Stiobhard’s Reviews > Swords and Deviltry > Status Update
Stiobhard
is on page 101 of 254
Finally finished "Ill Met in Lankhmar" Are the other stories in the collection worth reading? These short stories are not as it turns out so short. They could be broken up into chapters or something.
— Mar 02, 2022 02:48PM
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Stiobhard’s Previous Updates
Stiobhard
is on page 248 of 254
Finished the last story. "The Unholy Grail. Another solo-ish adventure about Grey Mouser and Ivriel as a wizard's apprentice. My overall feeling of this is the secondary characters... Ivriel and Duke Janarrrl are more interesting and nuanced than The Grey Mouser. Still with the choppy narrative that leaves the reader confused when critical things happen. I am still unclear at what actual events lead to the ending.
— Mar 07, 2022 12:58PM
Stiobhard
is on page 209 of 254
I read "The Snow Women" the longest story in this collection. Its also the best. A real Conan sort of tale but the confusing narrative style has several jumps that make you go wait a minute! What just happened? I think I missed something. This is a solo tale with Fafhrd (and Vlana who we know from Ill met.. Im not sure I like the chron order of stories but here is a reason not to read these stories in reverse order)
— Mar 06, 2022 07:32PM
Stiobhard
is on page 54 of 254
chronologically for the characters the earliest stories but actually not written until 1970... i am curious which stories were the first written. really there is just one story here that seems interesting... the other two seem like background for events implied by the main one.
— Feb 21, 2021 07:04PM
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Michelle
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Mar 02, 2022 02:56PM
Are they enjoyable?
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I am not sure if I can make a general answer based on one story. I have a hard time not envisioning these characters through the lens of the late 60s counterculture. This book was published in 1970... The story I read originally appeared in an SF magazine that same year. I like the characters but they do seem like caricatures of what SFF fandom was like in those days (and would continue to be for years after) so that I almost see these based on actual people and I almost feel I have met these people at one point.
Have you ever seen the D&D scene from "SLC Punk"?
The narrative style is kind of descriptively dense in a way that can be a bit confusing esp the way he recombines pairs of unconnected words...but does have that jazz inspired feel of someone like Jack Kerouac... (again linking it to the 60s counterculture) But Kerouac's flow is poetic... I would not read Leiber as poetry.
I cannot help envision David Trampier's Newhon illustrations from the D&D book Deities and Demigods he did a good job representing Leiber's world.... that is both anachronistically a refection of Urban America in the era it was written while retaining the pseudo mediaeval trappings of classic fantasy that he dubbed "Swords and Sorcery".
Michelle wrote: "Ahh. Thank you!"thanks for asking. made me think how I would review this...
Michelle wrote: "Glad to be of assistance :)":)
