I picked up a copy of Robert Asprin’s Another Fine Myth / Myth Conceptions
I had read three or so of the books from the series through my school’s library back in the 7th grade and found them amusing at the time. Now I’m going through the entire series starting from the beginning to make sure I didn’t miss anything.
Generally, I was never really a big fan of the fantasy genre. I always preferred science fiction, not merely because I’ve always looked forward to the technology, but because I’ve always felt that most general fantasy novels tend to involve more characters who are born into their role, compared to the possibility of the everyday man being the hero through the general science fiction tale. Sure, the sci-fi hero tends to be smarter, braver and better looking than the average person, but the role is one that can be won by self-determination, versus the amount of fate and destiny that surrounds the average fantasy protagonist.
With Robert Asprin’s Myth series, however, the heroes are relatively ordinary people for their world who are thrust into extraordinary situations in which they turn the odds in their favor through some street smarts, chutzpah and a few well-placed cons. Of course, it probably doesn’t hurt that the whole thing is written as a comedy, and therefore doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as many general fantasy novels do.