Publication History |
During the 1930s, Fritz Leiber and a friend invented the classic sword and
sorcery characters, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Leiber quickly took over the
characters, penning nearly 40 stories over a 50 year period. "The First Book of
Lankhmar" contains stories (first published in magazines) that had been
previously collected in four volumes: "Swords and Deviltry," "Swords Against
Death," "Swords in the Mist," and "Swords Against Wizardry."
Leiber has been credited with coining the term "sword and sorcery" and is
clearly one of the founding authors of the genre. Anyone using this latest
collection as an introduction his famous adventurers may feel the work
clichéd–-until it is remembered that Leiber created many of the archetypes in
sword and sorcery and fantasy that were popularized by later authors and
roleplaying games. These archetypes are ubiquitous today. It is a shame,
therefore, that this collection spends little time enlightening the reader about
Leiber and his contributions. The stories are presented without any
commentary to help the reader place them into historical context.
Fafhrd is a towering barbarian from the north. The Gray Mouser is an
apprentice hedge wizard turned bravado. Both are rogues wandering the world
of Nehwon and the streets of its main city, the notorious Lankhmar. Both
Nehwon and Lankhmar are influential characters in their own right.
Readers will also note that the stories vary radically in tone. A downside to this
is that the stories do not flow neatly one into the other (remember, these were
stories written and published over half a century). One of the upsides to this
varying tone is that there's something to please very nearly everyone in these
stories. Some are extremely brief, others long novellas. Some are light and
hilarious, others serious and dark; some whimsical, others philosophical. All
are clever, containing plot twists and amazingly vivid locales. Although it
would be hard for any reader to chose a favorite story, special highlights
include the critically acclaimed and award-winning "Ill Met in Lankhmar,"
"Bazaar of the Bizarre," and "Lean Times in Lankhmar."
For the well-deserved magnitude of its influence, "The First Book of
Lankhmar" is a must-read for fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) fans. I
rate it a 9 out of 10.
sorcery characters, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Leiber quickly took over the
characters, penning nearly 40 stories over a 50 year period. "The First Book of
Lankhmar" contains stories (first published in magazines) that had been
previously collected in four volumes: "Swords and Deviltry," "Swords Against
Death," "Swords in the Mist," and "Swords Against Wizardry."
Leiber has been credited with coining the term "sword and sorcery" and is
clearly one of the founding authors of the genre. Anyone using this latest
collection as an introduction his famous adventurers may feel the work
clichéd–-until it is remembered that Leiber created many of the archetypes in
sword and sorcery and fantasy that were popularized by later authors and
roleplaying games. These archetypes are ubiquitous today. It is a shame,
therefore, that this collection spends little time enlightening the reader about
Leiber and his contributions. The stories are presented without any
commentary to help the reader place them into historical context.
Fafhrd is a towering barbarian from the north. The Gray Mouser is an
apprentice hedge wizard turned bravado. Both are rogues wandering the world
of Nehwon and the streets of its main city, the notorious Lankhmar. Both
Nehwon and Lankhmar are influential characters in their own right.
Readers will also note that the stories vary radically in tone. A downside to this
is that the stories do not flow neatly one into the other (remember, these were
stories written and published over half a century). One of the upsides to this
varying tone is that there's something to please very nearly everyone in these
stories. Some are extremely brief, others long novellas. Some are light and
hilarious, others serious and dark; some whimsical, others philosophical. All
are clever, containing plot twists and amazingly vivid locales. Although it
would be hard for any reader to chose a favorite story, special highlights
include the critically acclaimed and award-winning "Ill Met in Lankhmar,"
"Bazaar of the Bizarre," and "Lean Times in Lankhmar."
For the well-deserved magnitude of its influence, "The First Book of
Lankhmar" is a must-read for fantasy (particularly sword and sorcery) fans. I
rate it a 9 out of 10.
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| The First Book of Lankhmar (Fritz Leiber) By SC Bryce |
First Printing:
FantasyBookSpot.com (Nov. 8, 2005).
FantasyBookSpot.com (Nov. 8, 2005).
Second Printing:
SCBryce.com (Dec. 22, 2006).
SCBryce.com (Dec. 22, 2006).
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