Flinx Transcendent

by Alan Dean Foster
ISBN: 978-0345496072 (Del Rey)
Hardback, May 2009

A Novel of the (Humanx) Commonwealth
and the final Adventure of Pip & Flinx

In this novel, Foster gets to make a tidy ending of the series. Friends and enemies gather to achieve/thwart Flinx’s ambitions. Many entities from Foster’s “Humanx Commonwealth” novels, not just the “Flinx and Pip” adventures, meet to assist in the destruction of the “great approaching evil”.

Foster can’t let a novel go without disecting at least one civilization. This time it is the enemy of the Humanx Comonwealth, the bloodthirsty AAnn (a good way to round up the series). Flinx, again sidetacks from his task, sneaking onto the AAnn homeworld and making friends in the most unlikely places.

Ultimately, Flinx defeats his enemies and gets the girl!!… and boredom.

Verdict: A Great read – recommended (mostly for Pip & Flinx readers)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinx
www.alandeanfoster.com

I would like to see more Flinx adventures. With the old thread brought to a tidy conclusion, perhaps there is scope for some standalone adventures. Even more Commonwealth stories would be welcomed.

Quofum

by Alan Dean Foster
ISBN 978-0345496058 (Del Rey)
Hardback, 2008

A Novel of the (Humanx) Commonwealth

Is Alan Dean Foster just feeding us with more of his fantastic and wild imagination. It seems to me that he has this flood of material he just has to put on paper before getting serious with the remainder of the Pip & Flinx series.

Although the duo don’t appear in this novel, the stage is further set for their explosive date with destiny in their next adventure. Flinx Transcendent will be the fourteenth [last??] in the Pip and Flinx series, scheduled for release in April 2009.

Quofum – the mysterious planet that comes’n’goes from it’s position in space. This time a research team are sent to explore the planet. Four men, one woman and one thranx – including ship crew and one assassin.

They discover multiple, new intelligent species and many other unclassified life forms. They also discover an assassin in their midst who takes their means of communication with the ship (and some lives).

Three eventually travel into the bowels of the planet and discover something about the Great Evil racing towards the galaxy.

They certainly have never heard of Flinx, the only one with a chance of stopping it.

Verdict: A Great read – recommended (mostly for Pip & Flinx readers)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flinx
www.alandeanfoster.com