Myth Conceptions

Myth Adventures #2

by Robert Lynn Asprin

As Court Magician to Rodrick the Fifth of Possiltum, Skeeve must oppose the universe's mightiest invading army, but he is not sure how, and his mentor, Aahz, who lost his sorcerer's power, cannot help.

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

201 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

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 5 out of 5]

Okay, so I'm laughing my ass off. These books are all kinds of perfect, assuming you want light, fluffy, funny D&D like fantasy with absolutely delightful characters. Con-man demon, wet-behind-the-ears mage, and amazing misadventure.

WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Let's just apply for the Court Wizard position, kid. It's all posture. The hard part is just getting the job.

Yeeeeeeesssssss. :)

The side characters were also fantastically funny. When I compare this 30-year-old book with the kinds of modern fantasy we get these days, it's holding its own with flying colors. The newer ones owe a great debt to this.

[Carrot :3 (on a hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars.

Like the previous instalment, this one was light and humorous. This series is best for when you need a break reading intense books.

We have a reunion of the characters from the first book and some additional ones. Loving how our Skeeve is growing.

A very quick and delightful read.

[Orient · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story has quite a similar plot, pace and humor as Another Fine Myth (the most enjoyable thing, Mr. Asprin can give). These books are a comic fun with a touch of fantasy and magic to me. I ran with my hungry eyes and impatient fingers through “Myth Conceptions”. Of course everything is prepared for the show, so I just enjoyed meeting the main characters, some familiar and loved from the first book and some interesting, new ones. To my joy, the Myth world gets bigger, diverse, more interesting and fun. It’s not only magic, I found court drama, military tricks and lots of light jokes and humor, to emphasize, even lighten serious things. The message is clear


The plot sometimes seems somewhat obvious. Some episodes were quite simple and at first I thought that it’s a setup and everything will turn into a tangled twist but nope. Like the one with Mr. Super Arrow being too old or the spying harmless Gremlin. I sometimes feel too wicked and expect the books to be more wicked too :D
I liked that the shy general-to-be magician apprentice became more confident and his BFF, Aahz let him have his star-hour. Skeeve is growing, not only as a magician, but as a leader too. I could see his growth in the way he cooperated with others and I liked that he showed tenderness and toughness as well. As usual Skeeve is left alone in the so called market to wait for trouble and bring smth/smb unusual and dangerous. It’s no need to say that he succeeds. The mad crew, he recruits, is worth a lot. I cared about them, while giggling from their jokes and worrying in serious moments.
The cocky, fashionable imp from the first book

Mr. Old Sleepy Super Arrow

A stony gargoyle with his pet, a living fire-breathing salamander.

Not forgetting the old crew. The sarcastic alcoholic demon and a sexy green-haired assassin. Oh and the heroic lovely baby dragon.
There is definitely a lot of fun to read how they manage to survive (the end was unexpected and just gripping) adding the funny dialogues.
To sum up, this book is a great fun to read though the plot is quite simple, but jokes, puns and characters help it to shine. So if you’re looking for a quick fun read, you can definitely count on “Myth Conceptions”.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This is the second book in the Myth Adventures series and, like the first book Another Fine Myth, I really enjoyed it. These books are fun, light reads that are perfect for when you either need a mood pick me up, or maybe just want to be entertained without having to invest too much grey matter at the same time.

In this second installment, Skeeve, an apprentice magician, and his teacher Aahz, a demon from another dimension summoned in the first book by Skeeve's dead master, along with their pet dragon and unicorn (the cast of characters should give you a good idea of the tone of the book) are recruited to stop a war. Unfortunately, not everyone is happy about it and comedy and light-hearted adventuring follows. Recommended!!

[Gavin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in Robert Asprin's lighthearted and fun Myth series of fantasy books. It delivered much the same as the first book. Witty dialogue, action, magic, and likable characters.

Skeeve is invited to try out for the position of court magician by his master Aahz, who claims it will be an easy job. It's not of course, and before long Skeeve finds himself having to defend the whole kingdom against a massive invading army with only the few magical tricks he has mastered so far. Lucky for him some familiar faces from the first book join his fight along with a few new friends.

This was a quick and very enjoyable read.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Audio Note: Jeff Woodman again delivers a fantastic performance.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was always my favourite back in the day ( it was one of the 6 or 7 I owned at one point) as it eschewed all the world building from Another Fine Myth in favour of a madcap mission to stop an aggressor army whose front lines are literally wider than the border of the kingdom its invading.

The audiobook narration was again quite on point, with distinctive voices conjured up for all the new and minor characters along the way, while sticking to what already works when delivering Aahz's various pithy remarks such as, "Shut up, kid."

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Myth Conceptions is the second book in the Myth Adventures series, following Another Fine Myth and preceding Myth Directions. (If you don't get the idea that there are a lot of puns in the books, then you've mythed the boat...) In this one, Skeeve applies for the job of Court Magician in Possiltum at the urging of his pal, green-skinned but powerless demon Aahz from Perv, who assures him that it'll be a piece of cake. So, of course, his first assignment after he gets the position (job interviews are important) is to single-handedly stop the massive and invincible army of the invading empire. Luckily, he has some helpful friends and makes a few more. It's a funny fantasy romp, in the spirit of Pratchett, Anthony, and Foster, when D&D was played with dice and pencils, not computers.

[David Sarkies · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's All Smoke and Mirrors
27 February 2016

Having somewhat enjoyed the first book, when I was around my friend's house in Adelaide (and he was insisting on lending me as many books as possible, despite my protestations at having a huge TBR pile as it is) I decided to grab the next couple in the series just to see how well Asprin writes his sequels. Mind you, I tend to have a fairly low opinion of sequels, namely because Hollywood tends to have this really bad habit of completely ruining them (or creating them where they are not needed, and in the process completely ruining them – think Ghostbusters II). Anyway, it was two pages into this book when I had my first laugh out loud moment, so I knew that I was going to enjoy it.

The fact that it only took me two days to read it is probably testament to that, but then again it is a pretty short book, though a short book does not necessarily mean an easy, or a quick, read (The Abolition of Man is testament to that).

Well, we once again meet Skeeve and his mentor the Pervet Ahaz, who are spending some time in the old inn that they settled down in after sending the wizard Istvaan off into some random dimension. However, as is the case with life, this isn't the end of the story since a soldier from a nearby kingdom rocks up and tells Skeeve that the king would like to interview him for the position of court magician. Well, that sounds like a really cushy, high paying job where Skeeve can pursue his chosen career of being a thief – as long as they get it that is.

This is where Ahaz once again comes in because as anybody who has ever been to a job interview would know (or doesn't know for that matter) the whole interview isn't so much about the skills you have (because that is generally outlined on the resume), but rather how you present yourself. In fact you could be one of the best qualified candidates at the interview and get absolutely nowhere simply because the interviewers simply do not like you.



Anyway, enough about the job interviews because needless to say, with Ahaz's help, he nails it (and sometimes I wish I had a mate like Ahaz, but then again don't we all?). Problem is that it turns out that they weren't looking for a court magician to simply sit around doing the occasional party trick for the king, but to deal with an invading army that happens to be really, really big. The problem is (as if that isn't a big enough problem) that the general, who's pretty upset that the chancellor wouldn't give him any money to hire some more troops (let alone finish the walls around the castle), doesn't want to give him any troops simply because the way he sees it, if the magician wins then the chancellor's going to see this as an excuse to disband the army because as everybody knows armies are really expensive to maintain. However the problem is that soldiers and generals really, really don't like being thrown onto the unemployment lists, and no country wants a bunch of really upset vets running around complaining about the government.

Anyway, I'm getting a little bit ahead of myself, and I'm probably getting a bit too far into the book, which means that you don't need to read the book, which sort of defeats the purpose of a book review (and further more if I had written a book review at school which basically rehashed the plot of the book, I probably would have failed – that is unless I bribed the teacher, but then again I don't know anybody who went around bribing teachers – if that is even possible). However, I'm sure we all know how this book ends, pretty much the same way that most fantasy novels end, but then again I suspect it is not so much the ending that counts, but how we actually get there.

[Werner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually, when I read books that are part of a series, I prefer to start at the beginning. However, my wife picked this second volume of the author's Myth series up at our local flea market, and suggested that we read it together, so I did. While it makes some reference to previous events, and many of the characters have prior history with each other, it can be enjoyed well enough as a stand-alone.

Set in another dimension where magic, or magik, as Asprin spells it here, (strictly of the incantational sort) operates, this is basically a lighthearted humorous fantasy romp, with no deep messages or symbolic themes. Our hero is Skeeve, a moderately able apprentice studying under Aahz, a demon (in Aspirin's fictional universe, as in Piers Anthony's Xanth, "demon" is simply a term for any member of various magical humanoid species, which aren't inherently evil and have no connection with Satan) who's a "magician," i.e., a sorcerer --but one who's lost his powers for the present. Early on, Skeeve manages to land a job as court magician in the kingdom of Possiltum --only to learn that he's expected to fend off an approaching invading army of invincible size. This, of course, lands the two in hot water (their usual situation, apparently :-)) of a potentially lethal sort; but given the humorous tone of the book, the reader doesn't have any doubt that they'll be able to pull through. The humor is wry and pseudo-cynical, a veneer over an essentially ethical and optimistic outlook; I don't recall laughing out loud, but I did enjoy the read. (For me, one of the more delightful parts was a visit to the "Yellow Crescent Inn" situated in an inter-dimensional bazaar frequented by inhabitants of various worlds, including ours. If you've ever thought the McDonald's chain --for which my wife happens to work :-)-- was getting to be really ubiquitous, you didn't know the half of it!)

There are a variety of secondary characters here, ranging from Skeeve's lovable pet dragon, Gleep, to Possiltum's military commander, the appropriately named General Badaxe. One of the more interesting is a green-haired beauty named Tanda, who's taking time off from her jobs to help Skeeve and Aahz in their jeopardy. The author implies that one of her jobs, at times, is prostitution; but she doesn't behave lewdly here, and though Aspirin's humor can include some mild sexual innuendo, there's no sex (or bad language, either), in the book. Her principal occupation, though, is contract killing --which would make it a real challenge to make her even remotely likable! Surprisingly, Aspirin pulls that off (helped greatly by the fact, of course, that he doesn't depict her at work); she comes across as a loyal friend, and a person with integrity, a sense of responsibility, and a basically kind heart. How she balances those qualities with the demands of her line of work would make an interesting character study, which Asprin doesn't really attempt (as noted above, this isn't a deep work). But he does hint at it when Tanda refuses Skeeve's suggestion that she kill the officers of the invading army; assassins, she says, only take on contracts in personal feuds, never as a part of a war. In her world, the Assassins Guild is a recognized (and, apparently, perfectly legal) professional body with a code of ethics that she takes seriously; she seems to see herself essentially as an honorable, rule-bound professional --a stance that doesn't evoke approval, but can evoke respect.

I've never run across any other volumes of the Myth series in any of the venues where I usually purchase books. But if I did find one, I'd snap it up! If you enjoy humorous fantasy, this book would probably be right up your alley.

[ZeilenZauber · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘*‘ Meine Meinung ‘*‘
Nachdem mir der erste Teil so gut gefallen hat, war ich doppelt neugierig auf den zweiten. Und es war wieder mega-lustig. Skeeve wird angeboten, an der Auswahl für den königlichen Hofmagier teilzunehmen. Aahz findet das grandios und Skeeve lässt sich darauf ein. Doch wie im wahren Leben, wenn es heißt „Mach das, hamse gesagt. Das wird lustig, hamse gesagt.“, kommt das dicke Ende bestimmt. Und so auch hier. Doch Skeeve und Aahz als Duo-Infernale machen Pläne und ... lassen wir es dabei, sie machen Pläne. Mehr verrate ich nicht.
Es war wieder interessant zu sehen, wie die beiden Ping-Pong mit Worten spielen und sich verbalen Schlagabtausch liefern. Wir treffen sogar Figuren aus dem ersten Teil wieder. Diese beteiligen sich an dem Kampf gegen die angreifende Armee und so erhöht sich der Funfactor. Dazu trug auch die Mischung aus Klischee und dessen Konterkarierung bei. Zum Beispiel ist Aahz einerseits der abgebrühte, nie um eine Idee verlegene Dämon. Andererseits wird er manchmal von Skeeve einfach so „in die Tasche gesteckt“ und kann es nicht fassen. Und vor allem Skeeve legt eine starke Entwicklung in diesem Band hin.
Die Spannung wurde sukzessive gesteigert und zum Ende hin schwappte noch einmal eine Spannungswelle über Figuren und Leser herein.
Hach, was soll ich lange über Simon Jäger schwafeln. Er gehört definitiv zur Sprecher-Elite Deutschlands. Seine Interpretation der Figuren sucht seines gleichen. Man hört Zweifel, Freude, Skepsis, Verzweiflung und jedem Charakter spendiert Jäger eine eigene Stimmfarbe.
Der locker-flockige Schreibstil Asprins tut sein Übriges und ich vergebe gern wieder 5 dämonische Sterne.
‘*‘ Klappentext ‘*‘
Stell dir vor, es ist Krieg und der Dämon geht nicht hin.
»Werde Hofmagier!«, fordert der Dämon Aahz. »Viel Gehalt für wenig Arbeit! Wenn man den Job erst mal hat, ist das ein Zuckerschlecken …« Und sein Lehrling Skeeve glaubt ihm. Erst als er königlicher Hofmagier ist, fällt ihm auf, dass sein dämonischer Mentor vielleicht eine Kleinigkeit übersehen haben könnte. Zum Beispiel die riesige angreifende Armee, die mehr Soldaten hat als das Königreich Einwohner - und die Skeeve nun ganz alleine aufhalten soll …

[Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Zauberlehrling Skeeve, Dämon Aahz und ihre Gefährten Einhorn Butterblume und Drache Gliep haben sich in einer verlassenen Herberge niedergelassen. Um mögliche Gäste abzuschrecken, hat sich Skeeve eine besonders grässliche Tarnung zugelegt und so können sie ziemlich ungestört leben. Mit dem friedlichen Alltag ist es vorbei, als ein Kurier des Königs bei ihnen auftaucht und ihnen ein Angebot unterbreitet. Der große Skeeve soll Hofmagier werden. Aahz wittert eine Chance gutes Geld für wenig Leistung zu beziehen, allerdings haben sie da eine Kleinigkeit übersehen. Das Land wird von einer riesigen Armee bedroht und es soll Skeeves Aufgabe sein, sie zu stoppen.

Dies ist der zweite Teil der Dämonenreihe und ich habe mich sehr auf ein Wiedersehen mit den Charakteren gefreut. Auch diesmal gibt es wieder interessante Zitate, die Robert Asprin zum Beispiel Caligula, Mata Hari oder das Phantom der Oper in den Mund gelegt hat. Das Buch gehört zur lustigen Fantasy, trotzdem hat es viele kluge Gedankengänge. Ich schätze sehr die Aussage von Skeeve über Strategie und den Respekt anderen Wesen gegenüber. Obwohl die Reihe im Original im Original Ende der 1970er startete, hat sie nichts an Originalität oder Frische eingebüßt.

Ich bin auch von diesem Teil wieder absolut begeistert und freue mich schon jetzt auf das dritte Abenteuer.

[Klodovik2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stvarno sam u nedoumici oko ocjenjivanja ove knjige. Uopće nije loša dapače dobra je ali nekako ne dopire do mene. Prva knjiga me uvukla u svoj svjet u zadnjij trećini a ova tek u zadnje dvi stranice.
Ocjena 3.5/5

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Now that we've got the whole story," he said solemnly, "now you can panic.”

Myth Conceptions is the second of the Myth Adventures books by Robert Asprin and picks up shortly after the events of Another Fine Myth. Apprentice magician Skeeve and his mentor Aazh (along with a unicorn and baby dragon) are happily installed at an inn that they won in a fight. When a messenger shows up to invite Skeeve to apply for a job as the court magician in a local kingdom, Aazh encourages Skeeve to apply for one of the easiest jobs a magician can have. Trouble being, this one's a bit less cushy than your average government job. An invading army bigger than any known on Klah has now become their problem and it'll be up to Skeeve and Aazh to find a solution that isn't running away screaming.

When I listened to the audiobook of Another Fine Myth, I spent a good deal of my time giggling at the humor in it. Myth Conceptions is still amusing, though perhaps not quite so laugh out loud funny. It pokes fun at government jobs and armies and a number of other things and as always, the quotes at the beginning of every chapter are amusing. But for whatever reason, I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the previous one. It does have a fair amount of character growth for Skeeve as he has to assemble a group to help him fight the invaders and then has to figure out how to lead them. The characters involved were delightful and I almost enjoyed them more than anything else in the story.

Overall, Myth Conceptions is a fun sequel to Another Fine Myth and is both amusing and entertaining. Certainly enough to convince me to keep going in the series, particularly since the narrator for the audiobook is so good. And strangely, makes me think of Miracle Max from Princess Bride. I'd recommend it if you're a fan of satirical fantasy, though you'll definitely want to start with Another Fine Myth if you haven't already.

[Hidekisohma · Rating 4 out of 5]

So after reading two heavy hitter books (both of meh quality) i wanted to go back and read a book i was pretty sure i would like, and having recently read the first book in the series and really liking it, i jumped into the second one, and thankfully, it's just as good as the first.

We basically have the same characters from the first book with a few new ones. The only real addition are a couple of people Skeeve hire on temporarily, and they're all just fine characters.

This time around Aahz (skeeve's mentor) wants him to get the job of a court magician. Fighting an army then ensues.

Once again, the writing was quick and clever, leaving you with just enough details to know what was going on, but not so much that the prose overstays its welcome.

One thing this series does very well is resolving a lot of their problems without succumbing to violence. in the first book there was a body count of 2 and in this one, it's 1. There's hardly any deaths in this series and honestly, it can be quite refreshing.

I can't really say anything earthshaking happened in this book compared to the first one. It really is just "Did you like the first book? Well here's the same thing but in a different setting with a different plot." Meaning if you liked the first book, you'll like the second one. If you didn't, then you won't. I for one, did like the first one, and i also liked this one.

It's nice to get a light hearted, fun, quick 200 page novel once in a while, especially after reading through some never ending trudges.

I'll DEFINITELY keep reading this series. And if it's anything like the first 2, i'm sure i'll enjoy it.

4 out of 5

[Benjamin Uke · Rating 2 out of 5]

Skeeve, an insecure but increasingly competent apprentice magician, and Aahz, his sarcastic, temporarily powerless demon mentor apply for a job, tragically they get it.

2/5
The world-hopping premise allows endless creative freedom and a clear step up from the first book, with sharper jokes and better pacing, lightweight fantasy. That said it's dependent on punchlines to sustain long-term interest and readers seeking epic fantasy depth will be disappointed.

[Gary Sundell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is fun. Listened to the audio book. First read the book when it came out. Internally my mind sees the action as drawn by the great Phil Foglio.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This, the second book in the “Myth Adventures” series, was the first I read as a book (see my review of “Another Fine Myth” for the full explanation thereof). I still had the images from Phil Foglio’s comic books to inform my ideas of the characters, but this was a new story to me. The focus is less on the process of learning magic and more on Skeeve’s developing confidence and a bit of an expansion of our understanding of his world and the other worlds nearby.

The story, once again, pits Skeeve and his magical trainer Aahz against seemingly impossble odds. It begins when a visitor from the nearby kingdom of Possiltum invites Skeeve to audition for the position of Court Magician. Skeeve is leery, but the (other-)worldly Aahz assures him that it’s an easy job, and all he needs to do is impress the king with a certain amount of razzle-dazzle to get it. They manage to do so, despite competition from an unexpectedly high number of competitors, but then find out that their first task is to repulse an invading army – the chancellor has convinced the king that this will be cheaper than hiring an army of their own. When they scout the situation, they discover that the army they are to fight is actually the largest and most effective fighting force ever known to Skeeve’s world, and also learn that their old friend the assassin Tananda was the one who got them the recommendation for the job. This leads to another inter-dimensional trip to the Bazaar on Deva (run by Deveels, but we don’t meet any in this outing). While Aahz is out trying to find mercenaries, Skeeve manages to befriend a powerless imp, an aging archer, a gargoyle with a salamander, and an elusive gremlin. This unlikely force (plus Skeeve’s pet baby dragon Gleep) now has to use its wits to confront a vastly superior, but essentially un-magical, force.

This episode was a bit heavier on puns and in-jokes, as Asprin perhaps was beginning to feel more comfortable with the fantasy-comedy genre. The leaders of the enemy force, for example, are all based on Roman history: Claude, Antonio, The Brute, and Big Jules. He even manages to get an “et tu” joke in. But, as with “Another Fine Myth,” the humor is there more as dressing for a good young adult coming-of-age story with strong fantasy elements. Although Skeeve hopes to let Aahz make the plans and decisions, he winds up more or less in charge of the situation, and learns that he has better leadership skills than he had believed. His magical powers develop as well, but we begin to see him learning these on his own, without his earlier dependencies. The only problem is that he isn’t really the one to figure out the resolution (it’s up to Aahz again), but there is a definite sense of development that allows the series to grow.

[April Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

A childhood favorite re-visited.

Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes

What ages would I recommend it too? – Twelve and up. While ten to twelve might enjoy it, there are many ideas they will not understand. Though, they will certainly get many of the jokes.

Length? – Reasonable for an afternoon.

Characters? – Memorable, several characters.

Setting? – Fantasy, alternate dimensions.

Written approximately? – 1980.

Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.

Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? No.

Short storyline: Skeeve and Aahz leave their hideout to work for a kingdom, not realizing the likelihood of death that decision involves. They must visit another dimension in order to recruit help to save the kingdom and themselves. Skeeve’s dragon, Gleep plays an active role as well.

Notes for the reader: In this story, this author takes the emotions of his characters seriously. The characters don’t just race through the story full of action without emotion. The author realized the importance of the reader connecting to the characters by giving us the emotions, and even the reasons behind those sometimes odd emotions for the situation. While the first few times, it is a shock to the system to actually read of a character having an emotion, soon, it just becomes an enhancement to the story. In fact, when the lack of emotions by the main character becomes apparent in a later story, even that is noted by all the characters, until it is resolved.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember now why I loved this series when it first came out. In addition to the outrageous and funny stories, the chapter headings, with the "quotations" attached, were a real treat.
The descriptions of this book simply don't do it justice. The idea of Skeeve being "mistakenly" appointed Royal Wizard, for example...um, it's far more complex and funny than that suggests. One of the ongoing plot threads in this series is that nothing should be taken at face value, and another is that any deal you're offered is going to have a catch attached, either deliberately or circumstantially. In this case, he's offered a truly great job...with no apparent way to survive it, because the job is apparently impossible, and if he succeeds in it, the forces opposed to him having the job will do their best to kill him off.
That may sound odd for a story that is, in fact, very funny, but that's because few authors wrote funny death and destruction as well as Robert Asprin did over his literary career.
My personal feeling is that anyone who sees this series should pick up the first book and read it. If you like that, then keep reading the rest, because it continued to be very good.

[Michael Tildsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another quick, easy read. I liked this book even more than the first one. The plot was solid. I loved the additional characters that were added. The humor was spot-on and laugh out loud. There was intrigue and suspense.

I read this in less than a day and enjoyed it immensely. I find Mr. Asprin's writing style a breath of fresh air. He does not take himself too seriously, but he knows when to be serious and when to joke. I admire his comedic timing, the wit and speed of his dialogue, and the movement of his prose. So much happens in so little (page-wise) time. Something I aspire to do and to be one day. I found myself unable to put the book down until I finished it. That's a great sweet-spot to find as a writer, and I applaud Mr. Asprin's offering here.

Can't wait to dig into number three in this series.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first half of this book slowly sets our heroes up to be backed into what appears to be a no-win situation. The second half gets them out in a spectacularly gleeful fashion. And then backs them into a corner for the inevitable sequel.

Again more jokes I didn’t get the first time around. I read this easily six years before experiencing Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, so the first time around, I was as lost as Aahz’s audience for his really bad pun related to it. As an adult coming back, I literally facepalmed the pun hurt so much. And yet, the author, by the way the joke is framed almost says to the audience: “I’m sorry this is a terrible pun. Really sorry, but I couldn’t help myself” -- by only having the joke teller laugh. And yet he accomplishes this without breaking the fourth wall with authorial intrusion. Masterfully done. I’m terribly glad I picked these back up.

[Desinka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This second installment in the Myth series was a lot of fun. It was again full of witty dialogue and fun happenings. I liked how Skeeve developed and a characters and the way he dealt with the hard situation he was in. I loved the new additions to the team as well as the appearance of some characters from the first book.

Looking forward to starting the next book.

Rating 3.5 stars.

[Doris · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been a while since I read this, but I still recall the Archer and Skeeve's conversation at the battle, where Skeeve built up the Archer's confidence. Then the Archer asked him, if you could do that, why do you need me? The answer was classic, and wonderful advice to and from a managerial type.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are decently fun books for children, and I once dated someone who still adored reading them as an adult, but it really bothers me when an author's vocabulary is so limited that they continually use words like "chortled" in place of "said" several times throughout the book. That's a once per book word, Robert. Pick another.

[diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silly fun with many moments of hilarity. Still good after all this time. :)

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great way to deal with an invading army. Good banter.

[John Sturges · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.24/5! Fun fantasy/SciFi. Simple, witty light fare in the style of Terry Pratchett. First read this in Highschool and it is very good 35 years later.

[Hali · Rating 4 out of 5]

"You should have fed him to the dragons," Aahz said bluntly.
"The Brute?" Julie frowned. "Fed to the dragons? Why?"
"Because then he could have been 'et, too'!"
Apparently this was supposed to be funny, as Aahz erupted into sudden laughter as he frequently does at his own jokes. Tanda rolled her eyes in exasperation.

Myth Conceptions is full of ridiculous humor, good feelings, fun characters, and that specific type of charm I seem to only find in specific books from this specific era. I liked the new characters who are introduced here, and I enjoyed what was done with the familiar ones. This is a very worthy continuation to the first book, and I am excited to continue the series.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing the comedic fantasy adventures of Skeeve and Aahz.

Skeeve is slightly less inept as a magician, and Aahz is as crusty as ever. When opportunity knocks for a well-paying gig as a court magician, Aahz encourages Skeeve to go for it and gives him some helpful tips on winning the position. What they didn't count on was the position requiring the winning applicant to defend a kingdom against a huge invading army.

Hijinks ensue.

This is just brain candy, entertaining but not extremely satisfying. I will continue the series at some point as I do find it amusing, but it's not so mind-blowing that I have immediately to read through the entire series.

3 out of 5 stars.

[Duncan · Rating 4 out of 5]

While it may be the second book, I do think it usurps the first in quality primarily because the plot is significantly more fun, but also because the first book has the issue of feeling like the entire thing is just set up for the rest of the books in a way where it doesn't try to hide that fact.