The best compliment I can give this book is that it's a mystery story which holds up to re-readings. Once you know "whodunnit", a second reading will reveal clues that you might have missed the first time around, so the writer plays fair by giving you enough information to work it out for yourself. At the same time, there are valid reasons for the characters (and reader) to miss those clues. Also, there are enough other things going on that the story doesn't rely on the mystery.There are some new members of the cast, but the writer makes time to develop existing characters, which I liked. I also learnt a bit about dress sense from reading this!There are a couple of weak points regarding internal continuity. For instance, Skeeve makes an offhand comment that "folks wouldn't have to watch summer re-runs". I assume this refers to TV, but the fantasy setting seems to preclude electrical gadgets. (I know that you can have fantasy books set in modern times, but this series always seemed to go for a medieval environment.) Also, when Skeeve saw the Dispatcher with a room full of TV screens in Myth-ing Persons he seemed to be quite baffled by them.As others have commented, the value of gold pieces seems to fluctuate quite a lot in this series. When Skeeve hired mercenaries in Myth Conceptions he paid them 1 gold piece each, which they considered a high salary for a couple of week's work. Now think about how much he's gambling with in this story.I have mixed feelings about the ending. (view spoiler)[Skeeve tells Markie that he won't work with her because she takes advantage of people's trust. However, isn't that the same thing that he does every time he casts a disguise spell? For that matter, he started out as an aspiring thief, and he doesn't seem to have any moral objection to Tananda killing people for money (as a former assassin). On the other hand, Skeeve is basically shown as a decent guy, so I can understand why he's uncomfortable with this. Personally, I think it would have been better to bring her into the group in a different capacity, e.g. undercover agent rather than character assassin. (hide spoiler)]
This sixth book in the Myth Adventures series was one of the best and most hilarious of the whole series. Skeeve tries his hand at the notoriously difficult game of dragon poker and, despite not knowing the rules, has a lucky streak and wins. Unfortunately one of the players cannot pay in full and leaves Skeeve with his "marker". Which turns out to be a little girl!. To make matters worse Skeeve's Mob boss Don Bruce has decided to gift him with a moll to "keep up appearances". Skeeve goes from care free lad to family man in the space of a day with hilarious consequences. Throw in to the mix a challenge from the undisputed master of dragon poker for a high stakes game and a character assassin on Skeeve's tail and we had the perfect mix for mishaps and hilarity. I like how Skeeve is growing up and learning to accept his responsibilities. I also enjoyed the stories main themes of family and friendship. All in all this was a really fun read. I cannot wait to pick up the next book in the series.Rating: 4 stars.Audio Note: Noah Michael Levine continues to do a fantastic job with the narration of this series.
What do You think about Little Myth Marker (2006)?
What I remember about this book is that I didn't get the title until long after I read the book. That, and I wanted to play dragon poker, but isn't that the case with almost all invented games and sports in fantasy and science fiction?If it wasn't clear already, this is the point at which you really see that Skeeve is just ludicrously successful at everything. Even when he sucks, he wins. It is kind of fun at first because it's pure wish fulfillment, but at a certain point it just gets offensive.
—Tyrannosaurus regina
First time ever - Skeeve figures something out that none of his friends know. He figures out who it was that set him up.This was a bit of a step back for me. It was a little more easy to figure out and to foresee what was going to happen, which was a little disappointing. And I was a little frustrated by Skeeve's insistence to do things on his own, knowing that his friends only wanted to teach him, and to help save him from himself. His naivete started to get a bit old, and I fully expected him to accept Markie's offer in the end.Imagine my surprise when he said no. He showed some gumption, and made a decision without deferring to Aahz. I was shocked. But, it made for a good ending, and a great transition to M.Y.T.H. Inc.
—Jessica
Mītu sērija uzņem apgriezienus un šī noteikti ir viena no labākajām sērijas grāmatām, te īsti nav pat kam piekasīties.Skīva slava turpina augt un nu viņam beidzot nākas arī nopietni sastapties ar šīs slavas sekām. Pie kam, Skīvs beidzot sāk atgādināt saprātīgu būtni, kas noteikti uzlabo visu šo pasākumu, arī stāsts pie viena kļūst dziļāks. Un beidzot varoņu emocionālās atklāsmes vairs neizklausās bezcerīgi banālas, bet gan veiksmīgi iederas sižetā.Un nevar noliegt, ka šinī grāmatā ir aprakstīta skaistākā pokera spēle, ko jelkad esmu sastapusi literatūrā.
—Spigana
