Phule's Company

Behind the puerile punning names and extraterrestrial setting stands a modest, winning story about a commander who builds a company of misfits, rejects and even a few aliens into a disciplined military outfit. Tricked into taking on the worst detachment in a far outpost of the Space Legion, Captain Willard Phule uses every resource in his control, particularly his immense wealth and his knowledge of how to motivate and lead people, to whip his skeptical crew of strays into shape and make them feel that they have, at last, found a home. This lighthearted tale is part science fiction, part spoof, part heart-warmer, its farcical elements pitted against the proper, stuffy voice of Phule's butler, Beeker, whose wry commentary precedes each section of narrative. Phule rings true as an astute entrepreneur of the human (and nonhuman) spirit. The psychological acumen that colors Asprin's characterizations, Phule in particular, gives the book the verisimilitude that is the essence of successful science fiction. Asprin wrote the Myth series. (July)