Something M.Y.T.H. Inc. [Hardcover]

First, since this is a M.Y.T.H. Inc. title, we are "treated" to much of the book being told through the voice of Skeeve's mob bodyguard, Guido. As such, much of the dialogue is written in an annoying faux-Damon Runyon dialect, youse knows wat I meen? I have no idea why Asprin is so enamoured of Guido, but a little of him goes a long way, and this is the second book told in his voice. (Hey, I think Guido and Nunzio are fine characters, but they aren't leading men and can't carry a book by themselves.)

What I always enjoyed about the Myth books was the interplay between Aahz and Skeeve, and the reason I haven't enjoyed the last few books as much as the earlier ones is a distinct lack of that chemistry. When Skeeve's voice finally takes control of the book (at the 3/4 mark), the book really comes to life. I only wish it happened sooner.

The story itself is OK. It is told parallel to Sweet Myth-tery, so it might take a few minutes to find your bearings, especially if you haven't read that volume in a few years. It involves Guido going out into Posstilium to investigate rumblings of dissent among the citizens and see how serious those are. The opposition consists of three groups: First, a Robin Hood type (literally) and his band of merry disgruntled taxpayers, who are pretty funny. Next, a spoiled rich kid doing a Zorro take-off, which isn't bad. Finally, an INCREDIBLY LAME group inspired by Lord of the Rings which really has no business being in the book and doesn't actually do anything. They literally have no point in this story other than to pad out the page count. Honestly, Asprin seems clueless as what to do with these people. He sets them up gamely and just lets them flouder around.

There's similarly lazy writing in a lot of places. Klah seemed to be a fairly Medieval dimension in the earlier novels. Now, there are so many anachronistic devices used, it could be set in Modern day America. Asprin tries to explain it all away with a line about how demons are trading anachronistic devices all the time, but that doesn't wash. If demons proliferate to the point where the common folk play D&D and read Lord of the Rings, etc., then why do they freak out when they actually SEE a demon? It's just lazy writing.

And the resolution to the cliffhanger we waited eight years for? Cop out. Lame. And you can see it coming a mile away.

Not to be too hard on the book, though. I smiled and chuckled and enjoyed reading it. Mind you, Asprin said he was trying to write with a larger canvas over the last few books (7-12) and take in bigger themes. The whole Queen Hemlock/Posstilium adventure could have been contained in one or two books if Asprin edited himself a little more carefully. It certainly didn't need five volumes.

As a result, the book seems VERY padded. It clocks in at a novella length 150 pages, with a short story and a glossary of the Myth world tossed in to bulk up the slim tome. Mind you, that doesn't stop Meisha Merlin from overcharging again. You guys want to charge book prices? Then publish a book and not a pamphlet. You'd think they could at least afford a copy editor to take care of the dozens of misspellings and typos and get a better artist.

The ending is bittersweet, and it leaves open the possibilities for future volumes as much as it leaves a place for the series to end off. If it is the last book, Asprin deserves the rest. Despite the recent decline in quality, he's written four of the funniest books I've ever read and I'll always appreciate that.

Overall, this is a book for the die hards. If you are new to Myth, go back and read the first four and enjoy them.

BUT even if my high expectations colored my judgement, the structure alone doomed this book from the start. Consider this...

2/3rds of the book is dedicated to the story of Guido(a character that was out of interesting things to say in MYTH inc in action), Pookie and Spyder (two characters that aren't even part of the Myth gang). The story has NOTHING to do with anything that has ever happened in the book before. Further, some of the chapters switch to third person narration which has never been done in the Myth books before. Beyond that the story is fairly weak.

1/6th of the book is dedicated to Skeeve's perspective. This is the only redeeming quality of this book. It continues the story of Sweet Mythtery of Life, but it reads like a "quick wrap-up" and although it has some up points it's still pretty weak.

The last 1/6th of the book is dedicated to Aahz and although it is well written it details a story that is both boring and stupid.

Bottom Line: This entire book has almost nothing to do with any of the books that came before it, it wraps up none of the mysteries of the previous books, and everything that looked dramatic at the end of Sweet Mythtery turns out to be a "wacky misunderstanding" that's quickly resolved.

Unless your really dedicated to the series, don't waste your time (but pick up the next one, there was some potential in the Skeeve chapters)