Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48420 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-30
• Released on: 2002-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780441009312
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Customer Reviews

Two great novels in one book!
Another Fine Myth is the first book in what became one of the best fantasy series EVER! Not only is it full of magic, monsters and mayhem but it also has lots of humor. Sheeve was a apprentice, until his teacher dies and leaves him with a powerless demon named Aahz, a couple of assassins and a evil magician who wishes to rule ALL the dimensions.
Few people can mix humor and fantasy such as Robert Asprin. And this book is not just the first novel, but also holds the follow-up, Myth Conceptions. In the second book Sheeve go to the court to try to become the Court Magician of Rodrick the Fifth. The amazing part is he gets the job with Aahz's help. But he finds, to his horror, that his first assignment is to stop the largest army the world has ever seen. All by himself.
The only other author I can think of, off the top of my head, who can pull off this mixture of humor and serious fantasy is Steven Brust.

Enjoyable light reading
I read the Myth series about fifteen years ago while I was in high school, and I recently picked them up again after seeing these double volumes had been released. I was looking for some easy reading, and if you go expecting nothing more than that you should be rather satisfied with these first two outings. The characters of Skeeve and Aahz are likeable enough, but the ball really doesn't seem to get rolling until the second book where the extended cast begins to get introduced.

I did feel after revisiting this series that Asprin does go overboard explaining reasons for characters behavior in a way that makes it seem as if his target audience were adolescents. In many ways, you'd find more sophisticated fantasy in the Harry Potter books as the Myth tales can border on the juvenile at times. I didn't even find the humor to be that funny, but it was the aspects of dimension traveling and the supporting cast of characters that kept me interested. Probably the biggest flaw in these books is that far too much time is spent building up the misadventures that Aahz and Skeeve find themselves in and then far too little is spent upon the actual resolution. The endings seem rushed and very forced.

If you are looking for enjoyable light fantasy with an offbeat feel I could recommend this book, especially for teens. Anyone looking for something serious, challenging, or thought provoking best pass it up.

A Myth-terious Review
The Myth series by Robert Asprin is a wonderful and exciting read. The series is full of excellent humor and is well worth the effort to acquire and read. The author has a wonderful wit and a super command of satire. The Myth series centers around a young mage named Skeeve and his mentor and best friend Ahaz. Ahaz is a money hungry demon from Perv who has lost all of his magical powers. Ahaz takes it upon himself to teach the fledgling mage all he knows of magic and in the process attempts to gain as much wealth and fame as he can for the young magi and himself. With this fame comes endless chances for adventure. The book series takes these two, as well as a host of friends, on many misguided and hilarious quests. I have rarely laughed out loud while reading, but I found myself chuckling constantly as I read this series. With friends like Tananda the sexy female troll or trollop as they are called and Chumley her very ugly, super smart brother with an English accent and proper manners, the story is a virtual paradise of laughter. Throw in the very overweight but sweetly dedicated Massha, and a loving but mentally limited pet dragon, and the mix is complete. This party of individuals gets into and out of all sorts of messes. The story is rich in reference humor as well. An example of this includes a reference to Elfquest. While adventuring in one realm the party of friends encounter two werewolves named Ydnew and Drahcir. Please note the reverse spelling of these two characters. They are known as the Wolf Writers. The obvious reference is a friendly nod to WaRP graphics. Asprin has worked with Richard and Wendy in the past, so this makes even more sense. In short, the adventures of Skeeve and Ahaz take them many places. While hilarious, this series does not forget to deal with more serious issues. In essence, it is a story about growing up. It is also a story about the wonderful power of friendship. Morality is constantly important to the series, and Asprin deals with this superbly. The misadventures of the characters in this series are both fun and interesting. Asprin is able to capture good fun and somehow combine it with serious issues. Friendship is a major subject in the series as well as loyalty. The "growing pains" of young Skeeve remind us all of youth and its difficulties. This mixed with excellent humor makes for a fantastic read.