Adventures of Pip and Flinx 09, Flinx's Folly

• Publisher:   Del Rey
• Number Of Pages:   272
• Publication Date:   2003-11-04
• ISBN-10 / ASIN:   0345450388
• ISBN-13 / EAN:   9780345450388

New York Times bestselling author Alan Dean Foster delivers the eagerly awaited new Pip and Flinx novel featuring a certain twenty-four-year-old with red hair, growing powers, and a loyal sidekick who just happens to be a flying mini-dragon. Sure to delight longtime fans and win new ones, Flinx’s Folly follows Flinx on a thrilling quest to unravel the mysteries of his mind and body. It is a quest that forces him to confront a horror almost beyond human comprehension concealed somewhere in the universe . . . and coming closer. It’s a good thing Flinx is no stranger to trouble, because he’s swimming in it. Even before the latest murderous attack by a new gang of assailants, there seems no end to people determined to arrest, examine, or kill him. To add insult to all that injury, Flinx has been spirited away and enlisted in a battle against a monstrous extra-galactic threat. Hidden behind the Great Emptiness, in a place where it seems matter and energy have never been, there is only evil. Pure evil that is approaching him, accelerating. Against such a quintessence of colossal evil what can one puny human and a formidable mini-drag protector do? Flinx must tell someone or go out of his already addled mind. Choosing a confidant is easy: Clarity Held, a crush he hasn’t seen in six years. She is a young woman who has clearly gone on with her life in ways that (he soon learns) don’t necessarily include Flinx.
Whatever happens, Flinx makes up his mind to act quickly. His decision is the beginning of a terrifying, high-stakes adventure through perilous new realms that will rocket him into the very heart of danger–and into the arms of the only woman he’s ever loved. As he and Pip bravely travel to a place where no man or mini-drag has gone before, Flinx discovers he has a few more friends than he thought–and far more enemies than he ever imagined.

In my opinion, Foster's biggest talent lies in creating intriguing alien flora and fauna. Unfortunately, unlike in its predecessor, Mid-Flinx, we have neither in Flinx's Folly. What we do have, however, are similar plotlines: 1. A bad guy keeps trying to get rid of Flinx for a very shallow reason. In Mid-Flinx the villain wanted Flinx's minidrag, Pip, in Flinx's Folly the motive is jealousy. 2. A group of bad guys keep trying to get rid of Flinx for political reasons. Both storylines and their outcomes are predictable and therefore boring. Despite those shortfalls, it could still have been an interesting book if the author had focussed on the budding relationship between Flinx and Clarity, but since that isn't Foster's forte, it fizzles as well.

What's on New Riviera that would interest the psychically gifted young man whose one constant companion is an empathic flying snake? Although New Riviera is an incredibly welcoming world to Humans, he hasn't come to enjoy its beauty or to study its flora and fauna. This planet is "home" to Clarity Held, who six years ago was 18-year-old Flinx's first real love. Baffled and exhausted after a pair of fanatics from the Order of Null try to assassinate him, Flinx has to talk to someone he can trust. So he goes to Clarity, hoping she'll let him talk. He isn't planning to put her in danger...but when has danger failed to follow Flinx? This ninth novel in one of my favorite SF series gives readers, and Flinx, more terrifying hints about what lurks behind the Great Emptiness approaching the Milky Way from far out in space. It's not necessary to have read the earlier books in order to enjoy this one, but if you are a long time fan you'll appreciate the author's attention to continuity.

"Flinx's Folly" could have been much better. After all, Philip Lynx (aka Flinx) is an interesting character, smart, empathic, a mild telepath, and bonded to an Alaspinian mini-drag (a sort of snake with wings). And Flinx has had many other adventures, most of which have been entertaining, and some of which have been exhilirating.

However, most of the exhilirating adventures ("The Tar-Aiym Krang," "For Love of Mother-Not") are long behind Flinx, or, perhaps, have been put in stasis. For what we get in "Flinx's Folly" is warmed over romance coupled with a couple of the wildest deus ex machina plot twists that Alan Dean Foster has ever written.

Granted, in previous Flinx novels, Flinx often got out of trouble with what _looked_ like a deus ex machina, only to find out later that it was due to his own abilities, previous memories that had been walled off, or friends he didn't know he had (or that still lived). But in this book, Flinx gets out of trouble three times -- and all three are via deus ex machina of various types, and in only one case is the deus ex machina explained!

And although there are some humorous moments, and a bit of romance, it's not enough to leaven the mix in my opinion.

Which is why I'm giving "Flinx's Folly" 2 1/2 stars on the head. I think it's dead average; the writing is good, the pacing brisk, but really, there's nothing new here nor was there any reason to write this book except to further the series. Let's hope the next book will be the conclusion, so poor Flinx can finally find a nice woman to settle down with (whether it's Clarity Held or not) and get on with life.

Barb Caffrey

This is the eighth in Alan Dean Foster's series about a boy and his flying mini-dragon. Of course, Flinx is no longer a boy, has some very strange mental powers, and has managed to attract the attention of a host of unsavory characters. Subject to burst of psychic energy, Flinx makes accidental contact with a being that has suddenly become interested in Commonwealth space. This life form is something of a cosmic vacuum cleaner. Where it passes, nothing is left. And Flinx's fleeting contact tells him that the creature is both vast and evil. And it has a special dislike for Flinx, who, somehow, holds the key to saving the universe.

Still unsure about what to do, Flinx (Phillip Lynx) heads for the planet of New Riviera, a paradise planet where an old lover and friend, Clarity Held works as a bioengineer. At this point the plot starts moving by fits and starts, unable to make up its mind about whether it is a suspense/love story or suspense/alien menace story. What at first seems to be an interesting diversion gradually becomes the primary focus, despite having little to do directly with the initial developments of the book.

This works against the book, which becomes a story stuck inside a story, both of which are primarily related by having occurred at the same time and place. The reader keeps waiting for the connections to become clearer, but all you get is a dues ex machina transition from one to the other. This is jarring, and, in my mind, badly weakens the story, which really lacks the compelling storytelling for which Alan Dean Foster is known.

It is fairly clear that this is novel is intended as a bridge to develop both the impending doom plot as well as several interesting returns to Flinx's past. Eventually, we will solve the puzzle of who and what Flinx really is, but it won't happen in this volume. Instead, this is one of those books you have to read if you want to get to where the series is going. Hopefully, once things settle down, the future will bear more fruit. In the light of that, you may want to wait for the next volume to appear before committing to this one.

Let me start off by saying that I like the Flinx books, but I wouldn't give the entire series higher than a 4. There's nothing really deep here, but they're a fun read.

That said, this one is a fun read too, but the plot could really use some help. My problems with it include:

1: a group of fanatical assassins bent on destroying the universe. I have to say this seems pretty arbitary to me, since you'd think a group like that would have made an appearance before if they were going to be important.

2: He decides to look up Clarity Held, an old crush from Flinx in Flux. Granted, I haven't read that book yet, but it seems like Flinx has some other people who would be much more understanding and trustworthy than someone he only knew for a little while. What about Mother Mastiff, or Tse-Mallory and Truzenzuzex? This comes across as an awkward attempt to re-introduce a love interest.

3: Clarity's engaged to a nice-seeming fellow who suddenly goes on a jealous rampage, monopolizing the rest of the book. Um, Clarity seems like a sharp girl. You'd think she would have noticed a character flaw like homicidal jealousy before.

4: After everything Flinx has been through, the jealous madman finally gets the drop on him. Luckily however, old friends Tse-Mallory and Truzenzuzex happen to be in the neighborhood, and very randomly come to his rescue.

5: This one is a personal problem of mine. Tse-Mallory and Tru show up, rescue Flinx and Clarity, then promptly get shoved back offstage. Come on! I want to see more of these two!

All this amounts to a plot created out of non-sequiturs and deus ex machina. On the bright side, the characters are as much fun as ever. And we get to see a bunch of folks who haven't been around in a while, along with a promise of seeing more of them soon. For myself, I was content to borrow this from my public library, but I'd say it was worth reading once.

password: R20090923

rapidshare.com download (Report broken link)

Bookmark Adventures of Pip and Flinx 09, Flinx's Folly

Hyperlink code: