Reunion

When I picked up the newest in Alan Dean Fosters Flinx series I was very glad that he was continuing with the special duo of pip and Flinx and he adds on to the mystery of One Philip Lynx nee Flinx we are left waiting to find out more about the threat to man and thranx kind from a coming darkness I can't wait for the next book.

It has been a very long time since there has been a Flinx novel. Mid-Flinx was published in 1995. Since that time, Alan Dean Foster has produced a steady stream of work, including several set in the same universe, but references to Flinx and his deadly Alaspinian Mini-Dragon have been non-existent. Some of this probably has to with the rapidity with which the earlier volumes came out. Foster is a good enough author to stop before he has overused a theme..Some things never change. Flinx, now 21, has matured a bit, and his empathic powers have grown as well. Pip is still in the best of health as well. But Flinx is still roaming the universe in Teacher, his starship, and he is still on a quest to discover his true identity and purpose. This time, Flinx has returned to Earth to seek for more information on his origins as an experiment of the banned Meliorare Society. Using his empathic power Flinx convinces a young security staffer to allow him access to the AI of a major data center. From there he is able to penetrate the Earth's data shell and investigate files still under Church ban..Even as Flinx attempts to grasp the last 'sybfile' of information it disappears. He manages to trace the sybfile to a ship leaving the Earth and comes under a deadly 'information attack' aimed at the AI he is using. Flinx is barely able to escape the Data Center in the chaos and it is only luck that gets him safely off planet and on board the Teacher. He is determined to find the sybfile, but the ship Flinx is chasing is headed in the worst direction. Its destination is the planet of Pyrassis, well into the territory of the AAnn Empire, where humans are considered a delicacy..Rapid-fire, the plot gets more and more complicated, as Flinx finds himself crossing the Pyrassian desert on step ahead of death, a near captive of the AAnn, and then thrust back into space for a confrontation of inconceivable magnitude. Although there are moments where the narrative bogs down while Foster takes the time to explain something, the overall impact is of a long and finely detailed chase story. For most readers, the detail about the reptilian Aann will be new territory. Foster has made them quasi-comical, speaking in hissing sibilants with a delicate sarcasm and a very serious understanding of the politics of success in the military..For a couple of reasons, this is a 4-1/2 star novel; not really the five I'm giving it. First is the tendency to go ponderous that I've already mentioned. This happens at moments of scientific explanation, and are over quickly. My other criticism, is that rather than take the time to tie up some of the many loose ends already built into the series, Foster adds even more. Without some cleanup and, perhaps, a slightly more robust publication schedule there is danger that details will begin to conflict more conspicuously than they already do. These flaws are minor, and should not interfere with the reader's enjoyment of the book. "Reuni

This series is a favorit of mine. each book can stand alone but, when you read all of them it adds to the enjoyment and understanding. Flynx and Pip compliment each other perfectly.

I have been anxiously awaiting this book since I finshed Mid-Flinx 4 or 5 years ago. It was worth the wait, but I wish Foster would write the Flinx books a little faster. Without spoiling the book for anyone let me just say that it is interesting to see how Flinx is growing as a character. The book overall is a great read. Just like at the end of Mid-Flinx there seems to be more questions left unanswered then answered. I have a few theries as to where the whole end story is heading, but it would only be a guess and I am not even sure if Foster knows where it is going at the moment. If you have read the other Flinx novels then you will like this one. If you are not familiar with them start with one of the others first, I would recomend the Tar-Aiym Krang. It will help fill in some of the history first.

For those who are into these two of foster's characters this is an excellent read. My problem is that after I am done I just want more of PIP and FLINX.Until the next book I will just have to re-read all the other PIP and FLINX books in the series.