.

from the Dogear Diary ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I figured they break up was an act.

My favorite line

That is why I like humans. It is all about the cinnamon buns. ( )

A short comment for every book of the series until I get a chance to re-read them. All three of my sons and I loved this series and read every single book - I even bought every single book (most, but not all, used; some through school book sales). I'm excited to re-read them to see how the five main characters develop and to watch all the different transformations again. ( )