In the fourth installment of the Alien Adventures series, Rod Allbright is in two places at once: his body is being held in suspended animation by the evil BKR, and his brain is residing in Seymour, an alien with six legs, one eyeball, and no mouth. While his father tries to get his body back, Rod travels with Madame Pong, Snout, and his cousin Elspeth to a planet full of danger from fellow travelers as well as trees that make you weep until you decompose. By the story's end, Rod has learned to master fear and comes to some conclusions about his personal code for living. Coville smoothly blends the gross (one character's pet noseworm) with the thrilling, and the funny with the thought provoking, creating an entertaining sf adventure. The many characters and references to plots developed in the previous books make this too complicated to stand alone, but it is a must for libraries with the other books in the series. The story comes to a highly satisfying conclusion and also wraps up a lot of loose ends. (Reviewed November 1, 1998)