Customer Reviews

Sliding Scales: A Pip & Flinx Adventure

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Wow - I have loved this series but this book stunk. I really had to force myself to read through it. What a letdown to a really great series. Absolutely NOTHING moved forward in this story. No movement in Flinx's mental powers, no movement in his relationship with Clarity (in fact she wasnt even in the book), no movement towards finding or using the weapon platform. You can skip this book and MISS NOTHING in this series. What a piece of CR*P.

To be honest, I had some doubts about this new Pip & Flinx series after Flinx's Folly. Somehow, Foster's effort to write a combination love story and suspense tale gets completely lost amidst the threats of the Order of Null and the impending doom that is reaching across space. The end result was a nervous tale that never seemed to settle with Flinx falling steadily out of character. More for old time's sake than anything else I decided to try the next in this particular adventure, Sliding Scales.

This, however, is a completely different animal. When Teacher, is AI driven ship suggests that he might need a vacation, Flinx actually heeds its advice and instructs it to find an interesting world where he will be free of the influences of everyone who is trying to make him ultimately responsible for the survival of the universe. The computer selects Jast, a lonely planet in the middle of a region of space where both Humanx and Aan interests intersect. The the biosphere is entirely composed of species, intelligent and otherwise, who have either one or no feet. This slows things down considerably and the Vssey are intelligent, and technically adept, but they decide everything by committee, and take as much time as it takes. Which drives the Aan presence on the planet insane.

Flinx lands, and is promptly the subject of a murder attempt by an Aan who is hungry for status. Flinx survives with no memory, and nearly dies on the desert when he is rescued by other Aan, from the Tier of Ssaiinn, an artists colony which is entirely unlike everything we know of the Aan. In the meantime, a Vssey rebellion is fomenting (ever so slowly) and suddenly the Aan back at the capital find themselves the object of terrorist attacks. Flinx has jumped into the midst of trouble again, but this adventure has many unusual twists.

What really makes the story is all of the details of the Aan. They have been the stereotypical villains for so long that actually discovering they have personalities is a surprise. While some are painted as the ultra-aggressive, status-conscious types we've seen before, even the more militant Aan have some shred of 'humanity.' And the artists of the Tier of Ssaiinn are a delightful change as we discover that Aan can actually be both admirable and likeable.

I'm not sure if this book is intended to advance the story arc about the evil from beyond the Great Emptiness or give the reader's a well deserved break before the story picks up again, but Sliding Scales works much better than its predecessor. It's hardly the great American science fiction novel, but it is decent entertainment. Whether you buy the hardback or decide to wait for the paperback, I think you'll find this an acceptible effort.

I absolutely love Alan Dean Fosters work and I have followed the Flink/Pip story line with delight. Which makes this weak, thin story even more of a let down than if I had picked it up as a unknown author. I expected the usual "on the edge of your seat" writing and emotional angst that I enjoyed in the other stories and this one was nothing but one big ramble about balloon creatures and long names. The characters were thin and one dimensional, I learned more than I ever needed or wanted to know about AAnn mating strategies. The only reason this rates a space on my bookshelf is that I hate to be one book short of a complete collection of Mr. Fosters work. You can safely skip this book and not miss a thing.

As soon as I saw a new Pip & Flinx book, I immediately rushed to buy it, to find out what would happen to Clarity, what Flinx would do about the pending disaster from afar, and to see what sort of general mayhem Flinx could get into. Sadly, only the last of my three desires was met. As one reviewer pointed out, this book did absolutely nothing with regard to the first two items in my quest. As a sci-fi novel, it was entertaining with its unusual Jast life forms and an interesting Aann character, but clearly I don't think this was up to Foster's normally high quality work. It seems as though he had writer's block with regard to dealing with the BIG issues in Flinx's world, so he simply threw something together so he could issue a Pip & Flinx novel.

This book seems to be a chapter rather than a book. I grew up with Pip and Flinx. Maybe I just expect a better, deeper book. However, this is just not some Star Wars scholck, this is a Pip and Flinx book. I expect better and deeper ! I still look forward to the next "chapter" of which there is a preview in the book. Hopefully "Running from the Diety" will be much deeper and better.

Flinx, the mysterious (even to himself) young hero of Alan Dean Foster's first novel, has done a lot of maturing by the time this ninth installment in the series begins. He's acquired his own spaceship, operating by an AI (artifical intelligence unit) with which he trades verbal barbs. He's still accompanied by Pip, the Alaspinian mini-drag (miniature dragon, or - if you prefer - flying snake) who's been his companion since childhood. His empathic psychic abilities are still growing, and he still doesn't understand them. He's in a foul mood at present, because his most recent adventure has ended with the love of his life severely injured. Flinx blames himself, and having to leave Clarity behind - without even stopping to be sure she'll survive - galls him. Yet it's the only hope he has of keeping her safe. So his AI tells Flinx that he needs a vacation. Some time to spend deliberately doing nothing, in a place where he can't possibly be recognized. The AI picks out a remote planet called Jast.

Jast is home to a sentient species with a highly developed civilization. It's also a target for the Commonwealth's arch-nemesis, the AAnn Empire. When one of the reptilian aliens is assigned as Flinx's "guide" (or minder, actually), the young human doesn't object because he's met the AAnn before. He understands and speaks their language, and thinks he understands their culture quite well, too. But on that point he's mistaken, as he discovers when his "guide" nearly kills him and actually does leave him for dead in a rugged, isolated part of the Jastian landscape. Or he would discover that - if he could only remember how he got there.

Initially I groaned a bit when I read the chapter that introduced Flinx's amnesia. "What a tired old plot device!" I thought. But I kept reading, and before too many more pages were turned I'd decided that the tired old plot device was working just fine.

There's not much movement in this book toward resolution of the mysteries central to Flinx's on-going story. It's basically a standalone "planet of the week" adventure, with character development (for Flinx, and for the AAnn as a species) its only real contribution to the saga as a whole. But, with that understood and accepted, I found it an enjoyable tale. Not the best in the series (I've read them all), but definitely worth the read.

Sliding Scales (2004) is the tenth SF novel in the Pip & Flinx series, following Flinx's Folly. In the previous volume, Flinx met Clarity and fell in love. Yet he could not stay on New Riviera because of the threat coming from the Great Emptiness.

The Order of Null tried to eliminate Flinx, but were foiled by plants from Midworld. Flinx then left New Riviera to search for the missing planet of the Pyrassis system.

In this novel, Philip Lynx is a biotechnically mutated human. Flinx has the intermittent ability to read emotions and occasionally to project them. He lives in a world of mental noise and has frequent headaches.

Pip is an Alaspinian minidrag. Her species are natural empaths. They are also very dangerous pets, at least to those who attack them or their kin.

Teacher is Flinx's personal starship. It is controlled by a very advanced Artificial Intelligence -- the ship-mind -- who speaks for the ship.

Takuuna VBXLLW is an AAnn. He is a secondary administrator on Jast, an AAnn associated world.

Chraluuc is an AAnn. She is an artisan within the Tier of Ssaiinn -- a group of artists and artisans -- on Jast.

In this story, Flinx is persuaded by Teacher to take a vacation. Since Flinx is being actively pursued by enemies within the Commonwealth, Teacher recommends Jast as the optimal location. Only a few AAnn are residing on the planet, so they should not be a problem.

However, the AAnn are a very paranoid species. The nye who first notices his presence on the planet assigns Takuuna as his guide. Of course, Takuuna is also supposed to keep a close eye on the human.

Takuuna takes Flinx and Pip to see a natural wonderland where the floating wildlife fill the air at dawn. As Takuuna is thinking about his suspicions, Flinx remarks on the beauty of the sight and Takuuna absently swings his tail at Flinx in a typical AAnn gesture.

The blow throws Flinx off balance and he falls into the canyon. When Takuuna looks over the edge, he sees Flinx bouncing down the slope and out of sight. Then he sees no further sign of the human.

Takuuna assumes that Flinx is dead and starts figuring out his story. Meanwhile, Flinx lies unconscious with one foot hanging off the edge of a several hundred meters drop. Pip can not prevent the fall, but she stays to guard his body.

Upon awakening, Flinx cannot remember the names of things that he sees. The name Pip seems to feel right for the flying snake, but his own name is not available. So he climbs up the slope and then looks for water.

When nye from the Tier of Ssaiinn discover Flinx, he is severely dehydrated and half-starved, with several minor injories from the fall. Chraluuc acts as his companion as he recovers from the injuries and deprivations. Soon Flinx and Pip are welcome guests in the facility.

This tale provides Flinx an opportunity to meet AAnn who are not agents of the Empire. The nye in the local colony are viewed as outcasts from mainstream AAnn culture. They still have many AAnn traits, but are more compassionate and tolerant.

This story is a sideline to Flinx's search for the Tar-Aiym weapons platform. The next novel -- Running From the Deity -- resumes the search. Read and enjoy!

Recommended for Foster fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure, alien cultures, and psionic talents. If anyone has not previously read this series, the initial volume is The Tar-Aiym Krang.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I liked the story. The poetic justice and lashes of irony that are doled out at key points were very skillfully done.

Most of the Flinx stories I recall had a constant tension of mortal danger to Flinx. In this book, there is a threat but the hazard lacks immediacy. Hmmm... maybe that is not accidental.

In the middle half of the book, there is an interesting terrorism motif. That is sort of the mill around the grist of the hero and the protagonist are ground. Though it is not the terrorists' doing, at least directly. Maybe it is an allegory to something. I cannot say for sure.

The ending, I must admit, is very good.

Flinx seems more adrift in this book than the other ones in the Flinx series. There are no love interests, very little mortal combat, very little heavy duty use of his psychic/empath powers. Those things exist in the story line but they are parts of previous and the next books, it appears.

I think the book is slightly better than average, as far as scifi books go. It deserves higher than a 3 but I am not quite willing to give it a 4 on its own merit. It is not as good as other books in the Flinx series, which I would unhesitatingly give a 5 in most cases, or at least a 4.

From reading the excerpt from the next book that is stuck in at the end of this one, it sounds like that one will have more action.

This book seems like it is just a diversion from the man saga of Flinx and his minidrag Pip. I suspect you could read that one and not miss having skipped this one. This story is pretty self contained and Flinx does not leave this world much intrinsically changed from how he arrived.

There is something new that happens in his relationship to the Aan but that is it as far as what he gains as a person or in status from this story.

I am still a big fan of the series and I avidly await reading what transpires in the next book.

I love Alan Dean Foster's stories, so I really wonder what the heck happened here. There's a vaguely 9/11-inspired subplot that goes nowhere. The Teacher gets called into action, but then never figures into the plot. It's one thing to suspend disbelief for the hoary old plot device of the series protagonist losing his memory, but it's too much when that memory snaps completely back in place at just the right time. I guess the perfect vacation is to truly forget everything, but this book felt unfinished and pointless.

The events in this book are referenced by later stories, but it's not at all important to read them first-hand here. And for heaven's sake, don't let any friends choose this as their first Flinx book; they might never want to read another.

The first Foster book I read was "The Last Starfighter." It was so gripping I had to see the movie. Then I had the pleasure of reading all his teen SF stories. The Pip and Flinx duo seemed an unbeatable combination. I think the first I read was "Flinx's Folly". Foster is a man who can write anything, from Star Trek novels to this seemingly infinite series. Those aren't as different as they might first appear. This is sort of like an entry in a Pip and Flinx space opera. The setting and characters are in place, and for this one episode, for this week only, the topic deviates to explore two alien lifeforms. How to make their languages different enough, and yet readable in English? That's one problem the writer faces. How to drop Flinx effectively out of the picture, except for the Deus ex Machina ending? The old '50s standby: amnesia.

In an odd way, this book seems like a screen play, which he often writes, although it's far too nuanced to film. Foster, however, continually breaks the suspension of disbelief he has gone so far to create in the languages of the Vssey and AAn, by giving them conventional thought processes, with writing that is almost like a psychological novel, in a combination of big words and current slang. Others have noted that this makes the story slow, and it does seem like he's being paid by the word.

By the end, you're waiting for the Tardis to show up, I mean the AI ship, Teacher, to rescue Flinx, which is to say, to plunge him into the next adventure. Following the Dr. Who-style iris out at the end of the show, we get a preview of the next episode, "Running from the Deity", a chapter of which appears at the end of the book. Perhaps this is to reassure readers that Flinx is back. Regardless, it works. I'm certainly hooked on this next installment, which I presume (and hope) will plunge avid readers again into the adventures of Pip and Flinx.