The Tar-Aiym Krang (Pip and Flinx Adventure Series #2) Book

I can't believe the rubbish job Del Rey (Ballantine) has done on the current reprints of the well beloved Pip & Flinx novels. Gone are the magnificent covers illustrated by the likes of Michael Whelan and Bob Eggleton. Replaced by blurry monochromatic photos of... what's this? A Justin Bieber clone in coveralls? And isn't Flinx, like, 17 years old? This kid looks about 11. Also - where's Pip? Presumably they were unable to locate a flying snake for the studio sessions?
It's ATROCIOUS to say the least. Numerous generations of ADF-fans are weeping into their hands. What's more, on the very first page of The Tar-Aiym Krang there is a glaring typo. No Del Rey, no! Shame on you! What would Lester say?

Now. The book.
I appeal to all readers of speculative fiction not to judge this book by its cover. The Pip & Flinx novels used to be extremely popular back in the days and it's easy to see why. The Tar-Aiym Krang is very, very readable and conjures up fond memories of some of the early science fiction I'd read as a teenager, although this book is certainly not limited as far as target audience is concerned. In fact, some of the content is arguably not suitable for younger kids (there is some sex & nudity although it is pretty mild). It's a great adventure with grand imagery and every self respecting Space Opera lite fan should find something in here to enjoy. Long dead alien civilizations, majestic ruins on uncharted planets, the search for an important artifact with astonishing capabilities... what's not to like? It even has the sense of wonder sadly lacking in some of today's stuff. Flinx is easy to identify with and Pip is, well, Pip. As far as flying, venomous mini-drag(on) alien pets go, he's pretty standard I suppose…

The novel is certainly not without its faults. I found the pacing a bit uneven, but not so bad as to really bother me. It's unlikely that this novel will change the way you look at the world, but it will in all likelihood put a smile on your face.

A note on chronology. This is the first book in the series in order of publication. A prequel (For Love of Mother-Not) was published later on and many people have taken that to be the first book. Alan Dean Foster wrote The Tar-Aiym Krang first - therefore I shall take it to be book one in the series until he personally orders me to do otherwise. Thank you very much.