Myth-Ing Persons/Little Myth Marker 2-In-1

I was disappointed when I found my copy of myth advertures had for some reason reprinted about 80 pages of Mything-Persons and the begining of Little Myth Marker again in the middle of Little Myth Marker, then skipped to near the end so I had to purchase the book since the place I bought it from only had this misprinted copy. It was worth paying for seperate. I loved it as my kid did. Skeeve comes of age in this one and if you make it through this one without a laugh or two it is your own fault.

Ace Fantasy has packaged the MYTH series as collections of volumes where they package two of the stories in one book cover. In this particular instance this does not work at all as the two stories are so completely different and dissimilar that one wonders why they did it. The reason, of course, is that these two volumes happened to fall one after the other chronologically and so they ended up sharing the same cover. The first book "Mything Persons" is classic Aahz and Skeeve. The zany story line has Aahz trying to apprehend some fugitives by cold cocking Skeeve and bursting into a world populated by vampires and werewolves. When he does not return, the rest of the gang goes in to rescue him and the normal mayhem ensues. Of course, the ending is typical with much hilarity and absolutely nonsensical events happening to end well. We are treated to all of the characters that have been following Skeeve in the past few books and get to meet some from the very first book who come back in a way that promises that they will become bigger parts in the future. The second story is completely different. This one is really a serious reflective novel on the growth paths that adults take. At one time or another Skeeve, Aahz, Tananda, Massha, and Nunzion all reflect on what it means to grow up and how adults should behave towards one another. While there is a thin plot involving a preposterously complex card game and a character assassin hired to bring Skeeve down a notch, this is not in the same league as the previous five volumes. The humor is almost completely absent in a book that is turning rather serious. Even when the author tries to liven things up by introducing a bimbo companion to Skeeve by the name of Bunny, we find out that she is really a smart accountant who puts on the sex kitten act as a defensive mechanism! So, if you are looking for vintage Asprin, the first volume will be to your liking while the second will drive you batty! I am wondering how the rest of the series shapes up as the second story here suggests a major departure from the norm and a completely different direction for the series to go in. I will read the next volume (two-in-one set) just to see how it goes. I suggest you come along to, as the journet might be fun, or might be serious....

Book five has Skeeve wandering around in searching for Aahz in a dimension where magic doesn't work and humans are the monsters. It's hilarious--a world of vampires and werewolves. Little Myth Marker brings in Markie, who adds a new level of hilarity to the gang. And Skeeve goes into his high stakes Dragon Poker. Marvelous.