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Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser #1-2
Ill Met in Lankhmar
Libro usado en buenas condiciones, por su antiguedad podria contener señales normales de uso
Paperback
First published April 1, 1970
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2321 people want to read
About the author
Fritz Leiber
1,337 books1,051 followersFritz 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
July 12, 2024
Whatever sword and sorcery book you happen to be reading at the moment - throw it across the room, sneer at the author's petty attempts at greatness, and go pick up one of Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar books. It doesn't necessarily have to be the edition I'm reviewing here. But if you have one ounce of love for sword and sorcery in your veins, you must read Leiber's work. And before you shout out "I don't need your stupid wizards and bare-chested barbarians!" read on!
I have just finished the White Wolf edition of Ill Met in Lankhmar, which collects Leiber's original Lankhmar volumes 1 and 2, Swords and Deviltry and Swords Against Death.
Rather than giving a blow-by-blow or even focusing on the story arc of these connected short stories and novellas, I'd like to point out the two most compelling reasons for snatching up a copy of this book: character and language.
Fafhrd and Gray Mouser are some of the most compelling characters in all of sword and sorcery literature. They have complex motivations and reactions to varied circumstances. They are, at turns, brilliant and stupid, competent and bungling, all tempered by a good bit of luck. Among their many talents, they are rogue thieves, amateur wizard (Gray Mouser) and bard (Fafhrd), and, most importantly, accomplished swordsmen. Circumstances dictate their initial meeting, but mutual respect, a sort of chivalry, a shared sense of dark humor, mutual loss, and a desire for revenge cause them to become inseparable. Even after their past literally stops haunting them, they remain compatriots and fellow-adventurers. It's difficult to relate the subtleties of their interaction, their wit, and their banter. You simply must read it for yourself.
The prose is, at turns, playful and a touch archaic, though never as whimsical as Wodehouse nor as purple as DeCamp’s “translations” of Conan. The tone strikes just the right balance between funny and serious, not straying too far toward silliness or darkness, though both elements can be found threaded throughout these tales. On a side note, Leiber sticks with earlier notions of sorcery, established by Howard and others, that magic is not something you really want to dabble in unless you absolutely have to. Messing about with the natural order of things carries heavy consequences. Though magic can help your cause, there is a price to be paid for forcefully upsetting the balance of the universe.
The setting of the city of Lankhmar seems overdone only because so many more recent works of sword and sorcery are derivative. It's hard to seem original when everyone who's followed has copied your styles, customs, and tropes. So put your D&D books away for a little while, read this, then come back and see what all Arneson and Gygax incorporated from Lankhmar. The early AD&D works are saturated with the stuff.
I could go on about Leiber's influence on roleplaying, but one need know nothing about roleplaying games to enjoy the wonderful characters that are Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. One need not even *like* the sword and sorcery genre to appreciate Leiber's beautiful, but not overwrought prose. One need not be a grammar snob to enjoy the yarns Leiber has spun in these stories. In essence, Ill Met in Lankhmar is a book's book, approachable on many levels by readers of widely varying interests and backgrounds.
I have just finished the White Wolf edition of Ill Met in Lankhmar, which collects Leiber's original Lankhmar volumes 1 and 2, Swords and Deviltry and Swords Against Death.
Rather than giving a blow-by-blow or even focusing on the story arc of these connected short stories and novellas, I'd like to point out the two most compelling reasons for snatching up a copy of this book: character and language.
Fafhrd and Gray Mouser are some of the most compelling characters in all of sword and sorcery literature. They have complex motivations and reactions to varied circumstances. They are, at turns, brilliant and stupid, competent and bungling, all tempered by a good bit of luck. Among their many talents, they are rogue thieves, amateur wizard (Gray Mouser) and bard (Fafhrd), and, most importantly, accomplished swordsmen. Circumstances dictate their initial meeting, but mutual respect, a sort of chivalry, a shared sense of dark humor, mutual loss, and a desire for revenge cause them to become inseparable. Even after their past literally stops haunting them, they remain compatriots and fellow-adventurers. It's difficult to relate the subtleties of their interaction, their wit, and their banter. You simply must read it for yourself.
The prose is, at turns, playful and a touch archaic, though never as whimsical as Wodehouse nor as purple as DeCamp’s “translations” of Conan. The tone strikes just the right balance between funny and serious, not straying too far toward silliness or darkness, though both elements can be found threaded throughout these tales. On a side note, Leiber sticks with earlier notions of sorcery, established by Howard and others, that magic is not something you really want to dabble in unless you absolutely have to. Messing about with the natural order of things carries heavy consequences. Though magic can help your cause, there is a price to be paid for forcefully upsetting the balance of the universe.
The setting of the city of Lankhmar seems overdone only because so many more recent works of sword and sorcery are derivative. It's hard to seem original when everyone who's followed has copied your styles, customs, and tropes. So put your D&D books away for a little while, read this, then come back and see what all Arneson and Gygax incorporated from Lankhmar. The early AD&D works are saturated with the stuff.
I could go on about Leiber's influence on roleplaying, but one need know nothing about roleplaying games to enjoy the wonderful characters that are Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. One need not even *like* the sword and sorcery genre to appreciate Leiber's beautiful, but not overwrought prose. One need not be a grammar snob to enjoy the yarns Leiber has spun in these stories. In essence, Ill Met in Lankhmar is a book's book, approachable on many levels by readers of widely varying interests and backgrounds.
September 16, 2019
Quite a bit darker and less humorous than I had expected. Still, a solid heist tale featuring one of fantasy literature's most iconic pair of buddies, told in Leiber's masterful style with an eye for creating an engrossing atmosphere dripping with fascinating detail.
January 5, 2020
Judging by the receipt I kept in the back of the book I purchased this wonderful tome at Walden Books in Racine, WI on January 26, 2000 for the grand sum of $3.99. I still have ( somewhere ) paperback copies and some Sci-fi Book Club versions of Leiber's amazing fantasy duo.
It was nice to revisit these wonderful stories. Each hero compliments the other and though it did seem like Mouser got more screen time to me they both showed why they are great fantasy heroes. My favorite stories in this collection were in no particular order: "Ill Met in Lankhmar", "Bazaar of the Bizarre", "Claws from the Night", "Thieves' House" and the very Lovecraftian in scope "The Sunken Land".
Leiber's use of humor, color, language, and really making the city of Lankhmar into a character in and of itself made for a fun read.
It was nice to revisit these wonderful stories. Each hero compliments the other and though it did seem like Mouser got more screen time to me they both showed why they are great fantasy heroes. My favorite stories in this collection were in no particular order: "Ill Met in Lankhmar", "Bazaar of the Bizarre", "Claws from the Night", "Thieves' House" and the very Lovecraftian in scope "The Sunken Land".
Leiber's use of humor, color, language, and really making the city of Lankhmar into a character in and of itself made for a fun read.
May 31, 2018
Okay I will admit this is another case of not keeping up my notes here with my reading - sorry my bad.
Well this series from the publisher Millennium (I realise I have them also on the Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks series) for many years as I remember picking them up as a set. I thought it was about time I got round to reading them and a little bit of heroic fantasy never hurts (unless you drop the hardback on your foot, there are some weight tombs out there but thats another story).
Anyway These books (there are 4 in the series I have) really are more collected novellas and shorts stories that Fritz Leiber wrote collected together in a rough chronology.
Well I will not go in to the various stories (in this volume there are two novellas - Swords against Deviltry and and Swords against Death), though in later volumes there are short stories and more of them.
I will at this point and digress (since I will have 3 further instalments to preamble along in). One of my favourite side tracks to reading the book is learning about it. These stories were started back in the 30s and were to a greater or lesser reason written as Mr Leibers answer to the fantasy stories of his time. He wanted basically a more realistic character one you could at least try and identify with and so was born Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.
Now I have said this many times about other books but reading some of the older books you start to see the cliches and tried and tested techniques that almost become the bench mark for a genre.
Ironically Fritz Leiber's desire to create more realistic character meant that the faired better with them so much so there have been many copies, homages and pastiches created (as one article commented you can see where a fair part of Ank-Morepork came from.
Anyway more on this later - but for this book you have here the first stories that go towards the Swords series which are collected in to these 4 volumes. Now on to the next one.
Well this series from the publisher Millennium (I realise I have them also on the Gollancz Fantasy Masterworks series) for many years as I remember picking them up as a set. I thought it was about time I got round to reading them and a little bit of heroic fantasy never hurts (unless you drop the hardback on your foot, there are some weight tombs out there but thats another story).
Anyway These books (there are 4 in the series I have) really are more collected novellas and shorts stories that Fritz Leiber wrote collected together in a rough chronology.
Well I will not go in to the various stories (in this volume there are two novellas - Swords against Deviltry and and Swords against Death), though in later volumes there are short stories and more of them.
I will at this point and digress (since I will have 3 further instalments to preamble along in). One of my favourite side tracks to reading the book is learning about it. These stories were started back in the 30s and were to a greater or lesser reason written as Mr Leibers answer to the fantasy stories of his time. He wanted basically a more realistic character one you could at least try and identify with and so was born Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.
Now I have said this many times about other books but reading some of the older books you start to see the cliches and tried and tested techniques that almost become the bench mark for a genre.
Ironically Fritz Leiber's desire to create more realistic character meant that the faired better with them so much so there have been many copies, homages and pastiches created (as one article commented you can see where a fair part of Ank-Morepork came from.
Anyway more on this later - but for this book you have here the first stories that go towards the Swords series which are collected in to these 4 volumes. Now on to the next one.
July 20, 2013
This definetely was quite a slog...especially as this is considered one of the founding classics of the genre, so I somehow expected a bit more, but it's just...dull. It's not really a novel but rather a collection of short stories about the adventures of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser which usually work out the way that one of them, usually Fafhrd, gets himself into bad trouble, and the other one has to go bail him out.
What occasionally saves the stories is the ironic undertone of the narration, but apart from that, the style is pretty bad in terms of "show, don't tell".
I don't know if it's fair to accuse one of the people who established the stereotypes of being stereotypical...maybe this just hasn't aged well.
Also, Mingols, seriously?! And the description of some people somewhat unwholesomly reminded me of the antisemitic stereotypes of the early 20th century...
On the other hand, one finds out where a good bit of Ankh-Morpork seems to have come from...
In general, rather disappointing. :(
What occasionally saves the stories is the ironic undertone of the narration, but apart from that, the style is pretty bad in terms of "show, don't tell".
I don't know if it's fair to accuse one of the people who established the stereotypes of being stereotypical...maybe this just hasn't aged well.
Also, Mingols, seriously?! And the description of some people somewhat unwholesomly reminded me of the antisemitic stereotypes of the early 20th century...
On the other hand, one finds out where a good bit of Ankh-Morpork seems to have come from...
In general, rather disappointing. :(
October 27, 2017
Και επιτέλους διάβασα κι εγώ τον γενάρχη του sword & sorcery. Όπως το υποψιαζόμουν, είναι αρκετά απλοϊκό σε πλοκή, με κάθε ιστορία μετά την συνάντηση των δύο ηρώων να μην έχει άμεση σχέση με τις υπόλοιπες. Για τους δύο πρωταγωνιστές δε μπορώ να πω πολλά, είναι αρχέτυπα βαρβάρου και μάγου, αλλά σε χαμηλά επίπεδα. Δεν είναι δηλαδή Κόναν ή Ελμίνιστερ κι αυτό τους κάνει πιο ανθρώπινους κατά κάποιο τρόπο.
Από την άλλη δεν έχουν και πολλά να πούνε σαν προσωπικότητες. Αυτά που βιώνουνε είναι τις περισσότερες φορές πιο ενδιαφέροντα από αυτά που λένε ή σκέφτονται. Και συχνά ούτε αυτό δε κάνουν, μιας που σαν εξερευνούνε μια περιοχή βουβαίνονται παντελώς και η πλοκή γίνεται 100% περιγραφές χώρου και κινήσεων.
Στο σύνολό του, καλογραμμένο ήταν αλλά δεν είχε κάτι που δε θα το βρεις σε οποιονδήποτε άλλο τίτλο του είδους. Είναι αργό και απλό σε πλοκή και χαρακτήρες, με τον κόσμο να προσπαθεί να σε τραβήξει χρησιμοποιώντας φαντασμαγορικές λέξεις όπως μυθικούς θησαυρούς και τρομαχτικά τέρατα. Ίσως φρέσκα και πρωτότυπα για την εποχή που γράφτηκε αλλά πιο πολλά γίνονταν σε ένα μέτριο D&D session που έπαιζα πριν πόσα χρόνια.
Από την άλλη δεν έχουν και πολλά να πούνε σαν προσωπικότητες. Αυτά που βιώνουνε είναι τις περισσότερες φορές πιο ενδιαφέροντα από αυτά που λένε ή σκέφτονται. Και συχνά ούτε αυτό δε κάνουν, μιας που σαν εξερευνούνε μια περιοχή βουβαίνονται παντελώς και η πλοκή γίνεται 100% περιγραφές χώρου και κινήσεων.
Στο σύνολό του, καλογραμμένο ήταν αλλά δεν είχε κάτι που δε θα το βρεις σε οποιονδήποτε άλλο τίτλο του είδους. Είναι αργό και απλό σε πλοκή και χαρακτήρες, με τον κόσμο να προσπαθεί να σε τραβήξει χρησιμοποιώντας φαντασμαγορικές λέξεις όπως μυθικούς θησαυρούς και τρομαχτικά τέρατα. Ίσως φρέσκα και πρωτότυπα για την εποχή που γράφτηκε αλλά πιο πολλά γίνονταν σε ένα μέτριο D&D session που έπαιζα πριν πόσα χρόνια.
September 18, 2012
I love the fantasy genre. Have since first reading The Hobbit in junior high. I've read countless novels in the genre, including Robert E. Howard's original Conan sword and sorcery classics, and have played Dungeons & Dragons, whose creators where heavily inspired by the adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. And yet somehow I'd never read any of Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar books. I've finally corrected that, and am very, very glad I did. I can completely understand why the Lankhmar stories are the favorites of so many of my fellow fans, and I now count them among mine as well.
My starting point for my adventures in Lankhmar has been Ill Met in Lankhmar, White Wolf's 1995 collection of Leiber's two 1970 volumes, Swords and Deviltry and Swords against Death. Those two volumes consist of short stories and novellas written between 1939 and 1970 and which were originally published in the pulp magazines of the day. The title novella, "Ill Met in Lankhmar," telling of the first meeting of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, won both the Hugo and Nebula awards for novella.
Fafhrd is a Northern barbarian, huge, tough, and still an outsider in civilization. The Gray Mouser is a former wizard's apprentice turned thief. They're very different, but are friends who've been through a lot together, stick together, and make a great team. Their adventures are usually not so heroic. They tend to run towards thieving trying to survive the ill effects of previous adventures. Their typical solution to their problems, while certainly often including violence, also includes a lot more running away and less "driving their enemies before them" than Conan.
And yet, they're likable and fun to read, precisely because they aren't so noble and because they can't slaughter all their enemies with their mighty Cimmerian muscles. I'm a big fan of Howard's Conan stories, and definitely see similarities between those and Lieber's Lankhmar tales, but the more human protagonists make a big difference. In addition, the fact that there's a pair of protagonists allows for interesting long-term relationship growth between Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser that a solo hero with new supporting characters in each story misses out on.
This collection includes 14 stories, varying from ten to sixty pages each. My favorite stories are "The Snow Women," which is Fafhrd's pre-Mouser origin story and is full of eerie barbarian atmosphere, the aforementioned "Ill Met in Lankhmar" chronicling Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser's first meeting, and "Thieves' House," wherein our heroes tangle again the the Thieves' Guild, oh and undead, too.
Much like the first time I read Howard's Conan stories, in reading Leiber's Lankhmar tales I can absolutely see why they have endured and are still so popular, and how they've influenced the fantasy genre so heavily. They really are a lot of fun and are a must for my fellow fantasy fans, and despite my notes above about how they differ, I think anyone who's enjoyed Conan like I have will also enjoy Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, because they do have a lot more in common than they have different and Leiber's Newhon and Howard's Hyboria could easily be different ages of the same pseudo-mythic world.
If, like me, you're a fantasy fan who has somehow missed out on these excellent stories, I urge you to pick up a copy of Ill Met in Lankhmar with all due speed. You'll have a blast and learn a lot about the history of the genre at the same time. Oh, and probably get some ideas for your next Dungeons & Dragons campaign while you're at it.
My starting point for my adventures in Lankhmar has been Ill Met in Lankhmar, White Wolf's 1995 collection of Leiber's two 1970 volumes, Swords and Deviltry and Swords against Death. Those two volumes consist of short stories and novellas written between 1939 and 1970 and which were originally published in the pulp magazines of the day. The title novella, "Ill Met in Lankhmar," telling of the first meeting of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, won both the Hugo and Nebula awards for novella.
Fafhrd is a Northern barbarian, huge, tough, and still an outsider in civilization. The Gray Mouser is a former wizard's apprentice turned thief. They're very different, but are friends who've been through a lot together, stick together, and make a great team. Their adventures are usually not so heroic. They tend to run towards thieving trying to survive the ill effects of previous adventures. Their typical solution to their problems, while certainly often including violence, also includes a lot more running away and less "driving their enemies before them" than Conan.
And yet, they're likable and fun to read, precisely because they aren't so noble and because they can't slaughter all their enemies with their mighty Cimmerian muscles. I'm a big fan of Howard's Conan stories, and definitely see similarities between those and Lieber's Lankhmar tales, but the more human protagonists make a big difference. In addition, the fact that there's a pair of protagonists allows for interesting long-term relationship growth between Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser that a solo hero with new supporting characters in each story misses out on.
This collection includes 14 stories, varying from ten to sixty pages each. My favorite stories are "The Snow Women," which is Fafhrd's pre-Mouser origin story and is full of eerie barbarian atmosphere, the aforementioned "Ill Met in Lankhmar" chronicling Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser's first meeting, and "Thieves' House," wherein our heroes tangle again the the Thieves' Guild, oh and undead, too.
Much like the first time I read Howard's Conan stories, in reading Leiber's Lankhmar tales I can absolutely see why they have endured and are still so popular, and how they've influenced the fantasy genre so heavily. They really are a lot of fun and are a must for my fellow fantasy fans, and despite my notes above about how they differ, I think anyone who's enjoyed Conan like I have will also enjoy Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, because they do have a lot more in common than they have different and Leiber's Newhon and Howard's Hyboria could easily be different ages of the same pseudo-mythic world.
If, like me, you're a fantasy fan who has somehow missed out on these excellent stories, I urge you to pick up a copy of Ill Met in Lankhmar with all due speed. You'll have a blast and learn a lot about the history of the genre at the same time. Oh, and probably get some ideas for your next Dungeons & Dragons campaign while you're at it.
July 19, 2024
The Snow Women. Fritz Leiber's 1970 backstory of Fafhrd was a late addition to the pantheon but still feels like classic sword & sorcery with the sorceresses being Fafhrd's mother and family being a nice twist. This story loses something from missing Mouse, but otherwise is a fine tale, evocative and dark [4/5].
The Unholy Grail. The story of how Mouse became the Gray Mouser is so brief as to be forgettable, but it's nonetheless a nice look back at what he was forced to become [3/5].
Ill Met in Lankhmar. Award-winning for a reason, this story of first meetings, of horrible loss, and of heartless yet unfulfilling revenge is still a beauty. It sets the entire tone for the early Fafhrd & Gray Mouser stories, so it's amazing it was a later addition [5/5].
The Circle Curse. I've always been fond of this little montage of a story, for its introduction of the wizards, for its revelation of many lands, and for its circling return to Lankhmar [4/5].
The Jewels in the Forest. A nicely disturbing S&S story that's of a piece with Howard's "The God in the Bowl" and others like it. Some treasures should not be sought [4/5].
Thieves' House. Leiber's early skill grows, with this second piece being even darker than the first, and a very nicely written piece with some en media res and some surprises along the way [5/5].
The Bleak Shore. A Curious bit of horror, short but evocative. [4+/5].
The Howling Tower. A very evocative ghost stories, one of the most memorable Fafhrd & Gray Mouser shorts [5/5].
The Sunken Land. One of the joys of Fafhrd & Gray Mouser is how often Leiber turned to nautical adventures, a relative rarity in fantasy. This one steals away Fafhrd's agency for the third story in a row, leaving him as mainly an observer, but still it's another evocative bit of horror [4/5].
The Seven Black Priests. The landscape of Nehwon is full of horror, and Fafhrd & Gray Mouser meet it once more. Though once again Fafhrd is possessed, which is getting quite repetitive, and lucky he always has Mouse to save him [4/5].
Claws from the Night. What's apparently a story of wingéd thieves goes quickly dark in this delightful short piece on the various rogues of Lankhmar [4+/5].
The Price of Pain-Ease. Another favorite, suggesting that I'm a particular fan of Leiber's 70s writing. This is just such a wonderfully epic story condensed to its barest outline, making it a little supernova of a story, and one that nicely bookends "Ill Met in Lankhmar" and "The Circle Curse". Rereading it makes me wonder even more why Robin Wayne Bailey opted to repeat some of these same ideas (the haunting and the Shadowlands) in Swords against the Shadowland, to so much lesser power for so many more words [5/5].
Bazaar of the Bizarre. The tale of the Devourers is a true classic for its outrageous and twisted imagination. And for once Fafhrd gets to save Mouse from the mind control [5/5].
The Unholy Grail. The story of how Mouse became the Gray Mouser is so brief as to be forgettable, but it's nonetheless a nice look back at what he was forced to become [3/5].
Ill Met in Lankhmar. Award-winning for a reason, this story of first meetings, of horrible loss, and of heartless yet unfulfilling revenge is still a beauty. It sets the entire tone for the early Fafhrd & Gray Mouser stories, so it's amazing it was a later addition [5/5].
The Circle Curse. I've always been fond of this little montage of a story, for its introduction of the wizards, for its revelation of many lands, and for its circling return to Lankhmar [4/5].
The Jewels in the Forest. A nicely disturbing S&S story that's of a piece with Howard's "The God in the Bowl" and others like it. Some treasures should not be sought [4/5].
Thieves' House. Leiber's early skill grows, with this second piece being even darker than the first, and a very nicely written piece with some en media res and some surprises along the way [5/5].
The Bleak Shore. A Curious bit of horror, short but evocative. [4+/5].
The Howling Tower. A very evocative ghost stories, one of the most memorable Fafhrd & Gray Mouser shorts [5/5].
The Sunken Land. One of the joys of Fafhrd & Gray Mouser is how often Leiber turned to nautical adventures, a relative rarity in fantasy. This one steals away Fafhrd's agency for the third story in a row, leaving him as mainly an observer, but still it's another evocative bit of horror [4/5].
The Seven Black Priests. The landscape of Nehwon is full of horror, and Fafhrd & Gray Mouser meet it once more. Though once again Fafhrd is possessed, which is getting quite repetitive, and lucky he always has Mouse to save him [4/5].
Claws from the Night. What's apparently a story of wingéd thieves goes quickly dark in this delightful short piece on the various rogues of Lankhmar [4+/5].
The Price of Pain-Ease. Another favorite, suggesting that I'm a particular fan of Leiber's 70s writing. This is just such a wonderfully epic story condensed to its barest outline, making it a little supernova of a story, and one that nicely bookends "Ill Met in Lankhmar" and "The Circle Curse". Rereading it makes me wonder even more why Robin Wayne Bailey opted to repeat some of these same ideas (the haunting and the Shadowlands) in Swords against the Shadowland, to so much lesser power for so many more words [5/5].
Bazaar of the Bizarre. The tale of the Devourers is a true classic for its outrageous and twisted imagination. And for once Fafhrd gets to save Mouse from the mind control [5/5].
April 12, 2011
I must confess that I had some preconceived notions about Fritz Leiber’s work. Because he’s credited with coining the phrase “Sword & Sorcery,” and because I never hear women talking about his stories, I imagined that they appealed mainly to men who like to read stuff that has covers like these:
But, four factors made me decide to give Fritz Leiber a try:
I feel the need to be “educated” in the field of fantasy, which means that I should read novels that are out of my normal repertoire.
Rob and Greg are fans (see their reviews) and I tend to enjoy what they enjoy (even though they have Y chromosomes and probably like those covers).
The fantasy shelves are glutted with urban and teen fantasy and I’m feeling a bit nostalgic.
And (this one’s the clincher)
Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
But, four factors made me decide to give Fritz Leiber a try:
I feel the need to be “educated” in the field of fantasy, which means that I should read novels that are out of my normal repertoire.
Rob and Greg are fans (see their reviews) and I tend to enjoy what they enjoy (even though they have Y chromosomes and probably like those covers).
The fantasy shelves are glutted with urban and teen fantasy and I’m feeling a bit nostalgic.
And (this one’s the clincher)
Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
August 16, 2009
Grand.
Re-reading this after many years I was struck by how generally excellent it was. It's pulpy, but character driven. The settings are vividly imagined, the action is gloriously paced. You can tell that Leiber was a capable swordsman himself, as well as an actor by the many small and knowledgeable touches he includes in his craft.
This edition is actually an omnibus of the First two Fafhrd and Gray Mouser books 'Swords against Deviltry' and 'Swords against Death'. It also features wonderful art by Mike "Hellboy" Mignola on the cover and between stories, and some of the most wretched typography ever on the back cover.
Re-reading this after many years I was struck by how generally excellent it was. It's pulpy, but character driven. The settings are vividly imagined, the action is gloriously paced. You can tell that Leiber was a capable swordsman himself, as well as an actor by the many small and knowledgeable touches he includes in his craft.
This edition is actually an omnibus of the First two Fafhrd and Gray Mouser books 'Swords against Deviltry' and 'Swords against Death'. It also features wonderful art by Mike "Hellboy" Mignola on the cover and between stories, and some of the most wretched typography ever on the back cover.
April 14, 2007
Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are great heroes, and Issek of the jug ranks right up there with Made of Meat as one of the best laugh out loud stories I've ever read.
September 1, 2018
(Review of the novella "Ill Met in Lankhmar" only)
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3071533.html
This won the Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Novella presented in 1971 for work of 1970 (so the 1971 Hugo but the 1970 Nebula). Leiber had been writing both prose and poetry about the heroes Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser since 1939. In 1970 he published two stories set very early in internal chronology: an origin story for Fafhrd, “The Snow Women” (the origin story for the Gray Mouser had appeared in 1962), and this tale of how the two first became a partnership in the city of Lankhmar. In these post-Pratchett days, we can forget that Ankh-Morpork is very firmly built on Lankhmar’s foundations, but it’s pretty easy to see the elements that Discworld drew from Leiber.
Lankhmar is more sexy than Ankh-Morpork, and the story revolves around Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser attempting to impress their girlfriends by taking on the Thieves’ Guild. The Guild, however, has sorcerous support, and in a horrific passage the two women are killed by magic (or “fridged”, as we would say now) and the two heroes destroy the Guild in revenge. In an attempt to move with the times (and against his own past record) Leiber does give the two women a bit of intelligence and character, but it does not do them much good.
However, it’s well-written and entertaining, and fans who had been following the Lankhmar stories will have lapped this up just as Doctor Who fans enjoy Missing Adventures.
The title of course refers both to Oberon’s grumpy greeting to Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2 scene 1, and to Patrick Leigh Fermor’s wartime exploits in Crete. Neither has much bearing on Leiber’s story.
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/3071533.html
This won the Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Novella presented in 1971 for work of 1970 (so the 1971 Hugo but the 1970 Nebula). Leiber had been writing both prose and poetry about the heroes Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser since 1939. In 1970 he published two stories set very early in internal chronology: an origin story for Fafhrd, “The Snow Women” (the origin story for the Gray Mouser had appeared in 1962), and this tale of how the two first became a partnership in the city of Lankhmar. In these post-Pratchett days, we can forget that Ankh-Morpork is very firmly built on Lankhmar’s foundations, but it’s pretty easy to see the elements that Discworld drew from Leiber.
Lankhmar is more sexy than Ankh-Morpork, and the story revolves around Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser attempting to impress their girlfriends by taking on the Thieves’ Guild. The Guild, however, has sorcerous support, and in a horrific passage the two women are killed by magic (or “fridged”, as we would say now) and the two heroes destroy the Guild in revenge. In an attempt to move with the times (and against his own past record) Leiber does give the two women a bit of intelligence and character, but it does not do them much good.
However, it’s well-written and entertaining, and fans who had been following the Lankhmar stories will have lapped this up just as Doctor Who fans enjoy Missing Adventures.
The title of course refers both to Oberon’s grumpy greeting to Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2 scene 1, and to Patrick Leigh Fermor’s wartime exploits in Crete. Neither has much bearing on Leiber’s story.
April 28, 2022
"You count the cost! You speak to me of things"--she waved at the many-hued splendor around her--"Of mere property, however costly, when honor is at stake. You gave Vlana your word. Oh, is knighthood wholly dead? And that applies to you, too, Mouse, who swore you'd slit the miserable throats of two noisome Guild-thieves."
"I didn't swear to," the Mouser objected freely, downing a big drink. "I merely said I would have," while Fafhrd could only shrug again and writhe inside and gulp a little easement from his silver mug.
Fritz Leiber's novella Ill Met in Lankhmar is a blueprint for an evening of dungeons-and-dragons, a sword fantasy with hooded thieves, silver mugs of amber ale, and labyrinths of villainous thieves and sorcerers. Leiber is aiming for entertainment, not high art, and he hits his target. The adventure, albeit somewhat predictable and rather worn from over-use since, manages to entertain if nothing else. It made me yearn to re-read Gene Wolf's The Book of the New Sun, where these set pieces are put into more fascinating play.
Vlana's dagger sped unimpeded through the black web--its strands even seemed to part for it--and betwist the sorcerer's warding hands, to bury itself to the hilt in his right eye.
He screamed thinly in dire agony and clawed at his face.
"I didn't swear to," the Mouser objected freely, downing a big drink. "I merely said I would have," while Fafhrd could only shrug again and writhe inside and gulp a little easement from his silver mug.
Fritz Leiber's novella Ill Met in Lankhmar is a blueprint for an evening of dungeons-and-dragons, a sword fantasy with hooded thieves, silver mugs of amber ale, and labyrinths of villainous thieves and sorcerers. Leiber is aiming for entertainment, not high art, and he hits his target. The adventure, albeit somewhat predictable and rather worn from over-use since, manages to entertain if nothing else. It made me yearn to re-read Gene Wolf's The Book of the New Sun, where these set pieces are put into more fascinating play.
Vlana's dagger sped unimpeded through the black web--its strands even seemed to part for it--and betwist the sorcerer's warding hands, to bury itself to the hilt in his right eye.
He screamed thinly in dire agony and clawed at his face.
May 21, 2021
Fantasy at its finest, a true love for Swords, Sorcery and high adventure shine through this work. Though Ill Met in Lankhmar is a fantastic story in itself, it's in Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser's world spanning wanderings that the saga really comes together. I cannot recommend this highly enough, now on to Lean Times!
June 8, 2021
Some of the best, most imaginative high fantasy one will come across. And, the characters grow and learn from novel to novel. And cover art by Mike Mignola!!!!
February 5, 2018
this is a ...qualified 3 stars. for what it is (a chronologically ordered collection of sword and sorcery stories dating from the 40s to the 70s), it's good—i can see why leiber's work became part of the foundations of the genre. its foundational position does also excuse some of the predictability of some of the stories (as in, it does suffer from the seinfeld problem, where the things it invented/popularized were reused so much afterwards that it feels un-original). fafhrd and the gray mouser are also, in themselves, pretty engaging characters, they've got good banter, and it was cool to see part of the genesis of pratchett's ankh-morpork, and i do like the whole conceit of us just watching these two fuckups knock around, steal shit, accidentally run into wacko stuff, and get into trouble. like, overall, it has an endearing "look at these fuckos" quality to it.
however, qualifications: because this book is organized by chronology of the fictional events, and not of dates written, there are noticeable fluctuations in quality. also, it's not good on gender (of the women who have memorable speaking roles: there's fafhrd's awful mother and conniving girlfriend; vlana (who is neat) and ivrian (who is a complete wet blanket), who are defined nearly entirely in their relation to men and both get (spoilers!) fridged almost immediately; and atya, who is a shrill, manipulative, acquisitive lady that is (spoilers!) some kind of unpleasant bird-goddess. (if you see neither of these spoilers coming, i don't know, dude, get better at reading.) that is five women across 13 stories, four of whom are characterized almost completely by how they relate to men. vlana is probably the least egregious in that regard but again she is in 1.5 stories and then gets murdered) or on race (the only on-screen characters of color mentioned to be of color are the "mingols," which, come on dude, and who barely get speaking roles and are generally described as "squat" and "servile," and the titular priests of "the seven black priests," who are your standard evil-voiceless-foreign-priests that somehow, despite guarding the macguffin for generations untold, have never managed to accomplish what (spoilers!) fafhrd almost ends up doing. societies/locales implied to be fantasy-africa and fantasy-the middle east are mentioned but i don't think anyone from there gets a role aside from the priests.) this did not make the book unreadable for me, and to a certain degree considering the conditions (time, genre standards) in which it was written it's expected, but it did make it a less fun read.
tl;dr: good for what it is, but i don't think i'm going to seek more out for just a fun-time read.
however, qualifications: because this book is organized by chronology of the fictional events, and not of dates written, there are noticeable fluctuations in quality. also, it's not good on gender (of the women who have memorable speaking roles: there's fafhrd's awful mother and conniving girlfriend; vlana (who is neat) and ivrian (who is a complete wet blanket), who are defined nearly entirely in their relation to men and both get (spoilers!) fridged almost immediately; and atya, who is a shrill, manipulative, acquisitive lady that is (spoilers!) some kind of unpleasant bird-goddess. (if you see neither of these spoilers coming, i don't know, dude, get better at reading.) that is five women across 13 stories, four of whom are characterized almost completely by how they relate to men. vlana is probably the least egregious in that regard but again she is in 1.5 stories and then gets murdered) or on race (the only on-screen characters of color mentioned to be of color are the "mingols," which, come on dude, and who barely get speaking roles and are generally described as "squat" and "servile," and the titular priests of "the seven black priests," who are your standard evil-voiceless-foreign-priests that somehow, despite guarding the macguffin for generations untold, have never managed to accomplish what (spoilers!) fafhrd almost ends up doing. societies/locales implied to be fantasy-africa and fantasy-the middle east are mentioned but i don't think anyone from there gets a role aside from the priests.) this did not make the book unreadable for me, and to a certain degree considering the conditions (time, genre standards) in which it was written it's expected, but it did make it a less fun read.
tl;dr: good for what it is, but i don't think i'm going to seek more out for just a fun-time read.
February 6, 2018
For some reason, the first time I tried to read this book I just couldn't get into the first short story. I think part of it had to do with how hyped and oft-referenced the two characters are. I first found out about them during an exploration of the roots and history of the tabletop roleplaying world, and found that as often as they are cited as inspiration that I couldn't NOT give it a shot. So I grabbed the first short story I could find and dug in. Which was a mistake.
Picking up this edition of the book and spending some time with the introduction and foreword really helped. It was great to understand more about when and why these stories came about. Understanding what they were and how they were born is almost as much a part of the tale as the episodes themselves. They were, in many ways, the first Iconic D&D characters.
These stories end up feeling very familiar to anyone who has read much modern fantasy, yet they are equally appealing to those who prefer their stories on the pulpier, Robert Howard side. The stories are never long and usually are quick to the point, but nevertheless impactful. The relationship of the two leads is never deeply explored, but it doesn't need to be. Their actions together tell their tale, and the reader is quick to understand and relate to that.
For me the highlight of the book lies in the moments where Leiber goes into almost Lovecraftian-detail about characters or environs. His depictions of the Bones of the Old Gods, or the faces of Sheelba of the Eyeless Face and Ningauble of the Seven Eyes, are worth the price of admission alone. Anyone who runs their own tabletop games should read this if only for the lessons in economic description alone.
Picking up this edition of the book and spending some time with the introduction and foreword really helped. It was great to understand more about when and why these stories came about. Understanding what they were and how they were born is almost as much a part of the tale as the episodes themselves. They were, in many ways, the first Iconic D&D characters.
These stories end up feeling very familiar to anyone who has read much modern fantasy, yet they are equally appealing to those who prefer their stories on the pulpier, Robert Howard side. The stories are never long and usually are quick to the point, but nevertheless impactful. The relationship of the two leads is never deeply explored, but it doesn't need to be. Their actions together tell their tale, and the reader is quick to understand and relate to that.
For me the highlight of the book lies in the moments where Leiber goes into almost Lovecraftian-detail about characters or environs. His depictions of the Bones of the Old Gods, or the faces of Sheelba of the Eyeless Face and Ningauble of the Seven Eyes, are worth the price of admission alone. Anyone who runs their own tabletop games should read this if only for the lessons in economic description alone.
Read
September 15, 2008No one can craft a fun, naughty, and chilling adventure yarn like Leiber. His two characters were unique in their time for being total scoundrels, men who went on great quests so they could wantonly spend their loot on booze and skirt. They usually find the treasure, but they almost always loose most of it by the end. His portrayal of magic is sublime.
February 11, 2012
A classic. Unlike some it has aged well. Lieber has a way of "sneaking" some beautiful writing into his "pulp" fantasy. Also one of the best at setting a scene in just a few sentences. If you are going to read one story of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series "Ill Met in Lankhmar" is the one I think you should read.
April 16, 2011
Really wonderful and influential fantasy stories -- addictive too, as one wishes very much to continue reading about Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. I wish they were as well known as Tolkien's novels or Robert E. Howard's stories.
November 26, 2015
I really enjoyed both the stories and the format of the book, as well as the writing style. Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are so very clearly the inspiration for D&D archetypes.
January 28, 2016
Sort of dopey, sort of fun. Not much going on, but not long enough to get boring.
December 19, 2023
"Der unheilige Gral" versammelt in Neuübersetzung von Joachim Körber die Inhalte der alten Bände "Schwerter und Teufelei" und "Schwerter im Nebel", ergänzt um deutsche Erstveröffentlichung von Vorworten und zwei Gedichten über den Mausling.
Ganz ehrlich - ich liebe diese Ausgabe! Die Neuübersetzung trifft einen so wundervollen Ton, mit genau der richtigen Prise Humor, es ist eine wahre Wonne.
Zu den Inhalten gibt es wohl nicht viel zu berichten. Fafhrd, der Skalde und nordische Barbar, und der Graue Mausling, Schlitzohr mit abgebrochener magischer Ausbildung, werden vorgestellt, treffen sich, und erleben dann gemeinsam eine ganze Reihe mehr oder minder erfolgreicher und abgefahrener Abenteuer. In meiner Lieblingsstory aus diesem Band stehlen die beiden betrunken ein ziemlich großes Gartenhaus (!) und interessanterweise ist es nicht der Besitzer des Hauses, mit dem sie danach Probleme bekommen. Die beiden Patrone Ningaubel Siebenaug und Schilba mit dem blinden Anlitz mit ihren ulkigen Eigenheiten und dem, wohl typisch für Magier, aufgeblasenen Ego, mochte ich bislang auch sehr.
Die in dieser Ausgabe erstmals auf Deutsch veröffentlichten Vorworte sind teils ganz inhaltsreich, teils mäandern sie eher vor sich hin, aber sie sind durchweg interessant zu lesen.
Einziges wirkliches Manko, das aber Fritz Leiber selbst verschuldet hat, ist die erste Geschichte. Leiber entschloss sich, seine Erzählungen in den Sammelbänden chronologisch zu sortieren und schrieb, um Lücken zu füllen, teils auch neue. Die ersten beiden Erzählungen sind daher Vorgeschichten zur Frage, was Fafhrd und Mausling eigentlich vor ihrem Zusammentreffen taten und was sie nach Lankhmar verschlug. Die Geschichte vom Mausling ist wenigstens gnädig kurz. Die von Fafhrd ist mit 60 Seiten die längste Erzählung im ganzen Buch. Und man, ist die langweilig. Keine Ahnung, was Leiber sich dabei dachte ... die Fafhrd-und-Mausling-Geschichten leben von der Dynamik des Duos und den Abenteuern, die sie erleben. Die Fafhrd-Story hat nichts davon. Stattdessen lesen wir sehr lang, wie er in der Eiswüste verschiedenen Frauen am Rockzipfel hängt. Schnarch.
Ich habe den guten Tipp erhalten, die beiden Vorgeschichten bei der Erstlektüre zu überspringen und kann den nur weitergeben. Fangt beim Lesen mit der Geschichte "Schicksalhafte Begegnung in Lankhmar" an und lest die beiden Vorgeschichten, wenn überhaupt, als letzte. Verpassen tut man jedenfalls nichts.
Aaaaber wie gesagt: Ab der hervorragenden dritten Geschichte sind die Erzählungen alle absolut lesenswert und die Übersetzung macht einfach so richtig Spaß. :)
Ganz ehrlich - ich liebe diese Ausgabe! Die Neuübersetzung trifft einen so wundervollen Ton, mit genau der richtigen Prise Humor, es ist eine wahre Wonne.
Zu den Inhalten gibt es wohl nicht viel zu berichten. Fafhrd, der Skalde und nordische Barbar, und der Graue Mausling, Schlitzohr mit abgebrochener magischer Ausbildung, werden vorgestellt, treffen sich, und erleben dann gemeinsam eine ganze Reihe mehr oder minder erfolgreicher und abgefahrener Abenteuer. In meiner Lieblingsstory aus diesem Band stehlen die beiden betrunken ein ziemlich großes Gartenhaus (!) und interessanterweise ist es nicht der Besitzer des Hauses, mit dem sie danach Probleme bekommen. Die beiden Patrone Ningaubel Siebenaug und Schilba mit dem blinden Anlitz mit ihren ulkigen Eigenheiten und dem, wohl typisch für Magier, aufgeblasenen Ego, mochte ich bislang auch sehr.
Die in dieser Ausgabe erstmals auf Deutsch veröffentlichten Vorworte sind teils ganz inhaltsreich, teils mäandern sie eher vor sich hin, aber sie sind durchweg interessant zu lesen.
Einziges wirkliches Manko, das aber Fritz Leiber selbst verschuldet hat, ist die erste Geschichte. Leiber entschloss sich, seine Erzählungen in den Sammelbänden chronologisch zu sortieren und schrieb, um Lücken zu füllen, teils auch neue. Die ersten beiden Erzählungen sind daher Vorgeschichten zur Frage, was Fafhrd und Mausling eigentlich vor ihrem Zusammentreffen taten und was sie nach Lankhmar verschlug. Die Geschichte vom Mausling ist wenigstens gnädig kurz. Die von Fafhrd ist mit 60 Seiten die längste Erzählung im ganzen Buch. Und man, ist die langweilig. Keine Ahnung, was Leiber sich dabei dachte ... die Fafhrd-und-Mausling-Geschichten leben von der Dynamik des Duos und den Abenteuern, die sie erleben. Die Fafhrd-Story hat nichts davon. Stattdessen lesen wir sehr lang, wie er in der Eiswüste verschiedenen Frauen am Rockzipfel hängt. Schnarch.
Ich habe den guten Tipp erhalten, die beiden Vorgeschichten bei der Erstlektüre zu überspringen und kann den nur weitergeben. Fangt beim Lesen mit der Geschichte "Schicksalhafte Begegnung in Lankhmar" an und lest die beiden Vorgeschichten, wenn überhaupt, als letzte. Verpassen tut man jedenfalls nichts.
Aaaaber wie gesagt: Ab der hervorragenden dritten Geschichte sind die Erzählungen alle absolut lesenswert und die Übersetzung macht einfach so richtig Spaß. :)
August 17, 2022
I remember these books having a hold on our collective teen imaginations because, even though they were hard to get and not that memorable when we did, they were the foundation of the world of Dungeons & Dragons.
To Leiber’s credit, he imagined a world where tough guys could spend a lot of time fighting and dodging magic without the entirety of the world’s fate hanging on their actions. Unlike the “high fantasy” of Lord of the Rings, these were stories on a human scale among inhuman creatures. That meant the stories were “playable” in a way that Tolkien’s were not. Tolkien’s characters existed in a larger historical narrative; you couldn’t, for instance, have Aragorn take time off to pursue a quest. He had a world to save.
Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are much more like ‘regular folk.’ They go where there’s a chance at money, and they move from adventure to adventure. They represent an older form of fantasy narrative, the Conan strain among them, where our heroes ‘enjoy’ one nemesis after another. It’s episodic rather than epic, and that made it adaptable to stories that our imaginary D&D characters might play.
That’s also the weakness here.
Like a lot of fantasy writers – though thank goodness less verbosely – Leiber wants us to see his world. He wants us to get a sense of the setting, the economy, the demographics, and the governmental past.
So he gives it to us. We get the setting, the set-up, a reminder of the stakes of a particular showdown, and then – in what seems an instance in most cases – we get the showdown.
What I mean by all that is that the action – the sense of “now” – gets buried under the detail of the imagined world. To us readers, there’s a lot of waiting, a lot of down time.
I won’t spoil the story except to say I found it predictable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but – given the way so much of the scene-setting (we now call it “world-building,” I guess) goes on – it makes the whole of this just slower than I’d like.
I think I still get the ‘vibe’ here. This is a story filled with perpetual possibility. It feels as if anything can happen at any time, and that is a real accomplishment – a kind of lightening of narrative (of not tone) in the post-Tolkien world.
But the possibility of something happening is not the same as something actually happening. There’s action, but not enough. It’s fun, but it’s a quiet fun in a genre where I expect more noise.
To Leiber’s credit, he imagined a world where tough guys could spend a lot of time fighting and dodging magic without the entirety of the world’s fate hanging on their actions. Unlike the “high fantasy” of Lord of the Rings, these were stories on a human scale among inhuman creatures. That meant the stories were “playable” in a way that Tolkien’s were not. Tolkien’s characters existed in a larger historical narrative; you couldn’t, for instance, have Aragorn take time off to pursue a quest. He had a world to save.
Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are much more like ‘regular folk.’ They go where there’s a chance at money, and they move from adventure to adventure. They represent an older form of fantasy narrative, the Conan strain among them, where our heroes ‘enjoy’ one nemesis after another. It’s episodic rather than epic, and that made it adaptable to stories that our imaginary D&D characters might play.
That’s also the weakness here.
Like a lot of fantasy writers – though thank goodness less verbosely – Leiber wants us to see his world. He wants us to get a sense of the setting, the economy, the demographics, and the governmental past.
So he gives it to us. We get the setting, the set-up, a reminder of the stakes of a particular showdown, and then – in what seems an instance in most cases – we get the showdown.
What I mean by all that is that the action – the sense of “now” – gets buried under the detail of the imagined world. To us readers, there’s a lot of waiting, a lot of down time.
I won’t spoil the story except to say I found it predictable. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but – given the way so much of the scene-setting (we now call it “world-building,” I guess) goes on – it makes the whole of this just slower than I’d like.
I think I still get the ‘vibe’ here. This is a story filled with perpetual possibility. It feels as if anything can happen at any time, and that is a real accomplishment – a kind of lightening of narrative (of not tone) in the post-Tolkien world.
But the possibility of something happening is not the same as something actually happening. There’s action, but not enough. It’s fun, but it’s a quiet fun in a genre where I expect more noise.
November 25, 2022
The thing that's missing in modern fantasy is bros being bros. And this book has that in spades.
I've gotten a little sick of content typically found in modern fantasy stories (a.k.a. The Message), so I went looking for older books. And if this is indicative of what I've been missing, I'm never going back to current fantasy.
This is a collection of short stories following Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser on their random and wild adventures. There's references to previous events and people, which makes reading them in order fun, but not entirely necessary. One of my favorite stories is The Jewels in the Forest.
Since the stories are so short, a lot of detail and description is vague or completely skipped. Sometimes I wished I could've had more, like when it lists the places the two visit at the end of The Circle Curse, but it's also nice that it really isn't vital to telling the stories.
The world-building isn't the main focus but as a fantasy veteran, I had no trouble filling in the blanks and becoming instantly familiar with the setting. Whoever was the head of creating The Elder Scrolls' Tamriel must've read Leiber because some of the places and events are so much like Skyrim, I half-expected them to find a Stone of Barenziah. And as someone who's wanted to find a book reminiscent of Skyrim, it made my enjoyment that much better. There's even a legit Thieves' Guild.
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser aren't deep, multi-layered characters, and that's just fine. I don't need my protagonists to be emotionally damaged and unable to shut-up about their pain. These two do go through trials of both the personal and physical kind, but I never felt like I was being bashed over the head with how much woe they'd suffered. They clearly care about each other and will save one another whenever the occasion demands, and that's what I want: bros being bros. Fafhrd does seem to be suckered into magical troubles a bit more than the Mouser, but the Mouser is always there to fight his way to Fafhrd's side.
The writing style is quite clever at times and definitely the work of a skilled storyteller. Sometimes a comma seems to be missing or maybe I had to reread a sentence to understand it, but overall I really enjoyed it.
It's such a relief to read a fantasy that isn't burdened with today's today-ness. The Mouser even says "Damn your pronouns!" and I was just like, dude, you have no idea.
I like it, and I want more.
I've gotten a little sick of content typically found in modern fantasy stories (a.k.a. The Message), so I went looking for older books. And if this is indicative of what I've been missing, I'm never going back to current fantasy.
This is a collection of short stories following Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser on their random and wild adventures. There's references to previous events and people, which makes reading them in order fun, but not entirely necessary. One of my favorite stories is The Jewels in the Forest.
Since the stories are so short, a lot of detail and description is vague or completely skipped. Sometimes I wished I could've had more, like when it lists the places the two visit at the end of The Circle Curse, but it's also nice that it really isn't vital to telling the stories.
The world-building isn't the main focus but as a fantasy veteran, I had no trouble filling in the blanks and becoming instantly familiar with the setting. Whoever was the head of creating The Elder Scrolls' Tamriel must've read Leiber because some of the places and events are so much like Skyrim, I half-expected them to find a Stone of Barenziah. And as someone who's wanted to find a book reminiscent of Skyrim, it made my enjoyment that much better. There's even a legit Thieves' Guild.
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser aren't deep, multi-layered characters, and that's just fine. I don't need my protagonists to be emotionally damaged and unable to shut-up about their pain. These two do go through trials of both the personal and physical kind, but I never felt like I was being bashed over the head with how much woe they'd suffered. They clearly care about each other and will save one another whenever the occasion demands, and that's what I want: bros being bros. Fafhrd does seem to be suckered into magical troubles a bit more than the Mouser, but the Mouser is always there to fight his way to Fafhrd's side.
The writing style is quite clever at times and definitely the work of a skilled storyteller. Sometimes a comma seems to be missing or maybe I had to reread a sentence to understand it, but overall I really enjoyed it.
It's such a relief to read a fantasy that isn't burdened with today's today-ness. The Mouser even says "Damn your pronouns!" and I was just like, dude, you have no idea.
I like it, and I want more.
April 24, 2023
I got this as part of a Tor Double - two novellas in one book. The other is The Fair in Emain Macha, by Charles de Lint, which was the main reason I bought the book. I still haven't read that, and didn't know that this one was a Gray Mouser story, though I had been meaning to read some of those.
I'm very glad I did. It's sword and sorcery, action packed, slightly dark but at the same time very light hearted. It's hard not to like the two main characters, who seem to be classic rogue/warrior types but each slightly more than one dimensional, and both of them very fun. The story here seems slight, but it still came with an unexpected twist that packed a considerable punch for such a slight tale.
It also turns out that this might have been a perfect introduction. It's one of the last of these stories that Leiber wrote. When I discovered that, I was a little disconcerted. It also happens to be the story where Fafhrd and Gray Mouser meet up. So while it's the end, in terms of Leiber's career, it's the beginning for these two.
Overall, I enjoyed this more than the little other early sword and sorcery I've read (a couple of Conan stories that were fun but very predictable). Before, I think I had only read one book by Leiber -- The Big Time, which I remember thinking was OK, but can't have been that good since I never picked up anything else. That will change now, at least for these stories.
I'm very glad I did. It's sword and sorcery, action packed, slightly dark but at the same time very light hearted. It's hard not to like the two main characters, who seem to be classic rogue/warrior types but each slightly more than one dimensional, and both of them very fun. The story here seems slight, but it still came with an unexpected twist that packed a considerable punch for such a slight tale.
It also turns out that this might have been a perfect introduction. It's one of the last of these stories that Leiber wrote. When I discovered that, I was a little disconcerted. It also happens to be the story where Fafhrd and Gray Mouser meet up. So while it's the end, in terms of Leiber's career, it's the beginning for these two.
Overall, I enjoyed this more than the little other early sword and sorcery I've read (a couple of Conan stories that were fun but very predictable). Before, I think I had only read one book by Leiber -- The Big Time, which I remember thinking was OK, but can't have been that good since I never picked up anything else. That will change now, at least for these stories.
September 24, 2025
The strange stars of the World of Nehwon glinted thickly above the black-roofed city of Lankhmar, where swords clink almost as often as coins. For once there was no fog.
Modern fantasy and tabletop gaming owe a great deal to Fritz Leiber’s Lanhkmar stories, one of the grandfathers of the sword and sorcery genre. I knew that much going in, but I was surprised by just how easily you could feel the DNA of games like Dungeons and Dragons in the imaginative stories Leiber wrote, first for a friend in exchanged letters during the 1930s.
Fafhrd and Gray Mouser are based on Leiber and his friend Harry. They’re essentially OCs. And they feel like a pair of adventurers in a campaign, one with thieves’ guilds, patron sorcerers, walking huts, potions that can send you to a ghost world and otherworldly figures selling disguised wares.
This collection pulls together a series of Lankhmar stories, beginning with Fafhrd and the Mouser’s origins before bringing them together in the story that gave this volume its name. It’s a romp - sometimes a little overwritten for the story Leiber is telling - but fun all the same.
One note: as genre-defining as the stories are, they’re also of their time. Women characters get little agency in this collection and are mostly portrayed as objects of desire, and that’s a shame.
Still, all told, this feels like required reading for anyone interested in the roots of the fantasy genre and gaming. 4.5/5.
Modern fantasy and tabletop gaming owe a great deal to Fritz Leiber’s Lanhkmar stories, one of the grandfathers of the sword and sorcery genre. I knew that much going in, but I was surprised by just how easily you could feel the DNA of games like Dungeons and Dragons in the imaginative stories Leiber wrote, first for a friend in exchanged letters during the 1930s.
Fafhrd and Gray Mouser are based on Leiber and his friend Harry. They’re essentially OCs. And they feel like a pair of adventurers in a campaign, one with thieves’ guilds, patron sorcerers, walking huts, potions that can send you to a ghost world and otherworldly figures selling disguised wares.
This collection pulls together a series of Lankhmar stories, beginning with Fafhrd and the Mouser’s origins before bringing them together in the story that gave this volume its name. It’s a romp - sometimes a little overwritten for the story Leiber is telling - but fun all the same.
One note: as genre-defining as the stories are, they’re also of their time. Women characters get little agency in this collection and are mostly portrayed as objects of desire, and that’s a shame.
Still, all told, this feels like required reading for anyone interested in the roots of the fantasy genre and gaming. 4.5/5.
December 20, 2023
This is frequently cited as one of the foundational sword-and-sorcery novels, and if so I can see where fantasy got its strong and common satirical flavor. Even though this action-packed pair of novels codifies many of the later tropes common to fantasy books, it also seems to be poking fun at them even as it's laying them down. Lieber's two heroes are an inherently comical pairing, with nearly opposite statures, backgrounds, and personalities. Nevertheless, they are bound together with the same naive longing for adventure and enduring stupidity. These two qualities launch them into a myriad of adventures from which their abundance of street smarts, luck, and fighting ability are barely sufficient to extricate themselves from mortal peril.
The first novel is the most coherent, with the two heroes meeting their first loves and then separately making their ways to the great city of Lankhmar where they are both confident they will have great success in their new lives of crime. Things do not go according to plan however as they run afoul of the Thieves Guild. What follows is a complex tale of betrayal, revenge and tragedy that is dripping with black humor and satire. Unfortunately, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser look uncomfortable next to the intense emotions inherent in their tragic conclusion. They just don't fit with any serious themes.
The second novel works much better precisely because it is less coherent and has no through plot. Each chapter is its own self-contained adventure in which Fafhrd and his pal hear of a treasure or are blackmailed into retrieving a treasure for someone else and subsequently get tangled up with brigands, mysticism, and traps. Each episode reads like an episode of Fantasy Twilight Zone, with some mystery surrounding it, and Fafhrd and the Mouser each time barely unravel the mystery just before it costs them their lives. It is still often dark, but unlike the previous novel it never gets too serious or loses its biting sense of humor. Each adventure is a rollercoaster as the reader anxiously attempts to spot the nature of the mysterious danger that threatens our heroes before the trap is sprung, all the while wondering if the clueless duo will pay enough attention to be able to escape in time. It is all just a lot of fun.
This is a novel uninterested in saying anything of value, or of thematic import, but it is nonetheless valuable for all that. These stories will make you laugh and fall in love with adventures again.
The first novel is the most coherent, with the two heroes meeting their first loves and then separately making their ways to the great city of Lankhmar where they are both confident they will have great success in their new lives of crime. Things do not go according to plan however as they run afoul of the Thieves Guild. What follows is a complex tale of betrayal, revenge and tragedy that is dripping with black humor and satire. Unfortunately, Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser look uncomfortable next to the intense emotions inherent in their tragic conclusion. They just don't fit with any serious themes.
The second novel works much better precisely because it is less coherent and has no through plot. Each chapter is its own self-contained adventure in which Fafhrd and his pal hear of a treasure or are blackmailed into retrieving a treasure for someone else and subsequently get tangled up with brigands, mysticism, and traps. Each episode reads like an episode of Fantasy Twilight Zone, with some mystery surrounding it, and Fafhrd and the Mouser each time barely unravel the mystery just before it costs them their lives. It is still often dark, but unlike the previous novel it never gets too serious or loses its biting sense of humor. Each adventure is a rollercoaster as the reader anxiously attempts to spot the nature of the mysterious danger that threatens our heroes before the trap is sprung, all the while wondering if the clueless duo will pay enough attention to be able to escape in time. It is all just a lot of fun.
This is a novel uninterested in saying anything of value, or of thematic import, but it is nonetheless valuable for all that. These stories will make you laugh and fall in love with adventures again.
June 18, 2018
Noting that I only read Ill Met in Lankhmar as part of an unlisted collection, not the other two stories that are included in this edition (can't find the novella on its own).
The story took a while to get going. The first quarter or so was a bit frustrating to read because it was super dense with description and was written in numerous long paragraphs. Much of the content felt extraneous as well, the establishment of their friendship right off the bat a bit disingenuous. Included in this is a part was where Fafhrd introduces himself, says his name, then spells it, and the Gray Mouser immediately asks how he pronounces it, right after he heard it.
About the halfway point, however, it really takes off, as Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser seek revenge against the Thieves Guild and the sorcerer who runs it. The action flows nicely from that point on, and comes to a satisfying conclusion. A good entry point to a prominent Sword and Sorcery series, one that while starting slow, does leave the reader wanting more.
The story took a while to get going. The first quarter or so was a bit frustrating to read because it was super dense with description and was written in numerous long paragraphs. Much of the content felt extraneous as well, the establishment of their friendship right off the bat a bit disingenuous. Included in this is a part was where Fafhrd introduces himself, says his name, then spells it, and the Gray Mouser immediately asks how he pronounces it, right after he heard it.
About the halfway point, however, it really takes off, as Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser seek revenge against the Thieves Guild and the sorcerer who runs it. The action flows nicely from that point on, and comes to a satisfying conclusion. A good entry point to a prominent Sword and Sorcery series, one that while starting slow, does leave the reader wanting more.
June 3, 2020
I’ve been in a Dungeons and Dragons kick recently, so as part of that I’ve been delving into Appendix N, E. Gary Gygax’s list of authors and works from the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons first edition Dungeon Master Guide. The influence of authors such as Leiber on D&D is pretty obvious when you read the stories listed in the DMG.
This interacts with my interest in pulp and adventure fiction as I gain more appreciation for why I like what I like. At least so far, it turns out my taste overlaps a lot with Gygax. I appreciate Appendix N because it covers a surprising range of styles and eras. At least half a century of imaginative literature is covered there.
Frtiz Leiber was an author I had heard of, but never read, so I picked up the first Leiber volume I found at the library about Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. That turned out to be Ill Met in Lankhmar, which is a fantastic piece of writing, and also a brutal gut-punch of a story. The City of Sevenscore Thousand Smokes is harsh and unrelenting place that has no place for the weak, or the unlucky.
Ill Met appears to an origin-style story written much later than the initial entries in the series, of when the two protagonists first met. If one wanted to be unkind, you could say the gist of the story is: play stupid games, win stupid prizes. But, like The Moon Pool, there is unexpected complexity here, as when Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser’s drunken jesting about whether it is murder to kill a man in the course of a fight returns in haunting fashion during the climactic battle.
A feature I appreciate about F&GM [a nice abbreviation for an iconic duo] is that while they are both deft with a sword, their combat scenes are very much about using their wits to defeat their enemies. They are above all crafty, always aiming to get the loot and scoot. Or at least, they are when not blinded by thoughts of revenge.
since this is my introduction to Leiber, i don’t know whether it is an ideal starting point, but I do look forward to the roguish adventures of F&GM, of which there are many.
This interacts with my interest in pulp and adventure fiction as I gain more appreciation for why I like what I like. At least so far, it turns out my taste overlaps a lot with Gygax. I appreciate Appendix N because it covers a surprising range of styles and eras. At least half a century of imaginative literature is covered there.
Frtiz Leiber was an author I had heard of, but never read, so I picked up the first Leiber volume I found at the library about Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. That turned out to be Ill Met in Lankhmar, which is a fantastic piece of writing, and also a brutal gut-punch of a story. The City of Sevenscore Thousand Smokes is harsh and unrelenting place that has no place for the weak, or the unlucky.
Ill Met appears to an origin-style story written much later than the initial entries in the series, of when the two protagonists first met. If one wanted to be unkind, you could say the gist of the story is: play stupid games, win stupid prizes. But, like The Moon Pool, there is unexpected complexity here, as when Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser’s drunken jesting about whether it is murder to kill a man in the course of a fight returns in haunting fashion during the climactic battle.
A feature I appreciate about F&GM [a nice abbreviation for an iconic duo] is that while they are both deft with a sword, their combat scenes are very much about using their wits to defeat their enemies. They are above all crafty, always aiming to get the loot and scoot. Or at least, they are when not blinded by thoughts of revenge.
since this is my introduction to Leiber, i don’t know whether it is an ideal starting point, but I do look forward to the roguish adventures of F&GM, of which there are many.
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