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April 1, 2083. A gastropod sent to Earth by the Far Being Retzglaran swallows McGill Feighan, age 4 days, and studies him for 71.4 hours. — At age 5, Feighan becomes a Flinger - able to travel the universe in a flicker and a flash - and one of the most endangered individuals in the Galaxy. — And in the year 2100, McGill Feighan begins an unguided quest for the Far Being, source of his powers and persecution. It is a journey that promises to send him to the far reaches of both experience and space...
216 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 12, 2014
Everytime I travel I think of this great book and wish "Flingers" existed.
February 20, 2021
This series was my first contact with O'Donnell's writings; I stumbled upon the series at the public library when I was 11 or 12. I enjoyed at least the first three volumes (I seem to remember being unhappy with the fourth and final volume...we'll see as I reread). I'm glad to say that this book still holds up well 40 years later.
This was O'Donnell's third published novel and in it he breaks away from the flaws of his first two efforts. There are still some compositional shortcomings (particularly noticeable this time through was the amateurish but still fairly interesting modernist free-association climax in which Feighan pulls himself out of madness and disappointment (almost existential in nature) at discovering what he _thinks_ is the reason for his having special talents and abilities).
It helps that O'Donnell provides a truly menacing antagonist for his protagonist (although at this point in the series, the exact nature of the antagonist is still murky...literally so). The direct conflict drives much of the early narrative of this novel, while the wish to explore a galaxy rich in intelligent and sympathetic alien life provides the motion for the second half.
This is not a classic work, but it's fun and worth reading.
This was O'Donnell's third published novel and in it he breaks away from the flaws of his first two efforts. There are still some compositional shortcomings (particularly noticeable this time through was the amateurish but still fairly interesting modernist free-association climax in which Feighan pulls himself out of madness and disappointment (almost existential in nature) at discovering what he _thinks_ is the reason for his having special talents and abilities).
It helps that O'Donnell provides a truly menacing antagonist for his protagonist (although at this point in the series, the exact nature of the antagonist is still murky...literally so). The direct conflict drives much of the early narrative of this novel, while the wish to explore a galaxy rich in intelligent and sympathetic alien life provides the motion for the second half.
This is not a classic work, but it's fun and worth reading.
September 6, 2018
McGill Feighan was one of the earliest sci fi series i read. i remember getting completely caught up in a story line of a "grown up" book for the first time and following him through his travels. this was a wonderful gateway into the world of what i consider classic science fiction and led me to authors like Card, Niven and Asimov.
April 14, 2022
While I wouldn't have given up on a whole genre over this book I probably would not have looked for the other books in the series. It is one of those books that you get to the end to and you know there are more because there are questions left unanswered at the end. I just got to the end and I really don't care. OK book so it gets three stars but I wouldn't read the whole series.
December 8, 2021
Very enjoyable. A little slow at first, but once it got rolling, I had a great time. Interesting, believable characters, aliens who are truly alien, and an interesting story. I'll be reading the next one.
June 17, 2022
Read this series back in high school in the 80s, remember is being enjoyable with engaging worldbuilding, and would have died to have one of their shirts with the brain pattern projections. 😁
January 20, 2026
This was a really fun sci-fi story!
September 18, 2024
A series I recalled from my youth.
I'm saddened to see decades later he never added more books, but I enjoyed it then and I'm enjoying it again now. It's about Flingers - people who can teleport things or themselves to places they can see or have intimate knowledge of.
I'm saddened to see decades later he never added more books, but I enjoyed it then and I'm enjoying it again now. It's about Flingers - people who can teleport things or themselves to places they can see or have intimate knowledge of.
January 17, 2017
A story about a young man who wants to know why he was chosen at birth by a being wrapped in mystery. Not at all bad. The series doesn't wrap up with a neat bow, but then again, what does? An author who's not afraid to kill people.
The deaths aren't always dramatic, either. As all too often happens in real life, death can be sudden.
Jon, I hope you'll read this one and let me know what you think.
The deaths aren't always dramatic, either. As all too often happens in real life, death can be sudden.
Jon, I hope you'll read this one and let me know what you think.
January 13, 2012
It started out strong , but got really strange pretty quickly. I gave two stars because I lost interest. (I managed to finish it though)
September 23, 2019
I loved it when I reread a book after twenty years, remembering that I really liked it back then, to find that I still like it as much all these years later.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews