I don't know how much influence the co-author had on this one, but this storyline carries better than the previous volume (A Phule and his Money) which was 'thin' at best. So much more going on in this one - it may be that Asprin got more of a say in this one than the last collaborative effort. I'm not generally a fan of his co-authored works. Glad we got a decent advesary this time - the hated Major Botchup added a much needed foil to the Captain Jester hero figure. (It would benefit from the readers foreknowledge of previous storylines, so don't read this #4 without having read the others.)