Hearken back to April of this year, in the heart of the inaugural Once Upon a Time Challenge. Are you there? If so, you may recall that I read and reviewed a graphic novel by Howard Chaykin and Mike Mignola entitled simply, Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. This was a reprint of their earlier work, paying homage to Fritz Leiber, a prolific author who coined the phrase ‘sword and sorcery’. Although he wrote many other stories unrelated to these characters, it is for the many stories written over a 50 year span featuring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser that he is most well known. Immediately after reading the graphic novel I picked up the first book in Dark Horse’s collected stories of their adventures: Lankmar Book 1: Swords and Deviltry.
Swords Against Death continues the adventures of the barbarian Fafhrd and the nimble thief, Gray Mouser, in a series of short stories. While these tie into one another on some occasions and seem to be placed in the book in some kind of order in the character’s timeline, each story need not be read one after the other in rapid succession. These volumes are essentially short story collections. Swords Against Death contains 10 short tails of varying lengths chronicling adventures ranging from simple treasure quests to battles with supernatural beings and everything in between.
Leiber was heavily influenced by H.P. Lovecraft and I must say that the fact that I have now read several Lovecraft stories between Book 1 and Book 2 allowed me to see the influence very clearly. Fritz Leiber also was influential to many others. From the DH Press Books website:
It is really interesting to pick up on things that Leiber wrote in these stories that had to have been influences, either subtley or directly, on these and other authors. In the story, The Seven Black Priests, Fafhrd encounters a jewel that bewitches him. He sits up at night holding it while Mouser sleeps, mumbling to himself. He does everything except call it precious! It is interesting to note that this story and The Lord of the Rings came out within roughly a year of each other, respectively. I know it is most likely coincidental, but it is very interesting to read that story with Lord of the Rings in mind.
This is very much a sword as sorcery book. There are precious few female characters and those who appear tend to either be window dressing or tend to be very strong…and ultimately the evil character in the story. What makes these stories atypical of the genre is that Fritz Leiber has such a unique writing style and he approaches the characters and stories with a great deal of humor that manages to be present without turning the story into a parody of itself. Most of the stories in this volume are very enjoyable, with a few whose abrupt endings caused the overall feel of the story to be just adequate. Because there are so many shorter tales in this book I think it makes it a much more enjoyable reading experience to take the stories in small doses, spelling one’s self for other reading in between. I did this partway through the book which really made me want to get back to it after a bit of time had passed. Probably the most enjoyable experience reading this book was that of having snow and ice around outdoors when reading about Fafhrd and Gray Mouser living through those conditions as well. It make for a very fun read.
Ultimately Conan remains stop my list for this genre of story, but Fritz Leiber is an admirable second and I look forward to checking out the other volumes as Dark Horse releases them.
This is my fifth book for the From the Stacks Winter Reading Challenge. This being my fifth book, I have completed the challenge! Since this runs through January 2008, I will be adding bonus reads to my From the Stacks reads as I go along.
Geez…it took you all of about a week and a half to finish up that challenge, huh? No, that’s not jealousy you hear in my “voice”…
Seriously, you really got some great books read already for that one, huh? Anything else will just be bonus!
This one is an easy one to whip through when you have a large ‘to read’ pile, as we all do! I finally got on a bit of a reading binge now that audits are over and I’m just craving books right now. Its fun!
I’m three quarters of the way through the first book in this series and I’m really enjoying it quite a lot. I will say that between Leiber and Howard’s Conan series I enjoy Conan a little but more. I like the way Howard sets the mood and tension in his stories. I think that Leiber is better about getting you inside his main characters heads and I think he gives his female characters more depth than Howard. Of course I’m just basing this off the stories I’ve read so far in book one. Thanks for the review Carl. I definitley can’t wait to tackle this book in ‘ 08.
That book sounds interesting and fun. However, what your review triggered for me was how much I want something by Howard, especially after seeing the movie about him. That movie was so good it sort of haunts me.
I still need to watch that film, Pat. I got it once from Netflix and never ended up watching it. Bad me! You should pick up the first volume of Conan stories, Conan the Cimerrian. They are very, very good.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on Book one after you’re done Jeff.
Pat, I loved the movie as well.
Carl, I hope to finish it this week and my thoughts will come forth. 🙂
wow! i’d never even heard about this guy!
thanks for the review… very interesting
Jeff and I were just talking about that the other day, J.P., about how interesting it is to discover once prolific authors that end up being virtually unheard of. Very odd. Leiber wrote tons of stories…tons! I’m glad to have discovered him thank to, of all things, comics!!!
I haven’t heard of this guy either!! How strange is that? Sounds like an author I really need to read!!
And I was thinking I got that movie because you reviewed it. Bump it up, it’s every bit as good as I thought you said it was. If I have a lot of typos it’s because the right half of my comment section disappears underneath your list of links. I truly have managed to get the computer from hell.
well.. I know his name and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser sound so familiar to me.. I know I’ve read “something of his” and I’m guessing it was one with those characters, but it had to be sooooooooo long ago that I just don’t remember it! But I do know his name! And I know I read something by him at one time! lol… CRS abounds in us old folks!
I did put something up about it on my site and I believe Jeff might have said something about it then, so I’m sure you did hear about it here, I just haven’t seen it yet! Doh! So sorry about your computer Pat.
Deslily: 🙂
If you like Sword and Sorcery stories, Stephanie, I think you’d enjoy this. I’m with Jeff on feeling that Conan is better. I’d even go so far as to say ‘much better’, although I think Leiber’s stories are highly entertaining.
Not entirely related, but somehow this post made me think of it… apparently Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimers. 🙁 I feel such a sense of loss at hearing that.
Yes, I saw that the other day myself Heather and was very saddened. It sounds like he has a great attitude and is pressing forward with the business of living his life and writing his books, but it is sad nonetheless.
that is weird!
and now i’ve discovered him. 🙂