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Robert Asprin

Author's Note

If this book is your first exposure to the Myth-Adventures of Aahz and Skeeve, there is no reason for you to read this note. Proceed directly to the main body of the work and enjoy.

If, however, you have been following this series for some time, some explanations are in order. Specifically, as to why you are now holding this volume instead of the long-awaited, long-promised episode titled Something M. Y. T. H. Inc.

As was noted in Author's Note of the previous volume, Sweet Myth-tery of Life (which was also late in being written), I have been going through some difficult times in my life. Since that volume was released in 1994, most of those difficulties re­volved around a five-to-six-year death duel with the IRS over back taxes. The less said about that, the better.

When that matter was resolved in April of 2000, I re-applied myself to writing the two overdue MYTH novels, only to find myself in a dilemma. The first problem was that it had been over seven years since I had written Aahz and Skeeve, and it was extremely difficult after that long a hiatus to recapture the style and rhythm of the narration and dialogue that had made the series unique. To complicate things, the story I was at­tempting to convey, Something M. Y. T. H. Inc. , was the most com­plex tale I had attempted in the MYTH series, as it not only involves multiple viewpoints, but also occurs simultaneously with events contained in Sweet Myth-tery of Life.

After nearly half a year of wrestling with these difficulties, a friend of mine made a suggestion. Specifically, why not write another, simpler story first... something from Skeeve's earlier days with Aahz.

The result is the volume you are currently holding. Sequen­tially, it occurs between volumes three-Myth-Direction-and four-Hit or Myth. (They will be republished in the combined omnibus Myth Adventures Two in February 2002 from Meisha Merlin Publishing, Inc. ) If the plan holds, Something M. Y. T. H. Inc. will follow it VERY shortly.

As always, thank you for your loyalty and patience.

Robert Lynn Asprin February 2001

Chapter One

"Here we go again!"

C-3PO

When my teacher/mentor Aahz grumbles or rants about my being stupid or having done something stupid, I make a big show of being apologetic, but it really doesn't bother me all that much. I figure it goes with the territory and is part of the price of learning magik.

I mean, first of all, there's the point that Aahz is older than I am and has been around more. A lot more. He's an experi enced dimension traveler, or 'demon' for short, and compared to his knowledge and experience I really am stupid and naive.