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Little Myth Marker | Rating | |
| B | |||
| Robert Asprin | |||
| Series | Related Books | ||
| MythAdventures | Another Fine Myth, Myth Conceptions, Myth Directions, Hit or Myth, Myth-ing Persons, Little Myth Marker, M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link, Myth-Nomers and Im-Pervections, M.Y.T.H. Inc. In Action, Sweet Myth-tery of Life, Myth-Ion Improbable, Something M.Y.T.H. Inc., Myth-Told Tales, Myth Alliances, Myth-Taken Identity, Class Dis-Mythed, Myth-Gotten Gains | ||
Skeeve may be hot stuff in the magic department, but when it comes to gambling, he's a rank beginner. Which is why he's so pleased - not to mention astonished - at how well he does in a friendly game of dragon poker. Good enough that several people have to leave their marks with the Skeeve, promising to pay back later. Including a little girl named Markie. Skeeve and Aahz are going to get a crash course in childrearing, whether they want to or not! There's also the present from the mob in the form of a new moll, and news that a legendary character assassin has been hired to destroy Skeeve's reputation to deal with. It never rains but it pours.
As usual with this series, Little Myth Marker is light, short, and fun. The book zooms by, as does the plot. Things happen fast, and the trials and tribulations Skeeve must face are all interesting twists on the expected, perhaps even unique. The scheme meant to bring him low wasn't brilliant, perhaps, but it was most definitely inspired. Nobody will ever complain that this book is dull.
As a bonus, the story has a few twists that first-time readers will have a hard time anticipating. And watching Skeeve try to play dragon poker - the most complicated card game ever invented - was a positive delight.
On the other hand, Markie proved to be quite the handful not just for Skeeve and his friends but for me as well. Her antics were exasperating - as they were meant to be, of course. There is a reason for it, so it's not just Asprin writing a brat because he wants to make things hard for his characters. But I, at least, have never much been fond of stories in which the author is expressly trying to annoy his readers. Too often, they succeed.
This book ends with an extremely important turning point in the series. For that reason, if no other, it is not to be missed. Like all the MythAdventures books, this is a nice, fun novel, a good way to kill a few hours. But it's little more than that. If you want to enjoy a fun little tale, this is for you. If you want something deeper, you're going to have to look elsewhere.
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