What do you think?
Rate this book
Myth Adventures #18
Myth-Chief
Skeeve has decided, at long last, to come out of his self-imposed retirement and get back into the problem-solving biz. He confidently expected walk in and take his rightful place as the head of M.Y.T.H., Inc. He didn't expect to have to face off against Aahz for the job. With their friends lending help but showing no favorites, they start a not-so-friendly contest to see who will run the company by taking opposite sides of the next case to walk in the door. Will the legendary partnership survive the battle, or will this be the end of a beautiful friendship?
288 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2008
8 people are currently reading
1280 people want to read
About the author
Robert Lynn Asprin
224 books1,067 followersRobert (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.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
February 19, 2021
In proper Myth fashion, all the biggest problems boil down to myth-communication and bull-headed stubbornness.
Old friends become enemies in grand competition style. Whoever makes the most money, wins. The stakes: a kingdom based on tourism. The sides: an ousted Cake baking princess versus the man put in charge of kingdom finances.
Ready, set, sell!
Honestly, I enjoyed the competition. Maybe I was a bit upset at the divergence of our heroes' personalities, however. They were generally never THAT stupid. But when pride is on the line...
Old friends become enemies in grand competition style. Whoever makes the most money, wins. The stakes: a kingdom based on tourism. The sides: an ousted Cake baking princess versus the man put in charge of kingdom finances.
Ready, set, sell!
Honestly, I enjoyed the competition. Maybe I was a bit upset at the divergence of our heroes' personalities, however. They were generally never THAT stupid. But when pride is on the line...
December 20, 2016
I'm kind of shocked with how far these books drop the more I read them. I wasn't expecting too much from the co-authored books, but even then, I find them lacking in so many ways. Myth-chief is no exception to that rule, and maybe I'm predisposed to not like them after being continually disappointed, but it drops so far that this doesn't even feel like a Myth Adventures book.
The chapter quotes are back, which is nice, but then we get another book told through multiple first-person narratives -- Skeeve and Aahz. This time they're facing off in a challenge to determine who will serve as President of M.Y.T.H. Inc., since there's some bad blood between Skeeve and the rest of the organization. That in itself is odd, since there's been no indication until now that Skeeve's departure was anything more than a mutual understanding. Sure, there was confusion, but I never got the feeling that the others felt left in the lurch, especially when we saw enough other viewpoints so we could see more than just Skeeve's perspective on the issue.
I think what the authors tried to do here is give us an accurate look at what it's like in a group of friends when one of them needs time alone. They try to give us the full spectrum of reactions, from disappointment to understanding to full-out hurt feelings, and while I give them credit for trying, the books aren't about any of that. They've always been light-hearted and fun, so this turn of events is a bit of a let-down. In addition, the books work when the characters are all working together toward a common goal, and here we literally have members of the team competing directly against each other. It doesn't fit the style of the previous novel, and even does a disservice to the established characters. The ending brings it back around enough to remind us that, yes, these people are a team, and yes, they're friends, but it takes a long time reading characters not acting like themselves to get there.
It seems like the next book will see the entire team working together again, with all of the nonsense that's preceded it set aside, but that will be the last book that Asprin had any involvement in before his death. Too little, too late, I imagine, even though Nye does take up the mantle for two solo-written books to continue the series. Unless something major changes in the last three books, I don't see myself continuing this series once I get caught up.
The chapter quotes are back, which is nice, but then we get another book told through multiple first-person narratives -- Skeeve and Aahz. This time they're facing off in a challenge to determine who will serve as President of M.Y.T.H. Inc., since there's some bad blood between Skeeve and the rest of the organization. That in itself is odd, since there's been no indication until now that Skeeve's departure was anything more than a mutual understanding. Sure, there was confusion, but I never got the feeling that the others felt left in the lurch, especially when we saw enough other viewpoints so we could see more than just Skeeve's perspective on the issue.
I think what the authors tried to do here is give us an accurate look at what it's like in a group of friends when one of them needs time alone. They try to give us the full spectrum of reactions, from disappointment to understanding to full-out hurt feelings, and while I give them credit for trying, the books aren't about any of that. They've always been light-hearted and fun, so this turn of events is a bit of a let-down. In addition, the books work when the characters are all working together toward a common goal, and here we literally have members of the team competing directly against each other. It doesn't fit the style of the previous novel, and even does a disservice to the established characters. The ending brings it back around enough to remind us that, yes, these people are a team, and yes, they're friends, but it takes a long time reading characters not acting like themselves to get there.
It seems like the next book will see the entire team working together again, with all of the nonsense that's preceded it set aside, but that will be the last book that Asprin had any involvement in before his death. Too little, too late, I imagine, even though Nye does take up the mantle for two solo-written books to continue the series. Unless something major changes in the last three books, I don't see myself continuing this series once I get caught up.
December 6, 2015
Definitely not the best book in the series, and I had such high hopes for this one. Skeeve has decided to come out of his early retirement and return to MYTH Inc at the bazaar in Deva. As I had hoped, all of the characters were back together again. However, the all felt like shadows of their former selves. Rather than continuing to grow and flourish from the previous books, they all seem to have gone into reverse. Lessons learnt previously seem to have been forgotten.
Much of the humour is noticeable by its absence. The idea of a contest between Skeeve and Aahz was a good one, sadly the opportunity was largely missed. The series seems to be sinking, almost beyond recognition.
Much of the humour is noticeable by its absence. The idea of a contest between Skeeve and Aahz was a good one, sadly the opportunity was largely missed. The series seems to be sinking, almost beyond recognition.
September 8, 2009
Another so-so entry in the Myth series, Skeeve comes out of retirement only to end up in competition with Aahz over who gets to lead the company. As with so many of the recent books, it's just not a solid entry and fails to capture the magic which made the early books so enjoyable. This is probably the penultimate book, since Robert Asprin died around the time it was published, with one more book coming out after his death. No idea if Jody-Lynn Nye (with whom he collaborated on the last handful of books) would continue the series without him, but since it was already in a serious decline, I can only hope they manage to find a solid ending since this book was simply fair.
October 19, 2008
This is another book that Asprin wrote with Nye. Again, it appears to be more like Ny's style with a few passages reading like the first books in the Myth Series. There is a clever premis: a competition between Skeeve and Aahz; however, the resolution of the subquests and the outcome in general seemed to simple.
August 3, 2022
MYTH INC and Me
A million years back, my older brother picked up a fantasy comedy novel, one that he heard was pretty good, and in typical fashion right after he finished it, I picked it up, and then our younger brother. Our parents loved when we did this, and then discussed and debated the books endlessly. This kept on with this one series until years later, when the writer kinda went into more depressing territory and the books became less fun, more of a chore.
So I stopped reading them, while my brothers kept going, and I had no clue how many books were coming out. But a year or so back I grabbed most of the rest of the series from them and plunged back in.
Now this was an experience.
So what I am babbling about is The Myth Inc Series by the late author Robert Asprin, a fantasy comedy which starts off a medieval place called Klahd, which is pronounced Clod, and a young man named Skeeve who is being trained as a magician. His master pulls a trick, and is then promptly assassinated, and suddenly Skeeve is left to deal with a green scaly demon man his master conjured up. Turns out, he is an old friend of the wizard, and has been left powerless by the trick. Aahz, which is pronounced Oz and is no relation, agrees to team up as Master and Apprentice with Skeeve.
Thus begins an interesting partnership, as Skeeve and Aahz get a pet dragon, fight a war for a kingdom, join the mob but do no moblike stuff, hop from dimension to dimension, meet vampires, play dragon poker, and meet a ton of new allies who fast become friends. We get the sexy Tanda the assassin, her brother Chumley the troll, Guido and Nunzio Skeeve’s mob bodyguards, and even more and more as the series progresses. And we get pun filled titles like Myth Conceptions and Little Myth Marker. By the time we reach M.Y.T.H. Inc Link, Asprin decides to switch the narrator from Skeeve to all sorts of the rest of the cast. It is a nice switch up for the series, but could not stop the mountains of subplots spinning everywhere and how stuff had become depressing in some places.
However one thread that was a bright spot all along was the occasional cartoon, showing scenes from the story, in the trade paperbacks by Phil Foglio, who also did the comics adaptation of the first book.
Where I exactly left off from decades ago was my first challenge, and a reread of M.Y.T.H. Inc In Action reveals I left this one two chapters short of finishing. The re-invasion of the kingdom has been settled, largely thanks to Guido and Nunzio joining the army and sabotaging it from the inside.
With a whole bunch of subplots resolved, we move into my first completely new read of the series this century, Sweet Myth-tery of Life, where Skeeve has brought Aahz back from his dimension of Perv after they had a big falling out. Now Skeeve has received a marriage proposal from Queen Hemlock and goes back to wondering about love. Oh, and he needs to fix the kingdoms finances. And more subplots get resolved. But it is also gets kinda repetitive.
Which leads to Something M.Y.T.H. Inc, where the multiple narrator shtick is back as the kingdom is in rebellion against the tyrant who raised taxes, that evil one time Court Magician Skeeve! The Myth gang set out to quell the insurrections, who are remarkedly like Zorro and Robin Hood, and not let Skeeve know what is going on. This one takes place at the same time as the last one. And this one starts off really really good, then falls apart. And all the subplots get figured out and Skeeve moves into a new place in life, so that the series can rebuild, which leads to….
Myth-Ion Improbable, a flashback tale to Skeeve and Aahz and Tanda going on a treasure hunt in a far off dimension. It is cute at best. And the big relaunch happens with….
Myth-Told Tales. Or not. Asprin gets an official co-writer here with Jody Lynn Nye, and the many narrators idea is back, but it is really just short stories. It is a mixed bag, like any collection, and still like treading water until whatever the new reality is. Methinks Asprin and Nye may not have hit it off right away, and this format was a compromise just to keep the Myth series going. Nye has a track record as a writer before this book, and I believe a real affection for these characters, so I kinda wish Asprin would just hand the series over to her, since he seems not so into it.
Myth Alliances is a Skeeve without Aahz book, where Skeeve and Bunny, his sexy and super smart assistant, have to free the dimension of Wuhses from a group of Perv business women who have become dictators. Or have they? This one starts very promising, then keeps going on and on, but still gives a pretty spectacular ending.
This leads to the Aahz centered book Myth-Taken Identity, where he finds out someone has stolen Skeeve’s id and is wrecking his good name in the mall dimension. No one does that to his former apprentice and good friend! This one is just like the last one, starts off well, meanders quite abit, then finishes strong.
It feels like Nye takes over more with Class Dis-Mythed, where Skeeve is asked by various people to teach a whole bunch of apprentices in magic. It is a learning curve for Skeeve, and one for the students, and we get a whole bunch of cameos from other characters from the series, some being very very surprising. Their is a secret the students are keeping through, which leads to the surprise ending chapters. I really dig the new characters and hope they make reappearances in future books.
So it seems like whatever Asprin and Nye got working, is really working, and Myth-Gotten Gains is proof of that. Aahz finds a magic talking sword in a bazaar and is promised money AND getting his powers back if he helps find his family of magical objects. Turns out they are The Golden Hoard, an ancient and all powerful group who don’t really get along. Aahz and Tanda travel all over, find the Flute and the Purse and the Book and the Crystal Ball. And Aahz and Tanda are completely driven crazy by the Hoard’s constant bickering and insults and attitude. I loved these new additions and their banter read in my head like a Monty Python skit.
This new groove moves us into Myth-Chief, where Skeeve comes back to adventuring and his Myth Inc aren’t all happy. So eventually Skeeve and Aahz have a contest with two competing but not so competing goals, to save a kingdom from financial ruin. Unfortunately, this one backslides to being too long, unfocused, and only one part of the ending making sense. Their is hope, since the new dynamic of Myth n Inc is finally in place here.
This is also the last one my brothers got, but Asprin and Nye gave us one more with Myth-Fortunes, and then suddenly Asprin passed away. Nye continued on with Myth-Quoted and Myth-Fits. I have no idea what happens in these volumes, or how these go generally with Nye fully in charge.
Even with the mixed results of this catchup, I am still glad I did it. It was nice to see how these old friends were doing, and seeing that they were in good hands with Nye. I think Asprin would be happy. And my brothers and I can debate this endlessly as well.
Scoopriches
A million years back, my older brother picked up a fantasy comedy novel, one that he heard was pretty good, and in typical fashion right after he finished it, I picked it up, and then our younger brother. Our parents loved when we did this, and then discussed and debated the books endlessly. This kept on with this one series until years later, when the writer kinda went into more depressing territory and the books became less fun, more of a chore.
So I stopped reading them, while my brothers kept going, and I had no clue how many books were coming out. But a year or so back I grabbed most of the rest of the series from them and plunged back in.
Now this was an experience.
So what I am babbling about is The Myth Inc Series by the late author Robert Asprin, a fantasy comedy which starts off a medieval place called Klahd, which is pronounced Clod, and a young man named Skeeve who is being trained as a magician. His master pulls a trick, and is then promptly assassinated, and suddenly Skeeve is left to deal with a green scaly demon man his master conjured up. Turns out, he is an old friend of the wizard, and has been left powerless by the trick. Aahz, which is pronounced Oz and is no relation, agrees to team up as Master and Apprentice with Skeeve.
Thus begins an interesting partnership, as Skeeve and Aahz get a pet dragon, fight a war for a kingdom, join the mob but do no moblike stuff, hop from dimension to dimension, meet vampires, play dragon poker, and meet a ton of new allies who fast become friends. We get the sexy Tanda the assassin, her brother Chumley the troll, Guido and Nunzio Skeeve’s mob bodyguards, and even more and more as the series progresses. And we get pun filled titles like Myth Conceptions and Little Myth Marker. By the time we reach M.Y.T.H. Inc Link, Asprin decides to switch the narrator from Skeeve to all sorts of the rest of the cast. It is a nice switch up for the series, but could not stop the mountains of subplots spinning everywhere and how stuff had become depressing in some places.
However one thread that was a bright spot all along was the occasional cartoon, showing scenes from the story, in the trade paperbacks by Phil Foglio, who also did the comics adaptation of the first book.
Where I exactly left off from decades ago was my first challenge, and a reread of M.Y.T.H. Inc In Action reveals I left this one two chapters short of finishing. The re-invasion of the kingdom has been settled, largely thanks to Guido and Nunzio joining the army and sabotaging it from the inside.
With a whole bunch of subplots resolved, we move into my first completely new read of the series this century, Sweet Myth-tery of Life, where Skeeve has brought Aahz back from his dimension of Perv after they had a big falling out. Now Skeeve has received a marriage proposal from Queen Hemlock and goes back to wondering about love. Oh, and he needs to fix the kingdoms finances. And more subplots get resolved. But it is also gets kinda repetitive.
Which leads to Something M.Y.T.H. Inc, where the multiple narrator shtick is back as the kingdom is in rebellion against the tyrant who raised taxes, that evil one time Court Magician Skeeve! The Myth gang set out to quell the insurrections, who are remarkedly like Zorro and Robin Hood, and not let Skeeve know what is going on. This one takes place at the same time as the last one. And this one starts off really really good, then falls apart. And all the subplots get figured out and Skeeve moves into a new place in life, so that the series can rebuild, which leads to….
Myth-Ion Improbable, a flashback tale to Skeeve and Aahz and Tanda going on a treasure hunt in a far off dimension. It is cute at best. And the big relaunch happens with….
Myth-Told Tales. Or not. Asprin gets an official co-writer here with Jody Lynn Nye, and the many narrators idea is back, but it is really just short stories. It is a mixed bag, like any collection, and still like treading water until whatever the new reality is. Methinks Asprin and Nye may not have hit it off right away, and this format was a compromise just to keep the Myth series going. Nye has a track record as a writer before this book, and I believe a real affection for these characters, so I kinda wish Asprin would just hand the series over to her, since he seems not so into it.
Myth Alliances is a Skeeve without Aahz book, where Skeeve and Bunny, his sexy and super smart assistant, have to free the dimension of Wuhses from a group of Perv business women who have become dictators. Or have they? This one starts very promising, then keeps going on and on, but still gives a pretty spectacular ending.
This leads to the Aahz centered book Myth-Taken Identity, where he finds out someone has stolen Skeeve’s id and is wrecking his good name in the mall dimension. No one does that to his former apprentice and good friend! This one is just like the last one, starts off well, meanders quite abit, then finishes strong.
It feels like Nye takes over more with Class Dis-Mythed, where Skeeve is asked by various people to teach a whole bunch of apprentices in magic. It is a learning curve for Skeeve, and one for the students, and we get a whole bunch of cameos from other characters from the series, some being very very surprising. Their is a secret the students are keeping through, which leads to the surprise ending chapters. I really dig the new characters and hope they make reappearances in future books.
So it seems like whatever Asprin and Nye got working, is really working, and Myth-Gotten Gains is proof of that. Aahz finds a magic talking sword in a bazaar and is promised money AND getting his powers back if he helps find his family of magical objects. Turns out they are The Golden Hoard, an ancient and all powerful group who don’t really get along. Aahz and Tanda travel all over, find the Flute and the Purse and the Book and the Crystal Ball. And Aahz and Tanda are completely driven crazy by the Hoard’s constant bickering and insults and attitude. I loved these new additions and their banter read in my head like a Monty Python skit.
This new groove moves us into Myth-Chief, where Skeeve comes back to adventuring and his Myth Inc aren’t all happy. So eventually Skeeve and Aahz have a contest with two competing but not so competing goals, to save a kingdom from financial ruin. Unfortunately, this one backslides to being too long, unfocused, and only one part of the ending making sense. Their is hope, since the new dynamic of Myth n Inc is finally in place here.
This is also the last one my brothers got, but Asprin and Nye gave us one more with Myth-Fortunes, and then suddenly Asprin passed away. Nye continued on with Myth-Quoted and Myth-Fits. I have no idea what happens in these volumes, or how these go generally with Nye fully in charge.
Even with the mixed results of this catchup, I am still glad I did it. It was nice to see how these old friends were doing, and seeing that they were in good hands with Nye. I think Asprin would be happy. And my brothers and I can debate this endlessly as well.
Scoopriches
December 10, 2008
The Myth series of fantasy novels deal with the two characters Aahz and Skeeve, originally presenting a type of homage to the Bing Crosby and Bob Hope road-trip movies... along with many of their friends. The novels later branched out having them form a corporation and becoming wildly successful.
I grew up reading the adventures of Aahz and Skeeve. I remember reading the first book in the long series and laughing out loud. Reading the graphic novel drawn by Phil Foglio had me rolling... and maybe that's it. I started reading this series when I was about 13 years old.
I think the original stories are still great... but as the series continued, the writing seemed to be catering more and more to a younger age set. In other words, it seems written for elementary school kids. The problem is that the characters still have adult issues. Skeeve makes references to his past alcoholism, little sexual innuendos are dropped her and there... but the writing style has become very childish.
To give you a prime example, a large part of this book dealt with characters hosting birthday parties and the serving of Cake.
To long-time fans of the series, it wasn't too bad. It's a quick read... but I wouldn't recommend it to a new reader.
I grew up reading the adventures of Aahz and Skeeve. I remember reading the first book in the long series and laughing out loud. Reading the graphic novel drawn by Phil Foglio had me rolling... and maybe that's it. I started reading this series when I was about 13 years old.
I think the original stories are still great... but as the series continued, the writing seemed to be catering more and more to a younger age set. In other words, it seems written for elementary school kids. The problem is that the characters still have adult issues. Skeeve makes references to his past alcoholism, little sexual innuendos are dropped her and there... but the writing style has become very childish.
To give you a prime example, a large part of this book dealt with characters hosting birthday parties and the serving of Cake.
To long-time fans of the series, it wasn't too bad. It's a quick read... but I wouldn't recommend it to a new reader.
August 24, 2021
I will miss the Myth gang, not because of this story, but more so because the creator has passed on. His successor is only doing her best to fill in, which doesn't cut it for me. This is a far cry from the Myth Inc that was.
Alas, I say farewell because I have no interest in pursuing the stories into Nye only territory.
This story was just okay given it is #18 in the series and last with Bob's involvement.
Skeeve and Aahz are aged, and not for the better. The adventure seems lost as does the excitement, word play, and energy from those involved.
The backstabbing vibe in this story was the final straw for me. Aahz never had magic, in my opinion, and comes across like an ass. Skeeve still presents as a Klahd teenager, which shouldn't be the case, yet is. And Bunny is the cool-headed one? Sure whatever. I'm out.
It has been fun mostly, and I am glad I found Aspirin and Myth Inc. Farewell to them.
Thanks for reading.
The ensemble helps assuage the sadness of what was, but only barely.
Alas, I say farewell because I have no interest in pursuing the stories into Nye only territory.
This story was just okay given it is #18 in the series and last with Bob's involvement.
Skeeve and Aahz are aged, and not for the better. The adventure seems lost as does the excitement, word play, and energy from those involved.
The backstabbing vibe in this story was the final straw for me. Aahz never had magic, in my opinion, and comes across like an ass. Skeeve still presents as a Klahd teenager, which shouldn't be the case, yet is. And Bunny is the cool-headed one? Sure whatever. I'm out.
It has been fun mostly, and I am glad I found Aspirin and Myth Inc. Farewell to them.
Thanks for reading.
The ensemble helps assuage the sadness of what was, but only barely.
May 31, 2016
2.5 stars.
I will say that this one was WORLDS better than the last (Myth-Gotten Gains), but somehow the primary characters are portrayed as even more angsty than when Skeeve was a fresh-faced teen. And Skeeve himself...sheesh. He's either a super confident wizard or a bumbling idiot, and there doesn't seem to be a middle ground in Jody Lynn Nye's view.
It's no secret that the value of the Myth Adventures has dropped off since the original series (1980's publications)... Honestly, this could've been a novella. The overall story arc in this one was well thought out and would play as a tabletop adventure nicely, but without all the fluff and misdirection in the middle. Skipping over a few chapters would have made the story more cohesive. It really felt like Nye was just trying to make her word count for the publisher, and the editor was too afraid to cut out chunks at a time.
I will say that this one was WORLDS better than the last (Myth-Gotten Gains), but somehow the primary characters are portrayed as even more angsty than when Skeeve was a fresh-faced teen. And Skeeve himself...sheesh. He's either a super confident wizard or a bumbling idiot, and there doesn't seem to be a middle ground in Jody Lynn Nye's view.
It's no secret that the value of the Myth Adventures has dropped off since the original series (1980's publications)... Honestly, this could've been a novella. The overall story arc in this one was well thought out and would play as a tabletop adventure nicely, but without all the fluff and misdirection in the middle. Skipping over a few chapters would have made the story more cohesive. It really felt like Nye was just trying to make her word count for the publisher, and the editor was too afraid to cut out chunks at a time.
March 2, 2009
Now that I know Asprin's dead, the old Folks are clearly him, and Bunny is Nye.
Better than several of this series. The two main characters were stupidly ignorant about each other and what was going on -- way out of character, except when being mentally straightjacketed by the authors as a plot device. But overall the story was pretty good.
Better than several of this series. The two main characters were stupidly ignorant about each other and what was going on -- way out of character, except when being mentally straightjacketed by the authors as a plot device. But overall the story was pretty good.
May 13, 2008
I was a little let down by the ending. I felt like there was such a rush to finish the book that the momentum was lost and the story kind of ended abruptly. The story didn't have the closure that I wanted. Still, a good read with all the humor and twist I love from Asprin.
February 2, 2022
Gotta say, I don't think this one was for me. Boring characters, boring plot, and honestly not very funny. Two stars only because some of the puns and chapter-beginning quotes were clever; at least this book was short.
February 15, 2009
Not as good as I remember the others in the series being. Not as thrilling or gripping as some other books I've read recently. And that made me sad.
June 3, 2019
I saw the ending coming but liked how we got there. It filled in the blanks that were there from the next book. Punny as always.
September 5, 2023
This is horrible. They changed the font? Why? And now Skeeve’s saying he’s “retired?” He was insisting he was just taking a break. Literally fucking with your terrible new canon on the first page.
Skeeve is going to the offices of MYTH Inc., where everybody is at the office and working. Which is weird bc in the last book Aahz stopped at the MYTH headquarters and was all sad bc they’d disbanded. But now they’re doing it again? I literally went back and checked the publication dates to make sure I hadn’t read these out of order or anything and yep, just shoddy continuity.
Two footnotes advertising other books in the series on the next two pages. Classy.
Skeeve laments about wanting to go back to work bc he misses Aahz. Why can’t you just hang out with him? Fucking grab lunch? All this whiny jerk does is create imaginary problems for himself.
Blah blah something about he has to find this jug for this guy and it turns out the guy’s sister had hired MYTH Inc for the same thing and they were mad at each other for a second and then they weren’t. 80+ pages for that.
Why is Aahz and Skeeve’s relationship so fucking weird all of a sudden? Were they lovers? Like what the hell. They’re apparently in competition now for absolutely no reason? Three books ago Aahz busted his scaly ass to save Skeeve’s reputation from credit card fraud and now he walks into his new office just being a dick? God this book is stupid.
Characters are saying “said,” but then immediately doing something. Like “he said with a modest shrug” “she said reaching over to refill her goblet.” Lots of smirking. Everybody’s smirking all over the place.
“Says the one with no powers at all,” I shot back. Oh. My. Fucking. God. No you didn’t. No you didn’t!!! It’s your fault he lost his powers in the first place, you entitled little shithead!! Man, I just went from being annoyed at this character to flat out hating him. What a little asshole.
The two of them are on opposite sides of two people from some stupid new dimension where the big thing is a birthday cake ceremony, where they eat cake and play pin the tale on the dragon. This childishness culminates in the two opposing people falling in love and getting married or something and then they make Bunny president of MYTH. The company which had fallen to pieces without Skeeve but apparently just suddenly hadn’t when he wanted to come back?
The plots are always stupid and paper thin but this one took the cake (sorry; it was just too easy). Im seriously considering getting rid of all my copies of these books past like the 8th one. This series is basically like the Simpsons now. The first 8 seasons were good but after that there’s a rapid and obvious decline in quality. Dental plan!
Skeeve is going to the offices of MYTH Inc., where everybody is at the office and working. Which is weird bc in the last book Aahz stopped at the MYTH headquarters and was all sad bc they’d disbanded. But now they’re doing it again? I literally went back and checked the publication dates to make sure I hadn’t read these out of order or anything and yep, just shoddy continuity.
Two footnotes advertising other books in the series on the next two pages. Classy.
Skeeve laments about wanting to go back to work bc he misses Aahz. Why can’t you just hang out with him? Fucking grab lunch? All this whiny jerk does is create imaginary problems for himself.
Blah blah something about he has to find this jug for this guy and it turns out the guy’s sister had hired MYTH Inc for the same thing and they were mad at each other for a second and then they weren’t. 80+ pages for that.
Why is Aahz and Skeeve’s relationship so fucking weird all of a sudden? Were they lovers? Like what the hell. They’re apparently in competition now for absolutely no reason? Three books ago Aahz busted his scaly ass to save Skeeve’s reputation from credit card fraud and now he walks into his new office just being a dick? God this book is stupid.
Characters are saying “said,” but then immediately doing something. Like “he said with a modest shrug” “she said reaching over to refill her goblet.” Lots of smirking. Everybody’s smirking all over the place.
“Says the one with no powers at all,” I shot back. Oh. My. Fucking. God. No you didn’t. No you didn’t!!! It’s your fault he lost his powers in the first place, you entitled little shithead!! Man, I just went from being annoyed at this character to flat out hating him. What a little asshole.
The two of them are on opposite sides of two people from some stupid new dimension where the big thing is a birthday cake ceremony, where they eat cake and play pin the tale on the dragon. This childishness culminates in the two opposing people falling in love and getting married or something and then they make Bunny president of MYTH. The company which had fallen to pieces without Skeeve but apparently just suddenly hadn’t when he wanted to come back?
The plots are always stupid and paper thin but this one took the cake (sorry; it was just too easy). Im seriously considering getting rid of all my copies of these books past like the 8th one. This series is basically like the Simpsons now. The first 8 seasons were good but after that there’s a rapid and obvious decline in quality. Dental plan!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2018
This entry into the Myth series is about how Skeeve comes out of retirement and wants to get back into Myth Inc. The problem is that his old friends, including his mentor, Aahz, are still mad about him leaving in the first place. So they come up with a competition where they each get a client and the winner becomes boss of Myth Inc. What they don’t know is that they respective clients are not only competing against each other for the castle. But also are in love with each other. The writing was awesome. It completely encompasses the kind of humor and flare that the other books in the Myth series have. Both Asprin and Nye have a talent for writing the type of books that all type of family members can love.
If there is one fault, it is that this book lacks the kind of action that its previous entries did. That’s not a completely bad thing. I can understand wanting to do things a little bit differently. It doesn’t really hurt the book either. It just barely slid under a five starrer this time. But it does change it a little bit. So if you loved the other Myth books, as I have. Then feel free to enjoy this magical tale. It is definitely worth your time. I hope that the future of the Myth series is able to continue for a long time to come and fix upon the one flaw that this one had.
August 28, 2024
Book 18 of the Myth Adventures and this was a great book. We have Skeeve and Aahz competing against each other. This was a fun and exciting interwoven storyline that wraps up nicely. How great a theme of how we lose focus on what is really important as we get wrapped up in competition? It was also interesting on how the issue was explored from two different angles and how the actions of each party looked different depending on the point of view. Enjoyed this one.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
November 11, 2018
Same old, same old. Reasonably entertaining when he's not straining too hard, although this is posthumous, so it's not clear what he wrote and what Jody Lynn Nye did.
March 6, 2021
"Where'd she come from?"
James Callaghan
James Callaghan
January 11, 2022
Love the whole gang
August 20, 2022
Funny fantasy
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
April 7, 2024
This was a fun but very light read. The story was cute but predictable. More of the entertaining world-building would have improved the story.
May 27, 2024
We are definitely coming to the end here. Fun and silly and still with the great mis-quotes, but nothing like the first books for clever or interesting.
December 5, 2024
Eher eines von den schlechteren Büchern von Robert Asprin. Trotzdem unterhaltsam.
July 30, 2025
A lot better than the last one I read but the actions of our boys didn’t feel authentic.
October 11, 2012
Alright, so if you read the plot synopsis on the back of the book, you know you're not exactly in for one of the better myths. A competition between Ahz and Skeeve of who can make the most money for leadership of M.Y.T.H INC.? And how about the fact that the exiled princess and her country's prime minister pick the exact same morning to approach MYTH INC about their separate problems?
But here's the deal as I see it: this book is a filler that finally gives us the chance to return to the old series. Sure, it's contrived, but it finally get Skeeve and the gang back together again so finally we can have some of the fun character interactions that have been so terribly missing. With Skeeve back in as part of the team maybe everybody else can fall back into their rightful place (except with Bunny as the leader, which really isn't that bad in the thick of things).
As I read this book, yes, I got fed up with the glaring inconsistencies from the pre-Nye years, but I still found myself enjoying it and eagerly anticipating the next book. The characters were lacking their old glory, but at least we get to see them all together again and, in all honesty, it is still fun to see how they find solutions to their clients problems. Over all I say it's a quick read, and if you don't let yourself get too distracted by the fanfiction quality "out-of-characterness," then I say its worth a read.
But here's the deal as I see it: this book is a filler that finally gives us the chance to return to the old series. Sure, it's contrived, but it finally get Skeeve and the gang back together again so finally we can have some of the fun character interactions that have been so terribly missing. With Skeeve back in as part of the team maybe everybody else can fall back into their rightful place (except with Bunny as the leader, which really isn't that bad in the thick of things).
As I read this book, yes, I got fed up with the glaring inconsistencies from the pre-Nye years, but I still found myself enjoying it and eagerly anticipating the next book. The characters were lacking their old glory, but at least we get to see them all together again and, in all honesty, it is still fun to see how they find solutions to their clients problems. Over all I say it's a quick read, and if you don't let yourself get too distracted by the fanfiction quality "out-of-characterness," then I say its worth a read.
August 26, 2012
I'm so glad I rediscovered this series in a Barnes and Noble last month. I'd forgotten how much fun these books are. Asprin's "quotes" at the beginning of each of Skeeve's chapters are still a hoot. In this outing, Skeeve and his pals haven't lost a step in the scheming, magical marketplace they inhabit. If anything, the cons are even more elaborate since this time Skeeve and Aahz are in direct competition for the leadership of MYTH Inc. Anyone who is a fan of the TV series HUSTLE and LEVERAGE or the OCEAN'S ELEVEN, etc. movies will recognize and love these con artists. Even if their cons unfold in dimensions far, far away, the text is cleverly layered with commentary on our society. My only quibble is with the switching first person point of view between Skeeve and Aahz. It took me awhile to realize only Skeeve's chapters had the "quotes" at the top.
September 11, 2016
This is the first book I've read in this series, which was fine. I wasn't lost or confused. It read as a stand-alone.
It was cute.
It was cute.
May 5, 2009
Skeeve the Magnificent has decided to go back into business and sets up business in the Bazaar but his former partners are uncomfortable because they fear that he is going into competition against him. Filled with Asprin's trademark puns, all of the familiar characters make an appearance as Skeeve enters into a contest against Aahz to determine who will be the undisputed leader of M.Y.T.H., Inc. The world has lost a facile and entertaining punster and one can only hope that others continue the legacy that he started.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews