Patrimony

August 20, 2007
The whimsical adventures of sometime thief and con artist Flinx and his empathetic pet minidrag, Pip, are winding to a close in this penultimate installment (after 2006's Trouble Magnet
) of their 35-year-old series. When not helping Bran Tse-Mallory and the Eint Truzenzuzex save the galaxy, Flinx has spent much of his life wondering about the identity of his father. Now he's traced his origins to the planet Gestalt, thanks to the dying words of a survivor from the Merliorare Society, a renegade eugenicist group. As if the native dangers of Gestalt weren't enough, Flinx is also being hunted by an assassin hired by the mysterious Order of Null. Flinx and Pip will have to survive ambushes, accidents and a deadly feud between rival groups of philosophers before they eventually find the information Flinx is after. Their breakneck journey will entertain the duo's many fans.

February 1, 2008
Adult/High School-When a dying enemy gaspingly tells Flinx where his father might be found, the young space adventurer is unable to resist the chance to learn about his parentage. Flinx and his empathetic minidragon take a break from their quest to save the Commonwealth and travel to the planet of Gestalt. Under the pretense of doing sociological research on its inhabitants, Flinx gains information about a hermit who fits the criteria he has set for his father, known to have been part of a group experimenting in eugenics. When his skimmer and native Tlel guide are shot out of the sky and Flinx is stranded alone in the wilderness, he realizes that he must not only survive the bitter cold of an unknown planet, but also escape the bounty hunter out to collect the price on his head. Equal parts space opera, survival adventure, and bildungsroman, "Patrimony" is an exciting adventure that takes place in an interesting world. The setting and its inhabitants are fully realized: the Tlel, like most of the creatures on Gestalt, sense the electrical currents of everything around them and have no sense of smell; the plant life has its own defenses; various animals attack in surprising ways. While knowledge of the series would be helpful, this title stands fairly well on its own. Teens will relate to the protagonist and be engrossed in this fast-moving story."Karen E. Brooks-Reese, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, PA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2007
Flinx has finally found a potential clue to the identity of his father, and he goes in search of the truth though he knows he should be finding the Tar-Aiym weapon that represents the hope of sentient life in the face of an unimaginable threat. The last words of a dying enemy direct Flinx to the world of Gestalt, where he finds a frontier culture, an inhospitable environment, and guides from yet another of the fascinating alien species Foster creates. As in previous installments of the long series, Flinxs task is never easy, and he is pursued by unscrupulous sorts out to collect the reward for his capture. Foster is at long last bringing the 35-year-old series to a close, and the answers to Flinxsand the faithful readersquestions about the reasons for his existence will be given in the next volume. A fast-paced, engaging story that satisfies the needs of its likeable, still-growing protagonist, as well as readers who want yet more of the excitementFoster has delivered over the years.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)