"Alan Dean Foster - Flinx 5 - Flinx in Flux" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

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A Del Rey@ Book
Published by The Ballantine Publishing Group
Copyright ┬й 1988 by Alan Dean Foster

All rights reserved under International and Pan‑American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by The Ballantine Publishing Group, a division of
Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of
Canada Limited, Toronto.

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying, recording, or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publisher.

http://www.randomhouse.com/

Map by Michael C. Goodwin
Cover art by Darrell K. Sweet



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Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 87‑91887
ISBN 0‑345‑34363‑8

Manufactured in the United States of America
First Edition: July 1988

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For all the readers who've stuck with Flinx and Pip since 1972, and wanted them
back. And most especially for Betty Ballantine, who first saw potential in them
and me, and who helped bring the three of us to life.

******************************************************
Chapter One

The man at the end of the table wore his attitude like a mask. In another place
and time the intensity of his speech and gestures might have seemed unnatural,
but they were perfectly appropriate for his present surroundings. He was a
roly‑poly sort of fellow topped by a short brush of inspired hair that crawled
down to his shirt collar. Unlike his diatribe, his attire was simple and neat.
With his mouth shut he looked quite ordinary. So did his five companions, save
one. With that single exception, none was especially tall or muscular. They