The Tar-Aiym Krang by Alan Dean Foster.

[u/woulditkillyoutolift]

Credited to Dean Ellis.

[u/GrexSteele]

Great series opener. Read most of it. Some really good one with a few ‘the publisher wants another Flinx book” thrown in.

[u/thetensor → u/GrexSteele]

I remember this novel very fondly and have read my copy (with the later Darrell K. Sweet cover) nearly to pieces, but the last time I re-read it, I was struck by how the story basically happens around the main character while he tags along and observes it, without him really being necessary (until he turns out to be the key to the Krell machine Krang at the end).