RUNNING FROM THE DEITY

Addition to Foster’s series (Flinx’s Folly, 2003, etc.) starring Philip Lynx (Flinx), whose ability to project and receive emotions grows steadily more powerful and unpredictable.

This time, Flinx, the product of illegal eugenics experiments, goes in search of a vanished planet-sized super-weapon abandoned by an extinct alien race; it may be the key to defeating a malevolent galaxy-threatening evil that lurks behind the Great Emptiness. But his wonderful, intelligent spaceship, Teacher, suddenly needs urgent repairs, so Flinx lands on an unknown planet that happens to be inhabited by technologically primitive aliens who, like our hero, can send and receive their emotions. Ignoring the Commonwealth’s non-interference directive, Flinx uses advanced technology to heal sick and injured aliens, oblivious to the wiles of his obliging host, Ebbanai, and Ebbanai’s manipulative wife, Storra, who are determined to enrich themselves by exploiting Flinx. Soon Flinx becomes the center of a cult, to the great annoyance of established religions; foreign powers prepare to invade in order to capture the being they view as a god. As the ship completes its repairs, Flinx finally grasps the situation and seeks to extricate himself. Foster makes no attempt to advance the larger plot towards the long-long-long-anticipated showdown between Flinx and his all-devouring space-foe; indeed, he introduces another task for Flinx to accomplish—next time out—before said showdown can occur. This alone should annoy more readers than it pleases, not to mention Foster’s evident determination to stretch and spin this modest, slender series ad infinitum.

Flinx flinches.