Just look at that title – how could you see that title sitting on a shelf at your local Borders or Barnes & Noble and not at least pick that book up for a look-see? Then take that cover – the furry black head of a dog, floppy ears hanging down, clutching the tapering end of a purplish tentacle in its jaws – wow! Now there's an intriguing package.

For me, the decision to pick up this latest effort by author Alan Dean Foster was made even easier by the fact that I'd already read parts one and two of this story – you see, THE CANDLE OF DISTANT EARTH is the last book in a trilogy about a young man and a dog who were abducted by aliens a few years ago solely for the purpose of being put to auction in the galactic market place and sold to the highest bidder.

In this installment of the three-part saga, Marcus Walker and George the dog, along with an odd assortment of alien allies, have successfully evaded their former captors, the Vilenjji, and are hoping to find a way back to Earth. Walker and his adopted pet have come a long way since being torn from their respective realities and deposited into what would amount to a temporary multi-species zoo in the first book of this series, LOST AND FOUND. They now find themselves leading a small fleet of assorted vessels, crewed by an even odder assortment of aliens, on a quest to find their home world and those of their friends – the highly intelligent squid-like Sque (whose real name is quite a bit longer) and the saga-spinning, mountainous Tuuqalian Braouk. All four were originally captives of the mercantile Vilenjji before leading a revolt on board the prison ship that held them. At first, Walker and George fought within themselves to come to grips with the myriad aliens that surrounded them on a daily basis. Now, several years after their ordeal first began, they find themselves much changed beings – much more accepting of the strange and alien environments that surround them, much more at ease and comfortable with the advanced technology of space travel possessed by their alien hosts and much more tolerant of the endless cultures and characteristics of the many species they have encountered through their travels.

Did I mention that George the dog has been enhanced by his former Vilenjji captors with higher intelligence and the ability to speak? Oops, sorry, that's one detail that makes these three novels all the more enjoyable. Being a dog at heart, George still loves the occasional pat on the head, still craves the scratching of his belly and still emits a bark now and then. On the other hand, being roughly equal in intelligence to his friend Marcus Walker, the two earth-born beings often engage in heartfelt conversations about their lost home world and their past experiences there. They also talk through their many problems and work together to solve the calamities that often befall them and their friends.

Foster has a way with creating believable alien cultures and engaging alien characters and has put this gift to good use many times in the past. He does so winningly with this trilogy as well. I won't give away the very satisfying ending of this novel, which also signifies the satisfying ending of this trilogy, but suffice it to say that many a poignant moment takes place on the way to that end. Marcus Walker, George, Sque and Braouk are a foursome as entertaining as I have encountered in modern science fiction. I will miss these characters and this story that was first played out in LOST AND FOUND, then again in THE LIGHT-YEARS BENEATH MY FEET and now in THE CANDLE OF DISTANT EARTH.

Hopefully Foster will find a way to revisit this series at some point in the future. But, if not, readers will be greatly satisfied with the three novels that comprise their story. I, for one, greatly enjoyed this third book in the series. If you see the intriguing cover of THE CANDLE OF DISTANT EARTH sitting on the shelf amid the authors whose names begin with "F" in the science fiction section of your favorite book store, do yourself a favor and bring it home with you. Then again, see if the first two books in the series are sitting there as well and bring them all home. Take my word for it, they will make for some good reading.