Customer Reviews

M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a huge fan of the MYTH series by Robert Asprin. This book, which is the 7th in the series, is relatively short, yet serves Asprin's purpose well. The previous 6 books concentrated mostly on the hijinks of the main character, Skeeve. With M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link, Aprin set out to show readers how the world(s) was viewed through the eyes of the other characters. Although some stories were not up to Asprin's usual standards of humor and subtlety, others actually reach the level of ingenuity. For example, the story involving Massha's development of The Fun House was absolutely terrific. And Gleep's tale is without a doubt the most insightful story in the entire book. Readers who pick up this book without having read previous books in the series will view it as a puzzling collection of short stories. However, M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link is still an enjoyable read whether you're a fan of the MYTH series or not.

M.Y.T.H. Inc. Link (1986) is the seventh Fantasy novel in the Myth series, following Little Myth Marker. In the previous volume, Skeeve saw, but missed Luanna. Tananda was peeved at him. The Geek sold the Even Odds casino. Skeeve found the Ax and nullified the campaign against him.

In this novel, Skeeve is a Klahd from Klah. He is a magician and the partner of Aahz. Now he is the president of M.Y.T.H. Incorporated with his friends as staff and stockholders.

Aahz is a Pervect from Perv. He had been a master magician until he lost his power from a joke. Now he is Skeeve's partner.

Massha is a mechanic from an unknown dimension. She uses devices to produce her magic. Now she is learning real magic from Skeeve as his apprentice.

Chumley is a Troll from the Trollia dimension. He is also the big brother of Tananda. He uses his Crunch persona to hide his shyness.

Tananda is a Trollop from the Trollia dimension. Tanda has green skin and hair and a very voluptuous body. She is an assassin and Chumley's little sister.

Bunny is a top-heavy little redhead. She is also the niece of Don Bruce. Now she is Skeeve's administrative assistant.

Guido is a senior goon in the Mob. He is now a bodyguard of the Great Skeeve.

Nunzio is Guido's cousin and is also a senior goon. He is now the other bodyguard of Skeeve.

Vic is a vampire from Limbo. He had been part of the problem in Myth-ing Persons, but now works for M.Y.T.H. Incorporated.

Gleep is a very young dragon. He can't talk yet, but he has a mean breath of fire .

In this story, Skeeve likes his new office. It is within the former Even Odds building, away from their home in the Bazaar tent. Bunny has a desk in the anteroom and acts as his gatekeeper.

Bunny ushers in a Deveel with a problem. Bane owns a small factory that manufactures joke items for his stores and other customers. He is having a problem with missing inventory.

Skeeve assigns Guido and Bunny to investigate. Bunny gets a job on the administrative side and Guido becomes a line worker. Guido can't find any way to smuggle goods out of the factory, but Bunny discovers the culprit. Unfortunately, the thief is Bane's brother-in-law and gets promoted for showing initiative.

Skeeve assigns Tanda to the next case to collect on a bill. When Chumley finds out that Skeeve has sent her alone, he has a hissy fit. He is afraid that Tanda will severely damage the locale and residents. Chumley follows his sister to keep her calm.

The next case is somewhat outside the main line of business. A Deveel named Hysterium is building a hotel is a previously unserved area. Now his competitors are raising much nicer hotels and he needs an interior decorator to enhance his venture. Massha and Vic get the case.

The following case takes Aahz and Skeeve back to the Jahk dimension. Quigley has contractual problems. Skeeve temporarily impersonates him and messes up a game.

The last case comes from someone who met Skeeve at lunch. Nunzio and Gleep are assigned to guard some crates in a warehouse. Gleep notices some strange people trying to rob the place, but Nunzio doesn't have a clue.

This tale involves most of the M.Y.T.H. Inc. operatives in some strange and hilarious ventures. And Gleep has deep thoughts. Yet Skeeve is having problems back at the office.

This work begins a change in the series. Myth titles will continue to present the stories from Skeeve's viewpoint, but M.Y.T.H. Inc. volumes will relate the adventures of his associates. So there will be more volumes like this one as well as the antics of Skeeve and Aahz.

These cases all have twists and turns. The next installment in the series -- Myth-Nomers and Im-Pervections -- will be a Skeeve and Aahz adventure. Read and enjoy!

Highly recommended for Asprin fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of fantastic characters, interdimensional shindigs, and hilarious adventures. If anyone has not previously read this series, the initial volume is Another Fine Myth.

-Arthur W. Jordin

I agree with Minh Dang (the first reviewer of this book). This book gives insight into the minds and personalities of all the characters involved. I think Asprin really had to change something or risk becoming repetitive or stagnate (he pretty much says so in his introduction). He tried something new and I enjoyed it, although at a different level. This book didn't have as many laugh-out-loud moments, but it has a bit more plot than normal and since it's the beginning of a 5 book contract he was able to start some multiple/cross book subplots.

This book was good, but it hold par with the previous six. While there is more character development on Chumley, Massha, Guido, and Gleep, I liked Skeeve's narration better.

I was blown away with Asprin. I had originally picked up this book used and decided to give Asprin a try. I wish I had not done this now because ther was some of the previous book's plots revealed (for the record, the books don't necessarily move in a chronological order, but they do hint at what has already happened, so read them in order).

It was fun to read the humor behind Skeeve and his merry band of misfits. A magician, a troll, a demon and so on. A great balance, a great combination. The humor is amazing and always keeps you interested. And just as you are laughing and enjoying the fun, it turns serious and you realize that Asprin does know how to write without all the puns and humor, leading the reader towards a much more serious direction.

I would most certainly recommend Asprin. In fact, I have already bought and intend to read the first two books of the series. A great and fun read. A definite recommend.

5 stars.

Other tales in turn.In the seventh Myth book, various and sundry of the other characters in the series get to play point of view, here, of which the best just might be Gleep the dragon, although Guido's is good, too." INEVITABLY, WHEN CONVERSING WITH my colleagues of the dragon set, and the subject of pets was raised, an argument would ensue as to the relative advantages and disadvantages of humans as pets. Traditionally, I have maintained a respectful silence during such sessions, being the youngest member in attendance and therefore obligated to learn from my elders. This should not, however, be taken as an indication that I lack opinions on the subject. I have numerous well-developed theories, which is the main reason I welcomed the chance to test them by acquiring a subject as young and yet as well-traveled as Skeeve was when I first encountered him. As my oration unfolds, you will note...but I'm getting ahead of myself. First things first is the order of business for organized and well-mannered organisms. I am the entity you have come to know in these volumes as..."

If you ever read any of PMP-prep texts, you'll know right away that this book is nothing but a set of PM cases, fantasy genre notwithstanding.
Enjoy RLA classics from a somewhat unusual perspective!

This must be the 4th or 5th in the Myth series that I have read and this is possibly the worst.

I'll admit it .. I'm not a big fan of RA (I find his character development poor and sense of humour not very funny, compared to say the great humourists like Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett). In fact the humour is quite immature. His constant mispelling of Pervect as Pervert (Robert it wasn't funny the first time), and other such jokes are just tedious.

Ok, to this book in particular. On the plus side, it is an easy read (I read it in 2 days .. or about 3 hours of reading time). It held my interest the whole time. The stories were nice and short and all of his main characters are involved. I did like the Gleep story, as this is the first time I can remember seeing the world through Gleep's eyes.

On the minus side .. the stories were too short and really the ending's so predictable that you feel like you could have skipped to the conclusion each time. The fact that RAs Myth characters appear to be invincible (have a solution to hand for every problem that comes along) means that this book is not going to tax your brain too much.

Great reading for going to sleep to.

This was supposed to be the link in the series...where we would get I assume books dealing with individual characters...the link if you will between the new series and the next books..unfortunately the series is just falling apart..the snap is gone and the writing is no longer fun...it has become tedious and skeeve has lost his magic...AAHz is now just a loud mouth and does nothing to advance the series any further ...needs help ...save it please

Skeeve, the struggling magician, isn't your ordinary story hero. He makes mistakes and has friends there to laugh at and help him. The humor is what makes the book a hit. Without it, it would merely be another dull fantasy involving devils, trolls, and dragons. Full of laughs.