Another Fine Myth (Myth-Adventures Book 1) (original 1978; edição 2013)

(see review on copy 4)

(see review on copy 4)

Reread before giving to grandchildren.
Still funny as ever, but they won't get any of the current-events allusions and probably not any of the historical or literary references.
Such is life.

Note: reading dates are approximate. ( )

Another Fine Myth / by Robert Asprin (Cover Art by Walter Velez) c1978

Summary: Skeeve is a mediocre magician’s apprentice who really wants to be a thief. But his lessons are halted when an assassin kills the master magician and leaves Skeeve alone with Aahz, a powerless demon the old magician had just summoned from another dimension as a practical joke. Soon the powerless demon and the skill-less apprentice join together to stop the assassins from killing them -- as well as tracking down the madman trying to take over the world of Klah. This tongue-in-cheek fantasy adventure presents two dimensional travel hopping while dealing with sexy assassins, a baby dragon, imps, devils, a demon hunters, and a few other characters thrown in for good measure.

Comments: This is one of my favorite series that I discovered in high school that I reread every few years from start to finish. All of the titles have the word myth in it (i.e. Little Myth Marker, Hit and Myth, Myth Conceptions, etc.) The first book is a little slow in the first chapters but improves once Aahz has been introduced. Skeeve is my favorite character and you get to watch as a bumbling, back world, teenager learns magic as well as self-confidence and is able to put together a misfit army that will follow him anywhere. An easy and fun read that should be enjoyed by all light fantasy enthusiasts. Lack of strong language and sex would make this a good choice for high school aged readers as well. I also like the cover art work of Walter Velez which brings the characters to life. ( )

Asprin, Robert L. Another Fine Myth. 1978. Myth Adventures No. 1. Ace, 2005.
When Robert Asprin died of a heart attack in 2008, the story is that his body was found on his sofa with an open novel by Terry Pratchett. I do not know for sure, but I would not be surprised to find that Pratchett had a collection of Asprin novels on his shelf. The first three of the myth adventures novels were published in the years leading up to The Colour of Magic. Pratchett and Asprin share an interdimensional fantasy world with a whole cast of reimagined figures from folklore and fairy tales, and it is hard not to draw comparisons between Asprin’s sorcerer’s apprentice Skeeve and Pratchett’s Rincewind. Both writers share a love of puns and are perfectly willing to let the quotidian world bleed into the fantasy realm when they feel like it. Asprin’s first tale begins when Skeeve, a student magician who has barely learned the first principles of levitation—only light objects, please—is left in the care of a demon from Perv who has lost his powers. Yes, some folks do call him a Pervert. What else? Many of the chuckles in Another Fine Myth come from the banter between the demon, Aahz (say it aloud), and his new student. Another bit of fun comes from the epigraphs at the heads of each chapter which give us fractured quotes—Darth Vader, for example, extoling the importance of good relations with employees. Some, I should warn you, have dated to the point that you may need a trip to Wikipedia to find the sources. D. Graeme, for instance, was world snooker champion in 1977. This series is definitely enjoyable the second time around. ( )