Tomes of Spellcasting--Myth-nomers and Im-pervections

Tomes of Spellcasting

Welcome to the land of mystery, where the impossible is possible, and the improbable the reality. Join me as I investigate worlds filled with magic and meet the souls that wield this wondrous powers.

W A R N I N G !

This review does not represent the opinions of the general public. It reflects my personal thoughts and opinions on the book.

That said, on to the review!

Title: Myth-nomers and Im-pervections
Author: Robert Asprin
Publisher: Ace Books
Format: Paperback
Copyright Date: 1986

In trying to be a good president of M.Y.T.H., Inc., Skeeve became someone he wasn't. In the process he said some things that were disturbing to his partner, Aahz, who subsequently left Deva to return to his home dimension, Perv. Now it's up to Skeeve to travel to a dimension with a spectacularly unsavory reputation to find his missing friend. The question, however, is how he's going to do it. He may have a reputation as one of the most powerful magicians on Deva, but in truth, he has far less magical ability than his late Klahd master, and nowhere near as much experience as his powerless mentor, Aahz. So how is he going to survive in a dimension of magicians far more powerful than he is who are all capable of using technology to supress what little ability he has and augment everything that they have? Not to mention that on Perv, where demons (dimension travelers to you and me) are unwelcome and definitely in the minority, he sticks out like a sore thumb? And he's supposed to look for one Pervect (or Pervert, depending on who you talk to) in an entire dimension filled with Pervects (or Perverts)? Can anybody say "impossible?"

With Myth-nomers and Im-pervections, Skeeve is once more out on his own without Aahz's advice and experience to guide him. This time, he doesn't even have his friends and co-workers to back him up. Now, though, we get to see what Skeeve is actually made of, in terms of skill, ability, and endurance. To be honest, though, he's not entirely alone: he has a Djinn in his pocket. Of course, from everything the Djinn tells him, he's still basically on his own.

Perhaps the biggest draw for this book is that we are, for the first time, actually seeing Skeeve completely on his own. Flying solo as he is, this also lets readers know more about Skeeve in one book than they might learn in all the rest of the books. In all those other books, Skeeve is frequently reacting and responding to his friends: listening and heeding their advice, thinking about them in flattering and unflattering terms, taking what they're giving and building on it. This time Skeeve has no one to react or respond to except himself. That means he spends a great deal of time looking at himself and seeing just who and what he is. We don't get to see this when he's busy reflecting on his friends; solitude is a key necessity for introspective self-assessments. And boy, does Skeeve learn a lot about himself!

Myth-nomers and Im-pervections is a fairly interesting novel, which completely moves Skeeve out of the medieval societies he's mostly frequented and into a highly technologically advanced civilization with all new rules to follow. That, of course, adds to the adventure, since Skeeve has no idea what he's gotten himself into, or how he's going to get out. Wondering how he does it? You'll just have to read the book!

Rating: Thumbs up! Can Skeeve survive in the most dangerous, tourist-unfriendly dimension there is?

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This page posted February 16, 2003.

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