Lankhmar: Tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser

by Fritz Leiber, Mike Mignola (Illustrator)

"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser faced each other across the two thieves sprawled senseless". So begins the fateful first (well, second...) meeting of two of the most famous heroes of sword-and-sorcery fiction: Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The two go on to pursue grand dreams and harrowing adventures, and it all begins in the grand city of Lankhmar, the City of Sevenscore Thousand Smoke.

Contents:
The Snow Women
The Unholy Grail
Ill Met in Lankhmar
The Circle Curse
Jewels in the Forest

Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Fiction

288 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 2003

About the author

Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. was one of the more interesting of the young writers who came into HP Lovecraft's orbit, and some of his best early short fiction is horror rather than sf or fantasy. He found his mature voice early in the first of the sword-and-sorcery adventures featuring the large sensitive barbarian Fafhrd and the small street-smart-ish Gray Mouser; he returned to this series at various points in his career, using it sometimes for farce and sometimes for gloomy mood pieces--The Swords of Lankhmar is perhaps the best single volume of their adventures. Leiber's science fiction includes the planet-smashing The Wanderer in which a large cast mostly survive flood, fire, and the sexual attentions of feline aliens, and the satirical A Spectre is Haunting Texas in which a gangling, exo-skeleton-clad actor from the Moon leads a revolution and finds his true love. Leiber's late short fiction, and the fine horror novel Our Lady of Darkness, combine autobiographical issues like his struggle with depression and alcoholism with meditations on the emotional content of the fantastic genres. Leiber's capacity for endless self-reinvention and productive self-examination kept him, until his death, one of the most modern of his sf generation.

Used These Alternate Names: Maurice Breçon, Fric Lajber, Fritz Leiber, Jr., Fritz R. Leiber, Fritz Leiber Jun., Фриц Лейбер, F. Lieber, フリッツ・ライバー

Reviews

[Edward Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leiber wrote one full novel and several shorter ones about the titular thieves of Lankhmar and the first few are rendered to an image and captured here in this series. Each tale is quick, dirty, and full of the expected mirth and skills of the fabled duo as they travel Nehwon fighting demons, wizards, and old gods alike. Add in the incredible art of Mike Mignola and you have something for everyone who loves Martin, Gygax, and the other lords and ladies of sword and sorcery.

[Sarah Ehinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the authors that inspired Gary Gygax and his dungeons and dragons role playing game. Certainly the exploits of these two characters and the city of Lankhmar present an enticing setting for would be adventures.

[Anibal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fritz Leiber is a storyteller unparalleled. Newhon is a magnificent creation, Lankhmar is completely believable. Reading his descriptions I really feel I’m walking its streets, smelling its odors, feeling the oppressive environment…and I truly relax when the characters reach a tavern or home! And the author knows exactly that, and masterfully weaves his tale using feelings and accurate descriptions which transport the reader to forests, ruins and cities that Leiber not only imagined, he must have walked those same places in his mind eye.

Contrary to most fantasy writers, Fritz Leiber also have a great care to use the exact word in the exact place which usually we only find in high literature. So when ones’ read his work it is impossible not to be astonished not only for the world and imagination, but the style in itself is also superb.

Those two aspects would already put this book in your to read list, but the third is even more impressive: character building. There are no two characters like Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. Apparently you have the physically imposing and powerful barbarian warrior and the witty, sly rogue-apprentice wizard…but from the very first pages they will emerge with never ending layers that convey a realism never before found in fantasy characters.

In this edition you’ll find the following tales:
- Induction;
- The Snow Women;
- The Unholy Grail;
- Ill Met in Lankhmar;
- The Circle Curse;
- The Jewels in the Forest.

The cover art and chapter openers’ art are by the brilliant Mike Mignola. Most old Roleplaying gamers would have played in the AD&D setting of Lankhmar that was adapted from the powerful works of Fritz Leiber. If you haven’t read the stories of the two greatest heroes of Newhon you owe it to yourself to correct that situation.

The work in itself is clearly a five stars. I’m giving such a low rating because this edition, or at least my copy, is severely flawed. Horrible pagination and editing. There are even 40 pages missing from the story “The Snow Women”! That is completely unacceptable. I have the first edition published in the year 2000, and I admit that those mistakes might had occurred in only a few batches, but better safe than sorry. I can provide photos to illustrate the ghastly errors. If you want to buy this edition of the book please check carefully your copy. But remember, there are other editions of this masterpiece.

[Joe B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird that this is not listed here in English.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good. Supposedly It's a collection of stories, but they're so well connected it's more like the beginning of a long novel.

Sometimes I got lost in the language a bit, but once I got past that the descriptions were excellent, and the adventures full of interesting elements that you would not expect in your average fantasy books.

I can see why a number of people have suggested this as further reading for people interested in dnd. The adventures are like a good dnd campaign that keeps you interested and guessing at whats going to come.

[D.L. Morrese · Rating 3 out of 5]

I pulled this from my shelf to reread because I'd forgotten it. That's partly because Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories have been so influential in creating the contemporary fantasy genre that they now seem fairly generic. Although the characters and setting now seem almost cliche, and the plot (such as it is) unfolds rather slowly, the prose remains top notch.

[Scott Radtke · Rating 4 out of 5]

High adventure from a master of fantasy. Fafrd and the Gray Mouser are two of the most engaging characters in fantasy literature. Leiber is a great writer.

[Kat Hooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've reviewed these separately at FanLit: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/fant...

[Mitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories are great. Others are so so. But it was a fun and quick read. I'd heard of these stories for a long time but never saw them in bookstores.