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The Black Gondolier and Other Stories
Announcing a new collection of stories by Fritz Leiber. Assembled here is a selection of Mr. Leiber's best horrific tales, many of which have been virtually unobtainable for decades. From the riveting "Spider Mansion" and "The Phantom Slayer" from Weird Tales to the more recent "Lie Still, Snow White" and "Black Has Its Charms" from rare, small-press magazines, this collection provides an overview of Leiber's fifty-plus years as an acknowledged master of the weird tale. While much of Leiber's seminal science-fiction and fantasy remains in print, his work in the field of supernatural horror has been sadly neglected until now. Edited by John Pelan and Steve Savile.
302 pages, Nook
First published October 31, 1998
136 people are currently reading
333 people want to read
About the author
Fritz Leiber
1,336 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 29, 2025
The great Fritz Leiber is best known for his classic, Sword and Sorcery tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. But he excelled at all speculative fiction, writing excellent sci-fi, and perhaps above all, was an absolute master of dark and weird horror.
This collection of tales, many long unobtainable, showcases his weird, dark tales, along with a couple sci-fi gems. While, like most short story collections, not every tale is equally excellent, most are at least clever or entertaining. Overall, I rate the collection 3.5 stars, with the handful of brilliantly memorable stories rounding my final rating up.
The Black Gondolier
”Created from the lush vegetation and animal fats of the Carboniferous and adjoining periods, holding in itself the black essence of all life that had ever been, constituting in fact a great, deep-digged black graveyard of the ultimate eldritch past with blackest ghosts, oil had waited for hundreds of millions of years dreaming its black dreams.”
A man tells a disturbing story of his friend who became obsessed with the idea that oil was powerfully sentient and that it menaced him personally. His recurring dream of being poled in a pitch black gondola through oil-filled canals of Venice, California and then into the depths has an eerie, menacing impact on his eventual disappearance.
This brilliantly descriptive tale is an outstanding example of Leiber’s emphasis on the eldritch dark lurking within the modern urban environment.
4 1/2 ⭐️
The Dreams of Albert Moreland
”I think of the autumn of 1939, not as the beginning of the Second World War, but as the period in which Albert Moreland dreamed the dream. The two events — the war and the dream — are not, however, divorced in my mind. Indeed, I sometimes fear that there is a connection between them, but it is a connection which no sane person will consider seriously, if he is wise.”
Even more so than the previous tale, this story hinges on a powerfully disturbing dream that comes to obsess the dreamer. On the eve of World War II, Albert Moreland, an unambitious chess genius who ekes out a living playing chess in an arcade, spends his nights in disturbing dreams of playing a far more complex game with disturbing, alien pieces, in a vast and distant place, with an ominous, unseen opponent, and with Cosmos shattering stakes. The game continues in his dreams, night after night, coming to dominate his waking hours, and he is beginning to fear he is losing.
This tale displays Leiber’s talent at integrating Lovecraftian elements into his modern, dark urban landscape of disaffection and alienation. It’s my favorite of Leiber’s stories.
5 ⭐️
Game for Motel Room
This tale is a change of pace, shorter, and more clever than ominous. A motel room tryst leads to bedroom banter, revealing standard information about a vengeful and possibly insane husband, startling extraterrestrial secrets, and a dire threat to Earth.
4 ⭐️
The Phantom Slayer
(aka The Inheritance)
Yet another story premised on disturbing, creepy dreams. A claustrophobic urban tale of a man alone and lonely in a strange city, staying in the rented room of his recently deceased uncle, a retired policeman he had never met, yet had bequeathed him his meager possessions. After discover some clippings in his late uncle’s papers about some gruesome, unsolved murders, he has an uneasy sleep full of ominous nightmares triggered by what he found in his uncle’s room, nightmares that feel disturbingly real.
3 ⭐️
Lie Still, Snow White
The most skin-crawling brand of creepy is the sexual creep, and this tale of a deeply disturbed, murderous necrophiliac is hard to read, despite being skillfully written. The fact that such sick monsters actually do exists takes this horrific tale to the next level.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Mr. Bauer and the Atoms
”Going crazy wouldn’t be so bad, he thought, if only it weren’t so humiliating.”
A tale of Atomic Age anxiety. A salesman becomes obsessed with the potential, destructive power all the atoms in his body have, and worries that uncontrolled thoughts running wild could be the necessary trigger to split them.
3 1/2 ⭐️
In the X~Ray
A young woman visits the doctor because of a sudden, unexplainable, overnight swelling in her ankle. She fancifully connects it to a nightmare she was having of her dead, evil twin sister reaching out from the grave and grabbing her. When her doctor examines her X-Ray, he is worried, but not worried enough. Creepy but predictable.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Spider Mansion
Log this one under Decaying Gothic Mansion Horror, in the vein of Fall of the House of Usher. It checks all the pulpy tropes, from arriving at the mansion during a violent thunderstorm, to the climatic conflagration. Terrified servants, the mystery of a dwarf turned giant, a charade of a formal dinner that’s a horror all by itself, and a terrible secret all provide atmosphere.
This one is a product of its times, so be warned that both its characterization of the black servants and its depiction of little people are well below contemporary standards.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Secret Songs
”Here’s to the druggists and the one understanding doctor in ten.”
Jack Sprat and his wife dream mad, fevered dreams in the Pharmaceutical Age. This one is an odd duck.
3 ⭐️
The Man Who Made Friends With Electricity
The old crank had a mania for electricity, believed he communed with it. But when it revealed to him its conspiracy of powering a world government that didn’t favor America, his joy turned to horror.
3 ⭐️
The Dead Man
A brilliant doctor, a unique human specimen, and the possibilities of incredible medical breakthroughs using a miraculous psychosomatic condition and hypnosis is subverted by jealousy, and turned to horror. Interesting, but rather too grotesque for me to suspend disbelief.
3 ⭐️
The Thirteenth Step
Fritz Leiber knew his way around an AA meeting. He knew the horror stories that could be shared there. With this story he took that horror to the next level.
4 ⭐️
The Repair People
Bleak, depressing, and confusing. Not so much a story as a failed mood piece.
2 ⭐️
Black Has Its Charms
”Well, make up your mind, dear. Either hit me over the head with that bottle or pour me a drink from it.”
A bitter, unhappy, and drunken woman tries to end her toxic marriage by attempting to bate her hated husband into killing her. Well written, but nasty and harsh.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Schizmo Jimmie
Can someone be a carrier of madness, immune themself but infecting those about them? Our unreliable narrator believes so, as he sketches out this tale of madness and murder.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Creature From Cleveland Depths
”I don’t believe that…A thing just can’t develop that fast, Fay. It’s against nature.”
“Ha, but we’re not in nature, we’re in culture.”
”Maybe it’s man’s destiny to build live machines and then bow out of the cosmic picture.”
Read my full review of this sci-fi novella here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4 1/2 ⭐️
The Casket-Demon
A curse of fame. A Hollywood actress loses mass everyday her name isn’t in the papers. Not a favorite.
2 ⭐️
Mr. Adam’s Garden of Evil
In which nudie mag girls are grown in a garden using an old family formula. Exceedingly strange, and next level creepy, but a big failure in the suspension of disbelief department.
3 ⭐️
This collection of tales, many long unobtainable, showcases his weird, dark tales, along with a couple sci-fi gems. While, like most short story collections, not every tale is equally excellent, most are at least clever or entertaining. Overall, I rate the collection 3.5 stars, with the handful of brilliantly memorable stories rounding my final rating up.
The Black Gondolier
”Created from the lush vegetation and animal fats of the Carboniferous and adjoining periods, holding in itself the black essence of all life that had ever been, constituting in fact a great, deep-digged black graveyard of the ultimate eldritch past with blackest ghosts, oil had waited for hundreds of millions of years dreaming its black dreams.”
A man tells a disturbing story of his friend who became obsessed with the idea that oil was powerfully sentient and that it menaced him personally. His recurring dream of being poled in a pitch black gondola through oil-filled canals of Venice, California and then into the depths has an eerie, menacing impact on his eventual disappearance.
This brilliantly descriptive tale is an outstanding example of Leiber’s emphasis on the eldritch dark lurking within the modern urban environment.
4 1/2 ⭐️
The Dreams of Albert Moreland
”I think of the autumn of 1939, not as the beginning of the Second World War, but as the period in which Albert Moreland dreamed the dream. The two events — the war and the dream — are not, however, divorced in my mind. Indeed, I sometimes fear that there is a connection between them, but it is a connection which no sane person will consider seriously, if he is wise.”
Even more so than the previous tale, this story hinges on a powerfully disturbing dream that comes to obsess the dreamer. On the eve of World War II, Albert Moreland, an unambitious chess genius who ekes out a living playing chess in an arcade, spends his nights in disturbing dreams of playing a far more complex game with disturbing, alien pieces, in a vast and distant place, with an ominous, unseen opponent, and with Cosmos shattering stakes. The game continues in his dreams, night after night, coming to dominate his waking hours, and he is beginning to fear he is losing.
This tale displays Leiber’s talent at integrating Lovecraftian elements into his modern, dark urban landscape of disaffection and alienation. It’s my favorite of Leiber’s stories.
5 ⭐️
Game for Motel Room
This tale is a change of pace, shorter, and more clever than ominous. A motel room tryst leads to bedroom banter, revealing standard information about a vengeful and possibly insane husband, startling extraterrestrial secrets, and a dire threat to Earth.
4 ⭐️
The Phantom Slayer
(aka The Inheritance)
Yet another story premised on disturbing, creepy dreams. A claustrophobic urban tale of a man alone and lonely in a strange city, staying in the rented room of his recently deceased uncle, a retired policeman he had never met, yet had bequeathed him his meager possessions. After discover some clippings in his late uncle’s papers about some gruesome, unsolved murders, he has an uneasy sleep full of ominous nightmares triggered by what he found in his uncle’s room, nightmares that feel disturbingly real.
3 ⭐️
Lie Still, Snow White
The most skin-crawling brand of creepy is the sexual creep, and this tale of a deeply disturbed, murderous necrophiliac is hard to read, despite being skillfully written. The fact that such sick monsters actually do exists takes this horrific tale to the next level.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Mr. Bauer and the Atoms
”Going crazy wouldn’t be so bad, he thought, if only it weren’t so humiliating.”
A tale of Atomic Age anxiety. A salesman becomes obsessed with the potential, destructive power all the atoms in his body have, and worries that uncontrolled thoughts running wild could be the necessary trigger to split them.
3 1/2 ⭐️
In the X~Ray
A young woman visits the doctor because of a sudden, unexplainable, overnight swelling in her ankle. She fancifully connects it to a nightmare she was having of her dead, evil twin sister reaching out from the grave and grabbing her. When her doctor examines her X-Ray, he is worried, but not worried enough. Creepy but predictable.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Spider Mansion
Log this one under Decaying Gothic Mansion Horror, in the vein of Fall of the House of Usher. It checks all the pulpy tropes, from arriving at the mansion during a violent thunderstorm, to the climatic conflagration. Terrified servants, the mystery of a dwarf turned giant, a charade of a formal dinner that’s a horror all by itself, and a terrible secret all provide atmosphere.
This one is a product of its times, so be warned that both its characterization of the black servants and its depiction of little people are well below contemporary standards.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Secret Songs
”Here’s to the druggists and the one understanding doctor in ten.”
Jack Sprat and his wife dream mad, fevered dreams in the Pharmaceutical Age. This one is an odd duck.
3 ⭐️
The Man Who Made Friends With Electricity
The old crank had a mania for electricity, believed he communed with it. But when it revealed to him its conspiracy of powering a world government that didn’t favor America, his joy turned to horror.
3 ⭐️
The Dead Man
A brilliant doctor, a unique human specimen, and the possibilities of incredible medical breakthroughs using a miraculous psychosomatic condition and hypnosis is subverted by jealousy, and turned to horror. Interesting, but rather too grotesque for me to suspend disbelief.
3 ⭐️
The Thirteenth Step
Fritz Leiber knew his way around an AA meeting. He knew the horror stories that could be shared there. With this story he took that horror to the next level.
4 ⭐️
The Repair People
Bleak, depressing, and confusing. Not so much a story as a failed mood piece.
2 ⭐️
Black Has Its Charms
”Well, make up your mind, dear. Either hit me over the head with that bottle or pour me a drink from it.”
A bitter, unhappy, and drunken woman tries to end her toxic marriage by attempting to bate her hated husband into killing her. Well written, but nasty and harsh.
3 1/2 ⭐️
Schizmo Jimmie
Can someone be a carrier of madness, immune themself but infecting those about them? Our unreliable narrator believes so, as he sketches out this tale of madness and murder.
3 1/2 ⭐️
The Creature From Cleveland Depths
”I don’t believe that…A thing just can’t develop that fast, Fay. It’s against nature.”
“Ha, but we’re not in nature, we’re in culture.”
”Maybe it’s man’s destiny to build live machines and then bow out of the cosmic picture.”
Read my full review of this sci-fi novella here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
4 1/2 ⭐️
The Casket-Demon
A curse of fame. A Hollywood actress loses mass everyday her name isn’t in the papers. Not a favorite.
2 ⭐️
Mr. Adam’s Garden of Evil
In which nudie mag girls are grown in a garden using an old family formula. Exceedingly strange, and next level creepy, but a big failure in the suspension of disbelief department.
3 ⭐️
March 8, 2021
A fantastic compilation from an author that truly embodies the term "ahead of the times." Below are my brief thoughts about each of the stories...
THE BLACK GONDOLIER: Written in Leiber's distinctive style of circumstantial logic and poetic utilization of thesaurus, "The Black Gondolier" tickles my hippocampus back to my youthful days exploring the California coast from Big Sur to Los Angeles, evoking images of patchouli-scented hipsters waxing philosophic on Venice beach, ghosts of the Gold Rush and the theocratic Mission days, and 1950s-style campers adorned with kitsch decor and Chinese lanterns parked semi-permanently amidst joshua trees under a clear starry sky where flying-saucers flit about like fairies. But Leiber is less concerned about the skies and wants you to think about what's beneath your feet. And in your gas tank. A delicious serving of weird fiction about Big Oil cooked up by a true master. Fans of "Our Lady of Darkness" will be right at home. Five solid stars.
THE DREAMS OF ALBERT MORELAND: Be careful what you wish for. This short is very similar to "The Black Gondolier," repeating the formula about a man visiting an eccentric haunted man who eventually disappears. Only this time the theme is not the oil industry but chess. A cosmic horror tale for fans of "The Queen's Gambit." Five stars.
GAME FOR MOTEL ROOM: A cute little sci-fi comedy about a brief hotel room affair with a few twists Fritz Leiber-style. Funny, sexy, and engaging. Five stars.
THE PHANTOM SLAYER: A destitute man inherits is estranged uncle's small Manhattan flat. A retired beat cop, his uncle's room contains some disturbing memorabilia. A ghost story without the ghosts, Leiber's fascination with the sleazy aesthetic and anonymity of life in the big city is on full display, along with his interest in psychoanalysis. Four stars.
LIE STILL, SNOW WHITE: Not for the faint of heart. If you thought Leiber was all about gray mousers, take a peek at this incredibly disturbing story about necrophilia, incest, breast fetishism, and murder. You'd swear you were had slipped into an Ed Lee story. But this was written long before extreme and erotic horror became a popular and easy way to market the sickest thoughts from the most talentless hacks. Five stars.
MR. BAUER AND THE ATOMS: Continuing to follow the theme of obsessive unhealthy preoccupations, another neurotic character is haunted by the idea that the human body contains enough nuclear energy to blow up the entire world if unleashed. Four stars.
IN THE X-RAY: Fritz Leiber sure enjoyed writing about doctor visits and psychoanalysis. This one has a young lady presenting with ankle pain, and the X-ray imaging more than puzzles our man in the white coat. A somewhat predictable body horror to those of us familiar with these kinds of scifi shorts, but once again, Leiber was one of the ones creating these tropes. Five stars.
SPIDER MANSION: An early effort, you can really tell that Leiber was a much younger and less mature writer in this pulp magazine adventure set in a mad-scientist's mansion. It contains characterizations of two people of color that were typical of the time but which somehow are more offensive than usual. Otherwise, this will please those in the mood for pure mindless camp. Four stars.
THE SECRET SONGS: I just didn't understand this one at all. To be fair, I was constantly interrupted while reading this, but the story is so surreal that I suppose it may not make sense even to the reader with undivided attention. And I didn't care enough for it to attempt a reread. The story seems to be a commentary on American reliance on pharmaceuticals and drugs, a problem that certainly did not start with the opioid epidemic. The only song I could think of while reading this entry was "Who put the benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?" Two stars.
THE MAN WHO MADE FRIENDS WITH ELECTRICITY: In keeping with the themes of the collection, another eccentric man falls victim to an anthropomorphism of energy. Not as well written as "Gondolier," and not as memorable. Four stars.
THE DEAD MAN: Fascinating and fresh scifi about psychosomatic illness. Five stars.
THE THIRTEENTH STEP: Leiber no doubt had many experiences, both good and bad, with the 12-step community during his long struggle with alcohol. This story is based on one of those negative experiences. Though the narrative remains vague on what actually happens, it seems to center around a teenage alcoholic selected as the keynote speaker for an AA meeting, and who delivers a kind of supernatural justice to a peer group that evidently has done little to help her feel welcome or to overcome her struggles. There must have been times when Leiber felt like an outsider in such meetings, with older "dry drunks" neglecting and even heckling the younger or newer attendees, thus revealing their own failure to truly work the steps. Arrogant in their own self-delusion of their current control over alcohol, they do not remember what it is like to lend a helping hand. This is just one of several stories in this collection about addiction. Three stars.
THE REPAIR PEOPLE: Thankfully one of the shortest of the collection, because I did not understand it or care. A strike-out in a collection full of home runs. Two stars.
BLACK HAS ITS CHARMS: This one might hit a little too close to home for some people. It is not a ghost story or sci-fi. This is the drunken ramblings of an alcoholic and unhappy wife who wakes her husband up to berate him about everything he has ever done wrong in her eyes and begs him to murder her. His feeble attempts to protest, to appease, or to retaliate are all twisted by the lens of the wife's hurt and despair. While reading the flight of ideas and semi-delusional circumstantial thinking of an intoxicated mind that is at the breaking point, the audience feels trapped, desperate to escape this argument that can't be won, and perhaps may sympathize with a violent solution. Leiber's own struggle with alcohol and barbiturate abuse no doubt led to arguments with his spouse just like this, for the darkness here is very palpable. Extremely terrifying in it's brutal reality and a huge trigger warning is in effect for those who have experienced domestic abuse. Five stars.
SCHIZO JIMMY: Could someone be a carrier for mental illness as surely as one can be a carrier for Strep B or herpes? Our narrator of this story thinks so. Three stars.
THE CREATURE FROM CLEVELAND DEPTHS: A classic scifi novella set in a Cold War future about a device called "the tickler" worn over the shoulder that serves as a personal secretary of sorts, reminding people of appointments and to-do lists. However, when an upgrade allows the device to influence mood and positive thoughts, wearing the latest model becomes mandatory, because the ticklers have become sentient. Leiber fans will likely have already read this one, and for newcomers, this will feel like an episode of "Black Mirror." Four stars.
THE CASKET-DEMON: An ancestor to Stephen King's "Thinner," a German-American actress rapidly loses weight and mass due to an ancient family curse. Intriguing premise, but kind of stupid. Three stars.
MR. ADAM'S GARDEN OF EVIL: Obvious Biblical reference aside, this is a fairly creepy entry reminiscent of "The Twilight Zone" featuring an unscrupulous owner of a nudie magazine who grows plants that replicate the likenesses of living people. Because the threat or the stakes are unclear, or even the purpose of such experiments, a promising premise becomes a jumbled mess by the end. Not a great way to end an otherwise fairly solid collection. Three stars.
Overall, a great sampling of the career of a Grand Master that will please both scifi and horror fans as well as those new to Leiber and those who have read his entire output.
THE BLACK GONDOLIER: Written in Leiber's distinctive style of circumstantial logic and poetic utilization of thesaurus, "The Black Gondolier" tickles my hippocampus back to my youthful days exploring the California coast from Big Sur to Los Angeles, evoking images of patchouli-scented hipsters waxing philosophic on Venice beach, ghosts of the Gold Rush and the theocratic Mission days, and 1950s-style campers adorned with kitsch decor and Chinese lanterns parked semi-permanently amidst joshua trees under a clear starry sky where flying-saucers flit about like fairies. But Leiber is less concerned about the skies and wants you to think about what's beneath your feet. And in your gas tank. A delicious serving of weird fiction about Big Oil cooked up by a true master. Fans of "Our Lady of Darkness" will be right at home. Five solid stars.
THE DREAMS OF ALBERT MORELAND: Be careful what you wish for. This short is very similar to "The Black Gondolier," repeating the formula about a man visiting an eccentric haunted man who eventually disappears. Only this time the theme is not the oil industry but chess. A cosmic horror tale for fans of "The Queen's Gambit." Five stars.
GAME FOR MOTEL ROOM: A cute little sci-fi comedy about a brief hotel room affair with a few twists Fritz Leiber-style. Funny, sexy, and engaging. Five stars.
THE PHANTOM SLAYER: A destitute man inherits is estranged uncle's small Manhattan flat. A retired beat cop, his uncle's room contains some disturbing memorabilia. A ghost story without the ghosts, Leiber's fascination with the sleazy aesthetic and anonymity of life in the big city is on full display, along with his interest in psychoanalysis. Four stars.
LIE STILL, SNOW WHITE: Not for the faint of heart. If you thought Leiber was all about gray mousers, take a peek at this incredibly disturbing story about necrophilia, incest, breast fetishism, and murder. You'd swear you were had slipped into an Ed Lee story. But this was written long before extreme and erotic horror became a popular and easy way to market the sickest thoughts from the most talentless hacks. Five stars.
MR. BAUER AND THE ATOMS: Continuing to follow the theme of obsessive unhealthy preoccupations, another neurotic character is haunted by the idea that the human body contains enough nuclear energy to blow up the entire world if unleashed. Four stars.
IN THE X-RAY: Fritz Leiber sure enjoyed writing about doctor visits and psychoanalysis. This one has a young lady presenting with ankle pain, and the X-ray imaging more than puzzles our man in the white coat. A somewhat predictable body horror to those of us familiar with these kinds of scifi shorts, but once again, Leiber was one of the ones creating these tropes. Five stars.
SPIDER MANSION: An early effort, you can really tell that Leiber was a much younger and less mature writer in this pulp magazine adventure set in a mad-scientist's mansion. It contains characterizations of two people of color that were typical of the time but which somehow are more offensive than usual. Otherwise, this will please those in the mood for pure mindless camp. Four stars.
THE SECRET SONGS: I just didn't understand this one at all. To be fair, I was constantly interrupted while reading this, but the story is so surreal that I suppose it may not make sense even to the reader with undivided attention. And I didn't care enough for it to attempt a reread. The story seems to be a commentary on American reliance on pharmaceuticals and drugs, a problem that certainly did not start with the opioid epidemic. The only song I could think of while reading this entry was "Who put the benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?" Two stars.
THE MAN WHO MADE FRIENDS WITH ELECTRICITY: In keeping with the themes of the collection, another eccentric man falls victim to an anthropomorphism of energy. Not as well written as "Gondolier," and not as memorable. Four stars.
THE DEAD MAN: Fascinating and fresh scifi about psychosomatic illness. Five stars.
THE THIRTEENTH STEP: Leiber no doubt had many experiences, both good and bad, with the 12-step community during his long struggle with alcohol. This story is based on one of those negative experiences. Though the narrative remains vague on what actually happens, it seems to center around a teenage alcoholic selected as the keynote speaker for an AA meeting, and who delivers a kind of supernatural justice to a peer group that evidently has done little to help her feel welcome or to overcome her struggles. There must have been times when Leiber felt like an outsider in such meetings, with older "dry drunks" neglecting and even heckling the younger or newer attendees, thus revealing their own failure to truly work the steps. Arrogant in their own self-delusion of their current control over alcohol, they do not remember what it is like to lend a helping hand. This is just one of several stories in this collection about addiction. Three stars.
THE REPAIR PEOPLE: Thankfully one of the shortest of the collection, because I did not understand it or care. A strike-out in a collection full of home runs. Two stars.
BLACK HAS ITS CHARMS: This one might hit a little too close to home for some people. It is not a ghost story or sci-fi. This is the drunken ramblings of an alcoholic and unhappy wife who wakes her husband up to berate him about everything he has ever done wrong in her eyes and begs him to murder her. His feeble attempts to protest, to appease, or to retaliate are all twisted by the lens of the wife's hurt and despair. While reading the flight of ideas and semi-delusional circumstantial thinking of an intoxicated mind that is at the breaking point, the audience feels trapped, desperate to escape this argument that can't be won, and perhaps may sympathize with a violent solution. Leiber's own struggle with alcohol and barbiturate abuse no doubt led to arguments with his spouse just like this, for the darkness here is very palpable. Extremely terrifying in it's brutal reality and a huge trigger warning is in effect for those who have experienced domestic abuse. Five stars.
SCHIZO JIMMY: Could someone be a carrier for mental illness as surely as one can be a carrier for Strep B or herpes? Our narrator of this story thinks so. Three stars.
THE CREATURE FROM CLEVELAND DEPTHS: A classic scifi novella set in a Cold War future about a device called "the tickler" worn over the shoulder that serves as a personal secretary of sorts, reminding people of appointments and to-do lists. However, when an upgrade allows the device to influence mood and positive thoughts, wearing the latest model becomes mandatory, because the ticklers have become sentient. Leiber fans will likely have already read this one, and for newcomers, this will feel like an episode of "Black Mirror." Four stars.
THE CASKET-DEMON: An ancestor to Stephen King's "Thinner," a German-American actress rapidly loses weight and mass due to an ancient family curse. Intriguing premise, but kind of stupid. Three stars.
MR. ADAM'S GARDEN OF EVIL: Obvious Biblical reference aside, this is a fairly creepy entry reminiscent of "The Twilight Zone" featuring an unscrupulous owner of a nudie magazine who grows plants that replicate the likenesses of living people. Because the threat or the stakes are unclear, or even the purpose of such experiments, a promising premise becomes a jumbled mess by the end. Not a great way to end an otherwise fairly solid collection. Three stars.
Overall, a great sampling of the career of a Grand Master that will please both scifi and horror fans as well as those new to Leiber and those who have read his entire output.
March 8, 2021
A fantastic compilation from an author that truly embodies the term "ahead of the times." Below are my brief thoughts about each of the stories...
THE BLACK GONDOLIER: Written in Leiber's distinctive style of circumstantial logic and poetic utilization of thesaurus, "The Black Gondolier" tickles my hippocampus back to my youthful days exploring the California coast from Big Sur to Los Angeles, evoking images of patchouli-scented hipsters waxing philosophic on Venice beach, ghosts of the Gold Rush and the theocratic Mission days, and 1950s-style campers adorned with kitsch decor and Chinese lanterns parked semi-permanently amidst joshua trees under a clear starry sky where flying-saucers flit about like fairies. But Leiber is less concerned about the skies and wants you to think about what's beneath your feet. And in your gas tank. A delicious serving of weird fiction about Big Oil cooked up by a true master. Fans of "Our Lady of Darkness" will be right at home. Five solid stars.
THE DREAMS OF ALBERT MORELAND: Be careful what you wish for. This short is very similar to "The Black Gondolier," repeating the formula about a man visiting an eccentric haunted man who eventually disappears. Only this time the theme is not the oil industry but chess. A cosmic horror tale for fans of "The Queen's Gambit." Five stars.
GAME FOR MOTEL ROOM: A cute little sci-fi comedy about a brief hotel room affair with a few twists Fritz Leiber-style. Funny, sexy, and engaging. Five stars.
THE PHANTOM SLAYER: A destitute man inherits is estranged uncle's small Manhattan flat. A retired beat cop, his uncle's room contains some disturbing memorabilia. A ghost story without the ghosts, Leiber's fascination with the sleazy aesthetic and anonymity of life in the big city is on full display, along with his interest in psychoanalysis. Four stars.
LIE STILL, SNOW WHITE: Not for the faint of heart. If you thought Leiber was all about gray mousers, take a peek at this incredibly disturbing story about necrophilia, incest, breast fetishism, and murder. You'd swear you were had slipped into an Ed Lee story. But this was written long before extreme and erotic horror became a popular and easy way to market the sickest thoughts from the most talentless hacks. Five stars.
MR. BAUER AND THE ATOMS: Continuing to follow the theme of obsessive unhealthy preoccupations, another neurotic character is haunted by the idea that the human body contains enough nuclear energy to blow up the entire world if unleashed. Four stars.
IN THE X-RAY: Fritz Leiber sure enjoyed writing about doctor visits and psychoanalysis. This one has a young lady presenting with ankle pain, and the X-ray imaging more than puzzles our man in the white coat. A somewhat predictable body horror to those of us familiar with these kinds of scifi shorts, but once again, Leiber was one of the ones creating these tropes. Five stars.
SPIDER MANSION: An early effort, you can really tell that Leiber was a much younger and less mature writer in this pulp magazine adventure set in a mad-scientist's mansion. It contains characterizations of two people of color that were typical of the time but which somehow are more offensive than usual. Otherwise, this will please those in the mood for pure mindless camp. Four stars.
THE SECRET SONGS: I just didn't understand this one at all. To be fair, I was constantly interrupted while reading this, but the story is so surreal that I suppose it may not make sense even to the reader with undivided attention. And I didn't care enough for it to attempt a reread. The story seems to be a commentary on American reliance on pharmaceuticals and drugs, a problem that certainly did not start with the opioid epidemic. The only song I could think of while reading this entry was "Who put the benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?" Two stars.
THE MAN WHO MADE FRIENDS WITH ELECTRICITY: In keeping with the themes of the collection, another eccentric man falls victim to an anthropomorphism of energy. Not as well written as "Gondolier," and not as memorable. Four stars.
THE DEAD MAN: Fascinating and fresh scifi about psychosomatic illness. Five stars.
THE THIRTEENTH STEP: Leiber no doubt had many experiences, both good and bad, with the 12-step community during his long struggle with alcohol. This story is based on one of those negative experiences. Though the narrative remains vague on what actually happens, it seems to center around a teenage alcoholic selected as the keynote speaker for an AA meeting, and who delivers a kind of supernatural justice to a peer group that evidently has done little to help her feel welcome or to overcome her struggles. There must have been times when Leiber felt like an outsider in such meetings, with older "dry drunks" neglecting and even heckling the younger or newer attendees, thus revealing their own failure to truly work the steps. Arrogant in their own self-delusion of their current control over alcohol, they do not remember what it is like to lend a helping hand. This is just one of several stories in this collection about addiction. Three stars.
THE REPAIR PEOPLE: Thankfully one of the shortest of the collection, because I did not understand it or care. A strike-out in a collection full of home runs. Two stars.
BLACK HAS ITS CHARMS: This one might hit a little too close to home for some people. It is not a ghost story or sci-fi. This is the drunken ramblings of an alcoholic and unhappy wife who wakes her husband up to berate him about everything he has ever done wrong in her eyes and begs him to murder her. His feeble attempts to protest, to appease, or to retaliate are all twisted by the lens of the wife's hurt and despair. While reading the flight of ideas and semi-delusional circumstantial thinking of an intoxicated mind that is at the breaking point, the audience feels trapped, desperate to escape this argument that can't be won, and perhaps may sympathize with a violent solution. Leiber's own struggle with alcohol and barbiturate abuse no doubt led to arguments with his spouse just like this, for the darkness here is very palpable. Extremely terrifying in it's brutal reality and a huge trigger warning is in effect for those who have experienced domestic abuse. Five stars.
SCHIZO JIMMY: Could someone be a carrier for mental illness as surely as one can be a carrier for Strep B or herpes? Our narrator of this story thinks so. Three stars.
THE CREATURE FROM CLEVELAND DEPTHS: A classic scifi novella set in a Cold War future about a device called "the tickler" worn over the shoulder that serves as a personal secretary of sorts, reminding people of appointments and to-do lists. However, when an upgrade allows the device to influence mood and positive thoughts, wearing the latest model becomes mandatory, because the ticklers have become sentient. Leiber fans will likely have already read this one, and for newcomers, this will feel like an episode of "Black Mirror." Four stars.
THE CASKET-DEMON: An ancestor to Stephen King's "Thinner," a German-American actress rapidly loses weight and mass due to an ancient family curse. Intriguing premise, but kind of stupid. Three stars.
MR. ADAM'S GARDEN OF EVIL: Obvious Biblical reference aside, this is a fairly creepy entry reminiscent of "The Twilight Zone" featuring an unscrupulous owner of a nudie magazine who grows plants that replicate the likenesses of living people. Because the threat or the stakes are unclear, or even the purpose of such experiments, a promising premise becomes a jumbled mess by the end. Not a great way to end an otherwise fairly solid collection. Three stars.
Overall, a great sampling of the career of a Grand Master that will please both scifi and horror fans as well as those new to Leiber and those who have read his entire output.
THE BLACK GONDOLIER: Written in Leiber's distinctive style of circumstantial logic and poetic utilization of thesaurus, "The Black Gondolier" tickles my hippocampus back to my youthful days exploring the California coast from Big Sur to Los Angeles, evoking images of patchouli-scented hipsters waxing philosophic on Venice beach, ghosts of the Gold Rush and the theocratic Mission days, and 1950s-style campers adorned with kitsch decor and Chinese lanterns parked semi-permanently amidst joshua trees under a clear starry sky where flying-saucers flit about like fairies. But Leiber is less concerned about the skies and wants you to think about what's beneath your feet. And in your gas tank. A delicious serving of weird fiction about Big Oil cooked up by a true master. Fans of "Our Lady of Darkness" will be right at home. Five solid stars.
THE DREAMS OF ALBERT MORELAND: Be careful what you wish for. This short is very similar to "The Black Gondolier," repeating the formula about a man visiting an eccentric haunted man who eventually disappears. Only this time the theme is not the oil industry but chess. A cosmic horror tale for fans of "The Queen's Gambit." Five stars.
GAME FOR MOTEL ROOM: A cute little sci-fi comedy about a brief hotel room affair with a few twists Fritz Leiber-style. Funny, sexy, and engaging. Five stars.
THE PHANTOM SLAYER: A destitute man inherits is estranged uncle's small Manhattan flat. A retired beat cop, his uncle's room contains some disturbing memorabilia. A ghost story without the ghosts, Leiber's fascination with the sleazy aesthetic and anonymity of life in the big city is on full display, along with his interest in psychoanalysis. Four stars.
LIE STILL, SNOW WHITE: Not for the faint of heart. If you thought Leiber was all about gray mousers, take a peek at this incredibly disturbing story about necrophilia, incest, breast fetishism, and murder. You'd swear you were had slipped into an Ed Lee story. But this was written long before extreme and erotic horror became a popular and easy way to market the sickest thoughts from the most talentless hacks. Five stars.
MR. BAUER AND THE ATOMS: Continuing to follow the theme of obsessive unhealthy preoccupations, another neurotic character is haunted by the idea that the human body contains enough nuclear energy to blow up the entire world if unleashed. Four stars.
IN THE X-RAY: Fritz Leiber sure enjoyed writing about doctor visits and psychoanalysis. This one has a young lady presenting with ankle pain, and the X-ray imaging more than puzzles our man in the white coat. A somewhat predictable body horror to those of us familiar with these kinds of scifi shorts, but once again, Leiber was one of the ones creating these tropes. Five stars.
SPIDER MANSION: An early effort, you can really tell that Leiber was a much younger and less mature writer in this pulp magazine adventure set in a mad-scientist's mansion. It contains characterizations of two people of color that were typical of the time but which somehow are more offensive than usual. Otherwise, this will please those in the mood for pure mindless camp. Four stars.
THE SECRET SONGS: I just didn't understand this one at all. To be fair, I was constantly interrupted while reading this, but the story is so surreal that I suppose it may not make sense even to the reader with undivided attention. And I didn't care enough for it to attempt a reread. The story seems to be a commentary on American reliance on pharmaceuticals and drugs, a problem that certainly did not start with the opioid epidemic. The only song I could think of while reading this entry was "Who put the benzedrine in Mrs. Murphy's Ovaltine?" Two stars.
THE MAN WHO MADE FRIENDS WITH ELECTRICITY: In keeping with the themes of the collection, another eccentric man falls victim to an anthropomorphism of energy. Not as well written as "Gondolier," and not as memorable. Four stars.
THE DEAD MAN: Fascinating and fresh scifi about psychosomatic illness. Five stars.
THE THIRTEENTH STEP: Leiber no doubt had many experiences, both good and bad, with the 12-step community during his long struggle with alcohol. This story is based on one of those negative experiences. Though the narrative remains vague on what actually happens, it seems to center around a teenage alcoholic selected as the keynote speaker for an AA meeting, and who delivers a kind of supernatural justice to a peer group that evidently has done little to help her feel welcome or to overcome her struggles. There must have been times when Leiber felt like an outsider in such meetings, with older "dry drunks" neglecting and even heckling the younger or newer attendees, thus revealing their own failure to truly work the steps. Arrogant in their own self-delusion of their current control over alcohol, they do not remember what it is like to lend a helping hand. This is just one of several stories in this collection about addiction. Three stars.
THE REPAIR PEOPLE: Thankfully one of the shortest of the collection, because I did not understand it or care. A strike-out in a collection full of home runs. Two stars.
BLACK HAS ITS CHARMS: This one might hit a little too close to home for some people. It is not a ghost story or sci-fi. This is the drunken ramblings of an alcoholic and unhappy wife who wakes her husband up to berate him about everything he has ever done wrong in her eyes and begs him to murder her. His feeble attempts to protest, to appease, or to retaliate are all twisted by the lens of the wife's hurt and despair. While reading the flight of ideas and semi-delusional circumstantial thinking of an intoxicated mind that is at the breaking point, the audience feels trapped, desperate to escape this argument that can't be won, and perhaps may sympathize with a violent solution. Leiber's own struggle with alcohol and barbiturate abuse no doubt led to arguments with his spouse just like this, for the darkness here is very palpable. Extremely terrifying in it's brutal reality and a huge trigger warning is in effect for those who have experienced domestic abuse. Five stars.
SCHIZO JIMMY: Could someone be a carrier for mental illness as surely as one can be a carrier for Strep B or herpes? Our narrator of this story thinks so. Three stars.
THE CREATURE FROM CLEVELAND DEPTHS: A classic scifi novella set in a Cold War future about a device called "the tickler" worn over the shoulder that serves as a personal secretary of sorts, reminding people of appointments and to-do lists. However, when an upgrade allows the device to influence mood and positive thoughts, wearing the latest model becomes mandatory, because the ticklers have become sentient. Leiber fans will likely have already read this one, and for newcomers, this will feel like an episode of "Black Mirror." Four stars.
THE CASKET-DEMON: An ancestor to Stephen King's "Thinner," a German-American actress rapidly loses weight and mass due to an ancient family curse. Intriguing premise, but kind of stupid. Three stars.
MR. ADAM'S GARDEN OF EVIL: Obvious Biblical reference aside, this is a fairly creepy entry reminiscent of "The Twilight Zone" featuring an unscrupulous owner of a nudie magazine who grows plants that replicate the likenesses of living people. Because the threat or the stakes are unclear, or even the purpose of such experiments, a promising premise becomes a jumbled mess by the end. Not a great way to end an otherwise fairly solid collection. Three stars.
Overall, a great sampling of the career of a Grand Master that will please both scifi and horror fans as well as those new to Leiber and those who have read his entire output.
November 21, 2012
Originally posted at FanLit. http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
The Black Gondolier is a collection of horror stories by Fritz Leiber. I love Leiber’s LANKHMAR stories — they’re some of my very favorites in fantasy literature — and I’ve enjoyed several of Leiber’s short stories and one of his horror novellas, so I figured I might enjoy The Black Gondolier.
I found The Black Gondolier to be, as we so often say when reviewing a story collection, “a mixed bag.” I love Leiber’s style in all of these stories — he’s got a great ear and I love the way he uses language. But I found that many of the stories in The Black Gondolier managed to push one of my buttons, either as a feminist or a psychologist, and usually both. These stories are full of dumb blondes with big boobs and heaps of Freudian psychobabble. So much of the old SFF is like that, I know, and Fritz Leiber is one of the worst culprits, at least in my experience, but I usually love his style and plot so much that I can overlook the sexism and bad psychology. I was only partially successful with that in this collection.
Here are the stories in The Black Gondolier:
“The Black Gondolier” — Our narrator’s strange new friend thinks oil is sentient and that it has plans for humankind. This story is set inVenice,Californiaand Leiber brings that region’s geography, geology, politics, and culture to life. As many of the stories in this volume do,
“The Black Gondolier” features a paranoid man who seeks psychoanalysis to determine if his dreams may be subconscious foreshadowings of some horrid event.
“The Dreams of Albert Moreland” — Similar to the previous story, our narrator has befriended a man who has strange recurrent dreams. This man, a professional chess player, is so smart and educated that our narrator decides he can’t be psychotic. The dreams must be his subconscious mind trying to tell him something. “The Dreams of Albert Moreland” is essentially the same story as “The Black Gondolier” except with a different setting and a different hero and villain.
“Game for Motel Room” — A man who has a tryst in a hotel room with a married alien woman ends up saving the world. This story is short and amusing.
“The Phantom Slayer” — A man inherits his uncle’s apartment and discovers a murder mystery. This one isn’t as creepy as it was supposed to be, probably because, again, it’s relying on subconscious nightmares, a theme that, frankly, I’m bored of. Also, I knew almost from the beginning how it was going to turn out.
“Lie Still, Snow White” — This one ought to have been titled “Confessions of an Murderous Incestuous Necrophiliac.” I have to admire the writing and the imagery in this story, but it’s so disturbing that I didn’t enjoy it until the end. It’s all about sexual repression and taboos. It’s so filled with Freud that I found it painful to read. However, it’s inventive and original and I loved the ending.
“Mr. Bower and the Atoms” — A paranoid man thinks he’s a human atomic bomb. More paranoia. Mildly entertaining.
“In the X-ray” — A young woman who has a sudden swelling around her ankle visits her doctor and gets an X-ray. The doctor is freaked out by what he sees on the X-ray and questions her about her life history. This one is really creepy even though I knew how it was going to end.
“SpiderMansion” — A couple visit an acquaintance who used to be a midget. Now the midget is a giant and his wife and servants are terrified by something in the house that they won’t talk about. This was one of the few truly scary stories and I liked it.
“The Secret Songs“ — A couple of mentally ill drug abusers get married. This one was painfully bad, but blessedly short.
“The Man Who Made Friends with Electricity” — This story is a lot like “The Black Gondolier.” Instead of oil, it’s electricity. A man talks to electricity and is disturbed when he finds out that it isn’t as friendly as he thought. I kind of knew where this was going.
“The Dead Man” — A scientist has figured out how to change people’s health, for better or worse, through hypnotic suggestion. As his test subject, he’s using the man who’s having an affair with his wife. I liked the plot of this story a lot, even though it featured another dumb woman and a man with Mother Issues.
“The 13th Step” — A young alcoholic woman, who thinks she’s being stalked by the fifth horseman of the apocalypse, tells her story and gets heckled at an AA meeting. There’s not much to this story. It’s short (fortunately) and the ending is obvious.
“The Repair People” — Ann’s new job involves repairing clay people. All I want to say about this one is thank God it’s really short. I didn’t get it and didn’t like it enough to spend time thinking about it.
“Black Has Its Charms” — A rude and nasty woman tries to provoke her husband into murdering her. I hated this story and wished I could have murdered her myself. I admired the audio narration for this one, though.
“Schizo Jimmy” — Our narrator, who considers himself a witch hunter, kills his friend who is an immune carrier of insanity. I knew from the beginning what was going on here, but I still enjoyed this story about false perceptions.
“The Creature from the Cleveland Depths” — Gunderson, a Clevelandauthor of “insanity novels,” can’t remember to turn on his favorite TV show. When his friend creates a device called a Tickler to help people remember the things they want to do, Gunderson refuses to try it. He admits that he’s afraid of machines that think. It turns out that he has a very good reason to be afraid. I liked this story. It was so much like something Philip K. Dick would have written that I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading Fritz Leiber.
“The Casket Demon” — A Hollywood movie star lives under a curse: Every day that she isn’t in the newspapers, she loses some of her mass. Funny premise, average story.
“Mr. Adams’ Garden to Evil” — The manager of a girlie magazine grows girls in his garden with his aunt’s secret biological technique. This was the best story of all and at least there’s a smart woman in it (the dead aunt). Also very much like PKD.
So, in my opinion, a mixed bag of stories, but essential reading for any Fritz Leiber fan. Since I consider myself a fan, I’m glad I read The Black Gondolier. I got to know Fritz Leiber better and there were several stories that I truly enjoyed. I listened to Audible Frontiers’ version which was just released and is narrated by Marc Vietor, L.J. Ganzer, David Marantz, and Jefferson Slinkard. I thought each of these narrators did an excellent job. If you’re planning to read The Black Gondolier, which you should if you’re a Leiber fan, try the audio version.
The Black Gondolier is a collection of horror stories by Fritz Leiber. I love Leiber’s LANKHMAR stories — they’re some of my very favorites in fantasy literature — and I’ve enjoyed several of Leiber’s short stories and one of his horror novellas, so I figured I might enjoy The Black Gondolier.
I found The Black Gondolier to be, as we so often say when reviewing a story collection, “a mixed bag.” I love Leiber’s style in all of these stories — he’s got a great ear and I love the way he uses language. But I found that many of the stories in The Black Gondolier managed to push one of my buttons, either as a feminist or a psychologist, and usually both. These stories are full of dumb blondes with big boobs and heaps of Freudian psychobabble. So much of the old SFF is like that, I know, and Fritz Leiber is one of the worst culprits, at least in my experience, but I usually love his style and plot so much that I can overlook the sexism and bad psychology. I was only partially successful with that in this collection.
Here are the stories in The Black Gondolier:
“The Black Gondolier” — Our narrator’s strange new friend thinks oil is sentient and that it has plans for humankind. This story is set inVenice,Californiaand Leiber brings that region’s geography, geology, politics, and culture to life. As many of the stories in this volume do,
“The Black Gondolier” features a paranoid man who seeks psychoanalysis to determine if his dreams may be subconscious foreshadowings of some horrid event.
“The Dreams of Albert Moreland” — Similar to the previous story, our narrator has befriended a man who has strange recurrent dreams. This man, a professional chess player, is so smart and educated that our narrator decides he can’t be psychotic. The dreams must be his subconscious mind trying to tell him something. “The Dreams of Albert Moreland” is essentially the same story as “The Black Gondolier” except with a different setting and a different hero and villain.
“Game for Motel Room” — A man who has a tryst in a hotel room with a married alien woman ends up saving the world. This story is short and amusing.
“The Phantom Slayer” — A man inherits his uncle’s apartment and discovers a murder mystery. This one isn’t as creepy as it was supposed to be, probably because, again, it’s relying on subconscious nightmares, a theme that, frankly, I’m bored of. Also, I knew almost from the beginning how it was going to turn out.
“Lie Still, Snow White” — This one ought to have been titled “Confessions of an Murderous Incestuous Necrophiliac.” I have to admire the writing and the imagery in this story, but it’s so disturbing that I didn’t enjoy it until the end. It’s all about sexual repression and taboos. It’s so filled with Freud that I found it painful to read. However, it’s inventive and original and I loved the ending.
“Mr. Bower and the Atoms” — A paranoid man thinks he’s a human atomic bomb. More paranoia. Mildly entertaining.
“In the X-ray” — A young woman who has a sudden swelling around her ankle visits her doctor and gets an X-ray. The doctor is freaked out by what he sees on the X-ray and questions her about her life history. This one is really creepy even though I knew how it was going to end.
“SpiderMansion” — A couple visit an acquaintance who used to be a midget. Now the midget is a giant and his wife and servants are terrified by something in the house that they won’t talk about. This was one of the few truly scary stories and I liked it.
“The Secret Songs“ — A couple of mentally ill drug abusers get married. This one was painfully bad, but blessedly short.
“The Man Who Made Friends with Electricity” — This story is a lot like “The Black Gondolier.” Instead of oil, it’s electricity. A man talks to electricity and is disturbed when he finds out that it isn’t as friendly as he thought. I kind of knew where this was going.
“The Dead Man” — A scientist has figured out how to change people’s health, for better or worse, through hypnotic suggestion. As his test subject, he’s using the man who’s having an affair with his wife. I liked the plot of this story a lot, even though it featured another dumb woman and a man with Mother Issues.
“The 13th Step” — A young alcoholic woman, who thinks she’s being stalked by the fifth horseman of the apocalypse, tells her story and gets heckled at an AA meeting. There’s not much to this story. It’s short (fortunately) and the ending is obvious.
“The Repair People” — Ann’s new job involves repairing clay people. All I want to say about this one is thank God it’s really short. I didn’t get it and didn’t like it enough to spend time thinking about it.
“Black Has Its Charms” — A rude and nasty woman tries to provoke her husband into murdering her. I hated this story and wished I could have murdered her myself. I admired the audio narration for this one, though.
“Schizo Jimmy” — Our narrator, who considers himself a witch hunter, kills his friend who is an immune carrier of insanity. I knew from the beginning what was going on here, but I still enjoyed this story about false perceptions.
“The Creature from the Cleveland Depths” — Gunderson, a Clevelandauthor of “insanity novels,” can’t remember to turn on his favorite TV show. When his friend creates a device called a Tickler to help people remember the things they want to do, Gunderson refuses to try it. He admits that he’s afraid of machines that think. It turns out that he has a very good reason to be afraid. I liked this story. It was so much like something Philip K. Dick would have written that I had to keep reminding myself that I was reading Fritz Leiber.
“The Casket Demon” — A Hollywood movie star lives under a curse: Every day that she isn’t in the newspapers, she loses some of her mass. Funny premise, average story.
“Mr. Adams’ Garden to Evil” — The manager of a girlie magazine grows girls in his garden with his aunt’s secret biological technique. This was the best story of all and at least there’s a smart woman in it (the dead aunt). Also very much like PKD.
So, in my opinion, a mixed bag of stories, but essential reading for any Fritz Leiber fan. Since I consider myself a fan, I’m glad I read The Black Gondolier. I got to know Fritz Leiber better and there were several stories that I truly enjoyed. I listened to Audible Frontiers’ version which was just released and is narrated by Marc Vietor, L.J. Ganzer, David Marantz, and Jefferson Slinkard. I thought each of these narrators did an excellent job. If you’re planning to read The Black Gondolier, which you should if you’re a Leiber fan, try the audio version.
October 25, 2020
This is a fine collection of some of Fritz Leiber's scary stories.
You can see Leiber's lifelong interest in updating horror for the modern age. The titular story, for example, turns the petroleum-based economy into a figure of fantastic dread. Advanced cities and suburbs are places of dislocation, despair, and dread. "The Man Who Made Friends with Electricity" sees modern power systems as nearly Lovecraftian monsters. "The Casket-Demon" turns Hollywood's star system into the setting for horror. "Mr. Adams' Garden of Evil" shows Playboy's Hugh Hefner as another monster, beset by still more monsters.
Some of the tales also show the early 20th century's obsession with psychoanalysis, whose terms and methods crop up noticeably.
As with any collection, the stories vary in quality and tone. At least one is a thundering adventure, while others are more thoughtful. Some depictions of women are dated.
Throughout, though, we see Leiber's signature style. He can ascend to lyrics when imagining fantastic visions, while also gently sneaking in hints of horror. He happily ransacks culture for references and inspiration. And he has a mordant sense of humor.
Overall, recommended.
You can see Leiber's lifelong interest in updating horror for the modern age. The titular story, for example, turns the petroleum-based economy into a figure of fantastic dread. Advanced cities and suburbs are places of dislocation, despair, and dread. "The Man Who Made Friends with Electricity" sees modern power systems as nearly Lovecraftian monsters. "The Casket-Demon" turns Hollywood's star system into the setting for horror. "Mr. Adams' Garden of Evil" shows Playboy's Hugh Hefner as another monster, beset by still more monsters.
Some of the tales also show the early 20th century's obsession with psychoanalysis, whose terms and methods crop up noticeably.
As with any collection, the stories vary in quality and tone. At least one is a thundering adventure, while others are more thoughtful. Some depictions of women are dated.
Throughout, though, we see Leiber's signature style. He can ascend to lyrics when imagining fantastic visions, while also gently sneaking in hints of horror. He happily ransacks culture for references and inspiration. And he has a mordant sense of humor.
Overall, recommended.
February 9, 2022
I grew up on the author's fantasy stories but had never read too many of his non-fantasy works. With any collection, there are some big hits and big misses. Some of these stories read more like comic book scripts circa 1940. The language is dated in most stories, but you can still get the main gist of what is happening. Overall, a great look into tales from a master of storytelling.
January 4, 2015
I think there are books with more suspense and grip...
August 6, 2020
Another awesome collection by Leiber. I felt like the only major issues were in the arranging of the stories in the anthology; starting off with two fairly similar tales--about dreams and disappearances--maybe wasn't the best decision and I think the sci-fi novella (a wonderfully, sardonically hilarious story) should have been the last thing in the book. But other than that the content is amazing and Leiber's take on technology, psychology, and the urban existence is perfect as always
January 12, 2020
Exploratory horror works from a master of fantasy and science fiction
As with all exploratory works, some are hits, some miss and some are altogether strange. Also in the tone of exploratory works, the stories in this collection each have a unique feel from most of the rest of Leiber's catalog. This is not to say that they lack his voice. Quite the contrary; every story in this collection is unmistakably Leiber's. If variety can be said to contain any uniformity, in this case it would be in how distinctly different many of the tales are not only from each other but from the more established 'genre work' Leiber is known for.
It is also worth noting that several of the works in this collection are on the longer side for what had been more typical of his short stories. This added length is never unwelcome or burdensome, but in some cases might lead the reader to wonder how much tangible benefit the added length truly offers. In any event, the slightly longer short stories are a change of pace and by their nature offer a different presentation for the material. As such, they are every bit as worthy of savoring as their shorter brethren.
Of particular note are "The Dreams of Albert Moreland (also available in the Second Fritz Leiber Megapack)", "Mr. Adam's Garden", and of course "The Black Gondolier". "The Creature From Cleveland Depths" may as well have been written only a few years ago when smart devices inserted themselves into our collective lives. "Spider Mansion" strikes a terrific balance between action, terror and the fantastic such that it would not be out of place in any of the Lankhmar tales.
Easy recommend for any fan of Leiber, new, versed or otherwise. Those with an interest in horror shorts would also be well-served by this collection, especially those partial to horror from the late 40s-60s. Be aware: there are several typos and grammar errors in this edition. Nothing so severe as to diminish or detract enjoyment, but noticeable enough to oblige a warning. At the time of purchase, the book was $.99. Seems the publisher felt they had to make up that loss somewhere, right? ;-)
"You know, Vivian, I sometimes think America is inhabited solely by a race of puritanical drunks- some of whom admittedly never take a drink all their lives."
-"Lie Still, Snow White"
"There's something terrible, Dr. Ballard, about the way one human being can intimidate another, crush their will power, reduce to mush their ability to fight back. You'd think the victim could escape so easily- look, there are people all around, teachers and friends to confide in, your father and mother- but it's as if you were bound by invisible chains, your mouth shut by an invisible gag."
-"In The X-Ray"
"And then my staggered senses reeled at another blow directed at the seat of sanity itself."
-"Spider Mansion"
"Keep it grander, Gussy, and more impractical- you can't sell people merely useful ideas."
-"The Creature From Cleveland Depths"
"Having it whisper in my ear, over and over again, in a cracked little rhyme that I could only hear every hundredth time, 'Day by day, in every way, you're learning to listen... and obey. Day by day-"
-"The Creature From Cleveland Depths"
As with all exploratory works, some are hits, some miss and some are altogether strange. Also in the tone of exploratory works, the stories in this collection each have a unique feel from most of the rest of Leiber's catalog. This is not to say that they lack his voice. Quite the contrary; every story in this collection is unmistakably Leiber's. If variety can be said to contain any uniformity, in this case it would be in how distinctly different many of the tales are not only from each other but from the more established 'genre work' Leiber is known for.
It is also worth noting that several of the works in this collection are on the longer side for what had been more typical of his short stories. This added length is never unwelcome or burdensome, but in some cases might lead the reader to wonder how much tangible benefit the added length truly offers. In any event, the slightly longer short stories are a change of pace and by their nature offer a different presentation for the material. As such, they are every bit as worthy of savoring as their shorter brethren.
Of particular note are "The Dreams of Albert Moreland (also available in the Second Fritz Leiber Megapack)", "Mr. Adam's Garden", and of course "The Black Gondolier". "The Creature From Cleveland Depths" may as well have been written only a few years ago when smart devices inserted themselves into our collective lives. "Spider Mansion" strikes a terrific balance between action, terror and the fantastic such that it would not be out of place in any of the Lankhmar tales.
Easy recommend for any fan of Leiber, new, versed or otherwise. Those with an interest in horror shorts would also be well-served by this collection, especially those partial to horror from the late 40s-60s. Be aware: there are several typos and grammar errors in this edition. Nothing so severe as to diminish or detract enjoyment, but noticeable enough to oblige a warning. At the time of purchase, the book was $.99. Seems the publisher felt they had to make up that loss somewhere, right? ;-)
"You know, Vivian, I sometimes think America is inhabited solely by a race of puritanical drunks- some of whom admittedly never take a drink all their lives."
-"Lie Still, Snow White"
"There's something terrible, Dr. Ballard, about the way one human being can intimidate another, crush their will power, reduce to mush their ability to fight back. You'd think the victim could escape so easily- look, there are people all around, teachers and friends to confide in, your father and mother- but it's as if you were bound by invisible chains, your mouth shut by an invisible gag."
-"In The X-Ray"
"And then my staggered senses reeled at another blow directed at the seat of sanity itself."
-"Spider Mansion"
"Keep it grander, Gussy, and more impractical- you can't sell people merely useful ideas."
-"The Creature From Cleveland Depths"
"Having it whisper in my ear, over and over again, in a cracked little rhyme that I could only hear every hundredth time, 'Day by day, in every way, you're learning to listen... and obey. Day by day-"
-"The Creature From Cleveland Depths"
January 7, 2021
Great collection of 18 stories over a fifty year period (although most were originally published in the Forties and the Sixties) from the incomparable Fritz Leiber, a science fiction grandmaster. The book is front-loaded; the best stories are in the first half. Personally, I prefer Leiber's weird, supernatural stories over his science fiction, so this collection has the right proportions. However, I enjoyed the Smoke Ghost and Other Apparitions collection by Open Road Media more than this one.
Here are my favorite stories in the collection:
The Black Gondolier – A paranoid mechanic believes that the oil located deep beneath the Southern California soil is sentient and has begun sending him telepathic messages. He has a recurring dream of a Black Gondola in the canals of Venice, California, piloted by a mysterious black being. Creepy and effective.
The Dreams of Albert Moreland – In his dream life, Albert Moreland, a talented chess master, plays a strange board game over several evenings with a malevolent alien creature, with astronomical stakes.
Game for Motel Room – A couple, Sonya and Burton, play by a role-playing game in a motel room. The woman pretends to be from another planet in a distant star cluster. But is she pretending?
The Phantom Slayer – A haunting tale of a young man who inherits a house from his uncle, only to learn that he was an infamous serial killer.
Lie Still, Snow White – A chillingly repugnant story about a necrophiliac (the narrator) who poisons a beautiful woman to have sex with her corpse. Great twist ending.
Spider Mansion – A wonderfully creepy horror/science fiction story about a couple who visit the mansion of a midget friend and learn that he's devised a growth serum that has turned him and a spider into giants. Genuinely frightening.
Here are my favorite stories in the collection:
The Black Gondolier – A paranoid mechanic believes that the oil located deep beneath the Southern California soil is sentient and has begun sending him telepathic messages. He has a recurring dream of a Black Gondola in the canals of Venice, California, piloted by a mysterious black being. Creepy and effective.
The Dreams of Albert Moreland – In his dream life, Albert Moreland, a talented chess master, plays a strange board game over several evenings with a malevolent alien creature, with astronomical stakes.
Game for Motel Room – A couple, Sonya and Burton, play by a role-playing game in a motel room. The woman pretends to be from another planet in a distant star cluster. But is she pretending?
The Phantom Slayer – A haunting tale of a young man who inherits a house from his uncle, only to learn that he was an infamous serial killer.
Lie Still, Snow White – A chillingly repugnant story about a necrophiliac (the narrator) who poisons a beautiful woman to have sex with her corpse. Great twist ending.
Spider Mansion – A wonderfully creepy horror/science fiction story about a couple who visit the mansion of a midget friend and learn that he's devised a growth serum that has turned him and a spider into giants. Genuinely frightening.
March 29, 2021
Giving this collection a 3 instead of 4 is difficult. The first two stories -- The Black Gondolier and The Dreams of Albert Moreland -- are haunting and open up strange, new worlds one could stumble into. The Creature from Cleveland Depths is prescient and powerful, too. However, many of the remaining stories offer only brief ideas, and are burdened with overpowering fear of "atomic war", "psionic powers", telepathy, wacky hypnotism, and easy tipping over into insanity that seem quite dated, along with similarly dated attitudes toward women. I have loved Fritz Leiber's novel Conjure Wife since I read it in the late 1970s, and I recently read his spine-tingling Our Lady of Darkness, too. I recommend them both!
May 4, 2017
The more I pick up Leiber's book the more impressed I am. My introduction to him, like many was Fafhred and the Mouser. I stumbled onto his other works and am having a great time. The Dreams of Albert Moreland and the otherworldly chess game is now a personal favorite. Unlike many he seems to cross genres easily. Within this collection are some that became classics, some that are good stories and few that have done as well due to dated concepts. The last may occasionally clink but do not drag it down to the bargain bin.
September 8, 2020
This was a remarkable set of short stories. They were of uniformly high quality and some of them had the power to shock even a jaded old person like me. The author certainly had an imagination which extended far beyond mine and some of the twists were entirely unexpected - not foreshadowed in any way. With a mind full of such strange ideas, I imagine he was never able to sleep.
The stories constituted a highly entertaining read of great variety. I strongly recommend them.
The stories constituted a highly entertaining read of great variety. I strongly recommend them.
December 22, 2025
I... just don't get the idea behind this book (beyond the obvious, of Pelan and Savile boosting themselves at Leiber's expense). The selection ranges from good+ to atrocious, sometimes the editors (so-called) failed even to deal with the spelling errors resulting apparently from digital conversion. This is definitely not what I'd use to introduce anyone to Leiber, and I'd hesitate to recommend this book to people who had some previous contact with his work, too. Boo, hiss.
October 15, 2021
I don't know if I've ever read Leiber before, but he's definitely got his own voice. Very much a man of his time, which isn't a criticism. His imagination is totally his own. Each story is centered around an unexpected idea--definitely worth checking him out. I think I'll seek out more.
July 20, 2020
A good collection of horror stories by Fritz Lieber.
August 4, 2021
It has some good stories that stick with me. Others are just corny and laughable.
October 28, 2021
Good Lord. People need to read this book. Seriously, from a Sci-Fi Grand Master who also dabbled in...oh, let's say Dark Fantasy, this is a terrific introduction to his truly weird stuff...provided you need an introduction. If you've read "Gonna Roll The Bones" or "Conjure Wife", you already understand, but Leiber had the chops and wasn't afraid to use them.
Sentient oil? Check.
A creepy house with a giant spider? You bet.
An encounter in a motel room with an alien woman? Well, why not?
A chess game with existential goals? Uh huh.
Trust me on this one, gang. Leiber's style may not be for everyone, but stick with it: the ideas are so wild and are executed so damned well, you can't help but come away from this with an appreciation for a canon that is sadly forgotten in this day of superheroes and blasters and mutants. Leiber did it earlier and did it better...and, as is well proven in this collection, when he wanted to chill his readers, he was more than capable of turning that trick.
And hey, if you happen to be enjoying a rendezous in a motel room with a beautiful woman, whatever you do, DON'T let her kiss you on the nose.
Sentient oil? Check.
A creepy house with a giant spider? You bet.
An encounter in a motel room with an alien woman? Well, why not?
A chess game with existential goals? Uh huh.
Trust me on this one, gang. Leiber's style may not be for everyone, but stick with it: the ideas are so wild and are executed so damned well, you can't help but come away from this with an appreciation for a canon that is sadly forgotten in this day of superheroes and blasters and mutants. Leiber did it earlier and did it better...and, as is well proven in this collection, when he wanted to chill his readers, he was more than capable of turning that trick.
And hey, if you happen to be enjoying a rendezous in a motel room with a beautiful woman, whatever you do, DON'T let her kiss you on the nose.
December 16, 2022
Bravo Leiber
Fritz Leiber demonstrates his incredibly weird and imaginitve creativity in this collection of short stories. Truely a master of fantasy!
Fritz Leiber demonstrates his incredibly weird and imaginitve creativity in this collection of short stories. Truely a master of fantasy!
June 3, 2017
I looked this up, because the title story was referenced in another book I was reading (In the Dust of This Planet) and it seemed a good, or better, way into a future read of Cyclonopedia: Complicity with Anonymous Materials - a book I have already tried to penetrate without succeeding. Actually, reading this Leiber collection, as well as Thacker's book and Thomas Ligotti's The Conspiracy Against the Human Race have all in a way been instruments to shape/reshape my perceptive and cognititive skills to better correspond with Negarestani's writing. I also intend to read The Spectacle of the Void before embarking on my second attempt to read Negarestani's book.
(Wow! How's that for an unparenthesized paranthesis?)
Leiber is claimed by the editors of this collection to be a legend in science fiction, as well as fantasy (and horror). This fact is supported by him recieving lots of awards, but at the same time it's a bit surprising to me, being an avid (more or less, at least) reader of said genres and just now being made aware of this "legend".
Maybe this is why I, even though I enjoyed a lot of the stories, don't see much that elevates him from the position of, say, at his best a poor man's Lovecraft and (Philip K) Dick with stories that have lots of potential but more often than not fail to take advantage of that.
Maybe one more proofread would have helped things also. Not with the stories themselves, I mean, but with the reception. The further in the book you get, there are more and more mistakes visible in the texts. Not spelling errors as much as mis-spellings where one word has been mistakenly replace by another. Words like "trust" and "thrust", or "more" and "moor". Sloppy.
Overall, though, I am pleased to see (and read) works that follow in the steps of true legends like the aforementioned Lovecraft and Dick, even though they do not reach those soaring heights. It is done with love and inspiration, rather than plagiarism and laziness.
For that alone, he does deserve a place in my bookshelf. (Next to Harper Lee and Alan Lightman.)
(Wow! How's that for an unparenthesized paranthesis?)
Leiber is claimed by the editors of this collection to be a legend in science fiction, as well as fantasy (and horror). This fact is supported by him recieving lots of awards, but at the same time it's a bit surprising to me, being an avid (more or less, at least) reader of said genres and just now being made aware of this "legend".
Maybe this is why I, even though I enjoyed a lot of the stories, don't see much that elevates him from the position of, say, at his best a poor man's Lovecraft and (Philip K) Dick with stories that have lots of potential but more often than not fail to take advantage of that.
Maybe one more proofread would have helped things also. Not with the stories themselves, I mean, but with the reception. The further in the book you get, there are more and more mistakes visible in the texts. Not spelling errors as much as mis-spellings where one word has been mistakenly replace by another. Words like "trust" and "thrust", or "more" and "moor". Sloppy.
Overall, though, I am pleased to see (and read) works that follow in the steps of true legends like the aforementioned Lovecraft and Dick, even though they do not reach those soaring heights. It is done with love and inspiration, rather than plagiarism and laziness.
For that alone, he does deserve a place in my bookshelf. (Next to Harper Lee and Alan Lightman.)
October 9, 2011
A mixed bag. Some of Leiber's best work (The Creature from the Cleveland Depths, the title story, the Dreams of Albert Moreland, and others) and some of his more pedestrian efforts (The Man who Made Friends with Electricity, for example). Over all, it is worth the investment and the read.
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