I can’t believe the rubbish job Del Rey (Ballantine) has done on the current reprints of the well beloved Pip & Flinx novels. Gone are the magnificent covers illustrated by the likes of Michael Whelan and Bob Eggleton. Replaced by blurry monochromatic photos of... what's this? A Justin Bieber clone in coveralls? And isn’t Flinx, like, 17 years old? This kid looks about 11. Also - where's Pip? Presumably they were unable to locate a flying snake for the studio sessions?It's ATROCIOUS to say the least. Numerous generations of ADF-fans are weeping into their hands. What's more, on the very first page of The Tar-Aiym Krang there is a glaring typo. No Del Rey, no! Shame on you! What would Lester say?Now. The book. I appeal to all readers of speculative fiction not to judge this book by its cover. The Pip & Flinx novels used to be extremely popular back in the days and it's easy to see why. The Tar-Aiym Krang is very, very readable and conjures up fond memories of some of the early science fiction I'd read as a teenager, although this book is certainly not limited as far as target audience is concerned. In fact, some of the content is arguably not suitable for younger kids (there is some sex & nudity although it is pretty mild). It's a great adventure with grand imagery and every self respecting Space Opera lite fan should find something in here to enjoy. Long dead alien civilizations, majestic ruins on uncharted planets, the search for an important artifact with astonishing capabilities... what's not to like? It even has the sense of wonder sadly lacking in some of today's stuff. Flinx is easy to identify with and Pip is, well, Pip. As far as flying, venomous mini-drag(on) alien pets go, he’s pretty standard I suppose…The novel is certainly not without its faults. I found the pacing a bit uneven, but not so bad as to really bother me. It’s unlikely that this novel will change the way you look at the world, but it will in all likelihood put a smile on your face.A note on chronology. This is the first book in the series in order of publication. A prequel (For Love of Mother-Not) was published later on and many people have taken that to be the first book. Alan Dean Foster wrote The Tar-Aiym Krang first - therefore I shall take it to be book one in the series until he personally orders me to do otherwise. Thank you very much.
The Tar-Aiym Krang is a good example of 1970's science fiction. If one is reading it for depth or subtlety, one will be disappointed. The characters are very simple and the plot is extremely straightforward and linear. Yet these characteristics are not flaws anymore than brevity is a flaw in a haiku. They're just part of the form. The tale is a fantastical one, with new worlds, new philosophies, and new technologies painted in with broad colorful strokes and then elaborated in great detail more or less at random.For example: a great deal of detail is given over to an explanation of the Human-Thranx commonwealth. This polity is of great importance to the author, and to some of his other stories, but plays almost no role in the story at hand. It almost as if the author has left notes for a later book in the manuscript. Likewise, the reader is presented with a complex but ultimately inarticulate description of a faster than light travel system. Again this explanation plays little part in the story, but it could be reasonably assumed by the author and his publisher that readers of science fiction in that day and age of its publication would be fascinated and intrigued by the idea. In internet comments sections had existed at the time, no doubt they would have been filled with arguments about whether-or-not this sort of thing is possible.What the story does offer is a far flung science-fiction adventure story and a relief from the modern style of futurism with all its dystopian tendencies.
What do You think about The Tar-Aiym Krang (1995)?
The second book by Alan Dean Foster I ever read. The first was Nor Crystal Tears. After reading that book, I decided to read his other Humanx Commonwealth books in the order in which he wrote them. Tar-Aiym was Foster's breakout novel. He wrote it in the early '70's. It was also his first Flinx & Pip novel, and the first one that I read. I really enjoyed this book. He introduces us to Flinx & Pip, a teenge human boy and his pet flying snake, with which he shares a telepathic bond. Very good book, again I really enjoyed Foster's writing style. He keeps you interested and in suspense.
—Fred D
Very good but I am starting to feel these books are on tad on the short side, the ending also seemd kind of abrupt and didn't seem to answer many question.(view spoiler)[ He and Pip start the machine and seem to have gained some amazing powers but he doesn't or isn't able to communicate more than he has with the machine? Also now that I have started the next book it seems the effects of those barriers in his mind that were lowered is wearing off? Seems like there's a gap here that should have been explored maybe like his journey home and those two scientist would have wanted to test him or talk to him more than they did. 4 stars instead of 5 because this ending seems "incomplete". (hide spoiler)]
—Dan
Book 2 of the Flinx series. Flinx is now a young adult and an accomplished thief as well as an entertainer. He keeps his thieving in bounds so as not to attract undo attention to himself and only when his needs can't be supplied by the income from his mind-reading act. He no longer lives with his adopted mother, but stays close (in fact his "stage" is next to her stall).A series of incidents brings him into contact with one of the major traders on Moth and he's included in an adventure that takes him off planet for the first time.The book lives up to its predecessor (For Love of Mother-Not) and is extremely entertaining and easy to read. I can heartily recommend it to science fiction - adventure lovers.
—Al
