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Myth Adventures #20
Robert Asprin's Myth-Quoted
A CAMPAIGN OF MYTH-INFORMATION
Since it was founded, M.Y.T.H., Inc. has dealt with all manner of vile and evil creatures. But not even a magician of Skeeve’s caliber is prepared to face the most duplicitous monsters of politicians. Emo Weavil and his cousin Wilmer Weavil-Scuttil have been running against each other for governor of the island of Bokromi—for five years. Their magical mudslinging (literal and otherwise) strategies continue to postpone the election, leaving the realm in a state of leaderless chaos.
Hired to moderate a fair and balanced race between the candidates, Skeeve and Bunny attempt to clean up the dirty politics, only to become targets of the tabloids and paparazzi who are more interested in innuendo than in the facts…
Since it was founded, M.Y.T.H., Inc. has dealt with all manner of vile and evil creatures. But not even a magician of Skeeve’s caliber is prepared to face the most duplicitous monsters of politicians. Emo Weavil and his cousin Wilmer Weavil-Scuttil have been running against each other for governor of the island of Bokromi—for five years. Their magical mudslinging (literal and otherwise) strategies continue to postpone the election, leaving the realm in a state of leaderless chaos.
Hired to moderate a fair and balanced race between the candidates, Skeeve and Bunny attempt to clean up the dirty politics, only to become targets of the tabloids and paparazzi who are more interested in innuendo than in the facts…
304 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 4, 2012
16 people are currently reading
851 people want to read
About the author
Jody Lynn Nye
309 books286 followersJody Lynn Nye lists her main career activity as ‘spoiling cats.’ When not engaged upon this worthy occupation, she writes fantasy and science fiction books and short stories.
Before breaking away from gainful employment to write full time, Jody worked as a file clerk, book-keeper at a small publishing house, freelance journalist and photographer, accounting assistant and costume maker.
For four years, she was on the technical operations staff of a local Chicago television station, WFBN (WGBO), serving the last year as Technical Operations Manager. During her time at WFBN, she was part of the engineering team that built the station, acted as Technical Director during live sports broadcasts, and worked to produce in-house spots and public service announcements.
Over the last twenty-five or so years, Jody has taught in numerous writing workshops and participated on hundreds of panels covering the subjects of writing and being published at science-fiction conventions. She has also spoken in schools and libraries around the north and northwest suburbs. In 2007 she taught fantasy writing at Columbia College Chicago. She also runs the two-day writers workshop at DragonCon, and is a judge for the Writers of the Future contest, the largest speculative fiction contest in the world.
Jody lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, with her husband Bill Fawcett, a writer, game designer, military historian and book packager, and three feline overlords, Athena, Minx, and Marmalade.
Before breaking away from gainful employment to write full time, Jody worked as a file clerk, book-keeper at a small publishing house, freelance journalist and photographer, accounting assistant and costume maker.
For four years, she was on the technical operations staff of a local Chicago television station, WFBN (WGBO), serving the last year as Technical Operations Manager. During her time at WFBN, she was part of the engineering team that built the station, acted as Technical Director during live sports broadcasts, and worked to produce in-house spots and public service announcements.
Over the last twenty-five or so years, Jody has taught in numerous writing workshops and participated on hundreds of panels covering the subjects of writing and being published at science-fiction conventions. She has also spoken in schools and libraries around the north and northwest suburbs. In 2007 she taught fantasy writing at Columbia College Chicago. She also runs the two-day writers workshop at DragonCon, and is a judge for the Writers of the Future contest, the largest speculative fiction contest in the world.
Jody lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, with her husband Bill Fawcett, a writer, game designer, military historian and book packager, and three feline overlords, Athena, Minx, and Marmalade.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
December 12, 2012
Like the previous collaborations with Robert Asprin, Jody Lynn Nye's solo forays into the Myth universe are a little more pun-filled, a little more trope driven than the originals; whereas Asprin's books were genre spoofs set in this fantastical universe but still centered around an introspective Klahd and his Pervect mentor, the co-authored books are broader in scope and humor, aiming less for a specific genre and for more of a general comedy that happens to center around a theme. Not that this is a bad thing, just different.
The topic on hand, this time around, is politics, with Skeeve and company taking on a contract to oversee elections in the dimension of Tippiecanoo. The usual jokes and puns abound (after nineteen previous books, we finally get a joke about a certain road, which is made of yellow blocks, which leads to Aahz) along with the usual cast of quirk and foible driven new characters. Many of the series regulars make an appearance, but few have anything much to do, rather, this story is all about Skeeve, Bunny, and Aahz.
Which leads to my only real complaint about the novel: I wanted a few more discussions between Skeeve and Bunny and between Skeeve and Aahz. The heart of this series, after all, is the web of relationships that form M.Y.T.H. Inc and yet we see little of that here. As light and fluffy as this series can be, seeing how these characters learn and grow from each other is why I keep coming back and this book was a little too light in that department for my tastes.
Somewhere along the line, some of the character growth and momentum got overturned, most likely in the several year break between the last of the Asprin only penned book and the first of the co-authored ones. What I mean is that Skeeve was making inroads into being a full fledged grown-up, able to handle relationships and adult responsibilities and then he backslid. He left the company, he became a recluse, and when he comes back, he's almost the same as before he left, something this book only serves to highlight, as Skeeve does little than bumble around and react to everyone else's machinations. For whatever reason, Skeeve the decision maker, Skeeve the clever problem solver is gone and in his place is a narrator who is, at best, a reluctant participant in his own story.
There is something of a subplot for Bunny that is left completely unspecified and unresolved and one can only assume that this will be the focus of the next book, and I hope that it involves something between Bunny and Skeeve. It's been long enough, hasn't it?
The topic on hand, this time around, is politics, with Skeeve and company taking on a contract to oversee elections in the dimension of Tippiecanoo. The usual jokes and puns abound (after nineteen previous books, we finally get a joke about a certain road, which is made of yellow blocks, which leads to Aahz) along with the usual cast of quirk and foible driven new characters. Many of the series regulars make an appearance, but few have anything much to do, rather, this story is all about Skeeve, Bunny, and Aahz.
Which leads to my only real complaint about the novel: I wanted a few more discussions between Skeeve and Bunny and between Skeeve and Aahz. The heart of this series, after all, is the web of relationships that form M.Y.T.H. Inc and yet we see little of that here. As light and fluffy as this series can be, seeing how these characters learn and grow from each other is why I keep coming back and this book was a little too light in that department for my tastes.
Somewhere along the line, some of the character growth and momentum got overturned, most likely in the several year break between the last of the Asprin only penned book and the first of the co-authored ones. What I mean is that Skeeve was making inroads into being a full fledged grown-up, able to handle relationships and adult responsibilities and then he backslid. He left the company, he became a recluse, and when he comes back, he's almost the same as before he left, something this book only serves to highlight, as Skeeve does little than bumble around and react to everyone else's machinations. For whatever reason, Skeeve the decision maker, Skeeve the clever problem solver is gone and in his place is a narrator who is, at best, a reluctant participant in his own story.
There is something of a subplot for Bunny that is left completely unspecified and unresolved and one can only assume that this will be the focus of the next book, and I hope that it involves something between Bunny and Skeeve. It's been long enough, hasn't it?
September 15, 2013
Don't know why I bothered. My problem with this series is lack of character growth. Skeeve still acts like a child, misunderstanding every move or thought of his friends. I guess it's done for comic relief, but it isn't funny and makes the plot predictable.
May 22, 2014
Good job
Good job
This book was an enjoyable continuation of the Myth universe. I miss the creator of the series Mr Asprin. I started reading SF because his books. Phule's Company was the first book I ever read of his.
Good job
This book was an enjoyable continuation of the Myth universe. I miss the creator of the series Mr Asprin. I started reading SF because his books. Phule's Company was the first book I ever read of his.
May 27, 2013
Not the stories I remember from back when. This tried to be a political satire, ok, it is a satire, but the story plodded along for me. I can't give it a recommendation
May 11, 2016
I had trouble finishing this one.
April 30, 2020
The book was well written, whimsical and fun. The subject of politics was a bit of a turn off when deciding to read the book but was quickly turned around to an engaging story. The story kept up with the new twist just often enough to not make the story grow stale and helped me not want to put the book down. It is a Myth book so of course it is aimed at young adults and youth with no cussing, sex, and playful action. it also had an ending that I though when I picked it up it may have, but you didn't see it coming fully till the end of the book.
March 8, 2018
Good, funny and allways nice to meet Skeeve again.
Such a political race, funny and crazy and baby kissing contests and the reporters, such a plot and the politicians where just so oily.
Such a political race, funny and crazy and baby kissing contests and the reporters, such a plot and the politicians where just so oily.
April 24, 2021
First book without RLA... I would like to say it's just as good as ever... It was good, just a little different.
January 12, 2023
5 star - Perfect
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not complete it
4 star - i would recommend
3 star - good
2 star - struggled to complete
1 star - could not complete it
August 12, 2024
Another Excellent Book!
August 18, 2025
A lot better than expected
September 2, 2015
When Emo Weavil squares off against Wilmer Weavil-Scuttil in an oft-delayed gubernatorial election, it isn’t long before The Mighty Skeeve and his colleagues from MYTH, Inc. discover that there is “…no lesser of two Weavils.” (p. 130) Jody Lynn Nye continues the tradition of “pun and games” which began with the late Robert Asprin. I remember sitting in the lounge with Asprin at a DragonCon more than two decades ago. At that time, the “Myth” books were already well-received and he expressed his intent to form an agency (in real life) to help young writers and creative talents. Said agency would have been named, of course, Myth-Management.
It is wonderful to see that the tradition has continued in Robert Asprin’s Myth-Quoted. I never felt like the Phule’s Company books quite captured the magic Asprin had bottled in the Myth series. Now, it could be the topical nature of the subject matter underpinning this particular novel (as I write this, the U.S. is starting to undergo presidential election insanity a little earlier than normal), but it seems like the magic is back. Skeeve, Bunny, and Aahz have been asked to oversee an election process replete with magical chicanery and they end up quite literally as victims of some of the mud-slinging common to a political campaign.
If you remember the dictum of All the President’s Men as given to Woodward and Bernstein via “Deep Throat” (“Follow the money!”), there won’t be any real mystery to what’s going on in this novel and so, no great revelation to satisfy your curiosity. However, it is extremely amusing to consider the lengths (or more precisely, depths) to which the rival candidates will go in this election and the story takes a delightful diagonal when a third party candidate throws his conical hat (figuratively speaking) into the ring.
Much like another fantasy novel of which I wrote recently (Graveyard Shift), Robert Asprin’s Myth-Quoted uses the faux-quotation to begin the chapter. It puts phony words (with one very genuine exception) in the words of familiar characters. As a resident of Illinois (as is the author), I enjoyed faux-quotes such as this attributed (yes, falsely—but convincingly) to our former governor who tried to sell Obama’s Senate seat: “You always get what you pay for.” I knew it wasn’t a “real” quotation because there weren’t any F-bombs in it (p. 200). (smirk) However, there was an authentic quotation leading off one chapter that dates back to the administration of the first Mayor Daley, “The police are not here to create disorder; they’re here to preserve disorder.” (p. 25) You can picture Chicago’s finest cracking heads back in the ‘60s as you read, can’t you? Faux-quotations (as I can tell you from writing them for one of my books, Sid Meier’s Civilization or Rome on 640K a Day) aren’t easy to write, but Jody Lynn Nye makes it look easy. I laughed uneasily at John Edwards’ “Politics makes strange bedfellows” (p. 49) and Charlie Sheen’s “Old habits are hard to break.” (p. 170). Michael Phelps’ “I like to start things off with a big splash” (p. 189) caught me completely off guard and I wish I had thought of the Aaron Burr protest, “I was only trying to make a point” (p. ) when we wrote the Sid Meier’s Civilization book.. Mind you, Nye doesn’t supply the first names for these false quotations; I’m just assuming and you know what that does.
If you like fantasy novels by Piers Anthony (particularly the Xanth novels) and Peter David (Sir Apropos novels), you’re very likely to enjoy a story where one of the top newspaper editors is named “Tolomi Papirus” and his ace reporter’s first name is “Ecstra” (p. 26). On one occasion, a candidate uses magic to color the cobblestones leading to his mansion in the yellow of his political party’s colors. Skeeve considers it following the “yellow block road.” (p. 238) Then, just in case you thought that was an accidental phrasing, it is following about ten pages later with a drunken rival singing, “They’re off to see the lizard, the ugly green lizard named Aahz.” (p. 249) I wouldn’t want a steady diet of such playful wordsmithing, but I really enjoyed this one.
It is wonderful to see that the tradition has continued in Robert Asprin’s Myth-Quoted. I never felt like the Phule’s Company books quite captured the magic Asprin had bottled in the Myth series. Now, it could be the topical nature of the subject matter underpinning this particular novel (as I write this, the U.S. is starting to undergo presidential election insanity a little earlier than normal), but it seems like the magic is back. Skeeve, Bunny, and Aahz have been asked to oversee an election process replete with magical chicanery and they end up quite literally as victims of some of the mud-slinging common to a political campaign.
If you remember the dictum of All the President’s Men as given to Woodward and Bernstein via “Deep Throat” (“Follow the money!”), there won’t be any real mystery to what’s going on in this novel and so, no great revelation to satisfy your curiosity. However, it is extremely amusing to consider the lengths (or more precisely, depths) to which the rival candidates will go in this election and the story takes a delightful diagonal when a third party candidate throws his conical hat (figuratively speaking) into the ring.
Much like another fantasy novel of which I wrote recently (Graveyard Shift), Robert Asprin’s Myth-Quoted uses the faux-quotation to begin the chapter. It puts phony words (with one very genuine exception) in the words of familiar characters. As a resident of Illinois (as is the author), I enjoyed faux-quotes such as this attributed (yes, falsely—but convincingly) to our former governor who tried to sell Obama’s Senate seat: “You always get what you pay for.” I knew it wasn’t a “real” quotation because there weren’t any F-bombs in it (p. 200). (smirk) However, there was an authentic quotation leading off one chapter that dates back to the administration of the first Mayor Daley, “The police are not here to create disorder; they’re here to preserve disorder.” (p. 25) You can picture Chicago’s finest cracking heads back in the ‘60s as you read, can’t you? Faux-quotations (as I can tell you from writing them for one of my books, Sid Meier’s Civilization or Rome on 640K a Day) aren’t easy to write, but Jody Lynn Nye makes it look easy. I laughed uneasily at John Edwards’ “Politics makes strange bedfellows” (p. 49) and Charlie Sheen’s “Old habits are hard to break.” (p. 170). Michael Phelps’ “I like to start things off with a big splash” (p. 189) caught me completely off guard and I wish I had thought of the Aaron Burr protest, “I was only trying to make a point” (p. ) when we wrote the Sid Meier’s Civilization book.. Mind you, Nye doesn’t supply the first names for these false quotations; I’m just assuming and you know what that does.
If you like fantasy novels by Piers Anthony (particularly the Xanth novels) and Peter David (Sir Apropos novels), you’re very likely to enjoy a story where one of the top newspaper editors is named “Tolomi Papirus” and his ace reporter’s first name is “Ecstra” (p. 26). On one occasion, a candidate uses magic to color the cobblestones leading to his mansion in the yellow of his political party’s colors. Skeeve considers it following the “yellow block road.” (p. 238) Then, just in case you thought that was an accidental phrasing, it is following about ten pages later with a drunken rival singing, “They’re off to see the lizard, the ugly green lizard named Aahz.” (p. 249) I wouldn’t want a steady diet of such playful wordsmithing, but I really enjoyed this one.
December 31, 2016
Here we begin the first of the Myth Adventures books written without Robert Asprin. Based on some interviews I've read with Nye, the books she's written by herself are based on ideas and plots she created with Asprin, but the writing from here on out is all Nye. Given the shaky plots and structures of the co-written books, I wasn't holding out a lot of hope, but this book pleasantly surprised me. I can't overlook my lowered expectations affecting my feelings, but it at least featured a more conventional plot than the last seven books.
With Myth-quoted, the series moves into the world of politics, when the M.Y.T.H. Inc. gang (all back together, woo hoo!) are hired by two competing politicians in another dimension who want them to ensure that the election is fair. The reason for this is these two politicians have been running against each other for five years, since they keep delaying the election over what they see as underhanded manipulations every time they get closer to the election day. Once Skeeve and the crew get involved, though, they discover the interference runs much deeper than they first anticipated.
A lot of factors contributed to this being better than the other co-written books. Having the crew back together again definitely helps, as did the usual antics that went along with all of them trying to work a job. It felt much more focused than, say, Myth-gotten Gains, and had a standard progression of character and plot that made much more sense. It still doesn't reach the levels of Asprin's early books, but it's at least a step back in the right direction. I was a little surprised to see the books improve with Asprin's departure; considering that Nye was the new element to the co-written books, I had expected her influence to be what caused the problems. Then again, the best thing that ever happened to the Star Wars universe was to get Lucas away from it, so it shouldn't be that surprising.
To say reading this book when I did was timely is an understatement; if only we in the US had a system where we could halt or postpone an election over illegalities and interference with the process. At least I have this kind of fiction to serve as a distraction over the next year. And longer.
With Myth-quoted, the series moves into the world of politics, when the M.Y.T.H. Inc. gang (all back together, woo hoo!) are hired by two competing politicians in another dimension who want them to ensure that the election is fair. The reason for this is these two politicians have been running against each other for five years, since they keep delaying the election over what they see as underhanded manipulations every time they get closer to the election day. Once Skeeve and the crew get involved, though, they discover the interference runs much deeper than they first anticipated.
A lot of factors contributed to this being better than the other co-written books. Having the crew back together again definitely helps, as did the usual antics that went along with all of them trying to work a job. It felt much more focused than, say, Myth-gotten Gains, and had a standard progression of character and plot that made much more sense. It still doesn't reach the levels of Asprin's early books, but it's at least a step back in the right direction. I was a little surprised to see the books improve with Asprin's departure; considering that Nye was the new element to the co-written books, I had expected her influence to be what caused the problems. Then again, the best thing that ever happened to the Star Wars universe was to get Lucas away from it, so it shouldn't be that surprising.
To say reading this book when I did was timely is an understatement; if only we in the US had a system where we could halt or postpone an election over illegalities and interference with the process. At least I have this kind of fiction to serve as a distraction over the next year. And longer.
February 21, 2015
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I have been reluctant in my fan-dom for the joint Asprin and Nye books; and slightly less when Nye took on the series entirely after Asprin's death in 2008. However, in this book, Nye has done a masterful job in continuing the series. She has finely balanced Asprin's imagination and bawdiness with her own twists. Readers could easily regard this as another fine Asprin book.
The focus of this book is a political contest that has gone on for five years. Myth INC is invited to finally bring closure to the campaign and guarantee a fair and honest election. As the reader may suppose, a myth-inspired five-year political campaign includes a considerable amount of mudslinging, dirty tricks, magic, and spycraft. Naturally, things get even worse when a yellow-eyed, green-scaled pervert (from Perv) with two rows of sharp teeth enters the political contest as a candidate....
The books has a lot of fun and imagination. The plot is fairly simple. Many readers should easily identify the villains quickly enough. This is Nye's influence. Whereas Asprin would leave you guessing until the end, and then sort of explain everything in falling action, Nye reveals the plot about half-way through the book and then uses that to further increase the insanity of the election. Her tactic may be an improvement on Asprin's technique. As a male reader, I probably miss Asprin's bawdiness. Nye does maintain some homage to it, but has noticeably toned it down, making it more marketable to a wider audience. Overall, a great book.
The focus of this book is a political contest that has gone on for five years. Myth INC is invited to finally bring closure to the campaign and guarantee a fair and honest election. As the reader may suppose, a myth-inspired five-year political campaign includes a considerable amount of mudslinging, dirty tricks, magic, and spycraft. Naturally, things get even worse when a yellow-eyed, green-scaled pervert (from Perv) with two rows of sharp teeth enters the political contest as a candidate....
The books has a lot of fun and imagination. The plot is fairly simple. Many readers should easily identify the villains quickly enough. This is Nye's influence. Whereas Asprin would leave you guessing until the end, and then sort of explain everything in falling action, Nye reveals the plot about half-way through the book and then uses that to further increase the insanity of the election. Her tactic may be an improvement on Asprin's technique. As a male reader, I probably miss Asprin's bawdiness. Nye does maintain some homage to it, but has noticeably toned it down, making it more marketable to a wider audience. Overall, a great book.
September 4, 2015
Maybe it's just me, but since Jody Lynn Nye took over the series, have these books been getting...furrier?
It's been said that the reason people get so wound up over politics is because the stakes are so low. It's certainly true - considering the elections try to make it sound like the planet will spiral into the sun if the wrong candidate is chosen, nobody really wants to sit in on a city council budget meeting.
The book is probably wise to keep actual politics out of the book and instead go after the grim and grisly world of political theater - the circus that keeps our attention riveted to the men in their shiny suits and away from the dull drudgery of keeping affairs of state in order and public services running. Called upon to ensure a free and fair election, MYTH, Inc. are made ringmasters of an electoral circus. The mudslinging is literal, the candidates are evenly matched, and the debates have gone on so long that the elections have been postponed for five years now. It's the perfect place for a spoiler to come in...
I wondered a while ago whether the series was getting a bit tired, and this book does run about an act longer than it probably should - with me mostly wondering what in the world Aahz was up to for the entire second half, which was a little distracting. I don't think it's tired anymore. I think it's picked right up.
It's been said that the reason people get so wound up over politics is because the stakes are so low. It's certainly true - considering the elections try to make it sound like the planet will spiral into the sun if the wrong candidate is chosen, nobody really wants to sit in on a city council budget meeting.
The book is probably wise to keep actual politics out of the book and instead go after the grim and grisly world of political theater - the circus that keeps our attention riveted to the men in their shiny suits and away from the dull drudgery of keeping affairs of state in order and public services running. Called upon to ensure a free and fair election, MYTH, Inc. are made ringmasters of an electoral circus. The mudslinging is literal, the candidates are evenly matched, and the debates have gone on so long that the elections have been postponed for five years now. It's the perfect place for a spoiler to come in...
I wondered a while ago whether the series was getting a bit tired, and this book does run about an act longer than it probably should - with me mostly wondering what in the world Aahz was up to for the entire second half, which was a little distracting. I don't think it's tired anymore. I think it's picked right up.
July 23, 2013
Myth-Quoted by Jody Lynn Nye isn't up to the standard of Robert Asprin's original Skeeve and Aahz books, but it is as good as any of the collaborations between Robert Asprin and Jody Lynn Nye. M.Y.T.H. Inc is hired to moderate an election Bokromi between two candidates, Emo Weavil and his cousin Wilmer Weavil-Scuttil. They had been running for five years and still hadn't held the election. All of the M.Y.T.H. personal are leery of working with anyone as disreputable as politicians, but they take the job anyway. After many misadventures, they realize the election is being held up, not by the candidates, however slimy they are, but by the Syndication, the newspaper editors of Bokromi, who made money by selling newspapers about the election. Since Bunny and Skeeve seem to be getting nowhere, Aahz decides to help out by running as a third party candidate. Both Skeeve and Bunny are sad that he wants to leave M.Y.T.H., but his candidacy seems like a sure thing. Needless to say all turns out for the best of everyone. This is comedy, after all, with many funny puns, turned around clichés, and unexpected slap-stick episodes. It is a quick read, full of humor as well as a commentary of the political antics of our day.
December 17, 2016
Very funny, but also heavily satirical of politics, media, and the public at large.
The focus is on two cousins who have been running against each other for five whole years. Anytime they get close to election day, one is attacked or embarrassed somehow and withdraws consent for the vote to proceed.
I simply loved Aahz in this one, but I was super happy that Skeeve was the main point of view. Great story!
I received this book as a gift.
The focus is on two cousins who have been running against each other for five whole years. Anytime they get close to election day, one is attacked or embarrassed somehow and withdraws consent for the vote to proceed.
I simply loved Aahz in this one, but I was super happy that Skeeve was the main point of view. Great story!
I received this book as a gift.
March 9, 2013
A bittersweet experience for me, knowing that Robert Asprin is gone and this series is now in the hands of another writer. Granted, that writer is Jody L. Nye, who has co-written several of the Myth-Adventures over the last 10 years. As other reviews have mentioned, the fun of the series is the characters' interactions with each other, learning and collaborating together as a team. However, this time out, the Myth crew is reduced to just Skeeve and Bunny and Aahz barely registers a cameo until almost 2/3rds of the way through the book. As good as it was to see Skeeve and Aahz working together in "Myth Fortunes", this one could have easily have taken place during Skeeve's prolonged, self-imposed exile. And while he knows more about his magic, here Skeeve practically reverts to the simpleton he was when the series first began. It's not all bad. Nye does recapture a lot of the wordplay and puns that bring a sense of fun and playfulness back to the series that I worried was long gone. And once Aahz makes his (naturally) dramatic re-entrance into the story, things pick up.
December 7, 2016
As Myth books go, the writing and satire element of this volume was on par with other "recent" volumes in the series (where "recent" is relative for a series that's been around for 40 years). I felt it was missing something, though. In the best Myth adventures, there's a thread of character growth or exploration of something going on in Skeeve's (or other M.Y.T.H. Inc. member's) life, and in this one, the main Myth participants (Bunny and Skeeve) were mostly dragged along for a ride, taking small steps here and there to keep themselves from hitting too many rocks. There are some hints that there is more is to come in future volumes with some small background business surrounding Bunny that doesn't go anywhere in this chapter, so hopefully this was just a "middle book" syndrome and the balance will even out in the next volume.
March 22, 2014
Ho-hum. When my kids were young, this series was the hands-down favorite. We even had a cat named Gleep (for those who haven't read the series, Gleep is an intelligent dragon who acts pretty dumb). Competition for a new book was fierce.
Unhappily, Robert Asprin died a number of years ago. He collaborated with Jody Lynn Nye, and now she's taken over two of his series (this and the Dragons series). And she just doesn't have what he had. The puns and funs aren't quite as punny and funny, the plotting's more plodding, and in short neither series is much fun to read. What a shame.
Unhappily, Robert Asprin died a number of years ago. He collaborated with Jody Lynn Nye, and now she's taken over two of his series (this and the Dragons series). And she just doesn't have what he had. The puns and funs aren't quite as punny and funny, the plotting's more plodding, and in short neither series is much fun to read. What a shame.
January 28, 2014
I read the MYTH books avidly as a younger man and a boy as Robert Asprin was a favorite of my father. I enjoyed the adventures of Skeeve the Magnificent (ironically titled as he is the greenest of newbies) & his companion the disempowered Pervert (PerVECT) teacher Aahz. There was wit and substance and alas with Robert's death in 2008 I fear the spirit of these books has traveled with him. Here's hoping we find them both again, d-hopping in the great bazaar in the sky.
January 3, 2013
As of the other MYTH books of late, the book focuses on an aspect of modern life pushed into the Mythverse. This time: Politics and the Media. It took a while to get into the book, but somewhere about midway it became fun for me. There's also a couple bits that Jody has set up to explore in future books.
October 6, 2013
I enjoyed this book, though I was thoroughly frustrated with the politicians; multiple times I had to put down the book and pace before I could read again - it almost made me stop reading. Overall, it was a good humorous novel that poked fun at politics. I intend to find some other books by this author.
August 21, 2015
21st in the series and Nye's second solo effort (following Aprin's death in 2008). Was very happy to see that the quality has not declined. Overall, this is one of the better books of the series whith a very amusing and well constructed plot that see MYTH Inc employed to ensure a fair election result. Entertaining and fun.
August 18, 2017
Ms. Nye doesn't have quite the comic voice that series creator and former collaborator Robert Asprin had (but then, who does?). However . . . I have been following Skeeve, Aahz, and company since Another Fine Myth in 1978. So, if Ms. Nye pens adventure #21, I will be sure to read it.
November 18, 2013
At times this felt as a rehash of one of the Dragons Wild books with the mysterious sabotage constantly occurring. Later this book came into its own and was an improvement over the previous Myth book.
November 24, 2013
I enjoyed the book, I have to admit that it read very much like all the ones authored or co-authored by Robert Lynn Asprin (RIP). Jody Lynn Nye seems to have a very good feel for the characters and I look forward to reading more of this series from her.
May 30, 2013
Nice, quick, funny read. Comfort food.
July 20, 2014
I'm losing faith. Nye has the general flavor down, but there is no *growth* in the characters. Soap opera city.
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