No Phule Like an Old Phule

Phule's Company #5

by Robert Lynn Asprin, Noah Michael Levine (Narrator), Peter J. Heck

The Barnes & Noble Review
No Phule like an Old Phule, the fifth installment of Robert Asprin's hilarious Phule's Company saga (Phule's Company, Phule's Paradise, et al.), pits the legendary Willard Phule -- a.k.a. Captain Jester -- and his misfit soldiers of Omega Company against their most ferocious enemy yet: a genetically enhanced celebrity canine named Barky the Environmental Dog.

As usual, every villainous being in the universe is seemingly conspiring against Jester and his unconventional company of legionnaires. While General Blitzkrieg -- a bloated commanding officer who is obsessed with dishonoring Jester -- is sending Omega the worst recruits available, he also has his hands in a plot to publicly disgrace the company by sending a rigorous ecological observation team to the planet Zenobia for a surprise audit. The eco-team, fronted by the aforementioned media star Barky, is the least of Jester's worries, however. While dealing with the annoying pooch -- who relentlessly sniffs out pollution and other "dangers to the natural balance" -- Jester must also accommodate a group of powerful high-rollers who have come to Zenobia to hunt native reptilian creatures rumored to resemble predatory dinosaurs. Add to the plot Jester's meddlesome father (who happens to be a billionaire weapons magnate) and a bumbling pair of would-be kidnappers, and Jester has himself one rip-roaring snafu!

The madcap members of Omega Company -- which include Sushi, Do-Wop, Super-Gnat, Tusk-anini, Roadkill, and Chocolate Harry -- are like a cross between the Dirty Dozen and F-Troop. Fans of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels and Piers Anthony's Xanth series who have yet to experience Asprin's wit should give this laugh-out-loud saga a try. Paul Goat Allen

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Comedy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Audiobook

Audible Audio

First published March 30, 2004

About the author

Robert (Lynn) Asprin was born in 1946. While he wrote some stand alone novels such as The Cold Cash War, Tambu, and The Bug Wars and also the Duncan & Mallory Illustrated stories, Bob is best known for his series fantasy, such as the Myth Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve, the Phule's Company novels, and the Time Scout novels written with Linda Evans. He also edited the groundbreaking Thieves' World anthology series with Lynn Abbey. Other collaborations include License Invoked (set in the French Quarter of New Orleans) and several Myth Adventures novels, all written with Jody Lynn Nye.

Bob's final solo work was a contemporary fantasy series called Dragons, again set in New Orleans.

Bob passed away suddenly on May 22, 2008. He is survived by his daughter and son, his mother and his sister.

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fun series enjoyed by long-ago carol for inventive capers and general good-vibes of a Space Legion (drawing straight from the band-of-misfits trope), I couldn't remember if I read this one or not when I saw it on sale. This might have been protective memory, or it could be because this came out beyond the prime years of reading this series. Apparently, they brought it back with a co-writer, unclear reasons why.

I think most fans of the series will feel it misses the mark. While it takes the nominal plots from other books--angry superior setting team up to fail; new oddball recruit coming it; acceptance by the locals--this one has Captain Jester's father come to... I don't know, be angry paternal authority figure? He and Jester try and trick each other in the casino from book 2, leading to a deux et machina move for a possible redemption arc, but gets there by the most unlikely of methods, ignoring the skills of Jester that the previous 4 books built up.

Narrative has been one of the strengths--and potential weaknesses--of the series. Asprin head-hopped from character to character, getting insight on the occasionally separate conflicts they were facing. It built characters and tension--occasionally one character will know more than another--but at the risk of continuity. In this book, even more than the normal team have been added to the mix, and not all of them are even on the same planet. Between multiple viewpoints and the plot--instead of one main plot, there's three simultaneous ones (his dad, the environmental review, the mission), along with the usual assortment of minor ones (will the new recruit make it? Will the members of the Company succeed in their personal challenges?)--it's messy. More than a bit, actually.

I think people interested in light sci-fi would do best with the first couple books in the series which were solidly Asprin's. Heck worked primarily as an editor and reviewer and while the framework of Asprin's stories is here, the execution and spirit isn't.

So, reminder to future carol.: You removed this from your kindle for a reason. Just say no.

[Justin Robinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm kind of running out of steam on the series.

It's worth noting that the books are undergoing a bit of continuity drift. I'm not going to slam them for that; with the addition of a second author, several years, and a severe bout of writer's block separating the first 2 from the second 4, a little drift is inevitable. It's interesting from the perspective of what's changed. Characters that seemed important in the first book (Escrima, Super-Gnat especially) are little more than cameos, while others (Sushi and Do-Wop leap to mind) are unexpectedly huge. Mother, who started as more of a snarky late-night DJ type, is now more of a cartoonishly flirty presence, like Jessica Rabbit on a CB radio. The implication that there were only 3 nonhuman races generally known (with the 4th appearing at the end of the 1st book, and it being a huge deal) is casually done away with with the introduction of the Lepoids. Anyway.

The big problem I'm having with the series are the stakes. Now, there is nothing wrong with having low stakes. Not every piece of fiction has to be about the end of the universe in order to be compelling. The stakes you do have, however, have to be committed to. Whatever problem you're dealing with has to be resolved in such a way that only your heros' unique combination of traits could have done it. With the Phule books, the problems are usually handwaved away, brute-forced by the ostensible protagonist's bottomless pockets. If the books were funnier, this wouldn't be a problem. I'm coming to the conclusion that I might have been better off leaving this series in the past. It's not bad by any measure, but I don't think I'd recommend it.

One more book to go.

[Sbuchler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Genre: humorous science fiction

This has none of the charm (or even the plot!) of _Phule’s Company_ and _Phule’s Paradise_. In fact, while it features characters with the same names, they don’t seem to behave in the same way. In fact, the series protagonist (Williard Phule, a.k.a. Captain Jester) barely does _anything_ throughout the course of the book; his problems are trivial, and the solutions rather mysteriously accomplished. The book is split among 4 stories that barely seem to intersect either in theme or by action. The first is the story of a starry-eyed newly recruited Legionnaire named Thumper, and how he comes to be assigned to Omega Company (e.g. Phule’s Company). The second follows the series’ protagonist’s multibillionaire father as he tries to bankrupt his son by disbelieving in statistics. The third story follows a pair of ne’er-do-wells who have bungled an assignment to kidnap the protagonist, and the fourth follows Williard Phule juggling an environmental impact inspection and hosting some politically influential hunters out to bag big game on the “backwards” planet Phule’s been assigned too. If all those threads seem random to you – they still seem random to me even after finishing the book! None of the resolutions were satisfactory imo, and they all miss the charm of “believe in people and they’ll live up to your expectations” mantra and the “together we can accomplish the impossible!” that infused the earlier books.

[Annette McIntyre · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another addition to the Phule's company series. This book has the older Phule make more than a minor showing but his story does not link well with the main story - this book feels like two stories running side by side. Maybe the next installment in the series brings them together better than this one did.

[Phoebe · Rating 2 out of 5]

In this book, Captain Phule has to deal with an overzealous environmentalist department of the government while simultaneously hosting a group of politically important big game hunters. We also follow a starry-eyed new recruit (of a species that did not exist in book one of this series) as he joins Phule’s company. The last story-line (which is completely unrelated, not to mention absurd) follows the criminals who failed to kidnap Phule in book 4, as Captain Phule’s father (a self-made multibillionaire) tries to bankrupt his son’s casino by ignoring simple statistics.

I was seriously disappointed by this book. The two story-lines were resolved with little-to-no input from Captain Phule, and none of the resourcefulness, teamwork, and optimism that made me love the first two books of the series. This book was the kind of soulless, punny, nonsense that made me eventually hate the Xanth series by Piers Anthony. I’ll read the next book of the series, just because it’s the last one.

[RandomSkev · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked this book about as much as any of the others in the series, but gave it a lower rating because I don't think it would "stand alone" as well as any of the others. The story added dimension to several lesser characters, which I liked, but the main character receded into the background a bit. In the overall scheme of the plot & series this made plenty of sense, but the overall effect would make this a poor read w/out prior knowledge from the earlier books in the series. I understand that a series by nature adds up to a whole, but I also believe each part should be interesting in its own right.

[Peter Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again Captain Jester and his company of space legionnaires have moved from one outrageous situation to another, and this time they have a Lepoid added to the mix.
If you have read any of the other books then you will already be aware of what you are getting into, and if you haven't, then go to book one and start reading.
Each book builds on the other and the characters develop and grow through the various plot sequences, incidents and entanglements that unfold in each novel.
If you are looking for a light, quick and easy to read book then this the series that you want to add to your Kindle.

[Sheska · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book 5 of Phule’s Company. I really enjoyed the first 2-3 books, and, although the ones that followed weren’t bad or anything, I feel like the elements that made the first 2 books special were kinda homeopathically diluted with each instalment, and this book in particular. It was missing a lot of the intrepidity of the cast and 'will they/won't they' suspense, which meant that the last minute solutions to the problems lacked the satisfaction that earlier books brought. Still, a comfortable brief escape.

[Freyja · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wouldn't be Asprin without puns. (Yes!) There is more than one thing going on in this novel. There's a visit from a very strict environmental inspection team, some well-connected hunters that may be more than just trophy hunters, a new legionnaire arrives to try to fit in the Omega mob, Phule's father is poking his nose in the captain's business on Lorelai, and more. Messy. Phule is up to the tasks, and so is Omega Company - they just don't know it.

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this series. It’s different and was funny but this one falls short. Its not as strong as the novels before it. It doesn’t have the same strong humor and lacks focus on our core characters. We barely see Phule. And there is no way you can read this book out of order. It would be easy to be lost and have no idea what is going on. It really fell short comparted to the others. If book four had left with a conclusion it might be better to stop there.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

What happens when Phule's father gets in the mix? This book.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are few subgenres so self-serious as military SF, and therefore probably few as ripe for skewering. I've always liked the "Stainless Steel Rat" series by Harry Harrison, and figured I might give "Phule" a chance. An old army buddy of mine used to always read the paperbacks, and I'd always hear him sniggering in his bunk enough to finally grow a little curious as I thought of him recently.

In "No Phule," we join the saga in media res, with Phule captaining a military unit on a planet called Zenobia. He's trying to keep multiple plates spinning, fending off an investigation by a sort of intergalactic EPA that employs a McGruff-like dog with a genetically modded nose, while also hosting a group of loud big-game hunters intent on killing some of the local megafauna.

Elsewhere in the galaxy Victor Phule, Phule's father, is running the Fat Chance Casino. He's become especially obsessed with the idea that someone may be gaming the house, and he sets to feeding one-thousand dollar chips, one after another, into the house's quantum slots. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the same mega-casino, a pair of bumbling kidnappers are plotting to get their hands on the elder Phule.

Parts of the story work better than others, and because the various threads don't eventually dovetail, or even have much to do with each other, the ultimate result is a bit slight, even for a lighthearted, comic space opera romp.

I neglected to mention the subplot involving a "lepoid" and its matriculation through basic training and on into the world of active duty soldiering, but that was by design rather than oversight on my part. The less said about the sentient, bounding bunny with a penchant for carrots and an ability to communicate with the scenting hound, the better. Besides which, I think Captain Bucky O'Hare had the last word on Lepus exobiology.

I might try some more Phule later, or at least some other Asprin, but not for a little while, to be frank.

[Evan Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun light read and a welcome addition to the satire shelf from one of the pioneers in the Sci Fi satire genre, Robert Asprin.

It does have a couple fatal flaws keeping it from 5 stars though.

1: the series really works best as a one off or at most a trilogy..gets repetitive and a little like a sitcom that went too many seasons by this point.
( can hardly blame the author for filling the demand for more of the same though.. same thing happened with his Myth inc fantasy satire series)
Like a sitcom, it relies a little too heavily on the antics of stereotypical 2d characters for its predictable plot twists and solutions.

2: Relies a little too heavily on that old trope that Heinlein and other white male Sci Fi authors of the 60s relied on .. that govt would be so much better if just run like a business by successful rich white guys.. a theme since promulgated by the Koch brothers rather successfully. ( and bit them in the butt when Trump used it to seize control of the Republican Party.)

Overall ignorable flaws and a good comfort read for those that enjoyed the rest of the series, beginning with Phule’s Company.

[Ken Finlay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a series that ran out of steam shortly after the first book - but it remains fun reading.
This time round there is a convoluted plot involving big game hunters, a mysterious Zenobian machine, Barky the Environmental Dog and interstellar Environmental Inspectors.
For me it all boiled down to the unforgettable "the game's afoot!" moment.
"No Phule like an Old Phule" is ephemeral stuff but, like chocolate, enjoyable from time to time (that's just me, my wife would argue that chocolate is always enjoyable).
3 Stars.

[Joseph D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 5 of Phule’s Company. This one is more of the slapstick fun comedy that you’ve come to appreciate from the series. It is sad to think that there is only one more book in this series. This time we are introduced to Phule’s father and I love that way his character plays off of Captain Jester as we have come to know and love him. Throw in a one in a trillion failure to a great plan and all kinds of trouble ensue. Overall a fun read and a strong addition to a strong series.

Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com

[Bernard · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one went to the dogs. The father character was not all that interesting, which is hard to believe. The AEIOU folks weren't all that interesting. The plot with the locals doesn't make a lot of sense.

The story wasn't horrible, but it just doesn't have the energy of the earlier books.

[Wayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series continues its downward descent. The names are the same, but the characters don't fill the bodies. The plot also is going downhill. This book relies on the characters doing stupid things.

I expect to finish the series, but I am really glad there's only one book left. I hope it won't be too painful.

[Nibrock · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun a entertaining listen. The narrator was great - lots of different voices, and great timing. The story was crazy as usual. Anything that should go wrong/bad, goes amazingly right/good instead. Lots of puns and word play.

[Michael Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another clever, witty, and enjoyable read. The series has lost a little of it's punch but still comes in a 4 and very nearly 5 stars. Going to dive right into the next and final entry in this series.

[Lila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another pro-capitalist adventure as the Legionnaire troop acquires a new recruit who looks like a bunny, the Elvis-worshiping minister tries to get new converts, and Phule's father pays an unannounced visit. Captain Jester tries to keep separate hunters and environmental protection groups on an unexplored planet while his father tries to out do the gambling casino with the help of potential kidnappers.

[Scott Wozniak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another lighthearted adventure.

[Nighteye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny, kind of crazy plot but good nonserious science fiction military story.

[Des · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fluff, but amusing fluff.

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as funny as the previous ones.

[Ben Christensen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Always a fun series. 3.5 stars

[Tom · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not finish. 3/4 of the way through, and I realized I didn't care what happened. This series is the same story inside a different book cover.

[Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice continuation of the series. All of them were enjoyable diversions.

[DOUGLAS J BERRY · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phulish

The omega mob is under attack from several threats. Captain jester has everything running so smoothly its really no challenge... I miss asprin ....

[Art · Rating 4 out of 5]

The plot thickened. Phule's father enters the story and makes a glorious mess. And that's just part of the story. Fun!

[Kasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite so far!!!!