Hit or Myth by Robert Asprin is the fourth book of the MythAdventures series and becomes a huge turning point by the end of the novel. Things start out at the kingdom of Possiltum where King Roderick takes a sudden leave of absence in order to dodge his own wedding, leaving Skeeve, aka Skeve the Great, Lord Magician of Possiltum, holding the stability of the kingdom in his hands. Further complicating the issue is Aahz's abrupt--and permanent?!--departure thanks to his nephew and former apprentice Rupert, then the reappearance of Maasha of Jahk who now is tired of simply being a "mechanic" (someone who uses artificial means to employ magic) and comes seeking apprenticeship from Skeeve. Finally the Mob, in the form of Shai-Ster and Don Bruce the so-called "fairy godfather" come to town to track down whatever happened to Big Julie and his army. And THAT was just the first half of the book. As can be expected, there's plans and scams a-plenty, with help from some of the rest of our regulars like Tanda, Chumly and Gus but each resolution brings new consequences that must be dealt with. I am really happy that I chose to re-read this series this winter. It is far better constructed in plot and character development than I remember. Even the seemingly shallow surface treatment of the female leads has a logical reason. The series is narrated in first person by Skeeve, who happens to be a young male in his late teens and like many teen boys has some shallow perceptions of the opposite sex. As the series progresses, he starts to shed those initial perceptions as he begins to mature--tho' it should be mentioned he has yet to find himself in any kind of romantic entanglements yet. Additionally, because even in this day and age the issue of marginalizing female characters is still a very sensitive one, I strongly urge the reader not to confuse Skeeve's perceptions with Asprin's perceptions in regard to women. Yes, there are fat jokes at Maasha's expense, and the way Tanda is described is remniscient of say Marilyn Monroe or more precisely a quest fantasy version of Ginger from Gilligan's Island, but those are Skeeve's opinions of them physically. When he reports on Tanda and Maasha's actions, Skeeve paints a very different picture. One quickly learns that both ladies are intelligent, professional and resourceful people complete with opinions of their own and the ability to stand by them. Do yourself a favor if you enjoy light reading during the dark winter months, pick up this series.
This is the fourth book in Robert Asprin's Myth series and it might be the best yet. It was stuffed full of all the adventure, magic, humor, and quirky characters that we have come to expect from reading the previous books in the series. In this one Aahz is called home to deal with a family emergency leaving Skeeve on his own in Possiltum. Skeeve is soon convinced by King Rodrick to use his disguise spell to fill in for him while he enjoys a much needed vacation. Unfortunately King Rodrick forgot to tell Skeeve about the impending royal wedding to a power hungry neighboring Queen, or the fact that he plans his vacation to be permanent! Throw in more problems caused by the arrival of the mob, who are seeking compensation for the loss of Big Jules and his army, and Skeeve is soon in big trouble. I really enjoyed this installment of the series. Skeeve and his friends are as likable as ever and the plot was fast paced and exciting. I'm eager to read the next book in the series after the tiny cliffhanger ending to this one. Rating: 4 stars.Audio Note: This was the first book in the series I have listened to that was not narrated by the excellent Jeff Woodman. His replacement was Noah Michael Levine, who has recently recorded the whole series for Audible, and he was almost as good. Like Woodman he just got the humor of the story.
What do You think about Hit Or Myth (2006)?
I'm picking up copies of this series more or less randomly, at least partly because I don't remember what I already own, and partly because of differential availability. I've already reviewed a book from when the series goes bad. In this volume, it's not anywhere near there yet. This is after the Big Game in the Dimension of Jahk, and around the time Skeeve leaves his position as the court magician of Possiltum. It's also the book in which Skeeve takes Massha as his apprentice--which turns out to be necessary, because Aazh is lured away just as things begin to get dangerous again.I've always thought that the best part of this series is the quotes in the chapter headings. That said, the stories are generally fun, and you're always pretty sure they won't end TOO badly. Just enough danger to be interesting, in other words.
—Valerie
King Rodrick, that bastard! Not all the blame should be put on him, since Skeeve once again stepped into the situation all on his own, and he deserves the berating as much as Rodrick for thinking it up in the first place.This is Skeeve's first mis-adventure without Aahz there to guide him every step of the way. And you know what? I missed Aahz! He's brusque, he's direct, he's bossy and he's a little crude, but you know that he truly cares about Skeeve and doesn't want anything bad to happen to his apprentice.The saving grace for this was the introduction of Hemlock and Don Bruce. The fact that Skeeve was able to clean up after the messes and not get himself killed was amazing, and entertaining!
—Jessica
Skipped a few in the series when I re-read this one, but I was headed out the door and grabbed something quick. Once again, Robert Asprin brings his unique blend of adventure and humor in this quality addition to the adventures of Skeeve the magician and his mentor Aahz. I enjoyed this book as much the second time as the first and it did not disappoint in quality after recently re-reading the first book in the series. The nice thing about this series is that, although it is sequential, it is not absolutely necessary to read them in order. Asprin does a nice job of re-introducing his characters and situations so that if this happened to be the first of the series that you picked up, you wouldn't be totally in the dark. Great for a light, entertaining read.
—Stefan Yates
