Fritz Leiber: Swords and Deviltry

Fritz Leiber is a key figure in the field of swords and sorcery literature. The true master of the genre may be Robert Howard, but it was Leiber who gave it the name in 1961. Leiber's most important legacy is the adventures of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser, two unlikely heroes struggling in the city of Lankhmar. Leiber wrote the first story of the two in 1939 and his last major work in 1991 finally wrapped it up.

This collection shows the origins fo the couple. Snow Women tells how Fafhrd left his home in the far north, fighting against other warriors of his tribe and the ice-cold magic of the northern women, to flee to southern civilization of Lankhmar. In The Unholy Grail Mouse, the apprentice of a hedge wizard, becomes the Gray Mouser and escapes to Lankhmar after some dabbling in the black arts. Finally, the award-winning Ill Met in Lankhmar describes how the two meet and how their career of thievery and killing begins in the city of Lankhmar.

This is no high literature, but what's wrong with good entertainment? Leiber's stories are entertaining, and especially the last one is a wonderful story of swords and sorcery, full of fantasy cliches (excused, because Leiber came up with quite a few of those, I believe) and action. The stories are funny, too, as Leiber doesn't take his writing too seriously.

Considering the influence these stories have had in other writers, I'd say reading Leiber is a must for anybody who likes sword and sorcery stories and this collection is definitely the best place to start, it's a good introduction to Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. (Review based on the Finnish translation.) [ Lankhmar: Swords and Deviltry: 1 at Amazon.co.uk ] [ Swords and Deviltry at LibraryThing ]