Another Fine Myth

Myth Adventures #1

by Robert Lynn Asprin

Skeeve was a magician's apprentice—until an assassin struck and his master was killed. Now, with a purple-tongued demon named Aahz as a companion, he's on a quest to get even.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Fiction, Comedy, Science Fiction Fantasy, Magic, Adventure

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Robert (Lynn) Asprin was born in 1946. While he wrote some stand alone novels such as The Cold Cash War, Tambu, and The Bug Wars and also the Duncan & Mallory Illustrated stories, Bob is best known for his series fantasy, such as the Myth Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve, the Phule's Company novels, and the Time Scout novels written with Linda Evans. He also edited the groundbreaking Thieves' World anthology series with Lynn Abbey. Other collaborations include License Invoked (set in the French Quarter of New Orleans) and several Myth Adventures novels, all written with Jody Lynn Nye.

Bob's final solo work was a contemporary fantasy series called Dragons, again set in New Orleans.

Bob passed away suddenly on May 22, 2008. He is survived by his daughter and son, his mother and his sister.

Reviews

[Mario the lone bookwolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid entertainment with unused potential that could have made it a pearl of the comedy fantasy genre.

But there are some problems:
Redundancy in dialogues, similar running gags, very many dead horse tropes.
The first person view is a mess, it could have been much better with different perspectives and funny one time use characters. Asprin has a hand for comedy, I imagine many openings and endings with secondary characters for quick laughs, all things not possible from this narrative point of view.
First, it takes far too much time to get started for the action, then the action is over without really much happening.
The humor doesn´t reach higher levels, it´s always based on scenery or superficial character traits, no deeper meaning, connotations, relation to a meta scenery. The positive aspect of this is that it is pure entertainment without any darkness.

It´s still a solid work and if it would have been the average stereotype fantasy novel I wouldn´t have criticized it so much, but there was the chance of a rare, really funny fantasy read and after the first half or something it gets a bit boring because there is no more new under the sun. It had such a great start but became repetitive and just average that it´s truly a mess.

Absolutely not sure about continuing this, it´s short, which is always fine, and all parts are solid 4 star ratings, but I don´t think that there is still much potential for development and suspense, especially because of the lack of other character perspectives. Maybe I´ll give the second part a chance, funny writing is so rare that I´ll possibly just consume it for the laughs and vivisecting the used tropes.

Tropes show how literature is conceptualized and created and which mixture of elements makes works and genres unique:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph...

[Adina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this series in a list of best fantasy blah blah. I did not have high expectations after reading the blurb, but I saw it was included in my audible subscription and decided to give it a go. I think I’ve been saying this a lot lately. Boy, it was a fun ride.

Skeeve was a wannabe thief who became a magician's apprentice. Just when he was showing Skeeve how to call a demon, his master gets killed by an assassin. An inconvenient timing, especially since Skeeve now has a demon to deal with. Fortunately, Aahz is a nice demon, who was a good friend of the boy’s master. They become companions and decide to get even with the mastermind behind the assassination, Isstvan, the sorcerer

This was pure cosy escapist fantasy, perfect for a day when you just want a laugh.

[Eon Windrunner · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There are things on heaven and earth, Horatio, Man was not meant to know. "
-HAMLET

Another Fine Myth follows Skeeve, who is apprenticed to a magician. This apprenticeship does not last long though as the magician is assassinated in the first few pages, coincidentally just after summoning a demon to show off the possibilities of magic to Skeeve. Needless to say, Skeeve is panicked as he has no idea how to control a demon, but the demon is not what he expects and pretty soon Skeeve finds himself on an unimaginable adventure with the demon, or dimensional traveller, who is named Aazh. No relation to Oz. Aazh is also a magician, but has been stripped of his powers, and so offers to teach Skeeve to better use his own budding abilities, doing them both a service and thus forming a new master / apprentice duo. What follows is an adventure that takes Skeeve to new dimensions and entertains throughout, with a regular doses of humour served up through fun banter, crazy characters, and unlikely situations.

Lighthearted and amusing, Another Fine Myth is a quick, enjoyable read that is perfect material for that not sure what to read moment. If you are a fan of Terry Pratchett, you will most likely enjoy this one quite a bit.

[Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, so, it turns out I'm a huge fan of Robert Asprin already. It only took one book but he's already better (to me) than Piers Anthony's Xanth series.

From 1978, this first one hits all the right tones of the brand new D&D sessions just out on the market mixed with delightfully light humor. You get a master con-man demon, a newb wizard being trained by the con-man demon, and a series of misadventures that feel like Han Solo is running the show.

It's truly delightful. And funny. And I LOVE the (mis)quotes between chapters. It made me look at each chapter in an utterly new light even as I enjoyed the (mis)adventure.

Nice twists, too. I totally expected one thing and got two others.


WHO IS THIS FOR?

Anyone into funny fantasy. I expected this to be something like Pratchett but while it DOES have some of the elements, it's on a much smaller scale. This still makes it quite light and fluffy. Like cotton candy. :)

[Stefan Yates · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read quite a few of the books in this series several years ago. I remembered enjoying it then, so I thought I'd give it a re-read now and see if the magik was still there. Indeed it is! Another Fine Myth is a highly entertaining light read that I couldn't put down.

The story revolves around the adventures of a young magician's apprentice, Skeeve. Skeeve is a likable character, if a bit naive and the misadventures that he gets into with his friends are a magical romp through a universe of magik, demons, dragons and all sorts of other fantastical creatures. Because Asprin has incorporated different levels of technology in each dimension, there are really no limits on what might appear to challenge or aid our heroes. It's a lot of fun and always keeps you guessing as to what will happen next.

Also, at only 200 pages, this book makes for a nice, quick break from other more weighty readings. I hope that I'm right in remembering that the rest of the series continues to be this enjoyable and I look forward to joining Skeeve and the gang again very soon.

[Mike (the Paladin) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unabridged audio.

Skeeve was a magician's apprentice, until the magician got killed that is. Unfortunately he was killed by an assassin just as he summoned a "demon".

"Demon"-that's short for "Dimensional Traveler". Things just go from bad to worse once they find that he (the Dimensional Traveler that is, the demon) is stuck in Skeeve's dimension, a real backwater. See as I said, Skeeve is just an apprentice. The "demon" (Aahv)instead of killing Skeeve explains that he is a wizard in his own dimension. You see there are thousands of dimensions, Skeeve's is Klah, this makes those who live there...Klahds, there are others, for example if you're from the dimension of Deva you're a Devil. Aahv is from Perv, this make him a Perver errr...I mean Pervect, that's it, Pervect (though there is another more, common name).

Anyway from here things start to get well, complicated...

I don't know how reading this book will effect you, for some reason my sides ached a lot.

[Orient · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Evgeny’s great review about this book and decided that it's just perfect for me. Thanks, Evgeny, for turning my attention to this book ;)

The story in “Another Fine Myth” is filled with humor, puns and it is quick, easy, and a pure delight to read. I swallowed it in one day time enjoying each light-hearted and entertaining page (if not for my work it would have been quicker!). And I definitely had a laughable good time. It’s not a serious book with lot’s of depth, but it’s quick-paced and entertaining. Such things as death, serious feelings have no major attention and there isn’t much of character development but there are other books in the series (and quite a lot), so I really hope to know more about the main characters. There isn’t a character who overrules everyone, so I can't discern any of them, as the characters are different and they supplement each other. Though, book is more concentrated on the story than characters. But still I found fun and believable characters that made the book so entertaining for me.
An unskilled-skilled-to-be, naive and lazy apprentice with a baby dragon

a sarcastic Pervert (oops, sorry, a Pervect!!!) demon, made powerless by a practical joke

a beautiful, lustful, hot-tempered, green haired assassin

and other. I was happy to meet the green haired assassin as I enjoy rough-tough female characters and I hope to read about her more.
Each character comes alive and alluring with sarcastic/naïve comments, plays on words and the unexpected tricks. Also I liked that characters from other dimensions are presented as having certain qualities due to their home dimension. It’s a good start for other stories.
All in all, this book mixes fantasy, adventure, humor, and the facts of life into one awesome cocktail. The plot is quite simple, but unpredictability and wit made this book an enjoyable read to me.

[Gavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lighthearted and humorous fantasy novel packed full of witty dialogue, action, and magic. I'm not a massive fan of books that have the main focus on humor, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I laughed while reading this. It was a surprisingly enjoyable read.

Skeeve is an apprentice magician who's master is unfortunately assassinated while summoning a demon. Skeeve and the Demon are forced into an unlikely alliance with hilarious consequences and they flee the assassins and plot to foil the plans of the mad wizard who hired them.

The characters were likable and interesting. I loved the banter between Skeeve and Ahaz. The secondary characters were a diverse bunch who provided plenty of laughs. My favorite was probably the naive demon hunter Quigley, who was tricked by the quick witted Ahaz into all sorts of unfortunate mishaps.

The world building was pretty good for such a short book. Skeeve's world of Klah is just one of many in a diverse universe. I'm eager to explore some of the others.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

Audio Note: Jeff Woodman gave an almost perfect performance. His character voices were well chosen and his sense of comic timing was excellent.

[Carrot :3 (on a hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars.

This was fun. It’s fantasy filled with light fluff and enough comedy to get you through. It’s reminiscent of Pratchett’s Discworld though this one is very lighter in tone.

My only disappointment is the plot resolution. I really loved how the world was set up with fantasy tropes and hints of modern tech. Loved the banter between our characters. Looking forward to the sequels.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio re-read: This was warm, sweet nostalgia for me, though at first the narrator's "Shecky Greene meets Krusty the Klown" voice for Aahz (always a personal favourite character for me) set me a little aback I came to embrace it as it did match his fast talking, streetwise patter pretty well in the end.



Cursory investigation has determined that my local library doesn't have the next books available on streaming audio, I am bereft! In a just universe I'd binge the whole series by Xmas.

UPDATE: Turns out they're all on Hoopla! Huzzah!

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this back in the dim and distant past and wondered if a series revisit was apposite.

It was and it wasn’t. I won’t be reaching for the others on the shelf any time soon. Mostly wasn’t.

The literary equivalent of Jack Daniels sauce. Too sweet, to obvious, covers up blandness.

[boxer_dogs_dance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun series from my youth.

[Gary Sundell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been a big fan of this series since it first appeared. I listened to the audio book version and thought it was excellent. Time to dig into my boxes and find more books in the series or maybe the graphic novel version with art by Phil Foglio.

[David Sarkies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adventure with a smart mouthed demon and his cheeky apprentice
3 February 2015

One of the main reasons that I read this book was because it kept on appearing on the Goodread's sidebar entitled 'Readers also enjoyed' which I suspect has something to do with all of the Terry Pratchett books that I have read. Okay, I generally don't pay all that much to Goodreads recommendations, but when I was much younger a friend of mine was really into the series and he had been trying to get me to read them as well. Well, it has taken years but I finally (after being prompted by Goodreads) asked another friend, who also has the series, if I could borrow the first one – this one, and yes, I quite enjoyed it (though I am still not going to be blindly taking on Goodreads recommendations, especially with the number of books still on my shelf).

Okay, it's not Terry Pratchett, and while it is only the first book, the world itself didn't seem to be hugely developed, but it was still quite entertaining, and amusing. In fact, it seemed that the story was much more character driven and unlike Discworld, the world of Another Fine Myth, seems to sit quietly in the background allowing us to focus on some of the rather strange, and comical, encounters that the two main characters, Skeeve and Aahz, experience.

Basically Skeeve used to be a farmer, or was supposed to be a farmer, but instead decided to become a thief, and it seemed that that occupation didn't work out because he landed up as an apprentice to a magician. However, during one of his lessons, when the magician summons a demon, the magician is killed by an assassin which results in the demon (which actually means 'dimension traveller') being trapped on Skeeve's world. Adding the Aahz's problems is that Skeeve's master had stripped Aahz of his powers literally stranding him (otherwise he would have simply gone home). Then there is the assassination, which triggers a hunt for a magician that wants to take over the dimensions, as well as trying to escape from a couple of nasty imps that appear to be on their trail.

As I said, it is not satire in the vein of Terry Pratchett where the story pokes fun at modern society through the lens of a fantasy world, but rather a couple of larger than life cartoonish characters making their way through the adventure (though not necessarily stumbling because Aahz at least knows what he is doing and what is going on) poking fun at each other and those around them, and in a way outsmarting their enemies without actually drawing any blood (which also adds to the lighthearted aspect of this story). As I said, the characters are larger than life, such as Tananda, who regularly refers to Skeeve as 'handsome' even though she is leading a group of thugs to roll him, and the dragon Gleep (because all he says is 'gleep') who becomes attached to Skeeve because he nibbled on his shirt. Still, I've probably given way too much away already because this is one of those little gems that you should read knowing as little about it as possible.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars. This was a fun, quick read that I would compare to the "Discworld" novels as far as the "light hearted" tone of the novel (though in my opinion the Discworld novels are better). The book did have some interesting ideas (my favorite being the "Great Bazaar" in the realm of the Devas which I thought was very cool). All and all, a pretty good, "light" story. I will certainly read the next book in the series.

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, fun read! I really enjoyed the story line, the characters and the comic misadventures they find themselves in. The wacky conversations between Skeeve and Aahz are very funny and make this book a very entertaining read!

I had no idea that "Another Fine Myth" was the first in a series, what a nice surprise! Now I can’t wait to read the rest of the books in the series:)

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my most childhood (well, teenagerhood) possessions is a pair of graphic novels based on Robert Asprin's "Myth" series, illustrated by Phil Foglio. I also read most of the books themselves and enjoyed them nearly as much. When I recently decided to re-read the first three books (Another Fine Myth, Myth Conceptions, and Myth Directions) I was surprised to find out how well they held up. They're still really fun!

Now while "fun" isn't the word I'd use to describe most books in the fantasy genre these days, these books certainly are. On the surface they're about a newly master-less magician's apprentice, Skeeve, who is mentored by a demon, Ahz, whose wisdom and experience are only matched by his panache for con jobs and profit. Each book is essentially a caper where Asprin weaves a huge cast of vivid characters into entertaining and often amusing situations. The author has a real gift for plotting to the point where even when the situations are outlandish and complicated, you can trace a clear line of how the characters got into them.

And that's the point at which the real entertainment usually starts --when the characters have to get out of one mess and usually end up in another. What I like about these books is that Skeeve and Ahz and company don't win the day by being the strongest or the most powerful. They win it by using guile, trickery, improvisation, wits, and imagination. It's really satisfying to see these traits win out over seemingly impossible odds, and again Asprin has a gift for making it all believable within his own (admittedly self-created) rule set for the world he's constructed.

It's also worth noting that the books are consistently upbeat and lighthearted, with minimal violence and only mild sexual inuendo. The humor is situational and character driven, but also makes extensive use of puns and pop culture references (though some of those are a bit dated at this point). I'd highly recommend them to people of just about any age. I plan on reading more of the series whenever I want to take a break between other books for something more refreshing and fun.

[Wee Lassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

No joke here: Quigley is my favourite character

[✨Susan✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one I picked up as a daily deal that was a very cute fantasy with many different characters from other dimensions. A fun twist on the mystical scale Skeeve is a magicians apprentice and when his master is killed he and his new master set out on a quest to find his killer. His new master is a hoot and you never know if he is telling the truth or not. Quite the little story teller. While cloaked in different appearances they go to different dimensions and pick up a few friends along the way. A great story for all ages and the narrator was very good with all the different voices. Highly recommend for the youguns.

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

This takes me back…

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another Fine Myth was the first book in the long-running Myth Adventures humorous fantasy series, Asprin's most-popular creation (well, Thieves' World, too, I guess). They're pun-laden stories, as one can see from a quick glance down the list of titles, but they're mostly fine fantasies as well as being entertaining and amusing. (One must remember that this was published in the 1970s, so the humor isn't as sensitive to possible social offense as one is currently used to.) Anthony's Xanth and maybe Foster's Spellsinger and definitely Asprin's Myth books paved the way for the popularity that Pratchett was to find in the coming years. In this one we meet Skeeve as he meets Aahz from Perv, a green-skinned demon who offers to complete his magical training and help on his quest to avenge his master's murder. More laughs per page than the recommended daily allotment!

[Brent Weeks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably not a great book, but I read it young, and it occupies a special place in my heart.

[Sina & Ilona Glimmerfee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skeeve ist eigentlich ein Dieb, nur widerwillig lernt er die Kunst der Magie. Er ist bei dem Zauberer Garkin in die Ausbildung gegangen, aber noch meint er nichts Brauchbares gelernt zu haben. Garkin platzt der Kragen und er beschwört einen Dämon, als kleine Demonstration seiner Macht. Doch bevor der Dämon sich vollständig materialisiert hat, wird Garkin von einem Pfeil getroffen und stirbt. Doch der Dämon Aahz will nicht Skeeves Leben, er will ihn als Lehrling.

Ich hatte einen humorvollen Fantasyroman erwartet und wurde nicht enttäuscht. Ein Dämon, der auf die Hilfe eines ungeschickten Zauberlehrlings angewiesen ist, war einmal etwas ganz anderes, als die ganzen Helden, die alles können und nie versagen. Ich mochte das Zusammenspiel von Skeeves und Aahz, das mich oft zum Schmunzeln brachte. Mein Herz konnte der kleine Drache erobern, der im Laufe der Geschichte auf das sonderbare Duo trifft. Die Geschichte ist temporeich und konnte mich immer wieder mit vielen kreativen Ideen überraschen. Ich mochte die über jedem Kapitel befindlichen Zitate, die Größen wie Napoleon, Dagobert Duck oder D. Ick und D. Oof in den Mund gelegt wurden. Allein die Ideen eines Austauschprogramms zwischen Magiern und Dämonen und der situationsbedingten Ethik, konnten mich überzeugen.

Ein gelungener Auftakt und Neuauflage der Dämonen-Reihe. Ich freue mich schon jetzt auf den nächsten Teil 'Als Dämon kriegst du nie genug' der im März 2022 erscheint.

Das Buch wurde mir als kostenfreies Rezensionsexemplar zur Verfügung gestellt.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never read anything from this author before so I had no idea what to expect with Another Fine Myth (Myth Adventure #1) by Robert Lynn Asprin. It's a lot of fun and quite funny. I wish I was able to read this back when it was brand new because I'm sure it really would have been something else way back then. It's a short read and while for the most part the sense of humor worked for me there are some moments that just made it drag on for me. I think I'll have to continue this series - I might have to see it I can get my hands on the audiobook editions.

[Tammie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Skeeve is a magician’s apprentice (and a wanna-be thief) until an assassin’s bolt kills his master, Garkin. Along with Aahz, the green-scaled, purple-tongued demon and master magician summoned by Garkin, he sets out on a quest to get even. The road to vengeance is bound to prove rocky, however, because Skeeve can barely light a candle with his beginning magic, and Aahz has lost his own considerable magical abilities as a consequence of Garkin’s summoning spell. Before they can confront the power-mad wizard who ordered Garkin’s assassination, they must survive a trip to a weird alternate dimension, encounters with Impish hit-men and a somewhat dull but persistent demon hunter who rides a friendly war unicorn, outwit a sharp-dealing Deevel, and deal with other uncanny enemies and even stranger friends ... all without killing each other in the process!

We chose two short books to read for our December book club and this fun comedic fantasy was one of them. This is the first book in a whole series of adventures, and it was quite funny at times. Overall I liked it, but it does unfortunately have a very dated looking cover. If you are looking for a humorous type fantasy, maybe in the vein of Discworld, then give this series a try. It has everything that makes for a good humorous fantasy story, including puns, characters that are absurdly silly, and situations that will make you laugh.

Review also posted at Writings of a Reader

[Desinka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I embarked on this read with low expectations as to the story and characters and high ones for having a few good laughs. I was very pleasantly surprised to get an interesting bank of characters and a fun story, apart from funny dialogue that made me laugh more often than not.

Skeeve and his demon master Aahz were both quite funny and likable and I loved their banter. The secondary characters were also quite amusing.

I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.

The narrator Jeff Woodman did a fantastic job!

[ZeilenZauber · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘*‘ Meine Meinung ‘*‘
Wenn man es nüchtern betrachtet, beschreibt dieses Buch die Schüler der Welt. Keinen Bock auf Schule, weil der Bezug zum wirklichen Leben fehlt. Allerdings hat Skeeve das Glück, dass er sich den Dämon Aahz als neuen Meister angelt und damit das Abenteuer beginnt. Die beiden sind so liebenswert und ein perfektes Duo. Zwischendrin erinnerten sie mich an Don Quijote und Sancho Pansa, wobei es nicht immer klar war, wer nun wer ist. Denn einerseits ist Aahz der grauenvolle, angsteinflößende Dämon und andererseits übernimmt dann doch Skeeve, der unwissende Lehrling, die Führung und regelt alles. Und genau das macht die Mischung aus. Mal Klischee pur und mal Konterkarierung des selbigen. Grandios. Bei der Reise der beiden steigert sich die Spannung sukzessive. Dabei wurde der Humor nicht aus den Augen verloren und ich musste so häufig grinsen. Es war eine Melange aus Wortwitz bei den Wortgefechten der Protagonisten, Situationskomik und Aahz’ Kommunikationsfähigkeiten. Denn er kann einem Eskimo einen Kühlschrank verkaufen und dabei noch das letzte Kühlgut in Zahlung nehmen.
Das alles wurde so locker-leicht geschrieben, dass es gar kein großes Worldbuilding braucht, um in die Welt einzutauchen. Ich fand mich sofort zurecht und alles hat so ein bisschen den orientalischen Touch, was mir sehr gut gefällt. Eine Prise Aladdin kann ja nicht schaden.
Das Sahnehäubchen ist dann Simon Jäger. Er belebte alles und seine Interpretation von Aahz ist göttlich, ähm, natürlich meine ich dämonisch. Sogar Aahz’ Verschlagenheit ließ mich Jäger hören. Und Skeeve wurde so hübsch naiv und doch gerissen belebt, dass es eine Freude war. Hach, ich weiß schon, warum Jäger zu meinen Favs gehört.
Also machen wir es kurz, wer auf witzige Fantasy steht, sollte sich dieses Leckerchen nicht entgehen lassen und ich freue mich schon auf den nächsten Band. Der Auftakt erhält klare 5 dämonische Sterne.
‘*‘ Klappentext ‘*‘
Skeeve ist ein eher unwilliger Lehrling der Magie. Er sieht einfach zu wenige konkrete Anwendungspunkte für seine wahre Berufung als Dieb. Empört über diese mangelnde Begeisterung beschwört sein Meister einen leibhaftigen Dämon, um Skeeve von den beeindruckenden Mächten der Magie zu überzeugen. Leider tötet ihn der Armbrustbolzen eines Assassinen genau in dem Moment, in dem sich der Dämon materialisiert - und der schreckliche Aahz ist frei. Skeeve bleibt nur eine Möglichkeit: Der Dämon muss sein neuer Mentor werden!

[Nicole Gozdek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inhalt:
Der junge Zauberlehrling Skeeve hatte ursprünglich als Dieb nur einen schweren Winter überstehen wollen, als er Lehrling beim Magiker Garkin wurde. Bislang hat er noch nicht viel Magie gelernt. Als sein Meister jedoch eines Tages beim Dämonenbeschwören von einem Meuchelmörder getötet wird und dadurch der Dämon Aahz freigesetzt wird, muss sich Skeeve plötzlich mit einem Dämon, einer Schar Meuchelmördern, einem machthungrigen Magiker, Dämonenjägern, Teufeln, Kaufhändler, Mobs, einem Einhorn und einem Drachen herumschlagen und nur seine kümmerlichen Zauberkräfte können ihm noch helfen ...

Meine Meinung:
Da ich für eine Lesechallenge im März einen Fantasy-Klassiker lesen muss, habe ich dafür den ersten Band der "Dämonen"-Reihe wieder aus dem Regal geholt, den ich mit Anfang zwanzig zum letzten Mal gelesen hatte. Es handelt sich dabei um ein recht dünnes Buch, mehr eine Novelle als ein Roman, und einen Klassiker auf dem Gebiet der humorvollen Fantasy.
Hauptfigur und Ich-Erzähler von "Ein Dämon zuviel" ist der jugendliche Ex-Dieb und unerfahrene Zauberlehrling Skeeve, der unerwartet mit dem Tod seines Meisters und Wesen aus anderen Dimensionen konfrontiert wird und sich nicht nur durchschlagen, sondern auch noch die Machtübernahme eines ehrgeizigen Magikers verhindern muss. Keine leichte Aufgabe also.
Skeeve eignet sich aber wunderbar als Identifikationsfigur für jugendliche Leser. Denn er wächst mit den Herausforderungen, plagt sich mit Lehrern - und unerwarteten neuen Haustieren - herum, verguckt sich in die falschen Mädchen und soll... ganz nebenbei auf seiner Heldenreise durch verschiedene Dimensionen ... auch noch seine Welt vor einem fiesen Magier retten.
Klingt nicht unbekannt? Ist es aus heutiger Sicht auch nicht. Die Stärke von Asprins Geschichte sind die verrückten Ideen, Wortwitze und Situationskomik, die er durch das ganze Buch einflechtet. Zum Beispiel, dass die Bewohner von Perv allgemein als Perverse bezeichnet werden, aber darauf bestehen Perfekte genannt zu werden. Oder dass die schlimmsten Teufel Kaufleute sind.
Wer auf humorvolle All Age-Fantasy, Zauberei, eine Mischung aus urigen Charakteren und verschiedenen Wesen steht, der sollte diesen Klassiker eine Chance geben.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Legitimately funny - I laughed out loud a couple of times.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

As it happens, I didn’t start reading this series with this book. Well, not exactly. I discovered “Myth Adventures” as a comic book drawn by Phil Foglio and read that, borrowing some issues from a friend and buying others. So, when I wanted to read the novels, I went looking for one called “Myth Adventures” to start with, but there wasn’t one. The title “Another Fine Myth” SOUNDED like a sequel, so I wound up starting with “Myth Conceptions” (number 2 in the series), and didn’t get back to reading this one, I think, for several years.

When I did, I was disappointed, actually. It’s not as good as the comic, for several reasons. First, it lacks the clever back-story for the major conflict and the inciting incident, which adds a lot of depth to the plot. Second, the hero in the book version is essentially a by-stander to the resolution, whereas in the comic, he’s directly responsible for it. Third, and perhaps most importantly, the cover art isn’t by Phil Foglio, meaning that it lacks his artistic renderings, especially of the assassin Tananda. Asprin also fixed a minor plot-hole at the beginning of the book in the comic, but that’s incidental.

I usually try not to start by listing the flaws in a book, but in this case it seemed necessary to explain why I experienced this book differently than most of its readers. Still, for those who want to read the series, it is the starting point and does introduce many of the recurring characters as well as the inventive Universe that Robert Asprin built for them. Essentially, this is a comedy-adventure fantasy series in which a young apprentice magician teams up with a scaly-skinned Demon in order to learn magic (spelled “magik” throughout the series, which I refuse to do) and life’s lessons. A lot of the humor is verbal in some sense, and it tends to be somewhat low-key, compared to the non-stop laughs of Douglas Adams, for example. On the other hand, the adventure side tends to be better emphasized than in a lot of “funny” books, and there is genuine tension as the stories unfold, as well as good character development over time. You have to stick with the series to see that, however.

Our hero is Skeeve, who starts out as a naïve young man on a medieval world apprenticed to a powerful wizard named Garkin. Garkin, trying to impress Skeeve, summons Aahz, the previously mentioned Demon, from his dimension just at the moment he is assassinated by (and simultaneously kills) an imp called Throckwaddle. Aahz, a dimension travelling resident of the world called Perv (“Demon” is short for “dimension traveler”), discovers that Garkin has stolen his magical powers as a practical joke, and thus he cannot return home for 100 years, so he takes on Skeeve as an apprentice and takes up the avenging Garkin’s death. In the meanwhile we also learn about the Deveels, residents of the dimension Deva, and their mighty bazaar, wherein anything in the Multiverse may be bought. They find a Deveel and arrange a trip there, along the way picking up a baby dragon called Gleep and the aforementioned assassin Tananda, who looks mostly human apart from having green hair. Oh, and there’s also a rather Dudley Dooright-like demon hunter named Quigley. And, of course, Isstvan, the mad wizard who sent the assassins out in the first place.

As the series progressed, Asprin would fill in a great deal more details about the other dimensions and the monstrous beings who inhabit them (many are based on fantasy monsters of one kind or another), but he was just laying the groundwork here. What he does that appealed to me as a nerdy D&D gamer, was to set out a believable yet simple system of magic and lead us progressively along the process of Skeeve’s training in that system. In that, the book does provide more satisfactory detail than the comics did, so reading it did ultimately pay off. Asprin was one of the first generation of fantasy writers who was also a gamer, so this makes sense.

In general, though, if you’re just interested in the story, I’d recommend going over to Myth Adventures and reading the comics, now even in color, a benefit I didn’t have reading them in the 80s. Darn kids have it all too easy.