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Myth Adventures #11
Ein Dämon lässt die Kühe fliegen
Skeeve erinnert sich kaum noch, wie er an die Schatzkarte gekommen ist. Aahz hält sie auf jeden Fall für echt, und im Handumdrehen sind sie auf der Suche nach der "Goldenen Kuh". Tanda schließt sich ihnen an, natürlich gegen Beteiligung. Sie stoßen schnell auf ein paar Probleme, denn die Karte führt sie weit fort von allen bekannten Dimensionen. In ihrer Not wenden sie sich an einen Wandler auf dem Basar, um sich von ihm/ihr die angeblich richtige Richtung weisen zu lassen. Jede Konsultation kostet sie fünf Prozent des Schatzes. Lieber Leser, Sie ahnen etwas? Tja, man sollte sich nie auf einen Wandler verlassen, der nach der Anzahl der Konsultationen abrechnet ...
269 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
9 people are currently reading
1255 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
January 16, 2021
Sometimes these books are hit or myth.
This was OKAY. I mean, sure, it's following the success of the Mission Impossible reboots but it's really a super-lite cow-quest. Golden cow. With an okay twist.
Strangely enough, I originally wanted more of his mentor joining in the quest when he was no longer in it, but now I've reversed my position. The apprentice is fine without him. Or maybe this one was just weak. Not horrible. Just weak.
*shrug*
This was OKAY. I mean, sure, it's following the success of the Mission Impossible reboots but it's really a super-lite cow-quest. Golden cow. With an okay twist.
Strangely enough, I originally wanted more of his mentor joining in the quest when he was no longer in it, but now I've reversed my position. The apprentice is fine without him. Or maybe this one was just weak. Not horrible. Just weak.
*shrug*
November 9, 2008
I couldn't do it. I know that Asprin threw this book out to his Myth fans in an attempt to recapture the voice of Skeeve and Aahz in the beginning of the series, but this just didn't do it.
The story was whack. The plot was confusing and ridiculous. Tanda was half a step above a body-length pillow, and Aahz was just downright mean. Skeeve was - well, he was Skeeve, without all the witty dialogue and insightful questions.
It's so sad, but I think the voice of Skeeve and Aahz, the ones that I fell in love with back when I was a wee lass, is gone for good. I know there are other books in the series, but I'm afraid to pick them up, for fear that I will be further disappointed and will begin to despise the characters that I've loved for so long.
And I'm still left screaming to myself, What happened to Gleep?
The story was whack. The plot was confusing and ridiculous. Tanda was half a step above a body-length pillow, and Aahz was just downright mean. Skeeve was - well, he was Skeeve, without all the witty dialogue and insightful questions.
It's so sad, but I think the voice of Skeeve and Aahz, the ones that I fell in love with back when I was a wee lass, is gone for good. I know there are other books in the series, but I'm afraid to pick them up, for fear that I will be further disappointed and will begin to despise the characters that I've loved for so long.
And I'm still left screaming to myself, What happened to Gleep?
March 14, 2008
So somehow I just found out that the writer of this series I was really into in sixth grade started writing the books again, so I had to check it out. It revolved around a young magician's apprentice named Skeeve, and his mentor, a demon named Aahz, and their "myth-adventures." Back then, I had found a few of the books left on the shelves in the room I used to share with my brother, and was totally into the series, the genre of which I guess would be considered "fantasy-comedy," bordering on satire. Anyways, in the mid-nineties, Robert Asprin got in some trouble with the IRS, and didn't write anything for seven years, which I guess is why he dropped off my radar. Then he struck some deal where he had to give them a bunch of the profits off of any future works, and found a loophole that said he didn't owe as much if he co-wrote books, so that's mainly what he does now. He wrote this particular entry to get back in the swing of things and shake the rust off and it shows. It's a really bad book. The old characters are totally flat, Skeeve's narration is this lame, fish-out-of-water crap, Aahz's whole personality consists of him saying, "Skeeve, you're so stupid," and the other character, their beautiful, green, former-assassin ally, Tananda does absolutely nothing but give Skeeve the ocassional hug. The book is only 198 pages long, yet manages to be extremely repetitive. The entire first 50 pages consists of them asking some guy to help them find some dimension, then they go to it, realize it's the wrong one, then go back and ask the guy for a different one. Long story short, I give this two stars for nostalgia's sake, hoping for him and his readers that he did it as an excercise to get back in shape and the rest of the books turned out better. As bad as it was, I feel like I might eventually check out the other new ones too, because I'm a total idiot.
December 19, 2022
People can hate on this completely random book (Asprin's first "Myth" foray in over 7 years, apparently on account of IRS-related problems) all they want but for me the author just went for it and wrote an absolutely ridiculous genre-bending tale of ridiculous vampiric cows just for the Hell of it and it was so magnificently dank I couldn’t help but get swept up in it.
April 22, 2024
Skeeve and the crew go to a land where there is a golden cow that gives golden milk.
I've never really been able to get into this series. I guess humor really is subjective.
I've never really been able to get into this series. I guess humor really is subjective.
November 15, 2008
Book 11, but takes place in between books 3 and 4, timeline-wise. Asprin was trying to recapture the old feel of the previous Myth novels, but it lacks some of the spark that the original three do. The characters keep it moving, along with an interesting take on cowboys and vampires, but it still isn't quite as good as the others. Recommended only for die-hard Myth fans.
December 14, 2012
No. Sorry. Bad. Wrong.
Did not enjoy this. I find the rest of the series (at least the first 9 books) kind of silly and absurd and not great reading in any way, but amusing enough. This, on the other hand, was not up to par. I understand that Asprin was coming off of personal difficulties and hadn't written these characters in numerous years, but his characterizations were very off, and the light-heartedness that was present in the preceding books was simply gone. The beginning was somewhat redundant, and the end was a confusing mess. Having picked this up to see if I wanted to read the rest of the newer books, I may decide to set it down again. It's just not worth it.
Did not enjoy this. I find the rest of the series (at least the first 9 books) kind of silly and absurd and not great reading in any way, but amusing enough. This, on the other hand, was not up to par. I understand that Asprin was coming off of personal difficulties and hadn't written these characters in numerous years, but his characterizations were very off, and the light-heartedness that was present in the preceding books was simply gone. The beginning was somewhat redundant, and the end was a confusing mess. Having picked this up to see if I wanted to read the rest of the newer books, I may decide to set it down again. It's just not worth it.
February 27, 2016
This book takes us back to an earlier time of Skeeve's adventures and it is delightful to see his lack of knowledge and stupidity and also the many things he just doesn't understand or misunderstand.
I was a little confused why Tananda was called Tanda most of the novel, not sure why but it put me off every time her name appeared.
Other than that a fun treasure hunt for a golden cow.
I was a little confused why Tananda was called Tanda most of the novel, not sure why but it put me off every time her name appeared.
Other than that a fun treasure hunt for a golden cow.
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
June 24, 2023
So the backstory of this book is apparently that Asprin didn't write a book in this series for 7 years because the IRS was on his back. That in itself would have made an interesting story. As it is, 7 years later he tried to recapture the magic of his earlier books in the Myth series with this one. To do this, he decided to make this book a midquel and instead of placing it after book 10, he places it between books 3 and 4 when the cast was smaller and the stories were simpler. I assume this was to try to get some of the old charm and mojo back. ... It did not work.
This book was kind of boring but also kind of weird. Basically Skeeve finds a treasure map and he, Aahz, and Tanda all go off to find a golden cow.
The first 1/4 of this book is very very boring. It's literally them trying to follow this map, travel to the wrong dimension, having to come back, talk to this guy, get another hint and try again. They literally don't even get to the dimension they need to until at least 1/4 of the way through. It's literally just filler and it's unnecessary and boring.
When we finally get to the dimension we find out there are vampire cows and that sounds way more interesting than it really is. It's basically a world of cowboys that are attacked every now and then at night by vampire cows and Skeeve and crew are trying to follow this map to the treasure and also stop the vampires.
The biggest problem with this story is that I didn't care. The author decided to have overt descriptions in places that didn't need it (more than he did in his previous books) and the story itself didn't need to be told. That's the biggest problem with this one.
*spoilers*
okay, so essentially all the gold their promised vanishes and they're left with really no treasure and promise to not talk about this adventure. of course because it's never mentioned in books 4-10 since it's a midquel. So really, this entire book is pointless
*end spoilers*
I can't stand books that do this. like, you know that nothing TRULY eventful can happen since it's a midquel and it obviously can't contradict things that happen later so you can only have an adventure that can keep the status quo. I could forgive it though if the story was fun or exciting, but it really wasn't. For a 200 page book, this book really dragged. I didn't think that was possible, but man.... this was more of a chore than i thought it would be.
The characters are in character so that's fine, but overall it just didn't have the magic that some of the earlier ones did. I'm going to contribute this to Robert being off his game since it had been so long since the previous one and this one was his "i need to get back in the groove" book.
Still though, didn't really enjoy this one and i can't in good conscience round it up to a 3.
So, 2.5 out of 5 rounded down to a 2. Officially halfway through the series and i'm hoping the next one (the ACTUAL next one in the series) is better .
2.5 rounded down to a 2.
This book was kind of boring but also kind of weird. Basically Skeeve finds a treasure map and he, Aahz, and Tanda all go off to find a golden cow.
The first 1/4 of this book is very very boring. It's literally them trying to follow this map, travel to the wrong dimension, having to come back, talk to this guy, get another hint and try again. They literally don't even get to the dimension they need to until at least 1/4 of the way through. It's literally just filler and it's unnecessary and boring.
When we finally get to the dimension we find out there are vampire cows and that sounds way more interesting than it really is. It's basically a world of cowboys that are attacked every now and then at night by vampire cows and Skeeve and crew are trying to follow this map to the treasure and also stop the vampires.
The biggest problem with this story is that I didn't care. The author decided to have overt descriptions in places that didn't need it (more than he did in his previous books) and the story itself didn't need to be told. That's the biggest problem with this one.
*spoilers*
okay, so essentially all the gold their promised vanishes and they're left with really no treasure and promise to not talk about this adventure. of course because it's never mentioned in books 4-10 since it's a midquel. So really, this entire book is pointless
*end spoilers*
I can't stand books that do this. like, you know that nothing TRULY eventful can happen since it's a midquel and it obviously can't contradict things that happen later so you can only have an adventure that can keep the status quo. I could forgive it though if the story was fun or exciting, but it really wasn't. For a 200 page book, this book really dragged. I didn't think that was possible, but man.... this was more of a chore than i thought it would be.
The characters are in character so that's fine, but overall it just didn't have the magic that some of the earlier ones did. I'm going to contribute this to Robert being off his game since it had been so long since the previous one and this one was his "i need to get back in the groove" book.
Still though, didn't really enjoy this one and i can't in good conscience round it up to a 3.
So, 2.5 out of 5 rounded down to a 2. Officially halfway through the series and i'm hoping the next one (the ACTUAL next one in the series) is better .
2.5 rounded down to a 2.
November 28, 2016
The One About the Old West
Going into my re-read of this series, I knew this one was out of order, chronologically. I knew reading it after Sweet Myth-tery of Life was the proper order for when the novels were published, but I waffled over which way to read it. In the end, I saw that it was listed as book eleven in most listings of the books, and decided to read it in that order. I think it was the right choice, but I think this book would have been terrible either way.
To be fair, Asprin returned to the series six years after writing the last book, and chose to go back and write an easier story before tackling what he saw as the end to get back in practice. He writes about this in his foreword, and explains that this story takes place between Myth Directions and Hit or Myth. Skeeve is still Aahz's apprentice, and the crew is much smaller; in fact, the book focuses on Skeeve, Aahz, and Tananda as they go on a multidimensional treasure hunt. A good chunk of the book is dedicated to how they follow the map, and then it picks up in a dimension that's much like the Old West. What sets is apart, though, is the vampire cows.
Yes, you read that correctly: Vampire Cows.
It's a dumb premise, made worse by flat characterization. I complained about how the female characters were portrayed in Sweet Myth-tery of Life, but it's a lot better than how Tananda is represented here. She doesn't do much, save act as a hugger, and Skeeve and Aahz are a bit off, too. I get that Asprin might have been rusty, but he had been writing these characters for over twenty years before abandoning them for seven. Can he really have lost that much of the magic in that time?
The answer, unfortunately, is yes. Seeing as it occurs so late in the series, and is an earlier adventure that doesn't affect the canon of the other stories, it would be safe to skip it. I'm just hoping that Something M.Y.T.H. Inc. is better.
Going into my re-read of this series, I knew this one was out of order, chronologically. I knew reading it after Sweet Myth-tery of Life was the proper order for when the novels were published, but I waffled over which way to read it. In the end, I saw that it was listed as book eleven in most listings of the books, and decided to read it in that order. I think it was the right choice, but I think this book would have been terrible either way.
To be fair, Asprin returned to the series six years after writing the last book, and chose to go back and write an easier story before tackling what he saw as the end to get back in practice. He writes about this in his foreword, and explains that this story takes place between Myth Directions and Hit or Myth. Skeeve is still Aahz's apprentice, and the crew is much smaller; in fact, the book focuses on Skeeve, Aahz, and Tananda as they go on a multidimensional treasure hunt. A good chunk of the book is dedicated to how they follow the map, and then it picks up in a dimension that's much like the Old West. What sets is apart, though, is the vampire cows.
Yes, you read that correctly: Vampire Cows.
It's a dumb premise, made worse by flat characterization. I complained about how the female characters were portrayed in Sweet Myth-tery of Life, but it's a lot better than how Tananda is represented here. She doesn't do much, save act as a hugger, and Skeeve and Aahz are a bit off, too. I get that Asprin might have been rusty, but he had been writing these characters for over twenty years before abandoning them for seven. Can he really have lost that much of the magic in that time?
The answer, unfortunately, is yes. Seeing as it occurs so late in the series, and is an earlier adventure that doesn't affect the canon of the other stories, it would be safe to skip it. I'm just hoping that Something M.Y.T.H. Inc. is better.
August 3, 2018
I did enjoy this book fairly well but found it to be a bit of a low point for the series. It does not take place after book 10 or even around the same time but before the mob was involved in the series. I think the mob became involved around book 4, so this book took a major leap backward in time. I started this book expecting to find out what happened after the cliff hanger at the end of book 10 and was annoyed and confused to suddenly be reading about events way in the past. At first I was even thinking that I may be reading the wrong book and somehow was reading one from way back in the series that I had already read. The confusion and annoyance at not getting to find out what happened after book 10 dampened my mood for a good portion of the time I read this book and made the experience worse. Also, with it taking place way in the past, there weren't as many characters that I have come to like and did not introduce any characters that I found especially interesting. Still, the book did involve an interesting journey and an interesting dimension at the end of the journey. I am wondering if there is a chronological list of the Myth Adventures books because I would recommend reading this book right before the book with the mob so that you don't feel ripped away from events going on when you read this book. Also, if you just finished book 10, I think skipping to book 12 makes sense if you really want to find out what happens. This was still an enjoyable book and something I would recommend. I would recommend this whole series of books though. They are fantastic and really start to hit their stride around book 4 or 5.
November 14, 2008
It's been at least a decade since I last read any of the Mythadventures books. Luckily, I've read the series at least twice (probably three times) so reading this book was like getting reacquainted with old friends, especially since it takes place between books three and four (there are twelve total). Here's the plot in a nutshell: our hero Skeeve, his grumpy mentor Aahz, and their lovely ex-assassin friend Tananda find a treasure map that leads them to a dimension of vegetarian cowboys who fear something that comes out at night. It's a silly and somewhat convoluted story, as all the Myth books are, but a bit more disposable by virtue of having been written out of order. I can't fault Asprin for this; he admits in the Author's Note that this was written as a way of easing back into the characters after a seven-year hiatus. In short, I would not recommend this book on its own (though it does a fine job of filling in quite a bit of the backstory), but definitely as part of the series. The Myth books remain some of my favorite fantasy comedies of all time, and it was nice to finally revisit them.
June 23, 2021
Skeeve, Aahz and Tananda are back on a treasure hunt that sends them skipping from one dimension to another. It’s been a long while since I’ve read Mr. Asprin’s Myth adventures series and I thought I’d settle back easily into this one once I had a chapter or two under my belt. But I found myself getting bogged down in magical theories, mystifying explanations and long-boring passages wherein people did nothing but stare at an ever-changing map.
I figured out the deal in a world where all the towns were the same, the people ate only veggies and wouldn’t touch the cows while the bovines stared at the traveling trio with no signs of fear (and I’ll admit I’m very bad at induction in mystery stories). But the true backstory was a real shock. It’s so good yet so bizarre that I’m not going to reveal it here.
Skeeve proves to be a bit of the moron Aahz often takes him to be yet also very discerning, intelligent and unexpectedly brilliant. All three bring their unique talents to this quest and that camaraderie, more than anything else, is what brings me back happily into this series. I’ve mythed this.
I figured out the deal in a world where all the towns were the same, the people ate only veggies and wouldn’t touch the cows while the bovines stared at the traveling trio with no signs of fear (and I’ll admit I’m very bad at induction in mystery stories). But the true backstory was a real shock. It’s so good yet so bizarre that I’m not going to reveal it here.
Skeeve proves to be a bit of the moron Aahz often takes him to be yet also very discerning, intelligent and unexpectedly brilliant. All three bring their unique talents to this quest and that camaraderie, more than anything else, is what brings me back happily into this series. I’ve mythed this.
January 22, 2020
A friend from work put me on to this series and I have enjoyed most of them. It's my understanding that this book was written well after the rest of the series had been completed. I found that it was lacking in many of the qualities that the other books were rich in such as the snappy banter between the characters and that the plot was kind of boring. They follow a map, encounter a twist, and then follow the map some more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 12, 2022
In an authors note, Asprin says he didn’t write for seven years bc he was in trouble with the IRS (he doesn’t explicitly say he had writers block, but I think I read somewhere he had writers block). So I guess he could basically only write if there was money involved and since he wasn’t being offered enough money, or the IRS was gonna take any money he made off writing, he just didn’t bother. So, rather than the book the fans had been waiting for after he promised it to us in his last semi apologetic yet whiny authors note, he decided to write a new one, set in between books 3 and 4, to try and get back in the rhythm and mind space of the characters and setting.
Spoiler alert: he did not do that.
This book is AWFUL. None of the characters seem like themselves at all. Skeeve is awful. Tananda is boring and doesn’t act like herself at all, and Skeeve is sort of a shitty friend to her. “I wasn’t sure what she did now except for shop and go on adventures. What’s more, I didn’t really want to know. We were friends, and that was enough for me.” Seriously? What kind of friend doesn’t want to know what their friends have been up to? “Hey how you been? Whatchoo been up to?” I mean wtf. Aahz just calls Skeeve stupid constantly, and also calls him “Skeeve” a bunch. Which is OOC for him; it’s usually “kid.” Not one “kid” in the entire book.
As always, Skeeve’s powers are inconsistent, but not as inconsistent as the way Asprin describes disguise spells. It’s basically 75% of Skeeve’s magical arsenal; it’s an illusion that creates the impression of looking like someone else. Nothing is really real; if he disguises them as wearing coats; they’ll still be cold bc they’re not really wearing coats. Yet “the air was cold and crisp…I was glad I still had our heavy coats and hats on as disguises.” He’s made a point several times of saying disguise spells are just an illusion so how would a disguise spell coat keep him warm??? Oh, then he keeps tipping his hat to everyone. The hat he isn’t really wearing bc it’s a disguise spell. Wtf.
Oh, and the translator pendant thing. In Myth Nomers and Impervections he makes a point of saying the translator pendants only work on spoken words; he can’t read other languages. Yet he can read the names of the bars in the town just fine? (And for that matter, all of his friends are demons. Do they all just wear translator pendants all the time? Or do they all just speak Klahdish for his benefit?)
Skeeve has a love interest in this one. Glenda is pretty and flirted with Skeeve but left him stranded on a dimension and he immediately begins despising her and wishing horrible things upon her. Didn’t Aahz leave him stranded on dimensions a bunch of times? And Luanna framed his partner for murder but he still wanted to hit that. I’m not even going to go into how stupid it is to write a book about vampires (vampire cows) set several books before the OTHER book about vampires in this series. Anyway, the way he liked this girl and then turned on her on a dime is way OOC too and really bugged me.
All in all, this honestly felt like a slap in the face to his fans. His authors notes just get more and more whiny (“they gave me DEADLINES! They made me pay TAXES! And write BOOKS!!! Those BASTARDS!”) and his characterization is just off. He should’ve worked on writing a book to wrap everything up so he could go work as an accountant or something, since he clearly wasn’t keen on writing.
Oh, for bonus points, here’s a list of things in this book Skeeve didn’t know:
Cows
Travel agents
Hormones
Posse
Morgue
Spoiler alert: he did not do that.
This book is AWFUL. None of the characters seem like themselves at all. Skeeve is awful. Tananda is boring and doesn’t act like herself at all, and Skeeve is sort of a shitty friend to her. “I wasn’t sure what she did now except for shop and go on adventures. What’s more, I didn’t really want to know. We were friends, and that was enough for me.” Seriously? What kind of friend doesn’t want to know what their friends have been up to? “Hey how you been? Whatchoo been up to?” I mean wtf. Aahz just calls Skeeve stupid constantly, and also calls him “Skeeve” a bunch. Which is OOC for him; it’s usually “kid.” Not one “kid” in the entire book.
As always, Skeeve’s powers are inconsistent, but not as inconsistent as the way Asprin describes disguise spells. It’s basically 75% of Skeeve’s magical arsenal; it’s an illusion that creates the impression of looking like someone else. Nothing is really real; if he disguises them as wearing coats; they’ll still be cold bc they’re not really wearing coats. Yet “the air was cold and crisp…I was glad I still had our heavy coats and hats on as disguises.” He’s made a point several times of saying disguise spells are just an illusion so how would a disguise spell coat keep him warm??? Oh, then he keeps tipping his hat to everyone. The hat he isn’t really wearing bc it’s a disguise spell. Wtf.
Oh, and the translator pendant thing. In Myth Nomers and Impervections he makes a point of saying the translator pendants only work on spoken words; he can’t read other languages. Yet he can read the names of the bars in the town just fine? (And for that matter, all of his friends are demons. Do they all just wear translator pendants all the time? Or do they all just speak Klahdish for his benefit?)
Skeeve has a love interest in this one. Glenda is pretty and flirted with Skeeve but left him stranded on a dimension and he immediately begins despising her and wishing horrible things upon her. Didn’t Aahz leave him stranded on dimensions a bunch of times? And Luanna framed his partner for murder but he still wanted to hit that. I’m not even going to go into how stupid it is to write a book about vampires (vampire cows) set several books before the OTHER book about vampires in this series. Anyway, the way he liked this girl and then turned on her on a dime is way OOC too and really bugged me.
All in all, this honestly felt like a slap in the face to his fans. His authors notes just get more and more whiny (“they gave me DEADLINES! They made me pay TAXES! And write BOOKS!!! Those BASTARDS!”) and his characterization is just off. He should’ve worked on writing a book to wrap everything up so he could go work as an accountant or something, since he clearly wasn’t keen on writing.
Oh, for bonus points, here’s a list of things in this book Skeeve didn’t know:
Cows
Travel agents
Hormones
Posse
Morgue
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2023
A nearly perfecting outing with my favorite Pervect and his apprentice.
The last few books in this series have been rough, apparently this was due to the author's personal problems (defund the IRS). So Asprin goes back to basics, as a result we get the best book since #4 (Hit or Myth.
This story takes place in the past timeline, when Skeeve is Court Magician of Possiltum. That means no Myth INC and the bloated cast of characters from which the last few books suffered greatly.
Tananda rounds out the primary cast giving us a nice balanced trio. Yay.
The storyline? Following a treasure map through dimensions. YAY!
It starts off a little rough and repetitive but once it gains momentum it really becomes a page turner.
The last few books in this series have been rough, apparently this was due to the author's personal problems (defund the IRS). So Asprin goes back to basics, as a result we get the best book since #4 (Hit or Myth.
This story takes place in the past timeline, when Skeeve is Court Magician of Possiltum. That means no Myth INC and the bloated cast of characters from which the last few books suffered greatly.
Tananda rounds out the primary cast giving us a nice balanced trio. Yay.
The storyline? Following a treasure map through dimensions. YAY!
It starts off a little rough and repetitive but once it gains momentum it really becomes a page turner.
June 23, 2022
Juvenile Fantasy Beach-Read
A twisting-turning adventure of treasure hunting and dimension hopping.
Review
This was just a fun dumb time. Definitely pleasurably junk food.
This series is like a bag of potato chips that you don't want to stop eating until the bag is empty.
Then then act.
Always solve one problem at a time.
A twisting-turning adventure of treasure hunting and dimension hopping.
Review
This was just a fun dumb time. Definitely pleasurably junk food.
This series is like a bag of potato chips that you don't want to stop eating until the bag is empty.
Then then act.
Always solve one problem at a time.
March 25, 2023
This book worries me about what can happen to an author who takes time off from writing. It's utter garbage.
Skeeve is transformed from an endearing apprentice into a horny junkie. Is this really the direction you want to follow him?
Every. Single. Plot. Point. Is advanced through contrivance and previously-unexplained magic. We can suck the magic out of a treasure map. The villain can cast "dimension lock." The assassin can cast "ziplock mouth." Everyone and anyone can cast the unheard-of spell that is required to advance the story to the next page.
I was binge-reading this (otherwise fantastic) series and this book was that one piece of expired sushi that has permanently put me off this author.
Skeeve is transformed from an endearing apprentice into a horny junkie. Is this really the direction you want to follow him?
Every. Single. Plot. Point. Is advanced through contrivance and previously-unexplained magic. We can suck the magic out of a treasure map. The villain can cast "dimension lock." The assassin can cast "ziplock mouth." Everyone and anyone can cast the unheard-of spell that is required to advance the story to the next page.
I was binge-reading this (otherwise fantastic) series and this book was that one piece of expired sushi that has permanently put me off this author.
October 2, 2023
The Myth books are a light and entertaining fantasy series about a magician's apprentice who doesn't really know what he's doing, and his mentor, a demon who lost his magic powers due to a practical joke. I read them as a teen and just started to reread them.
The early books in the series are my favorites, funny and engaging stories that parody traditional fantasy novels, with adventures in multiple interesting worlds. The later books are disappointing, as the young protagonist becomes a bureaucrat and more and more elements of the real world get added in — mafia, graduate school, business development. All are a quick read — I reread this one in a few days.
The early books in the series are my favorites, funny and engaging stories that parody traditional fantasy novels, with adventures in multiple interesting worlds. The later books are disappointing, as the young protagonist becomes a bureaucrat and more and more elements of the real world get added in — mafia, graduate school, business development. All are a quick read — I reread this one in a few days.
March 28, 2023
After the previous installation in the series Sweet Myth-Tery of Life my exceptions for this one were pretty low.
Thankfully the author decided to go back to this being an adventure book. Skeeve bought a treasure map randomly and the team decide to pursue it for wild west / Dracula adventure.
World building and pacing got a bit iffy in the middle but overall this was a fun romp.
Thankfully the author decided to go back to this being an adventure book. Skeeve bought a treasure map randomly and the team decide to pursue it for wild west / Dracula adventure.
World building and pacing got a bit iffy in the middle but overall this was a fun romp.
March 18, 2025
This books is set earlier than some of the recent books, following Myth Directions. In this adventure, Skeeve gets hold of a treasure map that leads to a golden cow. At the thought of treasure, Aahz loses his senses, with Tananda, they begin a grand adventure. .
Only, the map is magical and changes as the proceed. They meet some odd characters, some peculiar dimensions. Meeting vegetarian cowboys, odd cattle, and redundant towns on their way to find gold, they face odd obstacles and find humorous solutions.
Only, the map is magical and changes as the proceed. They meet some odd characters, some peculiar dimensions. Meeting vegetarian cowboys, odd cattle, and redundant towns on their way to find gold, they face odd obstacles and find humorous solutions.
December 9, 2018
My husband read a number of these Myth Adventure books years back and enjoyed them, so I gave this one a try; it looked like fun. And while this book was a light, easy read, and I was initially curious about the western towns the three main protagonists were visiting on their quest to find a golden cow, I found this book a bit too silly for my taste. I won't try reading another of Asprin's books--they just aren't a style of humor I enjoy.
March 29, 2020
I actually read this out of order. While this is the 11th book in the series, it’s set between the 3rd and 4th, and I read it last. So.
With that said, I think that’s the best time to read it. The last few books sort of got bogged down with everything going on in the kingdom—this was a pretty refreshing way to end it. Going back to the good old days, when Skeeve was just an apprentice that didn’t know anything out on an adventure.
With that said, I think that’s the best time to read it. The last few books sort of got bogged down with everything going on in the kingdom—this was a pretty refreshing way to end it. Going back to the good old days, when Skeeve was just an apprentice that didn’t know anything out on an adventure.
April 7, 2023
I remember reading this when I was in college. I wasn't reading much SFF back then, but wanted to see where the series went since the last book published before this one was a cliffhanger that had been bugging me for around a decade. I didn't enjoy it nearly as much reading it then as I did this time around. I'm glad that I'm more receptive to this kind of silly adventure story because it really is a fun escape.
June 3, 2024
Book 11 of the Myth Adventures. This book was a fantastic treasure hunt where for once our hapless adventurers were not running from something. Well, mostly. Aside from that the hilarity and twists make this classic very memorable. If you’ve not jumped into this series but love Terry Pratchett style adventures, you are doing yourself a disservice. Come and adventure with Skeeve and Aahz as they blunder their way through the dimensions.
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
Joseph McKnight
http://www.josephmcknight.com
January 31, 2019
Pop sugar challenge 2019- prompt- a book that takes place in a single day
This was a bit off beat from the storyline, but it was the authors first book after 10 years coming back to the series. I was a bit miffed it didn't directly pick back up b/c I wanted to know what happened to the situation at the end of book 10! I'm hoping book 12 addresses it.
This was a bit off beat from the storyline, but it was the authors first book after 10 years coming back to the series. I was a bit miffed it didn't directly pick back up b/c I wanted to know what happened to the situation at the end of book 10! I'm hoping book 12 addresses it.
September 9, 2021
I lost track of this series when Robert Aspirin had his difficulties with the IRS and others. Diving into this 'flashback' was the perfect way to catch up and remember just why I love the series in the first place.
No spoilers here, just a lot of fun, great writing, and some of the most painful puns you will ever experience in your life.
Find it! BUY IT! READ IT!
No spoilers here, just a lot of fun, great writing, and some of the most painful puns you will ever experience in your life.
Find it! BUY IT! READ IT!
November 24, 2023
I understand that he wrote this an attempt to restart the Myth series after six years and had issues resuming the next as a result, so he went back in time to recapture the original feel. I liked this one pretty well, though it lacked a bit of the personal growth Skeeve achieves in the earlier books. Still, it's cute, cozy fantasy that I've come from the late author.
December 20, 2018
I read this one after the third book, since it is how the author added it in the chronology. As English is my second language, it took me a while to understand the problem with the dust bunnies... or is it because I identify as a male? :D
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