Rating: 
Summary: Good, but this took eight years?
Review: After a long wait and last year's head fake (Myth-ion Improbable), Asprin finally gets around to resolving the cliff hanger and loose ends of Sweet Myth-tery of Life. This is an odd hybrid of a book that left me, a die hard Myth fan, somewhat satisfied but wanting more.First, since this is a M.Y.T.H. Inc. title, we are "treated" to much of the book being told through the voice of Skeeve's mob bodyguard, Guido. As such, much of the dialogue is written in an annoying faux-Damon Runyon dialect, youse knows wat I meen? I have no idea why Asprin is so enamoured of Guido, but a little of him goes a long way, and this is the second book told in his voice. (Hey, I think Guido and Nunzio are fine characters, but they aren't leading men and can't carry a book by themselves.) What I always enjoyed about the Myth books was the interplay between Aahz and Skeeve, and the reason I haven't enjoyed the last few books as much as the earlier ones is a distinct lack of that chemistry. When Skeeve's voice finally takes control of the book (at the 3/4 mark), the book really comes to life. I only wish it happened sooner. The story itself is OK. It is told parallel to Sweet Myth-tery, so it might take a few minutes to find your bearings, especially if you haven't read that volume in a few years. It involves Guido going out into Posstilium to investigate rumblings of dissent among the citizens and see how serious those are. The opposition consists of three groups: First, a Robin Hood type (literally) and his band of merry disgruntled taxpayers, who are pretty funny. Next, a spoiled rich kid doing a Zorro take-off, which isn't bad. Finally, an INCREDIBLY LAME group inspired by Lord of the Rings which really has no business being in the book and doesn't actually do anything. They literally have no point in this story other than to pad out the page count. Honestly, Asprin seems clueless as what to do with these people. He sets them up gamely and just lets them flouder around. There's similarly lazy writing in a lot of places. Klah seemed to be a fairly Medieval dimension in the earlier novels. Now, there are so many anachronistic devices used, it could be set in Modern day America. Asprin tries to explain it all away with a line about how demons are trading anachronistic devices all the time, but that doesn't wash. If demons proliferate to the point where the common folk play D&D and read Lord of the Rings, etc., then why do they freak out when they actually SEE a demon? It's just lazy writing. And the resolution to the cliffhanger we waited eight years for? Cop out. Lame. And you can see it coming a mile away. Not to be too hard on the book, though. I smiled and chuckled and enjoyed reading it. Mind you, Asprin said he was trying to write with a larger canvas over the last few books (7-12) and take in bigger themes. The whole Queen Hemlock/Posstilium adventure could have been contained in one or two books if Asprin edited himself a little more carefully. It certainly didn't need five volumes. As a result, the book seems VERY padded. It clocks in at a novella length 150 pages, with a short story and a glossary of the Myth world tossed in to bulk up the slim tome. Mind you, that doesn't stop Meisha Merlin from overcharging again. You guys want to charge book prices? Then publish a book and not a pamphlet. You'd think they could at least afford a copy editor to take care of the dozens of misspellings and typos and get a better artist. The ending is bittersweet, and it leaves open the possibilities for future volumes as much as it leaves a place for the series to end off. If it is the last book, Asprin deserves the rest. Despite the recent decline in quality, he's written four of the funniest books I've ever read and I'll always appreciate that. Overall, this is a book for the die hards. If you are new to Myth, go back and read the first four and enjoy them.
Rating: 
Summary: Okay, but disappointing
Review: After so much time, to write such a brief standalone book which is to be concurrent with Sweet Myth-tery of Life was a mistake. The story here should've been included in that volume. It wasn't a bad story; it just doesn't belong as a separate entity. And the proofreading/editing was horrific! On the other hand, after the jibes I've taken regarding my own self-edited novel, this mess makes me feel better in a left-handed way. I hope Mr. Asprin and his publisher get their acts together for M.Y.T.H. Inc.'s future.
Rating:
Summary: Erratic Narrative and Obscure Inside Jokes
Review: As short as it was (a Jackson short of 200 pgs), this book worked very hard not to leave any sort of impression. In fact, what am I talking about? Oh, yeah. As the conclusion for the wildly popular and hit or miss good MYTH series, Something MYTH Inc really didn't get started until the last 40 or so pages. For the most part, the audience had to suffer through what is perhaps the most groan-worthy aspect of a series: The Re-hash from Another Character's Perspective. Please. So basically, if you read "Sweet Mythtery...", then you know the first three quarters of "Something." The ending does give some new storyline... put then leaves us dangling right when it gets somewhat interesting. Aspirin is good at this; see how he managed to anger his audience with ending on a "To be continued..." note with his Time Scout series. It's like he had some kind of writing meltdown during the late '90s and is just on the road to recovery. Hopefully, the next book in the MYTH series (because you *know* there'll be another) will pick up where this one sort of dwindled off... But I'm leary of co-authors, especially with Aspirin... Remember what happened to Phule?
Rating: 
Summary: This book was really dissapointing
Review: Both I and my son have been great fans of the Myth series for some time and were eagerly anticipating this book. Unfortunately, there was little plot, action, or character development. It reminded me of someone getting tired of reading to a sleepy kid and saying "and they all lived happily ever after the end" and snapping the book shut.
Rating: 
Summary: Witty and fun...
Review: Good things are worth waiting for, and this is no exception. After a long absence, the whole crew of MYTH Inc makes its return in this witty novel. When we last left them, they were taking care of the mob's business in the Klah dimension's kingdom of Possiltum. Skeeve the Great is running the show as court muscian and trying to figure out the safest way to not marry evil Queen Hemlock. All this has him slightly distracted and rather moody, which leads to rumors runnnig rampant that Skeeve the Great has the queen enthralled, consorts with demons and other odd sorts, and is protected by a dragon. Well, to some extent, this is true, but there are extenuating circumstances. Not being aware of those, the populace is making a good effort to rebel. Getting wind of this, Skeeve's mafiosa bodyguards take it upon themselves to protect the "Boss" and restore peace to the kingdom. In the process, they meet Robb the Hoodlum and his band of married men who have been poaching the game conserve, marry off Skeeve's apprentice, Masha, and generally save the day. As readers we are treated to a tale mostly told from Guido's unique outlook, though Skeeve and Aahz do make contributions to the narration. **** If you need a laugh, this book is the perfect medicine for a troubled heart. It is not truly stand alone, but going back and reading the prior volumes will only add to your smiles. The only bad thing is that it would appear that this could be an end to the adventure. I hope not. This dimension needs all the laughter it can get. **** Reviewed by Amanda Killgore.
Rating:
Summary: Disappointed and Angry
Review: I agree with all of the 2 star reviews here but believe they were way too generous with their stars. I have read all of the MYTH books and enjoyed almost all of them but this book was a fraud. Everything about this book leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I will never buy Asprin again. Anybody could produce a stinker but the prose and way this was written left me with no doubt that this was take the money and run.
Rating:
Summary: A sad return...
Review: I bought this book the day it hit the stores, having waited 7 years for it to come out, and in all fairness my expectations were high. BUT even if my high expectations colored my judgement, the structure alone doomed this book from the start. Consider this... 2/3rds of the book is dedicated to the story of Guido(a character that was out of interesting things to say in MYTH inc in action), Pookie and Spyder (two characters that aren't even part of the Myth gang). The story has NOTHING to do with anything that has ever happened in the book before. Further, some of the chapters switch to third person narration which has never been done in the Myth books before. Beyond that the story is fairly weak. 1/6th of the book is dedicated to Skeeve's perspective. This is the only redeeming quality of this book. It continues the story of Sweet Mythtery of Life, but it reads like a "quick wrap-up" and although it has some up points it's still pretty weak. The last 1/6th of the book is dedicated to Aahz and although it is well written it details a story that is both boring and stupid. Bottom Line: This entire book has almost nothing to do with any of the books that came before it, it wraps up none of the mysteries of the previous books, and everything that looked dramatic at the end of Sweet Mythtery turns out to be a "wacky misunderstanding" that's quickly resolved. Unless your really dedicated to the series, don't waste your time (but pick up the next one, there was some potential in the Skeeve chapters)
Rating:
Summary: Mostly Boring
Review: I bought this book, excited that Asprin had come out with another MYTH Inc book. I love reading the perspectives from the series' most interesting characters: Chumley, Aahz, Tanda, and especially Gleep. What I got instead was the view-point of possibly the most dull regular character, Guido. He'd already had a whole book to himself, MYTH Inc In Action, and that was pretty tedious. Well, his extremely boring story takes up 80% of this book, featuring other extremely dull late-addition characters in a fun-lacking caper. Well, you get the idea. The last few chapters which close up the first 12 books of the series are okay, but nothing really fun. Fortunately, he leaves it open for future books on a slightly different (still Skeeve-based) premise, which he hints at writing in conjunction with another author. As bad as this book was, I have hope that the next series will bring back the joy of the original books. (As evidence that Asprin can still write like that, his recent Myth-ion Impossible was great). Bottom line: don't buy this book, read it in the library or wait for the new series.
Rating:
Summary: It's good to have closure!
Review: I have to agree with the general sentiment expressed in other reviews. I'm very glad to see the promised final book, but it certainly could have been better. All in all, it's rather forgettable, but it was a lot of fun to see the series conclude.
Rating:
Summary: Wondering
Review: I haven't read the book under inspection to this date but I would not write of Mr. Asprin yet. He has turned out some real works of art and I for one could forgive any plot errors. And BTW If you think this was bad with it's spelling errors, Lords Critical, then I suggest you read the original Little Women and it's aftermath. THAT is spelling to give those of us who love reading and writing the worst of nightmares!
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