A Myth

I think it started in the second grade. Dad and Mrs. Wagner would check Laurel and Hardy movies out of the County Teacher’s Library to reward us for meeting class goals. I loved them, and the Abbot and Costello movies that mixed things up. In fourth grade I got excited about homophones. I’m still excited about homophones. Browse my poetry. It’s a game I’ll never stop playing.

Sometime later I was shopping the fantasy section of the bookstore. Fantasy was a tricky section for a serious fundamentalist. There was always something wrong, too much sex mostly especially for a short fundamentalist. One book stood out, Another Fine Myth. I had discovered Laurel and Hardy fans were a pretty exclusive group since pop culture had rolled on without them. To find someone who could wink in that secret language and with a homophone no less, I wanted it. Until I read a bit. Demons who weren’t obviously the enemy were obviously of the enemy, so back on the shelf it went, over and over again. Then they quit selling it. 

I always check the library book resale room. I’ve found some fascinating stuff that way. This trip was all about Robert Asprin. They had all the Myth series in paperback for a dollar a shot. At fifty I figured I could manage the demons, so I bought the lot. Sometimes the things I’ve waited to read are as great as I thought they would be, Hawking’s A Brief History of Time, for example. Wow, worth the wait! Another Fine Myth, not so much. The plot meanders, committed to nothing. The world is vague and therefore vaguely interesting. The best thing about the book is the characters, but since they are never in a situation that tests them they remain acquaintances instead of heroes or friends. I might read more to see if he ever ups his plot game. The characters are interesting. I might see if they improve on further reading.