SOLVED. Adult Sci-Fi and/or Fantasy series. Multiple dimensions and magic? Read around early 2000s. [s]

[Jesse]

This is a huge long shot, but I believe this book is part of a series. The plot was so bizarre that I might not be able to do it justice (and I might actually be combining two different book plots), but I remember it centering around the concept of multiple dimensions and the mix of magic and science... The main character was a young naive guy who is pulled through multiple directions after meeting some sort of alien(?) creature with a strange name, like Tark or Ferk or something, who shows him the connection between magic and science. This guy may have also been scaly and green or brown.

One particular scene I remember is one of the first new dimensions they travel to is a kind of lawless street market planet. There might have been a sub plot with the main character falling for the princess of his home dimension? In any case, trouble tends to chase them wherever they go... The writing style definitely had a wry humor, which kind of makes me think of Patricia C. Wrede, but aimed toward adults.

I read these books back in the early 2000s, I think, but based on what I remember about the cover possibly published in the 60s or 70s? I read them in a paperback copy that had at least two books (or maybe two parts?) with a brown cover and the alien character on the front, holding a futuristic gun, and possibly a fairy-tale style princess as well?

Thanks in advance for any help anyone can give!

[beichst]

This sounds a lot like The Number of the Beast by Robert A. Heinlein from 1979.

The protagonists travel in the Gay Deceiver, which is equipped with the "continua" device developed by one of the main characters while he was formulating his theories on n-dimensional non-Euclidean geometry. The continua device allows travel into various fictional universes, such as the Land of Oz, as well as through time.

From Wikipedia:

"In the novel, the biblical number of the beast turns out to be not 666 but {\displaystyle (6^{6})^{6}}(6^{6})^{6} or 10,314,424,798,490,535,546,171,949,056,[1] the initial number of parallel universes accessible through the continua device. It is later theorized by the character Jacob that the number may be merely the instantly accessible universes from a given location and that there is a larger structure that implies an infinite number of universes."

[Andy]

Jesse wrote: "This is a huge long shot, but I believe this book is part of a series. The plot was so bizarre that I might not be able to do it justice (and I might actually be combining two different book plots)..."

Makes me think of Robert Asprin's Myth series - starting with "Another Fine Myth"

[Genesistrine]

Yeah, I agree this is Asprin's Myth Adventures series.

Link: Another Fine Myth

[Audrey]

Long shot but *maybe* InterWorld?

[Jesse]

Yes!! Myth Adventures is the one! Thank you!!

[Andy]

Glad to help. The green guy's name is Aahz, by the way - and eventually I figured out that he's a Wizard named Aahz...