No comments about Flinx Transcendent (Pip & Flinx).

5 comments about Interlopers.

1. Interlopers is to date the worst Alan Dean Foster novel I've read. As he is a consistently good author, that puts it in the middle of the road as far as pulp fiction goes, neither time-wastingly bad nor anything to write home about. An author needs to put out books to pay the bills and keep the family fed, and I received the strong impression that Interlopers was penned to keep food on the table rather than a labor of love. While it has an interesting premise, the 'tentacly boogeymen infest humans and spread evil' heart of the story, it falls apart in the execution.
   
   The story kicks off with a terribly improbable opening, involving the drinking of a concoction full of poisons on the say-so of an ancient tablet. It then follows up with ample deus ex machinae when characters are introduced who are unflappable, never mistaken, and always capable. Any tension that existed before the appearance of these characters immediately vaporizes; a giant polka-dotted cyclops monster that shoots lightning bolts from its eye could appear in the middle of the street, and doubtless they would calmly and cooly dispatch it. At the same time the antagonists, who started off with a great, creepy sort of unified front against the main character, stop being either creepy or clever, and just sort of sit back and wait to be defeated.
   
   Add to that a few logical questions (ala 'If these things exist in a significant percent of the rocks and wood and other plants of the world, why isn't everyone full of them all the time?') and you wind up with a novel that, while very promising, needed a lot more finishing to live up to its concept.



2. This is the first audio book I've ever bought or listened to and I thought I would be bored out of my mind listening to it. I bought it because the multi-talented Ben Browder (Farscape, Stargate SG-1, Party of Five) was the "narrator". I used quotes around narrator because Ben gives his all in his acting out of this novel. At times I thought that there were other "narrators" besides Ben doing the dialog between the characters. I kept forgetting that only Ben was doing the narrating. That's how good he is at this. This is more than reading or narration, it's acting. Not only was I NOT bored, but I was so caught up in Ben's performance that I listened to the whole 8 discs in one sitting.
   
   As far as the quality of the story goes, I'll just say that it's just as good as any other throwaway novel you'll find these days by the likes of King, Turow, and other authors whose names slip my mind because their stuff is so unmemorable. It's a light story with some preaching about the evils of nuclear weapons, a damsel in distress, a reluctant nerd-hero who kind of saves the day with some help from the damsel in distress and some strange shadowy organization, science fiction and fantasy.
   
   If you like Ben Browder then I highly recommend this audio book.



3. Boy of boy does Alan Dean Foster knows how to creepy ? He still manages to include humor and even some laugh-out-loud moments. Narrators can make or break an audiobook. Fortunately Ben Browder has the range and the perception to take Mr. Foster's book and make it jump off the page. After hearing this book on CD my question is when is somebody going to make this into a movie ?



4. Foster has a wonderful premise in this book, but it quickly becomes apparent he isn't sure where to go with it. The bad guys (ok, "things") are just WAY too powerful for the protagonist to have a chance, so it's deus ex machina time. Enter Obi-Wan Ken.... sorry, my mistake. Enter older guy who knows the score but isn't telling all he knows, just enough to keep the protagonist motivated and the reader alternately bemused and annoyed.
   
   This wouldn't annoy if it made more sense within the context of the tale, but it seems the only point is to prevent the reader from knowing what is going. While this is a time honored method used by numerous authors, they usually do a better job of hiding it (i.e., fitting it in to the story better). For that matter, Foster usually does it better.
   
   Ultimately, I found the central character to be the only vaguely believable character. The villains were simultaneously too powerful and too stupid. Obi-Wan was too cardboard. And the final climax had all the excitement watching traffic. Slow moving, rush-hour traffic.
   
   I'm giving two stars (and not one) because the premise and first fifty pages or so were interesting. But, sadly, the book is not.



5. This is more like an advanture story with fantasy background, the main character is an observer in the story and didn't do much to resolve the plot, the old aristocrat from German took him for a wild ride around the world and helped him on every steps.
   
   The idea that human misery comes from interference of inter-dimensional creatures is an interesting one, but that's about it.

2 comments about Interlopers Audio Book MP3-CD.

1. Audio book lovers unite - this is a great example of a book made better by the narrator. Alan Dean Fosters colorful descriptors, the chapters and carry over themes are timed perfectly, and might just make you want to go on a road trip.
   
   Ben Browder does an excellent job of getting his tongue around some pretty tough Incan technobabble, his enthusiasm for the job is never failing, and the variety of voices and inflection he puts to each character is admirable.
   
   At the end of this one you'll want to listen again, and wonder when the sequel is coming out!



2. Let me start by saying that I bought this simply because Ben Browder is the narrator. I am a sci-fi fan and a huge fan of Browder's show "Farscape." He does an excellent job of narrating even with the difficult to pronounce Mayan/Incan words and also on the various accents; especially the Australian accent. The story is good, imaginative, and different from the standard, hard-science sci-fi I usually read. You get one cd with approximately 9 hours of audio. I successfully imported it into iTunes. If you like fiction about archaeology and mystical entities and different dimensions, man is this the book for you! I recommend it to anyone but especially BB's fangirls!

No comments about The Tar-Aiym Krang (Pip & Flinx).

5 comments about The Approaching Storm (Star Wars).

1. The Approaching Storm was written by Alan Dean Foster, the ghost author of the A New Hope novelization and writer of the first Star Wars spin-off novel Splinter of the Mind's Eye. This book takes place immediately before Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
   
   This novel was released a few months before Attack of the Clones and billed as a "prologue" to the movie. I was so excited because I thought this book would set up the events of the movie while not revealing too much. Well, it definitely didn't reveal too much! Count Dooku is only mentioned once in the novel. Obi-Wan and Anakin's mission to the planet Ansion is mentioned in Episode II. The two other Jedi, which are the true main characters in the novel, are background characters in the movie. The novel mentions Anakin's issue with his mother. (And it was even intriguing to hear Anakin reflect on Watto as being the closest thing he had to a father figure before the Jedi came into his life.)
   
   Overall, the portrayal of Obi-Wan and Anakin were fairly true to the movie, but we don't really get any insight to the character of Anakin that is not in the movie. And like Rogue Planet, this novel lacked the galactic feel that I love about Star Wars and this time it is even worse because the protagonists' adventures are set exclusively on a backwater planet. In this book, there is not a single mention of Padme, but in the movie Anakin says he has thought about her every day for the last ten years! While incorporating the Secessionist Movement into the basic plot of the novel, it really did nothing to enhance Star Wars II like Cloak of Deception did for Star Wars I.
   
   In the movies, Jedi are portrayed as being able to sense danger right before it happens. One flat-out contradiction in this book is that the Jedi fall for the old smell-the-perfume-with-paralyzing-effects trick that I saw coming a parsec away without the powers of two Jedi Masters and their padawans. Other than that, I can consider this novel to be a part of continuity, just not a very exciting part.
   
   And the movies did have the arena creatures, mynocks, the space slug and the rancor, but this book had countless encounters with wildlife which got old quick.
   
   Instead of this book, I highly recommend the following 5-star novels that are more relevant to the film series:
   
   Cloak of Deception (Star Wars)
   Shadow Hunter (Star Wars: Darth Maul)
   Labyrinth of Evil (Star Wars, Episode III Prequel Novel)
   Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader (Star Wars)
   Shadows of the Empire (Star Wars)



2. It seems the books in the "Expanded Universe" are either hit or miss. The title of this review should insinuate where this book stands. Rather than engaging in conflict, it seems the Jedi and Padawans spend most of this book wandering the desert while engaging exotic creatures. If this excitement is not enough, the C-Span like political negotiations that are the climax should make readers label this book a "miss".
   
   The Jedi are the peacekeepers of the universe and seem to spend many books in the "Expanded Universe" on strange and new planets brokering peace. The twist that may set this book apart is that the Jedi are attempting to keep the planet Ansion from leaving the empire to join the Separatists. With Soergg of the Hutts economically motivated to prevent the Jedi from accomplishing their mission, several devious plots are hatched. Of these plots, all seem to be different just for that sake of being different rather than actually succeeding.
   
   If you found yourself annoyed by Jar Jar Binks, you are certain to be annoyed by the rodent-like character Tooqui. Just like Jar Jar, he speaks strangely and stupidly stumbles into saving the Jedi. In terms of sequence, this book is near Episode I. In terms of plot, it is also very close to Episode I. The three star average on this book should suggest that readers have had trouble liking this book. There is a good reason for most readers not liking it.



3. Too say this book is bad would be wrong. It's a fun ride with obi-wan and company on a somewhat western adventure. My only real complaint is whether it is really necessary. Again, its not bad, but its not really necessary either. At 350 plus pages, this book is definitely overblown. Maybe an ebook would have been a better format. That being said, this is not a bad read its just a huge diversion from the rest of the books up to this point chronologically speaking.



4. I would have given it 2.5 stars but felt obliged to round up. This book just doesn't deserve the 'prequel status' to the Attack of the Clones title. I wish James Luceno had been given this assignment. Labyrinth of Evil & Cloak of Deception are much more fitting 'prequels' or 'prologues'.
   
   Given that it's really not a prequel, it's a decent book. It's provides no build up for AOTC. I may read it again someday. But, there are other much more entertaining SW books out there.



5. When people insult the Expanded Universe for Star Wars, this novel would be a prime example of what they're talking about.
   
   Alan Dean Foster might be a good author, but he shows none of the traits here.
   
   Here's some of the highlights:
   
   1) Dialogue - absolutely unbelievable. In a bad way. In what I consider the worse offense of the book, the dialogue just sounds fake. It's like Foster didn't know much about the Star Wars universe (not saying he doesn't) and just wrote how he thought the characters should talk. The dialogue with the Padawan's related to teaching them is especially bad. Situations would occur in the book and the characters would start thinking like "When am I going to learn?"...really? Barriss would talk to Anakin like he was a 3 year old - and he took it as if it was normal. Just horrible on this front. People might insult Lucas for his screenplay and the lines, but this novel has the worst dialogue by far of any Star Wars project.
   
   2) Story - A semilong book turns into a massively long book due to the plot. There's just no momentum in where it's going. It feels like a Natural Geographic show for 2/3 of the book, but at the end of the day it just sits flat. There are also points that make no sense - without giving spoilers, did Foster even keep track of the number of days they were on the mission? The whole counterpoint in the novel is casting the vote to withdraw from the Republic. There's several instances where the group who will cast the vote decide to postpone the vote for several days to allow the Jedi to return. Then several days will occur for the Jedi - we go back to that group, and they decide to wait several more days. The end of the book is especially bad about this. There's no consistency in the passage of time either with events occuring.
   
   3) Star Wars mechanics in general - It really felt like Foster would just keep the novel going by creating new creations, each crazier then the last to fill the next scene. There comes a point it just feels like he's doing it for the story, and not caring about the Star Wars universe or sticking to it. "I don't know what to have them go through now, so I'll just create this creature here...make it do this here...perfect". I'm all for new ideas, but not at the expense of the story or the environment. And then the always classic lightsaber under water moment.
   
   All in all - it's not completely pointless as a read. There's several good elements and moments that occur. However, that's the only reason I gave this 2 stars over 1.
   
   As I said at the start, if someone gets in a debate about the Star Wars novels being bad - this will be a prime example of what is wrong with them.

5 comments about Orphan Star (Pip & Flinx).

1. Flinx is on the move again when he risks all to chase his past to a forbidden planet! He finds more clues to his past, and at the same time when things are at their darkest, finds friends who can appreciate his special talents! Of all this Flinx tales, I liked this one for its high-risk adventure! It was a lot of fun!



2. 1) Alan Dean Foster is the author. 2) Flinx and Pip, need I say more? anyway, this is another great book in the Flinx and Pip series. I recommend this book to all. I can't really give a synapsis, it's been too long since I've read it (I'm gonna buy a copy because I borrowed it from the library, and want my own copy). This entire series is probably one of my favorite series. Read it in order though... (For Love of Mother Not, The Tar-Aiym Krang, Orphan Star, The End of the Matter, Flinx in Flux, Bloodhype (flinx only plays a small part in this story), Mid-Flinx



3. Orhan Star is the sequel to The Tar-Aiym Krang. We find Flinx, no longer a poor orphan, chasing a merchant to Hivehom and Terra in search of information about his parentage. His chase leads him to Ulru-Ujurr, a planet under Edict from the United Church, ostentisbly because it contains a highly intelligent telepathic race. There, with some typical Foster excitement, a battle is fought and won. Orphan Star is a little slow in the middle, but the exciting and illuminating ending makes up for it. Foster's new aliens are very interesting and would make a good study for a novel on their own.



4. I can't agree with the other reviewers. This series started with For Love of Mother - Not. Mother Not was filed with adventure and interesting characters. Then came The Tar-Aiym Krang. It was a big step down. I reviewed is as hopefully a transitional book in Flinx's discovery of his past, but as a stand alone book it was pretty bad. Now with Orphan Star we have a little more adventure and the return of some old characters. We also know the answer to half of Flinx's question, but clearly not the important half. While I think it's better than The Tar-Aiym Krang, the series is still far from living up to the promise of Mother Not.



5. I'm not impressed with cover art cranked out of a digital media program. I'm even less impressed with the cover art in this particular case because the image portrayed fits the yuppy-ized characterization of a middle-teenager in California--not a rough and tumble almost-man raised on the streets of a dirt water frontier planet. But this doesn't portray the mentality of the author, rather it portrays the mentality of the corporate world of publishing: patently juvenile. However, on the upside, the story between the cheesy art covers was the same, fine work that A.D. Foster pounded out on his typewriter years ago. Back when there were REAL artists, and they ACTUALLY read the books they made cover art for. Alean Dean Foster must have been less than pleased that the "artist" made his character look like a very girlish thirteen year old raised on Rodeo Dr., who might have been some street-hood's 'pump', instead of a young man looking for his past.

5 comments about For Love of Mother-Not (Pip & Flinx).

1. This is an ok story, worth a read. However, it was full of spelling and grammatical errors. So much so that even I started noticing (someone who barely passed language classes in college after a second attempt). The author gives away to much of the mysteries before it is relevant in the story to reveal them. This made it hard at times to continue reading.



2. This is my first novel by Foster. I find it hard to believe he has so many books to his name, because the quality of writing in this one is so poor I couldn't get more than halfway through it. The premise of the book is ok and the plot is no more predictable than many similar books. But the writing -- bad dialogue, weird pacing, badly developed characters, it all gets in the way of enjoying the story. In a few pages, with almost no description, the main character goes from being a scared orphan kid to some kind of vigilante who can hotwire vehicles and break into secure areas. The help he picks up along the way is no more believable. I couldn't finish it, I hope you can.



3. Nice book. I downloaded it to my Kindle for free. I won't buy another in the series.



4. This series is definitely not for someone who's looking for non-stop action and constant conflict, but my 13-year old son and I have progressed to listening to the 9th book in this series and continue to enjoy the depth of character development and the rich descriptions of alien worlds. Some sections ARE long and somewhat tedious, as other reviewers have pointed out, but it gives readers/listeners a chance to visualize and imagine being in these strange places, something rare in today's multi-tasking and millisecond attention span world (true for adults, too!). The use of advanced vocabulary is also a big plus (from a mom's perspective) although I do have to complain about the use of "irregardless," which is NOT a word.



5. I could not finish this book. Usually I can finish a good book in 2 to 3 days. This book, took me about a week and a half to get 60 percent of the way through it and decide that I couldn't read any more.
   
   This was the first book I have read by this author but I will not read any more. I have to admit I am not that big a fan of the genre. I am not too picky for the books I buy, I usually buy the free kindle books even if they don't have a very good rating. This book has a good rating but I just can't see it.
   
   If you are like this genre then by all means go for it and read it, however I did not like this book one tiny bit.

3 comments about The End of the Matter (Pip & Flinx).

1. Flinx meets Skua September (famous pirate/hero character from Foster's Icerigger series) and wind up in a fast paced adventure that puts them on a course of destruction. They wind up saving the galaxy after an incredible series of adventures! I loved it! My two favorite Foster characters in one adventure after another! What more could a Foster SF fan ask for!



2. This book is in my favorite series of sci-fi stories. Flinx and Pip. As with the rest of the series it has a great story, with a good mix of Plot, Charicter developement, and technology. In this story, flinx finds out about his past... and why he cant find out more. to find out what he finds out, I would suggest reading the book- YOU WON'T REGRET IT!!!



3. The End Of The Matter picks up just after where Orphan Star leaves off. Flinx, now owner of a space ship, returns to Moth to continue his search for his lineage. After a few of those events that Flinx always finds himself in the middle of, he ends up with a new pet, a strange alien named Ab. Flinx, Ab and Pip then head off to another world in search of a man who bid on Flinx when he was a child slave. That man, Skua September (fresh from the Icerigger trilogy), saves Flinx just in time for his friend Tse-Mallory and Tru to show up in search of Ab (of all things, amazing coincidence). At any rate, it gets a little far-fetched as Ab eventually saves several populated planets from being sucked into a black hole (of sorts). Still, this is solid SciFi adventure and worth a read as part of the larger Flinx series.

No comments about The Tar-Aiym Krang (Pip & Flinx).

5 comments about Star Trek Movie Tie-In.

1. After watching the movie several times, I was REALLY looking forward to reading this book that is a tie-in with the movie! Boy, was I REALLY DISAPPOINTED!!!!!
   
   The more I read this book, the more I questioned if Alan Dean Foster EVEN READ THE SAME SCRIPT that was written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman! It also became obvious that Foster DOES NOT KNOW HIS STAR TREK!!!!!!! He has Sarek, Spock's father, behaving like a HUMAN instead of someone born and raised on Vulcan! He has Younger Spock behaving like Kirk, punching out a Romulan, during interrogation, INSTEAD OF USING THE VULCAN MIND MELD THAT IS SO PROMINENTLY PORTRAYED IN THE MOVIE!!!!! Plus there were several inconsistencies; for example Foster cites two different Regulation numbers referring to the SAME regulation of being emotionally compromised while in command! He mentions that Spock Prime called Kirk "Captain" at the first meeting at the cave entrance. (Which didn't happen! Spock Prime asks, LATER, "You are not the captain?") He also IGNORED the fact that Dr. McCoy IS FROM GEORGIA, NOT KENTUCKY!!!! And that line he wrote in the book: "Left with nothing but my skeleton"?!?!?!? HELLOOOOO, the line in the movie SPECIFICALLY SAID THE WORD "B-O-N-E-S", which is WHERE HE GETS HIS NICKNAME FROM!!!!!!! And tossing the dog in, at the end, making a strange reference to the dog's ears???? WHAT IS UP WITH THAT?!?!?!?!?!? In my opinion, Foster should have had a Trekker proof-read the galley proofs BEFORE it hit the publisher's desk!
   
   Either Foster needs to go back to TREK School or the TREK fans can write BETTER than he did!!!!!!



2. Excellent book - it shows some parts that was deleted in the movie -like spocks birth ,kirks brother and his stepfather...the end is differnt too



3. Utter rubbish. Of course, this is not Alan Dean's fault. Noone could have made this turkey taste any better, but at least someone had the good sense to hand the novelization to the one person who had any hope of making a stab at it. If you love Star Trek, don't torture yourself with this. If you don't love Star Trek, don't torture yourself with this. Shallow characters and an incoherent plot do not a classic make.



4. I am usually not disappointed by Mr. Foster.In fact, I'm a big fan! Most of his movie tie-ins usually bring something "extra" to help bridge some of the gaps in the movie, and bring further depth to a story depicted on the big screen. But in this case, just see the movie. It's 10 times better than the book because it's hard to reproduce in the book the visuals and action of the movie without a lot more character development to go with it (sounds contradictory, I know, but true none-the-less) which was sadly lacking here. What happened...? Like others, I'm guessing the book was written from the script. (Sigh...):(



5. Excellent book and excellent voice over work by Zachary Quinto. The book cleared up a couple of questions I had about the early years of the two main characters, Spock and Kirk. Mr. Quinto's ability to give a distinct voice to each character made listening to the book an absolute joy. I especially enjoyed his treatment of the female characters. He was able to capture the essence of the female voice perfectly. I also particularly enjoyed the many different accents he used.
   
   I highly recommend this book for all Star Trek fans and for anyone who is a fan of the spoken word.