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Hit or Myth | Rating | |
| A | |||
| 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 is young and not especially advanced as a wizard, but he's nevertheless done very well for himself, thanks in no small part to his friend and mentor, Aahz. He's defeated a madman, a bloodthirsty otherdimensional sports team, and an entire army, all with a style that won him fame and a position as Possletum's royal magician. But what can he do without Aahz to figure out what do do and how to do it? Hopefully it includes getting the Mob off his back, neutralizing a rather prickly queen, and locating an absent king, because that's exactly what he's facing!
I found this is a welcome addition to the series. The "poor little put-upon Skeeve" bit was beginning to get faintly annoying. In the first three books, he was constantly in the dark, and everyone treats him poorly. While he does make crucial observations and suggestions on occasion, his main role has clearly been to be the straight man that everything happens to.
But that's not so, this time. With Aahz gone, the tasks fall squarely onto his shoulders. It's up to him to get things done, or at least find the right people to help him do them. Getting out of trouble this time will not be thanks to some secret plan of one of his friends, nor is it luck. It's all Skeeve. This is the first time we've seen him being competent, and it's a wonderful, refreshing change of pace.
This is particularly pleasant because while a character doesn't need to grow and change and learn over a book, it's definitely better when they do. More importanly, however, it is definitely necessary that they grow over the course of a series. Several times I've seen a series that started out well turn into drek because the author kept the character as the same clueless newbie in every book. This doesn't work by the time book three and four and eight roll around, and I'm very glad to see it won't likely be the fate of these books.
As usual, this is a very fast, very short book. Well under two hundred pages, it can almost be read over a long lunch, at least by a fast reader. There's a lot going on in rapid-fire succession, making the book start off running and never letting up. On the bad side, though, the book isn't really all that funny. Light, yes, quick yes, and very fun. But not funny. While the situations are a bit much, everything is done quite seriously in comparison with the previous volumes.
Still, that hardly puts a damper on things at all. You don't have to laugh out loud to enjoy a book. It's a good edition of the MythAdeventures tales, and pushes Skeeve's character, not to mention his personal story, forward a great deal. This book is not only well worth your time, it's not one you should miss if you intend to continue reading this series at all.
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