Most Popular Books by Alan Dean Foster

The spellsinger Jon-Tom faces off against a malignant magic—from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Relic. Far to the south of the peaceful Bellwoods, where Jon-Tom the spellsinger continues trying to master the art of turning music into magic, a sinister force has awakened: a magician with great ambition and unheard-of power. He summons lightning to do his bidding, commands an army of faceless flying demons, and claims to come from another world—one Jon-Tom suspects might be his own. If he can somehow reason with the unknown magician, perhaps they can combine their talents and find a way to go home together. Wary of this new wickedness, Jon-Tom’s suspicious mentor sends the spellsinger and his companions on a journey to the southlands, assuring him that the land they are to visit is “tropical, friendly, and largely uninhabited.” As Jon-Tom learns all too often, in this mysterious world much will be proven catastrophically wrong.

From a #1 New York Times–bestselling author, a research expedition to an alien planet takes a treacherous turn for married scientists in this sci-fi fantasy. As the first humans granted permission to explore Tslamaina, Etienne and Lyra Redowl should have been ecstatic. The planet’s massive river valley is like no other in the known universe, with three intelligent species living along its waters—a dream expedition for the geologist–anthropologist duo. But the intolerable climate makes their research arduous, as does the growing tension between them. Fortunately, the husband-and-wife team are well prepared for their adventure, with a state-of-the-art hydrofoil and the assistance of the native inhabitants. But nothing could have prepared them for the dangers they encounter as they make their way to the river’s source. “One of the most consistently inventive and fertile writers of science fiction and fantasy.” —The Times (London)

A jungle planet must defend against exploitative aliens in this novel by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. From the rich imagination of science fiction great Alan Dean Foster comes the story of Midworld, a Humanx Commonwealth planet that’s equally fragile and hostile. Covered by a lush rainforest, Midworld is home to a primitive society that lives in harmony with the natural world. But the arrival of an exploitative human company, whose workers know nothing of Midworld’s delicate ecosystem, sparks a conflict. Should Midworld’s villagers aid the humans or stand against them? The hero of Foster’s addictive page-turner, Born, decides to lead two humans across the perilous jungle. His choice propels Midworld toward annihilation—and leads him headlong into a battle for survival.

The crew of a commercial spaceship makes an unscheduled landing on a barren and desolate planet. They encounter a pulsating organism that attaches itself to one of the crew members and reproduces within his body to become the deadly alien.

One man struggles to survive on a hostile alien world in this thrilling adventure from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Madrenga. Some people are convinced they can do anything; Evan Orgell is one of them. So when his company president sends him off-world to investigate a breakdown in communications from a small research station on a newly discovered planet, he’s all in. The planet’s resources could mean massive profits for the company—and a successful mission could mean massive advancement for Evan. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Clad in a Mobile Hostile World suit, Evan has no doubts about his safety—until he lands on the world of Prism. Though he’s already dealt with thousands of theoretical extraterrestrial problems, nothing prepares him for what he finds there. Hungry, invading lifeforms are everywhere. Over two dozen highly trained people have been overwhelmed and killed, some with their bones eaten from the inside out. It’s utter devastation. Then, while Evan searches for survivors, his indestructible suit meets its match—and he must face the bloodthirsty predators of Prism alone, unprotected, with only his wits to rely on . . . Praise for Alan Dean Foster “One of the most consistently inventive and fertile writers of science-fiction and fantasy.” —The Times (London) “Alan Dean Foster is a master of creating alien worlds.” —SFRevu.com “Foster knows how to spin a yarn.” —Starlog “Alan Dean Foster is the modern day Renaissance writer, as his abilities seem to have no genre boundaries.” —Bookbrowser

From bestselling author Alan Dean Foster, an exciting early Pip and Flinx novel that shows the origins of a certain boy with special powers—and the mini-dragon that becomes his devoted sidekick. . . . Flinx was just a freckle-faced, redheaded kid with green eyes and a strangely compelling stare when Mather Mastiff first saw him an the auctioneer''s block. One hundred credits and he was hers. For years the old woman was his only family. She loved him, fed him, taught him everything she knew—even let him keep the deadly flying dragon he called Pip. But when Mother Mastiff mysteriously disappears, Flinx tails her kidnappers on a dangerous journey. Across the forests and swamps of the winged world called Moth, their only weapons are Pip’s venom . . . and Flinx’s unusual talent.

A notorious criminal pursues peace—and power—with alien enemies in this sci-fi novel from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Damned Trilogy. No one knows the true motives of Kees vaan Loo-Macklin. He’s a mastermind criminal who gave up his place at the head of the dark underworld to become a legitimate member of Evenwaith’s cities. But soon he was reaching out to powerful enemies—-the slimy aliens called the Nuel. Loo-Macklin negotiates an illusory peace agreement and gains precious alien secrets in the process. Is he after peace, power or pure evil? With enemy starships beginning to amass, we won’t have to wait long to find out.

Having survived one encounter with an alien, Ripley is persuaded to return to the planet where her crew found the alien ship. A colony has been established there, but suddenly all contact with the settlers has been lost. Accompanied by marines, Ripley is going to find out why.

Accompanied by his faithful minidrag Pip and a most troublesome alien called Abalamahalamatandra -- Ab for short -- Flinx set out for Alaspin, the ruggedly primitive homeworld of his flying snake. There he hoped to find the giant man with the gold earring who somehow held the key to Flinx''s mysterious past and to the strange powers he possessed. Chasing down his heritage was trouble enough, but Flinx didn''t know what real trouble was until he realized that the Qwarm -- a deadly assassin squad -- were three steps behind him with a contract to kill. But the minidrag''s homeworld did not offer safety and Flinx had a terrible time just staying alive ... a matter complicated to no mean degree by a collapsar already set on an unstoppable death course across the galaxy!

A far future conspiracy comes to light in this science fiction mystery by New York Times–bestselling author Alan Dean Foster. The Colligatarch is an artificial intelligence that has guided humanity for more than a century, influencing everything from Earth-bound business and politics to interstellar relations with alien species. With world leaders following the AI’s advice, Earth has become a near utopia. In Phoenix, Arizona, design engineer Eric Abbott is an exemplary citizen with an enviable career. He has no reason to stray from the path of the societal system that has rewarded his work ethic and allegiance—until the day he sees a woman whose beauty and aura have no peer. Her name is Lisa Tambor. To find her, Eric will sacrifice the life he’s built. Suddenly, he’s traveling incognito, defying authority, and trespassing on secret, private properties. And he’s demonstrating superhuman abilities of strength and endurance he didn’t know he had. Eric’s quest to find Lisa has caught the attention of very powerful factions involved in interplanetary intrigue. And they see Eric as a threat to be eliminated with extreme prejudice . . .

Rabbitlike aliens from outer space colonize Earth during humankind’s Second World War in a delightfully funny and thought-provoking science fiction adventure The Quozl just need somewhere to call home. A gentle race of extraterrestrial rabbits, they have a propensity for reproduction that has left their home planet, Quozlene, dangerously overpopulated, and in their search for greener and less-crowded pastures, they have discovered the perfect place to start over: the third planet away from a healthy, warming sun. What they don’t realize is that this world they call Shiraz is already inhabited by a species of violent sentient creatures known as humans. But there’s no going back now. In the midst of the brutal and helpfully distracting global conflict the Shirazians call World War II, the colony ship lands undetected, and the space rabbits immediately go into hiding. But a secret like the Quozl can be concealed for only so long, especially when their numbers start to increase and certain rebellious members of the long-eared society decide the time is ripe to claim their place in a world they believe is rightfully theirs. One of the most admired and prolific authors in the science fiction arena, Alan Dean Foster will delight readers who hunger for something different with this funny, thoughtful, and wildly inventive novel of first contact and coexistence. Once you meet the Quozl, you will never forget them.

The origins of James Kirk, Spock and the crew of the USS Enterprise from the original Star Trek series and how these iconic characters came together.

One man in the Universe holds the key to the mystery of Flinx’s past–and that man is trying to kill him! It is a strange childhood for a kid, to be adopted by the restless Mother Mastiff and raised in the bustling marketplace of Drallar. Flinx never knew the mom and dad who abandoned him years ago. In fact, his birth has always been shrouded in mystery. But Flinx eventually discovers that his unknown parents have left him a curious legacy–extraordinary mental powers that are both a marvelous gift and a dreaded curse. This double-edged legacy will lead Flinx, along with his loyal protector, the mini-dragon Pip, on a harrowing journey in search of the truth . . . about who he is and where he comes from. It is a daring adventure that brings him to another world–and into the clutches of one of the most evil and powerful men in the galaxy. . . .

The New York Times–bestselling author creates “a fascinating amalgam of sf/detective fiction and Native American lore” (Library Journal). A wealthy industrialist and folk art collector is murdered in his home and left beneath where a painting had been hanging. But theft is not the motive. The artwork—a Navajo sandpainting—has been completed pulverized. And no blood was found at the scene. Assigned to the case is bulldog detective Vernon Moody—sent to Arizona to investigate. It’s an unfamiliar environment for the born-and-bred southerner: dry air, altitude, and a booming economy spurred by high-tech manufacturing on the reservations. Still ancient superstitions linger, suggesting a motive for the crime. There is magic in traditional sandpaintings—a power that, when paired with technology, could unleash forces beyond human control . . . Praise for Alan Dean Foster “A master storyteller.” —SF Site “One of the most consistently and fertile writers of science fiction and fantasy.” —The Times (London)

Six unlikely heroes must save a magical realm from dark sorcery in this delightful fantasy from New York Times–bestselling author Alan Dean Foster. Wizard Susname Enyndd was the Gowdlands’ kingdom’s most powerful protector. Then the sinister Khaxan Mundurucu and a band of goblin-warlocks from the Totumakk Horde conjured up a curse that reduced the wizard to ash and leeched all the color from the land. But with Enyndd’s death came a spell that enchanted his six familiar pets—the terrier Oskar, the songbird Taj, the boa Samm, and the cats Cezer, Cocoa, and Mamakitty—transforming them into human beings capable of wielding magic. Now, the six companions must embark on a quest into a rainbow to find the one thing that can lift the evil curse: the White Light. As they travel through myriad colorful kingdoms while avoiding deadly enemies, each must learn how to control their magical powers—and try to get the hang of being human. But at the end of the rainbow, the heroes discover an unsettling truth about their quest—and about the magic that can bring about the end of everything . . . “[An] action-packed fantasy, one that might have come straight from the vaults of Disney.” —Publishers Weekly “Humor and wit enliven this quest-tale.” —Library Journal

Humanity makes first—and possibly last—contact with an alien species in this sci-fi adventure from the New York Times–bestselling author of the Humanx Commonwealth series. Earth’s most elite team of scientists has made an astonishing discovery. Far from our solar system is the life-sustaining planet Xica, home of an advanced intelligent species who have created a human-like civilization. Invited to visit, the scientists explore a world of miraculous wonders that defies the very laws of nature as they know it. But Xica’s secrets may threaten not only their lives but the lives of everyone on Earth . . .

New York Times–bestselling author Alan Dean Foster’s Jed the Dead is a comedic science fiction buddy road trip of interstellar proportions. En route from Texas to the West Coast, Ross Ed Hager has an encounter of the most unusual kind when he comes across the corpse of an alien. Naming the three-eyed, six-limbed dead extraterrestrial Jed, Ross takes his new companion on the road so he doesn’t have to see the sites alone. Along the way, the odd couple—accompanied by a woman who hitches a ride in Ross’s convertible,—are pursued by government operatives, bounty hunters, Hollywood agents, UFO fanatics, and intergalactic cops. And when Ross starts exhibiting strange, uncanny abilities, it may be a sign that Jed may not be as dead as he appears to be . . . “Foster twists a black comedy about an alien corpse into a hilarious, weird, and out-of-this-world road trip, full of memorable characters, witty dialogue, and plenty of surprises.” —Publishers Weekly

In this Pip & Flinx thriller, Alan Dean Foster displays the brilliance that has made him one of the brightest lights in science fiction. In Patrimony, fans will learn more about their favorite redhead—with emerald eyes, uncanny powers, and a poisonous minidrag—than they ever dreamed possible. “I know who your father is . . . Gestalt.” A shocked Flinx hears these dying words from one of the renegade eugenicists whose experiments with humans twenty-odd years ago shocked the galaxy . . . and spawned Flinx. So Flinx and his minidrag, Pip, venture to Gestalt, an out-of-the-way planet perfect for someone who never wants to be found—disregarding the advice of those who think Flinx could make better use of his time locating the ancient, sentient weapons platform that could be the galaxy’s only chance of stopping the exterminating scourge that’s fast approaching. Flinx might agree with them—but the quest for patrimony wins out. (Sorry, galaxy!) Could Gestalt supply the key to Flinx’s shadowy past and strange powers? An eccentric loner in a remote area could be the father Flinx has never stopped searching for, perhaps the only person who can unravel the mystery of his birth and his amazing, agonizing powers. Unfortunately for Flinx, Gestalt also hosts a resident bounty hunter who’s just learned about the stupendous reward offered for a certain dead redhead. Flinx gets a chance to test his adversary’s skills when our hero’s skimmer is blasted out of the sky and into a raging river in the middle of nowhere—a nowhere of impassable terrain and ravenous, carnivorous beasts. But hey, what’s one more impossible challenge for someone who’s spent his life defying the odds and escaping the inescapable? Flinx has one thing going for him . . . plenty of experience.

From science fiction legend Alan Dean Foster comes a thrilling Pip and Flinx adventure, wherein a certain red-haired, green-eyed young man blessed (or cursed) with strange powers finds himself and his mini-dragon sidekick on a top-secret mission concerning deep space, alien worlds . . . and a primordial horror intent on devouring all of it. In the outer depths of the universe lies the Great Emptiness, where something dreadful lurks, hidden behind a great gravitational lens of dark matter. Something horrific that howls and writhes and rages across three hundred million light-years of space–and is now heading straight for the Commonwealth and moving faster all the time. One slim chance exists to avert catastrophe, and only Flinx can take it. Roaming the galaxy is a conscious planet-size weapons system, the legacy of a long-extinct race. As Flinx is the only one who has ever experienced mental contact with the machine, it is his job to find the powerful alien artifact and coax it into joining the battle against the behemoth from beyond. So Pip and Flinx valiantly sail into the unknown aboard their little spaceship, which is immediately forced down for emergency repairs on planet Arrawd, home to less advanced sentients and therefore off-limits to space travelers. But what with Arrawd being very beautiful, and Flinx being Flinx, this particular rule doesn’t stand a chance. Now, Flinx is no stranger to murderous attacks and stalking assassins—evading them occupies most of his waking hours–but to be besieged by hordes bent on worshipping him as a god? Worse still, escaping this fate is going to be as impossible as fulfilling his dire mission. What’s a deity to do?

To save his wizard mentor, a spellsinger—and his otter sidekick—must cross time and space, in this novel by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author. Jon-Tom and his friends have seen better days. After his motley crew moved heaven and Earth to save civilization at the battle of Jo-Troom Gate, his merry band went its separate ways. Mudge, the foul-mouthed otter, eagerly returned to thieving, drinking, and whoring, while Talea, the girl of Jon-Tom’s dreams, embarked on her own adventures, leaving him to study magic with Clothahump, the irascible wizard whose inept spell trapped him in this weird otherworld in the first place. But now Clothahump is dying, and not even Jon-Tom’s spellsinging can make him well. In search of medicine for the centuries-old turtle, he and Mudge venture across the seas on a dubious quest that will require the assistance of an Amazonian white tiger, a ferret, and a gender-challenged unicorn. They’re going to need all the help they can get.

Could even the remarkable Flinx stop the deadly drug that was sweeping the galaxy? It caused instant addiction, followed by an excruciating slow death, and there was no known antidote. It was a killer. Supposedly the drug had been totally eradicated from the humanx galaxy years before. At least that''s what everyone thought. But somehow, mysteriously, that dreadful substance was back in circulation on Repler and threatening to wreak havoc throughout the known galaxy. Someone somewhere was secretly manufacturing Bloodhype, but nobody seemed to know where or who!

This is the text for the third in the Alien series of films. Ripley, the survivor of two deadly battles with the savage creatures, is stranded on an inhospitable planet, home to a hoard of defiant, captive men, where she will have to face the ultimate Alien horror.

A mind-blowing cosmic adventure from the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Adventures of Pip & Flinx. It’s just another boring late night in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for Seeth, a disillusioned punk rocker with too much time on his hands and too little money. That is, until he heads to a bowling alley and runs into Kerwin, a geeky graduate student who’s there doing research for a sociology assignment. While trying to distract Kerwin from his scholarly pursuits, Seeth notices two burly cops trying to unlawfully arrest a lone bowler, and for laughs, he jumps in to save him. When it turns out the bowler, the cops, and even the bowling ball are all different races of aliens involved in an interstellar chase, Seeth and Kerwin find themselves on a ship careening through space—protecting a mysterious, all-powerful lifeform that might possibly be the most valuable thing in the universe. Seeth’s found the excitement he wanted. And he didn’t even have to leave Albuquerque—just Earth. Praise for Alan Dean Foster “One of the most consistently inventive and fertile writers of science-fiction and fantasy.” —The Times (London) “Alan Dean Foster is a master of creating alien worlds.” —SFRevu.com “Foster knows how to spin a yarn.” —Starlog “Alan Dean Foster is the modern day Renaissance writer, as his abilities seem to have no genre boundaries.” —Bookbrowser

The first human-alien contact. The last word in galactic warfare. The story you must read–before Transformers rockets to the big screen! A mammoth robotic being, clearly of alien origin, has been found beneath the Arctic ice. Its advanced engineering dwarfs known human technology, and unlocking its secrets will catapult American science eons into the future. In search of the mysterious artifact’s origin, a covert government agency sends the manned craft Ghost 1 on a perilous journey of discovery. When a mishap maroons Ghost 1 in the far reaches of unknown space, the ship’s distress beacon reaches the very alien race Ghost 1’s crew has been seeking: the Autobots. The gigantic mechanized beings are also on a quest: to find the Allspark, a device crucial to the salvation of their home world, Cybertron. But they’re not alone. The Decepticons, the Autobots’ brutal enemies, have their own sinister purposes in seeking the Allspark. As these adversaries are drawn together once more, the stage is set for a death-dealing new battle in which each is driven by a single-minded aim: total annihilation of the enemy.

For eons, the Amplitur had searched space for intelligent species, each of which was joyously welcomed to take part in the fulfillment of the Amplitur Purpose. Whether it wanted to or not. When the Amplitur and their allies stumbled upon the races called the Weave, the Purpose seemed poised for a great leap forward. But the Weave''s surprising unity also gave it the ability to fight the Amplitur and their cause. And fight it did -- for thousands of years. Will Dulac was a New Orleans composer who thought the tiny reef off Belize would be the perfect spot to drop anchor and finish his latest symphony in solitude. What he found instead was a group of alien visitors -- a scouting party for the Weave, looking. for allies among what they believed to be a uniquely warlike race: Humans. Will tried to convince the aliens that Man was fundamentally peaceful, for he understood that Human involvement would destroy the race. But all too soon, it didn''t matter. The Amplitur had discovered Earth... First Time in Paperback

Luke Skywalker expected trouble when he volunteered to follow Princess Leia on her mission to Circapous to drum up help in the battle against the Empire. However, he hadn''t foreseen the mysterious Kaiburr crystal, which would draw him into a potentially lethal confrontation with a fearsome villian.

Cat • A • Lyst is a purrfectly hilarious science fiction adventure from the New York Times–bestselling author of the Humanx Commonwealth series. There’s more to movie star Jason Carter than his smoldering good looks, but Hollywood’s honchos aren’t interested in casting him as a dramatic lead. With little to do on camera beyond running around a battlefield in a Civil War film, Jason decides it’s time to take a vacation. He finds the perfect destination in the Peruvian Andes, where he believes there is treasure to be found. Instead, Jason stumbles upon a hidden civilization of Incas from an alternate dimension planning to conquer Earth. Now, he’s on the run with a band of companions including an Amazon warrior, an archeologist, a tabloid journalist, and a cat who just may hold the key to saving the world.

When Flinx, no stranger to galactic intrigue, found an unconscious woman on a riverbank deep in the jungles of Alaspin, he took it in stride. When he learned that the woman, Clarity Held, was a brilliant scientist abducted from a remote outpost on inhospitable Longtunnel by a group of fanatic assassins, he tried to help the beautiful Clarity back to her project. Unfortunately, the assassins were still at work. They would do anything to stop the research on Longtunnel and would kill anyone or anything that got in their way....

An adrenaline-fueled travel memoir of life in the wild among the planet’s most ferocious and fascinating predators. Over the last forty years, New York Times–bestselling author Alan Dean Foster has journeyed around the globe to encounter nature’s most fearsome creatures. His travels have taken him into the heart of the Amazon rain forest on the trail of deadly tangarana ants, on an elephant ride across the sweeping green plains of central India in search of the elusive Bengal tiger, and into the waters of the Australian coast to come face-to-face with great white sharks. Packed with pulse-pounding adventure and spiked with rapier wit, Predators I Have Known is a thrilling look at life and death in the wild.

With two great golden clouds suspended around it, Moth was the only planet that appeared to have wings. It was a beautiful planet . . . and a trap for the unwary. Here was a wide-open world for any venture a man might scheme. The planet attracted unwary travelers, hardened space-sailors, and merchant buccaneers—a teeming, constantly shifting horde that provideda comfortable income for certain quick-witted fellows like Flinx and his pet mini-dragon, Pip. With his odd talents, the pickings were easy enough so that Flinx did not have to be dishonest . . . most of the time. In fact, it hardly seemed dishonest at all to steal a starmap from a dead body that didn’t really need it anymore. But Flinx forgot one crucial point. He should have wondered why the body was dead in the first place.

“A fast, fun read for fans of Foster’s fantastic alien worlds . . . Driven by political intrigue and wilderness adventure, this is SF of noble vintage.”—Booklist Fluva, the Drowning World, is a rain-drenched planet on the fringes of the Commonwealth whose indigenous species, the warlike Sakuntala, and its immigrant species, the hardworking Deyzara, stand on the brink of civil war. The wettest place on Fluva is Viisiiviisii, an immense jungle thriving with exotic plants and deadly predators. Endless rains have made the jungle a treasure trove of rare and valuable botanicals. A man can get rich there. Or die trying. Bio-prospector Shadrach Hasselemoga has come to seek his fortune—if he survives the terrain once his sabotaged ship goes down. When a Sakuntala and a Deyzara are dispatched to rescue the unfortunate soul, their ship crashes, too. Now, in order to survive, the three unlikely allies must do something that no one has ever done before: escape the Viisiiviisii before it consumes them. . . . “[A] rousing SF adventure packed with action, intriguing human and alien characters, and a message of strength through diversity.”—Library Journal “Surefire entertainment . . . The author’s mastery of his exotic setting cannot be denied.”—Publishers Weekly

In this thrilling science fiction adventure—the triumphant conclusion to the Tipping Point trilogy—New York Times bestselling author Alan Dean Foster returns to a near future in which genetic manipulation and extreme body modification have changed profoundly what it means to be human. Dr. Ingrid Seastrom was once a respected American physician. Whispr, whose body has been transformed to preternatural thinness, was once a streetwise thief. Now, in a world on the edge of catastrophe from centuries of environmental exploitation, they are allies—thrust together by fate to unravel an impossible mystery—even as they are stalked by a relentless killer. Ingrid and Whispr are hunted fugitives bound together by a thread: a data-storage thread made of a material that cannot exist, yet somehow does. Their quest to learn its secrets—and, in Whispr’s case, sell them to the highest bidder—has brought them to South Africa’s treacherous Namib desert. Beyond its dangers waits a heavily guarded research facility that promises answers, if they can survive long enough to get there. But that won’t be easy, not with Napun Molé on their trail. They’ve already escaped the assassin twice, and as far as Molé is concerned, finishing them off isn’t just a job anymore . . . it’s personal.

Bestselling author Alan Dean Foster’s new adventure takes place in the amazing Humanx Commonwealth, home of the ever-popular Pip & Flinx. Although the dynamic redhead and his daring minidrag do not appear in Quofum, this knockout thriller sets the stage for their explosive date with destiny in the duo’s final climactic adventure, Flinx Transcendent. The mission to planet Quofum is supposed to be a quickie for Captain Boylan and his crew. Boylan is tasked with delivering four scientists–two men, one woman, and one thranx–to the unknown world, setting up camp while the experts investigate flora and fauna, then ferrying them safely home. The first surprise is that Quofum, which regularly slips in and out of existence on Commonwealth monitors, is actually there when Boylan and company arrive. The second surprise is more about what Quofum is not: The planet is not logical, ordered, or rational. The team encounters three intelligent, warring species–some carbon-based, others silicate-based, all bizarre–along with thousands of unique, often unclassifiable life-forms. Quofum’s wild biodiversity doesn’t appear to be natural. But if it is by design, then by whose, and for what purpose? There are more revelations, more highly evolved species waiting to be identified, even tantalizing clues to a civilization light-years ahead of the Commonwealth’s. But the crew members are not ready for the real shockers, because none of them expect to find a killer in their midst, or to discover that their spaceship is missing and, with it, all means of communication. Of course, the marooned teammates know nothing about the Great Evil racing toward the galaxy, and they certainly have never heard of Flinx, the only person with half a chance to stop it. Nor do they know that Quofum could play a crucial role in defeating the all-devouring monster from beyond. One thing the scientists do know, however, is how to ferret out the truth. But whether that will be enough to alter the course of the oncoming catastrophe is anyone’s guess.

Enter another realm in the amazing world of the Humanx Commonwealth--the interstellar empire governed jointly by humans and aliens! The newly discovered planet of Senisran was a veritable paradise--a sprawling world of vast oceans dotted with thousands of lush islands and copious deposits of rare-earths and minerals. First-contact specialist Pulickel Tomochelor''s mission to Senisran was straightforward: Secure mining rights for the Humanx Commonwealth before the vicious AAnn Empire beat them to the chase. With Senisran''s Parramat clan resisting entreaty, negotiations could be difficult, but Pulickel was more comfortable with aliens than with his own species, and looked forward to a triumphant return to Earth. He hadn''t counted on the incredible secret of Parramat, though: the strange, powerful green stones that the tribe used to manipulate the forces of nature. Within those stones lay an awesome technology the origin of which was lost in time--a technology that had to be kept from the AAnn at any cost . . .

Bestselling author Alan Dean Foster delivers a Pip and Flinx novel featuring a certain twenty-four-year-old with red hair, growing powers, and a loyal sidekick who just happens to be a flying mini-dragon. Flinx’s Folly follows Flinx on a thrilling quest to unravel the mysteries of his mind and body. It is a quest that forces him to confront a horror almost beyond human comprehension concealed somewhere in the universe . . . and coming closer. It’s a good thing Flinx is no stranger to trouble, because he’s swimming in it. Even before the latest murderous attack by a new gang of assailants, there seems no end to people determined to arrest, examine, or kill him. To add insult to all that injury, Flinx has been spirited away and enlisted in a battle against a monstrous extra-galactic threat. Hidden behind the Great Emptiness, in a place where it seems matter and energy have never been, there is only evil. Pure evil that is approaching him, accelerating. Against such a quintessence of colossal evil what can one puny human and a formidable mini-drag protector do? Flinx must tell someone or go out of his already addled mind. Choosing a confidant is easy: Clarity Held, a crush he hasn’t seen in six years. She is a young woman who has clearly gone on with her life in ways that (he soon learns) don’t necessarily include Flinx. Whatever happens, Flinx makes up his mind to act quickly. His decision is the beginning of a terrifying, high-stakes adventure through perilous new realms that will rocket him into the very heart of danger–and into the arms of the only woman he’s ever loved. As he and Pip bravely travel to a place where no man or mini-drag has gone before, Flinx discovers he has a few more friends than he thought–and far more enemies than he ever imagined.

Willie Whitehorse could have been just another boozed-up guitarist, if it hadn''t been for his songs. Somehow they were different -- they reached out and grabbed people''s souls. Now agent Sam Parker wanted a piece of the action. But when he had it, Sam knew he''d made a terrible mistake...a mistake it was much too late to correct... With Friends Like These... The aliens had returned to Earth after centuries because they needed allies. But after hundreds of years, they had no idea what they would be getting the universe into...and they soon found out! Dream Done Green Pericles was a poet and a genius, who also happened to be a horse! Why Johnny Can''t Speed A father could teach his son a lot of important things, but combat on the freeways wasn''t one of them...not when the kid was eighteen and too full of himself to survive. But revenge did have its compensations!