Customer Reviews

Something M.Y.T.H. Inc.

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

After a long wait and last year's head fake (Myth-ion Improbable), Asprin finally gets around to resolving the cliff hanger and loose ends of Sweet Myth-tery of Life. This is an odd hybrid of a book that left me, a die hard Myth fan, somewhat satisfied but wanting more.

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.

I bought this book the day it hit the stores, having waited 7 years for it to come out, and in all fairness my expectations were high.

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)

I started reading the Myth books in college and enjoyed them quite a bit until Myth-nomers and Impervections, which started the downward trend to the books. I pretty much lost track of the series since Asprin also stopped writing them on a regular basis, but recently decided to finish off the adventures of Skeeve and co. once and for all. I first reread the original 6 or 7 books that I still find entertaining, although not as much as I did some 10 years ago, then slogged through the rest of the series and finally got around to Something M.Y.T.H.Inc.

Basically, the book is a rehash as well as a cop out of the events in Sweet Mythery of Life and their consequences. What might've had some good potential for tension and drama were turned into bad jokes. Pookie shooting Guido? Gleep getting shot? All a misunderstanding. Hell, the whole "uprising" is one big joke. It's like Asprin couldn't think of a good way to resolve some plot threads he set up earlier and said hell with it all.

Also, why is it that the majority of the non-Skeeve viewpoints in the M.Y.T.H.Inc stories are handled by Guido? Nothing against the guy, but I'd really like to see some of the other characters' POV's, especially Aahz or Tanda. The faux-mob speech also really grates after a while. It really feels like Asprin missed out on several good opportunities exit the series on a high note.

My advice to anyone who hasn't started the series yet would be to stop reading at Little Myth Marker. M.Y.T.H.Inc Link is still a tolerable read, but sets up a lot of things that will require to read some very bad books to find answers for.

Note to reader: since to read this book, you'd better have a long acquainatance with Skeeve and the gang, I decided I'd just jump right in with the review as well, leaving out pointless introductions of characters and setting. Enjoy!

In this book, Guido and Nunzio take it upon themselves to investigate rumors of various uprisings against Skeeve the Great for dabbling in black sorcery and raising taxes. This goes on concurrently with the events of the previous book, so I guess there's little suspense as to whether or not an uprising will in fact happen... Asprin's well-known writer's block is on display here in all its glory, unfortunately. For all the changes of "dialect" (if you can call dropping Gs and writing "sez" for "says" a dialect) with varying narrators, the prose style here is all of a sameness: Chumley, Skeeve and Aahz all speak in exactly the same way, while even a regular Klahd, supposedly in awe of the feared Skeeve the Great, who consorts with demons and dragons, refers to him as "the kid" after meeting him briefly. There's also very little drama, not only for the aforementioned reason of chronology but because the "threats" to Skeeve are completely negligible. Indeed, of the three groups supposedly plotting against Skeeve, Asprin writes about only two, because he must have realized that the other, a truly lame and unamusing parody of RPG gamers, is of no account at all. A very sad end to a once-vibrant series: undramatic, unfunny, and shoddily written.

As short as it was (a Jackson short of 200 pgs), this book worked very hard not to leave any sort of impression. In fact, what am I talking about? Oh, yeah.

As the conclusion for the wildly popular and hit or miss good MYTH series, Something MYTH Inc really didn't get started until the last 40 or so pages.

For the most part, the audience had to suffer through what is perhaps the most groan-worthy aspect of a series: The Re-hash from Another Character's Perspective.

Please.

So basically, if you read "Sweet Mythtery...", then you know the first three quarters of "Something."

The ending does give some new storyline... put then leaves us dangling right when it gets somewhat interesting. Aspirin is good at this; see how he managed to anger his audience with ending on a "To be continued..." note with his Time Scout series. It's like he had some kind of writing meltdown during the late '90s and is just on the road to recovery.

Hopefully, the next book in the MYTH series (because you *know* there'll be another) will pick up where this one sort of dwindled off... But I'm leary of co-authors, especially with Aspirin... Remember what happened to Phule?

Like many I have been waiting for this book for a long time. I rushed home after work so I could read it. After reading the note from Asprin, I got a feeling of dread, but I will get to that in a bit.

The first part of the book was a little difficult to get into. The cliffhanger from the last book was not addressed until the last quarter of the book, which added a little confusion. Overall it was an OK Myth story. When you get back to the last quarter you really get the feeling of a MYTH story. But once you got used to being back in the MYTH groove Asprin throws you. I am not sure what his intent is. Is this the last MYTH book? I would really be disappointed if this is true. I really did not care for the ending. It leaves options open, but you get the feeling that this is the last Myth Book. I hope this is not the case.

For us diehard Myth fans this is a good read, but for the most part is not a typical MYTH book. Hopefully this will be a new beginning like Asprin hinted.

Robert Asprin, an erratic writer as far as his output is concerned, finally returned after around a decade or so to his Myth series last year with Myth-ion Improbable, a weak and humorless effort that was far inferior to his other efforts. With Something MYTH Inc., he has improved slightly but the title is more than a pun; there is indeed something missing still.

In what is likely to be the last of the series, Asprin wraps up storylines with all the delicacy of a sledgehammer. Actually, most of the story deals with minor character Guido and his attempts to put down rebellions by such feeble threats as Robb the Hood and his Married Men. These characters are such non-threats that there is little suspense in the whole story.

Towards the end of the book, the focus is finally back on Skeeve, who makes decisions about his future that affects everyone. Also, the loose ends are tied together quickly, almost too quickly for those who have waited years for resolutions. All this in a very quick 150+ pages plus a throwaway short story and character guide.

While this is not an awful book, it is also not very good, certainly not a very rewarding finish for those who have enjoyed this series. But if the last two books are any indication, it is probably best that the series has concluded; there will be no more disappointments in the future.

Something M.Y.T.H. Inc. should be called Something Missing as the pun intends. This is clearly a book that was put together with very little forethought and was intended to be the culmination of a contract requirement. As Robert Aspring writes in his introduciton, this book is the 12th volume and finishes his contractual requirement to write the second set of six books. The book is actually a collection of sorts. The first 150 pages or so finish up the M.Y.T.H. series by following the tired recipe of Guido telling the story from his point of view and explaining to us why Gleep was shot at the end of the last M.Y.T.H book.

To accomplish this feat, Asprin rewinds time and starts this volume before Skeeve manages to resolve his problems with Queen Hemlock in Possiltum. One of the things that I thought Aspring really misses out on is that his original idea around M.Y.T.H. was to tell the stories from the points of view of the other members of the company. However, outside of the first one, he only uses Guido as the story teller. This is a major miss as in this volume it would have been much more fun to hear Pookie or Gleep tell their side - let alone Aahz!! But instead, we get the corny fake mob-lish that Guide dispenses with impunity.

the other thing that bothers me is that it is clear that Asprin decides to end the series of M.Y.T.H. books at this point. Now, it is clear that Aspring still has ideas about what to do with Skeeve and Aahz as the continuing appearance of Myth books attests, but the rest of the crew is apparently beyond him at this point. About halfway into the book we see the gang start to dissipate as they go off on their own pursuits and no one is surprised when Skeeve resigns from M.Y.T.H. and ends it all.

The second part of the book is written from Skeeve's point of view. What is this? Why is this? No clue!

The third part is also obviously intended to help as page filler as it is a compendium of characters and places that appeared in the various volumes of the series.

As I said, this was clearly written to complete an obligation and is therefore bereft of the normal joys associated with this series. I only recommend that you buy this book if you want to have a complete set of Asprin or his M.Y.T.H series.

After so much time, to write such a brief standalone book which is to be concurrent with Sweet Myth-tery of Life was a mistake. The story here should've been included in that volume. It wasn't a bad story; it just doesn't belong as a separate entity. And the proofreading/editing was horrific! On the other hand, after the jibes I've taken regarding my own self-edited novel, this mess makes me feel better in a left-handed way. I hope Mr. Asprin and his publisher get their acts together for M.Y.T.H. Inc.'s future.

Waited a long time for this book. Not even up to the standard of Mythion Improbable, which I thought was a decent, lightish story in the MYTH series tradition. However, this book was a complete let down. No character development, very little plot development, and a jarring "let's-wrap-up-this-series-as-fast-as-possible" ending. Oh well..

David