The Spell of Seven

by L. Sprague de Camp (Editor), Virgil Finlay (Illustrator), Fritz Leiber

A collection of Sword and Sorcery stories featuring Fritz Lieber, CLark AShton Smith, Lord Dunsany, L. Sprague De Camp, Michael Moorcock, Jack Vance, and Robert E. Howard.

Contents:

7 · Wizards and Warriors · L. Sprague de Camp · in
13 · Bazaar of the Bizarre [Fafhrd & Gray Mouser] · Fritz Leiber · nv Fantastic Aug ’63
41 · The Dark Eidolon [Zothique] · Clark Ashton Smith · nv Weird Tales Jan ’35
71 · The Hoard of the Gibbelins · Lord Dunsany · ss The Sketch Jan 25 ’11
79 · The Hungry Hercynian [Poseidonis] · L. Sprague de Camp · nv Universe Dec ’53
109 · Kings in Darkness [Elric] · Michael Moorcock · nv Science-Fantasy #54 ’62
141 · Mazirian the Magician [Dying Earth] · Jack Vance · ss The Dying Earth, Hillman, 1950
161 · Shadows in Zamboula [Conan] · Robert E. Howard · nv Weird Tales Nov ’35

Genres: Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery, Anthologies, Horror, Short Stories, Science Fiction Fantasy

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1965

About the author

Lyon Sprague de Camp was an American author of science fiction, fantasy and non-fiction literature. In a career spanning 60 years, he wrote over 100 books, both novels and works of non-fiction, including biographies of other fantasy authors. He was a major figure in science fiction in the 1930s and 1940s.

Reviews

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

My encounter with this anthology marks a critical juncture in my reading of fantasy, introducing me to many of the "grand masters" of the genre that I was hitherto ignorant of (with the exception of Michael Moorcock) completing my transition away from the light, adventure fantasy I read in my youth to the more thoughtful and interesting fantasy I tend to read nowadays.

This collection introduced me to Lord Dunsany, Clark Ashton Smith, Fritz Leiber, Jack Vance and Sprague de Camp, L.. With the exception of Sprague de Camp (who I can only assume was included as an editor's perk), they are all great stories and good introductions to the respective authors.

So, this is a great collection I would recommend to those who have read a lot of modern fantasy but have not been exposed to many of the classics.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Virgil Finlay illustrations, of course, even if they appeared shoehorned into place. A pity that the printing and size don't do justice to their detail.

Like the Swords and Sorcery collection, this is a mostly backward-looking piece, with conservatively chosen and relatively nonrecent selections. The only oddball of the lot is de Camp's own "The Hungry Hercynian", which may not be collected elsewhere. There is quite a range of styles expressed, from Robert E Howard's dynamic tale of Conan to "The Dark Eidolon", Clark Ashton Smith's moody poetic piece with exaggeratedly empurpled writing and barest association with plot and character.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent early collection of sword-and-sorcery classics. It introduced readers to Howard's Conan, Moorcock's Elric, Leiber's Fafhrd & The Grey Mouser, Vance's Dying Earth, Smith's Zothique, etc. The print is small, but each story is accompanied by a lovely Virgal Finlay illustration, all for 50 cents and under two-hundred pages. I wish you could still wander into the corner drug store and find volumes like this today!

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of classic sword and sorcery stories. Some really good stuff here.

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is pure Dungeons & Dragons. The back cover blurb’s two alliterative taglines, “Wenches and Warriors/Spells and Spears” could easily be extended to include “Dungeons and Dragons”. L. Sprague de Camp’s introduction could be used verbatim as the introduction to D&D and as a guideline for what to include and to avoid when writing adventures.

How would you like to escape to a world of wizards and warlocks, warriors and wenches—a world where gleaming cities raise their shining spires against the stars, sorcerers cast sinister spells from subterranean lairs, baleful spirits stalk through crumbling ruins, primeval monsters crash through jungle thickets, and the fate of kingdoms is balanced on the bloody blades of broadswords brandished by heroes of preternatural might and valor? A “purple and golden and crimson universe where anything can happen—except the tedious”? And were, moreover, nobody ever so much as mentions the income tax, the school dropout problem, or the virtues and faults of socialized medicine?

In other words, do you feel like saying: “To hell with the world’s problems for a while! Let’s read something for fun”? Then you should read heroic fantasy, like the stories in this volume and its predecessor, Swords and Sorcery.

Replace “read” with “play” and “stories” with “adventure ideas” and you’re good to go. And these stories are filled with adventure ideas.

While this specific collection is not on the AD&D “Appendix N” list, just about everything inside it is: Fritz Leiber’s “Bazaar of the Bizarre” story of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser; Lord Dunsany’s “The Horde of the Gibbelins”; L. Sprague de Camp’s own “The Hungry Hercynian”; Michael Moorcock’s “Kings in Darkness” Elric story; Jack Vance’s Dying Earth story “Mazirian the Magician”; and Robert E. Howard’s “Shadows in Zamboula” Conan story.

The only author/story here that isn’t on the list is Clark Ashton Smith and “The Dark Eidolon”, and there’s a lot to be said for this being practically a typo. Gygax himself famously wrote later that the list was merely a list of what happened to be on the bookshelf next to him—typical Gygax in that it is (a) unbelievable and (b) probably true—and it wouldn’t surprise me if Smith wasn’t on that shelf because it was in his perpetual re-read pile or it was out on loan, so close is Smith’s work to the underlying myths inherent in early D&D.

Smith’s tale here, of a wizard’s tower that arose overnight next to a weak ruler’s castle, could have been the start of any gaming group’s adventure in the original D&D era.

Of course, Jack Vance was even more influential. Any D&Der will recognize Mazirian’s dilemma as he prepares to go out on an adventure:

Mazirian made a selection from his books and with great effort forced five spells upon his brain: Phandaal’s Gyrator, Felojun’s Second Hypnotic Spell, The Excellent Prismatic Spray, The Charm of Untiring Nourishment, and The Spell of the Omnipotent Sphere.

As far as I can tell, the illusionist spell Prismatic Spray first appeared as part of Peter Aronson’s “Mighty Magic Miscellany” article in the first issue of Dragon Magazine, but it played off of the already-existing Prismatic Wall from Gygax’s Greyhawk supplement.

Throughout de Camp’s introductions to each story, published in 1965, he occasionally refers to World War II as “the Hitlerian war” as in “In the decade after the Hitlerian War, interest in heroic fantasy shrank”. This appears to have been a term used by others at the time as well, but never widely.

Interestingly, cannibalism appears at least twice as a major plot point, in L. Sprague de Camp’s story and in Robert E. Howard’s story.

All of these stories are incredible examples of the pure gonzo nature of the swords and sorcery that inspired fantasy gaming.

The iron statue came thrusting and slashing in, Fafhrd took the great sword on his, chopped back, and was parried in return. And now the combat assumed the noisy deadly aspects of a conventional longsword duel, except that Graywand was notched whenever it caught the chief force of a stroke, while the statue’s somewhat longer weapon remained unmarked.

[Mark LaCour · Rating 4 out of 5]

2 out of 7 of these short stories were masterpieces that turned me on to a new author.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story collection, unfortunately apparently without an ISBN number assigned

[Paul Horstmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the first fantasy I read as a child. The stories are still enjoyable.

[K. Axel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology offers the reader insight into some of the best sword and sorcery characters of all-time, from Elric, to Fafhrd and even Conan. I especially liked the Conan story as it gave me a very different view on the big brute!

Well worth the time of Sword and Sorcery fans. Here is a short review-in-progress.

Bazaar of the Bizarre (by Fritz Leiber) is a Fafhrd and Grey Mouser story set in Lankhmar. It is centered around a very special shop, run by some very special merchants. It is a fun and bizarre ride - well worth your time! (4 stars)

The Hungry Hercynian (by L. Sprague de Camp) is a fun little story about lords and cannibals. It has a well-deserved end! But honestly, I don't remember a lot about it. (2.5 stars)

Kings in Darkness (by Michael Moorcock) is an Elric story featuring his trusty sidekick, Moonglum. It is a classic Elric story, who finds adventure on his travels. (3 stars)

Shadows in Zamboula (by Robert E. Howard) is a Conan story. Whether it is classic or not, I'll leave for others to decide. This is more or less my first Conan story. This one also features cannibals and clever sorcerers. It paints a very different picture than, say, the Conan movies. (4 stars)

[bluetyson]

The Spell of Seven by L. Sprague de Camp (1965)

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of leads to more good authors to read and old faves to reread. de Camp knows and shares lots of science fiction's early history

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good collection of some seminal sword & sorcery.

[Ricardo Portella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dawn of Fantasy genre.

[Adrian Ramirez · Rating 3 out of 5]

6.8/10