No Phule Like an Old Phule

Rating:
Summary: More Antics by Omega Company and Associates
Review: No Phule Like an Old Phule is the fifth novel in the Phule series, following Phule Me Twice. In the previous volume, Omega Company is called upon to protect an Alliance diplomatic mission to Zenobia. General Blitzkrieg separates Phule from the company and replaces him with Major Botchup. The Zenobians are being surveilled by the Nanoids, a race of extremely small creatures living in the desert, and are worried about a possible invasion. Sushi cracks the Nanoid communication codes and Phule's robot double manages to negotiate a cessation of aggressive activities. Phule himself establishes a good relationship with the dinosaur-like head honcho, Chief Potentary Korg. Despite every effort by Blitzkrieg, Omega company completes its mission with distinction.

In this novel, Omega Company is expecting a visit from a group of VIP hunters. When a ship lands in the vicinity of the Omega encampment, Captain Jester welcomes the visitors to the planet, but soons discovers that they are not the expected guests, but rather a trio of environmental inspectors from AEIOU, the Alliance Ecological Interplanetary Observation Union. They have come to do an environmental inspection of Omega Company and the planet itself. Moreover, they have brought Barky, the Environmental Dog, who obviously has not been previously exposed to extraterrestrial aliens since he chases any that he smells.

When the hunters finally land, Omega Company tries to keep them away from the AEIOU inspectors and Barky. The VIPS are hoping to hunt the huge dinosaurs they have heard existed on Zenobia and have brought a variety of large weapons. However, they would like to acquire some local weapons just in case.

The VIP ship also brings a new recruit to the company. Thumper is rather like a rabbit, with large ears, and also runs like one. He is despised by his fellow recruits during boot camp because he is too gung ho and makes them look bad. His fellows get him in trouble with General Blitzkrieg and the general angerly assigns the recruit to Blitzkrieg's least favorite company in the Legion. Now Thumper learns how Omega Company does military training.

In the meantime, the mob catches up with the con artists Lola and Ernie and insist that they finish the kidnap job bungled in Phule's Paradise. Moving back to Lorelei Station, the pair start casing the casino looking for Willard Phule, but instead find Victor. Willard's father is playing the slot machines at five thousand dollars a pull, certain that he has a system that will break the bank. Lola and Ernie can't figure his angle, since everybody knows you can't beat the odds on the slots.

Back at camp, Phule is waiting for a promotion packet from headquarters. The Rev has learned about L'Viz from Lieutenant Qual and gets Sushi to hack into the Zenobian computer net to discover more about this mysterious person. Qual has his men doing maintenance on a large Sklern machine in the middle of the camp, although his explanations of its functions have totally failed to convey any useful information. Mysterious lights appear at night in the desert without any accompanying electromagnetic signals, causing a red alert. The VIPs are shooting off some large sized weapons without regard to whoever might be downrange. Barky chases Thumper around the mess hall and causes a humongous food fight.

This story puts Omega Company directly behind the eight ball, but they wiggle out of the mess in their usual idiosyncratic way. Victor does some male bonding with Ernie and thinks he is a fine fellow. Lola gets drunk with Tullie Bascomb, manager of the Fat Chance Casino, and they are both totally surprised with the deal negotiated by Ernie and Victor.

This story is filled with the usual satire, irony, slapstick, puns and other humorous devices. As usual, Omega Company manages to do the job in a competent yet eccentric manner, as does the management of the Fat Chance Casion. Although this volume was not quite as funny as the previous four, it does have some hilarious moments, as well as a few just plain silly incidents such as "the game's afoot" gag.

Recommended for Asprin & Heck fans and for anyone else who enjoys humorous tales with almost no limits.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Rating:
Summary: More Antics by Omega Company and Associates
Review: No Phule Like an Old Phule is the fifth novel in the Phule series, following Phule Me Twice. In the previous volume, Omega Company is called upon to protect an Alliance diplomatic mission to Zenobia. General Blitzkrieg separates Phule from the company and replaces him with Major Botchup. The Zenobians are being surveilled by the Nanoids, a race of extremely small creatures living in the desert, and are worried about a possible invasion. Sushi cracks the Nanoid communication codes and Phule's robot double manages to negotiate a cessation of aggressive activities. Phule himself establishes a good relationship with the dinosaur-like head honcho, Chief Potentary Korg. Despite every effort by Blitzkrieg, Omega company completes its mission with distinction.

In this novel, Omega Company is expecting a visit from a group of VIP hunters. When a ship lands in the vicinity of the Omega encampment, Captain Jester welcomes the visitors to the planet, but soons discovers that they are not the expected guests, but rather a trio of environmental inspectors from AEIOU, the Alliance Ecological Interplanetary Observation Union. They have come to do an environmental inspection of Omega Company and the planet itself. Moreover, they have brought Barky, the Environmental Dog, who obviously has not been previously exposed to extraterrestrial aliens since he chases any that he smells.

When the hunters finally land, Omega Company tries to keep them away from the AEIOU inspectors and Barky. The VIPS are hoping to hunt the huge dinosaurs they have heard existed on Zenobia and have brought a variety of large weapons. However, they would like to acquire some local weapons just in case.

The VIP ship also brings a new recruit to the company. Thumper is rather like a rabbit, with large ears, and also runs like one. He is despised by his fellow recruits during boot camp because he is too gung ho and makes them look bad. His fellows get him in trouble with General Blitzkrieg and the general angerly assigns the recruit to Blitzkrieg's least favorite company in the Legion. Now Thumper learns how Omega Company does military training.

In the meantime, the mob catches up with the con artists Lola and Ernie and insist that they finish the kidnap job bungled in Phule's Paradise. Moving back to Lorelei Station, the pair start casing the casino looking for Willard Phule, but instead find Victor. Willard's father is playing the slot machines at five thousand dollars a pull, certain that he has a system that will break the bank. Lola and Ernie can't figure his angle, since everybody knows you can't beat the odds on the slots.

Back at camp, Phule is waiting for a promotion packet from headquarters. The Rev has learned about L'Viz from Lieutenant Qual and gets Sushi to hack into the Zenobian computer net to discover more about this mysterious person. Qual has his men doing maintenance on a large Sklern machine in the middle of the camp, although his explanations of its functions have totally failed to convey any useful information. Mysterious lights appear at night in the desert without any accompanying electromagnetic signals, causing a red alert. The VIPs are shooting off some large sized weapons without regard to whoever might be downrange. Barky chases Thumper around the mess hall and causes a humongous food fight.

This story puts Omega Company directly behind the eight ball, but they wiggle out of the mess in their usual idiosyncratic way. Victor does some male bonding with Ernie and thinks he is a fine fellow. Lola gets drunk with Tullie Bascomb, manager of the Fat Chance Casino, and they are both totally surprised with the deal negotiated by Ernie and Victor.

This story is filled with the usual satire, irony, slapstick, puns and other humorous devices. As usual, Omega Company manages to do the job in a competent yet eccentric manner, as does the management of the Fat Chance Casion. Although this volume was not quite as funny as the previous four, it does have some hilarious moments, as well as a few just plain silly incidents such as "the game's afoot" gag.

Recommended for Asprin & Heck fans and for anyone else who enjoys humorous tales with almost no limits.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Rating:
Summary: Ghostwritten series increasingly weak
Review: The first two novels in this series were mental popcorn: fluff, but enjoyable light satire. Unfortunately they've gone downhill. I'm not sure who to blame more - Asprin, who appears to be simply fulfilling a contractual obligation, or Heck, the "co-writer" who is ghostwriting. (Asprin is only marginally better at meeting deadlines than was Douglas Adams.)

As others have noted, adding characters to an increasingly unwieldy cast doesn't improve the universe. It also doesn't fix a slapdash plot.

In addition, there are multiple sloppy continuity errors. The main character is named Willard Phule. His father refers to him as "Wilfred". Then all future references go back to "Willard". The previously Filipino cook inexplicably morphs into a Jamaican homebwah. Phule himself, in previous books disdained paying bribes; here he explicitly says that he doesn't mind bribing and that breaking rules is part of business.

I'm not a rabid fanboy, but obvious errors jump out at me. It makes me realize that I'm reading, as opposed to immersing me in the narrative. It's a sign that either the author doesn't care about his work, the editors don't care enough to actually read carefully - or both.

Rating:
Summary: Ghostwritten series increasingly weak
Review: The first two novels in this series were mental popcorn: fluff, but enjoyable light satire. Unfortunately they've gone downhill. I'm not sure who to blame more - Asprin, who appears to be simply fulfilling a contractual obligation, or Heck, the "co-writer" who is ghostwriting. (Asprin is only marginally better at meeting deadlines than was Douglas Adams.)

As others have noted, adding characters to an increasingly unwieldy cast doesn't improve the universe. It also doesn't fix a slapdash plot.

In addition, there are multiple sloppy continuity errors. The main character is named Willard Phule. His father refers to him as "Wilfred". Then all future references go back to "Willard". The previously Filipino cook inexplicably morphs into a Jamaican homebwah. Phule himself, in previous books disdained paying bribes; here he explicitly says that he doesn't mind bribing and that breaking rules is part of business.

I'm not a rabid fanboy, but obvious errors jump out at me. It makes me realize that I'm reading, as opposed to immersing me in the narrative. It's a sign that either the author doesn't care about his work, the editors don't care enough to actually read carefully - or both.

Rating:
Summary: A foul Phule
Review: This book was a great disappointment, Captain Jester was either brain damaged by the nano's, on drugs, or replaced by a robot for the entire book. The few times he appears his is agonizing over a promotion and contributing nothing towards the plot or story line. Beeker is meaner, more sarcastic, and instead of being Phules friend he is just a critic. In all I thought all the characters and indeed the entire book was smaller and meaner than the previous installments.

It may be a good read for someone who has not read the previous installments but a fan will not like it.

Rating:
Summary: A foul Phule
Review: This book was a great disappointment, Captain Jester was either brain damaged by the nano's, on drugs, or replaced by a robot for the entire book. The few times he appears his is agonizing over a promotion and contributing nothing towards the plot or story line. Beeker is meaner, more sarcastic, and instead of being Phules friend he is just a critic. In all I thought all the characters and indeed the entire book was smaller and meaner than the previous installments.

It may be a good read for someone who has not read the previous installments but a fan will not like it.

Rating:
Summary: Previous Phule books good. This one... not so good.
Review: This book was disappointing to me. The most glaring issue to me was that the characters (introduced in previous books in the series) acted differently than I remember them in the other books and seemed to not have much depth on the whole.

The primary character, Captain Jester or Phule, comes across as a doubting somewhat incompetent person. In the previous books he is anything but this. In fact, his poise and his balanced relationship with his butler help to make the books. I don?t see that in the current book.

The premise of the book overall just does not fly. That the father of Phule can be a leader of a huge corporation and not understand statistical odds in casinos smacks you in the face as unsound throughout the whole book. Then to add to the mix a storyline that stutters and goes off on tangents for no reasons, and you have a very confused disgruntled reader.

In summary, avoid this book and go buy the previous books if you haven?t already. I don't like criticizing authors I like and enjoy (I own almost all of Asprin?s books), but this book just didn't measure up to previous books.

I wish I had taken the reviews more to heart before I bought the book.

Rating:
Summary: Previous Phule books good. This one... not so good.
Review: This book was disappointing to me. The most glaring issue to me was that the characters (introduced in previous books in the series) acted differently than I remember them in the other books and seemed to not have much depth on the whole.

The primary character, Captain Jester or Phule, comes across as a doubting somewhat incompetent person. In the previous books he is anything but this. In fact, his poise and his balanced relationship with his butler help to make the books. I don't see that in the current book.

The premise of the book overall just does not fly. That the father of Phule can be a leader of a huge corporation and not understand statistical odds in casinos smacks you in the face as unsound throughout the whole book. Then to add to the mix a storyline that stutters and goes off on tangents for no reasons, and you have a very confused disgruntled reader.

In summary, avoid this book and go buy the previous books if you haven't already. I don't like criticizing authors I like and enjoy (I own almost all of Asprin's books), but this book just didn't measure up to previous books.

I wish I had taken the reviews more to heart before I bought the book.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This series has gone way down hill from its great beginning. Now it is weak, boring and dull.

My interpretation of the series was that when you have a group of unusual people and a problem you should find an unusual solution. And I think part of the fun was watching Phule find the unusual solution. So how come Phule hardly shows up at all?

The writing is confusing. They introduced a 'Lepoid', a new alien. But what does it look like? How does it act? Took me until near the end of the book to put the poor descriptions together. Things come out of no where; it looks like this is an attempt to surprise us, I'd rather have a solid setup and then a surprise!

Shoot the editor! There are words missing in the middle of the text. Didn't anyone bother to proof read this? (Shoot whoever 'set' the type or however they do it these days, too).

If you haven't read this series before then don't start with this one, go back and read the first in the series, Phule's Company, it's much better. You might read this if you've already read the rest of the series, but remember: I warned you, you'll be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Disappointing
Review: This series has gone way down hill from its great beginning. Now it is weak, boring and dull.

My interpretation of the series was that when you have a group of unusual people and a problem you should find an unusual solution. And I think part of the fun was watching Phule find the unusual solution. So how come Phule hardly shows up at all?

The writing is confusing. They introduced a 'Lepoid', a new alien. But what does it look like? How does it act? Took me until near the end of the book to put the poor descriptions together. Things come out of no where; it looks like this is an attempt to surprise us, I'd rather have a solid setup and then a surprise!

Shoot the editor! There are words missing in the middle of the text. Didn't anyone bother to proof read this? (Shoot whoever 'set' the type or however they do it these days, too).

If you haven't read this series before then don't start with this one, go back and read the first in the series, Phule's Company, it's much better. You might read this if you've already read the rest of the series, but remember: I warned you, you'll be disappointed.