Fool Me Twice [Mass Market Paperback]

Matthew Hughes (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001

After returning from his quest to save the world from his uncle, Filidor Vesh now stumbles blindly through an attempt to squelch the machinations of a would-be political usurper. As a result, he must contend with evil agents as well as his true love.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Set in an exotic and strange far future, Matthew Hughes's Fool Me Twice is the entertaining sequel to his fine debut novel, Fools Errant. The witty, satirical Fool novels should please most science fiction and fantasy readers, especially fans of Jack Vance, Douglas Adams, or Jonathan Swift.

Fool Me Twice continues the adventures and misadventures of Filidor Vesh, heir to "Dezendah Vesh, ninety-eighth (or possibly ninety-ninth) Archon of those regions of old Earth still inhabited by human beings." When Filidor is knocked off his feet, literally and emotionally, by a beautiful stranger who steals the plaque and sigil of his office, he pursues the woman (and the proof of his inheritance) across the sea. Filidor's search for Emmlyn Podarke takes him into increasingly peculiar and precarious situations, until he finds himself captured, along with his beloved Emmlyn, by a powerful and possibly insane enemy who has excavated an ancient and dangerous artifact. --Cynthia Ward

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Aspect (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446609242
• ISBN-13: 978-0446609241
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,532,840 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An irreverent book, July 28, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fool Me Twice (Mass Market Paperback)

In the very distant future, Earths sun has become orange signifying the aging of the solar system. In fact, the remaining inhabitants of the planet refer to it as Old Earth, which is governed by one man, The Archon Dezendah VII and his heir Filidor Vesh. Last Year (See FOOLS ERRANT) Filidor saved his uncles life and rescued the world from an ancient evil that slithered in from another dimension.

Since then Filidor has reverted to his dandified ways because he feels like hes not understanding anything that an Archon needs to do. When a pretty woman who had a temper tantrum steals two valuable objects of his, he is sent by his uncle to fetch them back. Accompanying him is his tutor Bassariot who tries to kill him at the first opportunity. Although he fails to do the job, Filidor winds up at the mercy of pirates and it takes all his intelligence (along with the uses of his ear) to get him and his fellow prisoners out of their predicament. The adventures arent over for Filidor who must remain in hiding from his would be killer who had declared him an outlaw. While all this is going on the Archon has mysteriously vanished.

FOOL ME Twice is an irreverent book that doesnt take itself seriously yet is nevertheless is very entertaining. MATTHEW HUGHES has a distinctive comedic voice that blends well with the action packed story line. The social structure of Earth in the far distant future is very interesting and is one of the reasons this fantasy novel is going to be as successful as its predecessor was.

Harriet Klausner

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully insane., November 20, 2001

By 

Andrew Marcell (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fool Me Twice (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was amazing. I had a slight bit of difficulty picking up on the verbose style, but once i'd picked it up, the book was incredible. The book's charm is the author's manner of saying very simple things in a ridiculously complicated way, marking it all the while with nearly slapstick comedy. It's a little bit like the result of the Three Stooges as written by Shakespeare while he was drunk. It's an epic plot, run through with events made funny by how they're presented, along with some parts that are just STRANGE. All in all, a great story, but not for you if you don't like this sort of thing. If you like Douglas Adams, you'll probably like this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very diverting read in the mode of Jack Vance, June 28, 2006

By 

Richard R. Horton (Webster Groves, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fool Me Twice (Mass Market Paperback)

Matthew Hughes's novels Fools Errant, Fool Me Twice, and Black Brillion are set in the far future of Earth, just prior to the era of Jack Vance's Dying Earth. Hughes has captured Vance's style pretty well, and has done a pretty good job of imagining odd societies in the Vancean manner as well. His first novel, while quite enjoyable, was probably a bit too overtly a Vance pastiche. However his own voice has become increasingly developed in his more recent work.

Fool Me Twice is a direct sequel to Fools Errant. In the first novel, the hero, Filidor Vesh, nephew to the Archon of Old Earth, was brought to some understanding of his potential responsibilities, and his capabilities. In this novel, he has become the Archon's apprentice, but despite some additional duties, he does not really seem to have fully taken up his role. Indeed, he seems all to willing to let his aide direct his actions, saving all the more time for his favored pursuits: eating, drinking, chasing women.

As the novel opens, he more or less simultaneously makes a careless decision to allow exploitation of a remote rural area by some local nobles (named, transparently, Maguffyne); and falls in love with a girl he sees out his window. Not at all surprisingly, upon tracking down the girl he learns that she had come to petition him to protect her land from exploitation by the very nobles he has just supported. Soon he find himself stripped of his seal of office and effectively without an identity.

He ends up chasing the girl in an attempt to make amends (and recover his sigil). He falls in with a travelling acting troupe, and later ends up thrown off a ship in the middle of an ocean. Luckily -- to an extent -- he is rescued by a sea creature -- unluckily the creature tows him to slavery on a remote island. Filidor is once again forced to take real responsibility for his life, and for the good of others as well ...

The end is never in real doubt, but the journey is very enjoyable. The influence of Vance is very much in view -- fortunately Vance is an author well worth being influenced by. Fool Me Twice isn't a great book, but it's a very diverting read.