МИФические личности

Myth Adventures #5

by Robert Lynn Asprin, Роберт Асприн

Скив с друзьями обживаются в новом доме на Базаре-на-Деве. Беспокоит их только странная дверь, ведущая непонятно куда. Впрочем, выяснять это им приходится быстро — Ааз уходит туда, преследуя каких-то злоумышленников, и попадает в переделку. Надо спасать товарища...

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy, Comedy, Science Fiction, Magic

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

About the author

Robert (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.

Reviews

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I'm beginning to slightly feel less enthusiastic about the series by this point, mostly because our duo have got a really good deal going on and I can't call them the underdogs, anymore, it does go in a new direction that bypasses a bit of that.

I mean, new dimensions and all.

Less interesting is the whole vampires and werewolves, but that is more of a problem for ME than them. They're kinda corny, but what else can we expect with a comedy?

Other than that, I'm getting kinda annoyed that my favorite Prevect keeps getting lost, set up, enjoys vacation, or whatever. He's the guy I liked most from the start of the series.

Still, the wrap up in this book was very funny, so complaints can be put on hold. :)

[Orient · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skeeve and Aahz make a surprising pair and the whole group is even better!
I found more feelings and emotions in this story. I loved to see more emotional Skeeve and how it worked during interaction with others. Other characters had their emotional side exposed too. A big circle of friends is enlarged once more with a friendly nervous neighborhood cherub vampire and a melodramatic werewolf talking English with a French accent


Welcome to a crazy vampire limbo party!

And to do this Skeeve and his gang had no need to travel far, they just had to open the secret door in their house. The story is fast-paced, witty, tricky and adventurous once more. It is a good way to escape stress and tension just picking such an easy, funny and action packed book.
I think these series is a light-hearted ride to the fantasy universe with jokes, wit, action, adventure and silliness (sometimes).
Staring at it isn’t going to make it any weaker.
Though, I have mixed feelings about this book. It really kept my interest, I liked the fantasy setting, the way Mr. Asprin presented Skeeve and his gang. Oh, what a fun time I had with Massha and her jokes. She definitely deserved her Big performance.
“Honest, Massha,” Vilhelm put in. “The style is fairly popular here in Blut. A lot of the ladies wear it who are… that is, are a bit…”

“Fat!?”

She loomed over the little vampire.

“Is that the word you’re groping for, Short and About To Become Extinct?”

“Let’s face it, dear,” Tananda said, coming to the rescue. “You are carrying a little extra weight there. Believe me, if there’s one time you can’t kid yourself about your body, it’s when you’re donning costumes. If anything, that outfit makes you look a little slimmer.”

“Don’t try to kid a kidder, sweetie,” Massha sighed. “But you’re right about the costuming thing. This thing is so drab, though. First I’m a blimp, and now I’m an army tent.”

Also I was intrigued when I found Aahz was locked in a stone dragon’s mouth and still he didn’t forget his sweet sarcastic self:
For some obscure reason, I’m a little nervous these days, and every time this thing moves its tongue I age a few centuries.

But it wasn’t a problem to Skeeve and his gang. That’s what friends are for!


I enjoyed meeting Luanna, she is so secretive and sly (though at the end I was surprised when reading about her last decision) and the fight of a werewolf family


Oh, and Wtf happened to Vic’s character! In the biggest part of the book Vic was so cool, clever and scheming, always one step forward and he ended up quite unskilled, melodramatic, quite tender, not so vampirish: he doesn’t like blood, he loves garlic and he doesn’t know much of vampire magic. You must be kidding right? Ech, but maybe the problem is in me, I’m eager to find an awesome, nasty, bloody villain in every book I read.
I decided to give some peace time to the Myth Adventures, but I can promise to return to Skeeve and his gang after some time, because I had a really awesome time in the Myth world.

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another fast and fun installment in the Myth series. Perhaps this fifth book was not quite so good as the fourth, but is was still very enjoyable.

The action takes place in the dimension of Limbo, which is the dimension the mysterious door in Skeeve's new Bazaar home leads to. Aahz runs off there to chase some potential clients who used the door as an escape route from the Bazaar law. He is soon in trouble and Skeeve and the rest of the team head in to save him. It was the usual mix of action, humor, and witty banter. The new world was a good one. It was populated by vampires who were terrified of humans!

Skeeve was as likable as ever and I enjoyed the hints of romance we got for him and his extra responsibilities now that he is a partner rather than apprentice to Aahz.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Audio Note: Noah Michael Levine continues to do a good job with this series. He gets the tone and the humor.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe the weakest outing in the series yet, mainly due to (once again) our favourite Green and Scaly Pervert Pervect largely getting sidelined while grumpy Skeeve sets out to rescue him in the spooky dimension of Limbo in the company of pessimistic bodyguard Guido and self-conscious apprentice Massha. The new characters encountered along the way were largely forgettable in spite of being outlandish in nature (Vampires and Werewolves in the main) and Skeeve gets teased with a love interest that just goes by the wayside.

That said, I can remember enjoying the character of Vic from subsequent books so it was nice to revisit his origin story here.

[Wiebke (1book1review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Skeeve and his friends visit Limbo to find some fugitives and rescue Aahz from prison.
A pleasure insight into a dimension where vampires are at home and humans the monsters.

[Desinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved this installment in the series. The Limbo dimension proved to be great fun. Its inhabitants were very interesting and some quite likable. The action was fast-paced and exciting and I really didn't notice when exactly I'd reached the end! I want more! And some romance!

Rating: 4.5 stars

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another story that is very light on Aahz which is a shame because I love his partnership/friendship with Skeeve. It is nice to see Skeeve grow on his own but the main supporting characters Guido and Massha just didn't hold my interest. The group dynamics were just a little bland.

I did however, every much enjoy the new dimension of Limbo, and I hope we see more of Vic!

Overall, a pretty average outing that was magic-lite.

[Carrot :3 (on a hiatus) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars.

This was okay. The series is starting to lose its charm. This one was slightly humorous at times but not nearly as funny as its prequels.

We get to see a new dimension but the people in it are vampires and werewolves which was kind of a letdown. Skeeve is growing into a very mature person which is amazing to watch.

[Andi]

Complete fluff, of the fun variety. My favorite part might be the little quotes at the beginning of each chapter.

[Neil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun book in the Myth Adventure series. Skeeve and Aahz have now relocated their operations to the Bazaar on Deva. In their house/tent there is a door, which had previously not been mentioned when they first moved in, but it leads to an unknown dimension. When fugitives from the bazaar flee through this portal the bazaar's chamber of commerce deem that these fugitives are the responsibility of Aahz and Skeeve.
Aahz enters this unknown dimension to retrieve these fugitives. He ends up imprisoned on false charges, and it falls upon Skeeve and their other friends to mount a rescue mission with the usual chaotic results.
It is good to see more focus placed on Skeeve as both an individual and as a leader. Characters which had previously only been given a slight attention come more into their own in this book.
Another fun filled adventure, nothing mentally taxing just pure escapism with plenty of humour.

[Keziah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sadly the fifth entry in the MYTH Adventures series felt a little flat for me. For starters I really did not like Luanna and Skeeve's little crush on her annoyed me. I mean he has the amazing Tanda if he wants to develop a crush, so why is he falling for a small-time swindler who is using him? When you add in the racism (in terms of werewolve and vampire-phobia) and basically Skeeve being the only hero I just lost my interest. Luckily I know that there are better books after this, but still its a shame when a great series is ruined by a book that just feels a little forced.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well it turned out the back door led to a dimension of vampires. And skeeve still hasn't learned any more majic.

[Skye · Rating 2 out of 5]

entertaining but got realllllly sick of the paper thin female characters and constant body shaming jokes,

[Jessica Fleming · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great adventure! Traveling through a door and ending up in Limbo. Fun!

[Susan Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Asprin is always good to relax with for some down time. I needed a little fun and some humor and got it.
Some folks running a con in the Bazaar at Deva use Skeeve's tent to escape from the authorities who tell he and Aahz that they are responsible for the money owed by the con artists (not very good ones since they got caught). Aahz is not one to let go of money, so he goes after them to bring them back after knocking Skeeve out. Then Skeeve learns he needs to go to the rescue. And the situation goes round from there.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fifth book in the Myth Adventures series. It starts to feel a little formulaic, but it's still a ton of fun and puns in the sun. There's a magical door in the back of Skeeve's house that leads to Limbo, where the vampires and werewolves romp and rule, and Aahz is need of rescue, so it's good thing that Skeeve has such a wide and wild support cast of quirky friends and allies... It's well-done humorous fantasy in the tradition of Anthony's Xanth and Foster's Spellsinger, not to mention Terry Pratchett.

[Richard Seltzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read for the second time, out loud to my son Tim.

[Hidekisohma · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, it was that time once again to read another Myth book. This time #5. Was it good? I mean, they've all been pretty good so far, but this definitely wasn't the best one.

Short version, Skeeve and Aahz find a door in the back of their shop that leads to a vampire world. Some people who owe money escape into it and Aahz goes after them but gets framed for murder and Skeeve has to save him.

This is your basic premise.

As the series has progressed they've been adding more and more characters into the mix. while in the first 2 books it was really just Aahz and Skeeve, now it's Aahz, Skeeve, skeeve's apprentice, his bodyguard, troll, and female troll. The core cast is adding up quite a bit. Despite the books being so short the author actually manages to give everybody near equal screentime which is actually pretty impressive.

The story itself was fine. Nothing earth shattering, just another "save someone as they're in over their head" situation. Skeeve was a LITTLE intolerable this book as he seems to be getting a little big for his britches now that he has an apprentice and a bodyguard to boss around, but i'm assuming as the series progresses he'll get taken down a peg (as this seems to be the way the series is written)

This one, like the others, is a VERY quick read (~170 pages) and you get can it done in like 2-3 sittings. It continues to be a good brain scrub between longer books as it doesn't overstay its welcome, nor does it bog you down with descriptions. it's there to tell a fun, short story and then leave you with a fun, non-violent feeling.

I really want to give this a 3.5, but i can't, and i didn't enjoy it as much as 1-3, so i'm going to give a 3. but really, it deserves a 3.5.

It's cute, fine, but nothing AMAZING. it's worth the $1 i spent at a half price books, that's for sure.

I also am very interested to continue on to book 6, ESPECIALLY since they're so short.

3.5 out of 5, rounded down to a 3.

[Robynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably my least favorite Myth book. Too much bickering, way too many long speeches, and too much Luanna. Even cameos by Wendi and Richard Pini as werewolves are not helpful. The panel of vampire witnesses has the feel of settling a bet to get his tabletop gaming buddies, or critique partners, into the story.
To top it off, I noticed a giant plot hole I missed when I read this 30+ years ago. The kind of plot hole we authors cringe about after we're done and hope no one notices.
The door into the tent from Deva is the dimensional portal. Everything "inside" the tent is in the dimension of Limbo, which means Skeeve's ability to do magik inside his tent-castle should be severely limited. Maybe Asprin explains this in later books (I don't remember, but I'll find out shortly) or maybe Skeeve hasn't been doing a lot of magik inside their tent but it's a doozy of an issue. Not to mention, their entire home is within a dimension of beings that could decide to torch the place at any time. Even stone melts if the fire is hot enough. Nailing the door to that dimension shut does not solve the problem of living in a castle in that dimension. Anyway, every serious writer misses a step if they publish enough. I won't hold his success against him.

[Ensiform · Rating 2 out of 5]

The fifth Myth Adventures book, this one finds Skeeve and company on a rescue mission to the dark dimension (the portal to which is the back door to their house) of vampires and werewolves to rescue Aahz. The latter had gone alone after a trio of con artists (who, in a nice little nod to continuity, were first spotted very briefly way back in book two) who stuck the gang with a bill at the Bazaar. This is possibly the most twee, cutesy entry yet, from Asprin doing amateur tricks like naming his werewolves after Richard and Wendi Pini by spelling their names backward to the villain who doesn’t actually want to hurt anyone to the plot point of Skeeve falling in “love” with a girl he’s barely met (and others taking this seriously). Add in the typical “everybody talks the same style of sarcastic debate” dialogue that is the hallmark of this series, and you get a fun but hardly notable chapter of the saga.
[read twice]

[Valerie]

It's instructive to compare this with the later volume in this series (Myth-ion Improbable). The latter is awful. Bitter, vindictive, cynical...

This book, on the other hand, is lighthearted, kindly, humorous... Granted, there are a few disturbing elements, and of course, however funny it is, it is an adventure, but still... There is reflexive revulsion against bats, but that's not uncommon.

Normally, I wouldn't tend to turn to an author's biography to explain such a sea-change in attitude. In this case, however, it may be appropriate. It's possible that Asprin's encounters with the IRS, and what seems to have been a pretty serious attack of writer's block contributed to souring his character.

Anyway, this is still from the period when Asprin was at his most entertaining. So, enjoy!

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read these sometime during the 1990s and really enjoyed them at that time. While I remember a lot of the earlier books pretty well I had no real memories of this one and upon re-reading it recently I can say that it doesn't really stick out. It still has the same great characters and great heart but the sparkle just wasn't there. I think it is because most of the book lacks the Skeeve-Aahz dynamic that really creates the best moments.

There were some fun things. I love how the whole adventure is over a desire to avoid spending money.

Another possibility for why the story is so flat is Skeeve's falling for Luanna for no apparent reason. This would be fine but the relationship doesn't really go there and we are just left at the "chemistry" stage of things. Unsatisfying.

[Tom Loock · Rating 3 out of 5]

Re-read in December 2013. Myth-ing Persons is still funny, but it's obvious Asprin knew he had a good thing going with his Skeeve & Ahaz-novels; therefore he obviously did more planning with this one and it lacks the spontaneity of the previous four. The 'Tuckerism' with the ElfQuest-creators reads as forced as some of the weaker puns, some nice characters make up for it though. Still, on to the next.

[Shane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just as funny as they were 15 years ago.

That's from my notes when I read this one

I read the first books when I was around 12 so I was probably 27 when I read this one. I'm 45 now and my son read the entire series before he passed away in a car accident. I was cleaning his room and putting books away when I realized I hadn't listed this series as "read" on Goodreads. Thinking about finishing the series as a way of "communing" with his memory.

Sorry if that makes you sad. Read the book, it will cheer you up.

[East Bay J · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myth-Ing Persons is more of a return to form, as far as I'm concerned, though Aahz is absent through a significant portion of the book. And Skeeve gets a love interest! Sort of. Phil Foglio’s art is excellent and it’s too bad there aren’t more panels. The humor continues to amuse and Asprin even pokes a little good natured fun at Elfquest creators, Richard and Wendy Pini. Excellent series!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me a bit longer to finish this one, I hit a "wall" and just didn't want to read... not the books fault, it was a good little book.

Aahz manages to get himself imprisoned in a dimension of vampires, and when Skeeve goes to rescue him... well. It turns out the world has little to no magic.

Skeeve is left to use his wits to rescue his partner before they execute him for a crime he didn't commit.

[Tyrannosaurus regina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is absolutely a nostalgia rating. Of all the Myth Adventures books, I think this is the one I remember the best, and overall it actually held up not badly compared to what I remember. I have absolutely no idea why Skeeve has any interest in Luanna or why we as readers should have any investment in that, but whatever. One more female character painted as either a sex object or a sexual predator.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read most of the MYTH book 20 years a go. It's just fun to go back a visit them and still get them same ejoyment

[John Kirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun story, although the romantic subplot seems to come out of nowhere, and I'm still not clear on what the Dispatcher is supposed to do.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strange vampires. Humility lies at the core of greatness.