Iceman's Myth!
Written: Jan 02 '01 (Updated Jan 02 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: great humor; will get you laughin', excellent series!
Cons: Where's the latest??? Cmon, Robert!
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| icemancm's Full Review: Robert Asprin, Kelly Freas, Polly Freas - Another ... |
Wow, I haven't written one of these yet!! What are these, you say? I say, a book review!! Hell, it's been a long time since I've written a book review... since grade school that is... ! ~shudder~ At least this book has captivated my interest AND I enjoy readin' this series immensely!
I have had this book for the longest time; the pages are turnin' yellow with age, and the entire book has been dog-eared for as long as I could remember. That to me, is a sign of a book that is enjoyed, no matter where a person may be, whether he or she is gettin' quality time on sunday in the bathroom, enjoyin' his or her peace and quiet while on the porcelain throne, or at the library, or in a long car ride through the lanes of I-75. But I digress.
Robert Asprin writes some hilarious stuff in this Mythical world! Dragons, demons, demon-suns, I mean, dimensions, and peasants, oh my!
Well, okay, so peasants aren't scary... but that's the whole point. Skeeve, the thief turned magik-slinger, has taken on to a sorcerer for learnin' some new skills that he could apply to his chosen profession at the time; the knavery of stealin'. Of course, he is havin' a hard enough time masterin' said magik skills in order to impress his teacher. Only after a prank gone wrong, a demon showin' up in the portal that his now dead teacher had created, AFTER which of course, 2 assassins came by to rub out said teacher! Whoa, plot twist right off the bat. So of course, since the teacher is dead... the portal no longer contains the demon, see? The teacher's powers were holdin' the demon back!
But lo and behold, Skeeve, the apprentice, promptly knocks himself out when the demon... named Aahz... no relation to Oz... tries to introduce himself. Of course, it is found out that Aahz has promptly lost his magik powers soon after his arrival! Aahz, a green scaly bald dude with major sharp teeth filed into points, starts to educate Skeeve on the REAL ways of the world.... or worlds, as the case may be. Skeeve is then initiated into the knowledge of magik, from dimensions, dimension traveling, the REAL uses of magik- and lessons taken ranged from auras to flame to telekinesis. Of course, Skeeve makes MAJOR headway into his lessons when he signs on as apprentice to Aahz. But more fun and trouble awaits the odd pair!
They go huntin' after the two assassins... which of course, prompts another "life" discussion by Aahz with Skeeve... the difference between the lowly inferior Imps and the Deveels! See, the Imps copy the Deveels... and the Deveels are the best hagglers, negotiators, and merchants in all the known dimensions. The assassins, however, are Imps. So of course, Aahz teaches Skeeve the ol' disguise magik, and off they go... huntin' the Imps, and runnin' into one of several allies to come later... by the name of Quigley, who just happens to be a demon-hunter, and since Aahz isn't of Skeeve's home dimension... he just happens to be a demon! Oooh, the story unfolds....
They manage to get around Quigley, even recruitin' him for their cause against another magician in Skeeve's dimension- Isstvan! Isstvan just so happens to be an insane powermonger who wants all the magikal forces on Klah- Skeeve's home dimension- for himself! They ask Quigley to take care of the Imps... but... come to find out, the Imps catch up to the pair themselves, and trailin' them is a cart that holds the stone statue of Quigley... the plot keeps goin'....
Skeeve and Aahz head to a carpet merchant who so happens to be a Deveel in disguise... and after makin' a very HAIRY trip through town disguised as a couple, and gettin' hung to boot- hung as in hung by a rope, not hung over!- they manage to escape with their lives intact- and back to the merchant. Of course, they are both less than pleased with the way the townspeople reacted to them... and thereafter garnered some items to help them travel through the dimensions.
Headin' to Deva, the home dimension of the Deveels, and the home of the Bazaar, the dimensions' place for anythin' that could be found, bought, sold or made! There Skeeve and Aahz run into another character... one who will stick around for the entire series... ! Tananda, or otherwise thereafter known as Tanda... the lush gorgeous woman with green hair and olive skin... and actin' as bait for a gang that manages to get the ... well, let's just say they got the dung comin' at 'em from Skeeve, who found a nearby dungpile handy!
Skeeve also manages to "find" a pet baby dragon, and after the dragon munches on a piece of Skeeve's shirt, the dragon's linked to him thereafter! This, no doubt, puts Aahz through some major grumblin'. Tanda, Quigley, Aahz, and the dragon, now called Gleep, since that is it's one word vocabulary- head back to Klah, to take on Isstvan.
I won't wreck the final climax for you- suffice it to say that Robert Asprin had skillfully written a tale that goes against the grain of most fantasy tales- no powerful magicians here- no huge dragons that have huge hoards of treasure or immense intellect- no demons or such that are ultra powerful or even evil... just a bunch of characters that are, to say the least, bunglin' incompetents who manage to get through the hairiest of scrapes with their skins intact! However, I have to admit, the humor in the whole series is what hooks me time and time again.... for example... Aahz gets called a "Pervert!" and of course... he bristles... and tells 'em... "That's PERVECT!" Hehe... Robert just puts on a humorous spin on your traditional tales... Small time magician goes up against master... same magician goes up against huge army... same magician fills in for royalty... etc... and makes all of the stories in this series are just fun to read... ! Pick it up at the library and check it out!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
icemancm
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Member: Chris
Location: New Hampshire
Reviews written: 100
Trusted by: 92 members
About Me:
Hey. I'm sort of back; but anyway...
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