191 replies to this topic

[guilalah]

I read C A Smith's 'The Colossus of Ylournge'; he used the phrase 'Gibbous moon' three times; got a laugh out of that, as 'gibbous moon' is also a cliche with Leiber, especially in Leiber's later F&GM stories.

[Taranaich]

I've started re-reading the Fafhrd/Mouser stories again, and I think I'm starting to get the appeal. I still didn't like "Ill Met in Lankhmar," "The Snow Women" or "The Unholy Grail," but when I got to "The Jewels in the Forest," "Thieve's House," "The Bleak Shore" and "The Howling Tower," I was hooked. Having looked at this site, I realise that nearly all the stories I loved were from the '30s and '40s, while the stories I mostly disliked were from much later, the '60s and '70s, the only exception being "The Circle Curse," a later story I liked. Correlation? Hmm.

[drush9999]

I've started re-reading the Fafhrd/Mouser stories again, and I think I'm starting to get the appeal. I still didn't like "Ill Met in Lankhmar," "The Snow Women" or "The Unholy Grail," but when I got to "The Jewels in the Forest," "Thieve's House," "The Bleak Shore" and "The Howling Tower," I was hooked. Having looked at this site, I realise that nearly all the stories I loved were from the '30s and '40s, while the stories I mostly disliked were from much later, the '60s and '70s, the only exception being "The Circle Curse," a later story I liked. Correlation? Hmm.

Yeah I think they read better in written/first publication order as you get the best stuff early on.

[guilalah]

Personally I like the 50's/60's stories best, but I agree that there's a different feel to stories from different stages in Leiber's life, and I'm not suprised if individuals variously gravitate towards early, middle or late F&tGM.

Edited by guilalah, 06 October 2012 - 06:51 PM.

[Gibush]

I haven't read any Howard yet (How dare I post on this website?!) but I've read the first book and a couple stories from the second of my Fantasy Masterworks First Book of Lankhmar (comprising 1/2 of the stories, the second of which I also got in the same auction on eBay), and I've pretty evenly liked them all, though in somewhat different ways. That's what I've heard about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser - as one person on the Internet put it, they range from low farce to high tragedy. I would say my favourite probably WAS Ill Met in Lankhmar, but the atmosphere in all has been top notch, as has the writing, and I even liked the Circle Curse, just because it really felt like a reflection of Ill Met, where they brooded and decided to up and do some crap. Also, the tent on legs or whatever that weirdness was, was neat. Prachett was influenced by this guy, and you can tell.

[Libaax]

I just finished my first collection of Fritz Leiber's S&S series in Swords and Deviltry

I can see why he is so highly rated, why those characters,their series are such classics in the field. They reminded why i love certain different fantasy stories. The best stories were in that collection so imaginative,picturesque,witty and still have S&S hardcore feel. Made me think it was reading like if Vance or Zelazny Dying Earth or Amber was written in S&S subgenre.

"Ill Met in Lankhmar," i liked for how witty,fun it was and how Fahred and Gray Mouser are much better read together than their first two solo stories.

"The Snow Women" i thought young Fahred was interesting but i thought the story was weaker than "The Unholy Grail. The vengeful Mouser was very good read.

Edited by Libaax, 04 April 2012 - 11:46 AM.

[Ningauble]

S. T. Joshi announced recently in his blog that Arcane Wisdom will be publishing the original, hitherto unpublished version of "Adept's Gambit" eventually.

[RJMooreII]

I love to pull Leiber out as an example of really great character creation.

I think Fafhrd is a great character, fitting many of the tropes (going but to classical times) about powerful barbarian outsiders, but at the same time the character is very nearly a genius. This has inspired me to add a couple of Lankhmar books to my Kindle 'to-read' list.

[deuce]

Don Herron is doing a Fritz Leiber tour in Frisco!


http://www.donherron.com/?p=4738

[deuce]

A cool set of maps of Nehwon:

http://scrollsoflank...om/MapsOfNehwon

[Arg0naut]

S. T. Joshi announced recently in his blog that Arcane Wisdom will be publishing the original, hitherto unpublished version of "Adept's Gambit" eventually.

The original is available in Writers of the Dark, a collection of Lieber's stories, as well as correspondence between Lieber, his wife, and Lovecraft. Also included are Lovecraft's extensive comments and suggestions (he proofread Adept's Gambit), complete with the final version.

[Ningauble]

S. T. Joshi announced recently in his blog that Arcane Wisdom will be publishing the original, hitherto unpublished version of "Adept's Gambit" eventually.

The original is available in Writers of the Dark, a collection of Lieber's stories, as well as correspondence between Lieber, his wife, and Lovecraft. Also included are Lovecraft's extensive comments and suggestions (he proofread Adept's Gambit), complete with the final version.

No, that is not the original version. The original version is 10,000 words longer than the published version, and has references to Yog-Sothoth and Cthulhu, which the published version doesn't have.
(That's "Leiber", BTW.)

[EM Erdelac]

I've got The Conjure Wife and Our Lady Of Darkness waiting in the wings...

[deuce]

Grognardia looks at a Joanna Russ fantasy series with a connection to Fafhrd (and an endorsement from Leiber):


http://grognardia.bl...dventuress.html

[deuce]

Don Herron talks about his Leiber walking tour in Frisco AND how he'd bet green money on Fritz still being read in 50yrs (BTW, Don's usually right):

http://www.donherron.com/?p=4780

[guilalah]

Last night I read Howard's 'Hand of Negral' fragment. The part describing terrified city dwellers bolting themselves indoors at night, and a child disturbed by viewing lord knows what in the city streets, reminds me very much of near the end of Leiber's 'Lean Times in Lankhmar', where the gods of Lankhmar take a night time stroll to destroy the temples of Issek of the Jug.

[Element0s]

Just started into "Sword and Deviltry" yesterday, got over 70 pages in already. I'm in the middle of "Snow Women" right now. It's not Howard, but it's been fun thus far. Looking forward to getting more into the sword swinging action

[guilalah]

I wouldn't be suprised if Leiber -- a Howard enthusiast in a community of Howard enthusiasts - had access to 'The Hand of Negral' fragment long before it was published.






"..... From dusk to dawn Yaralet was a city of silence, her streets empty and desolate.
"Exactly what they feared, the people did not know. But they had ample evidence that it was no empty dream they bolted their doors against. Men whispered of slinking shadows, glimpsed from barred windows -- of hurrying shapes alien to humanity and sanity. They told of doorways splintering in the night, and the cries and shrieks of humans followed by significant silence; and they told of the rising sun etching broken doors that swung in empty houses, whose occupants were seen no more.
"Even stranger, they told of the swift rumble of phantom chariot wheels along the empty streets in the darkness before dawn, when those who heard dared not look forth. One child looked forth, once, but he was instantly stricken mad and died screaming and frothing, without telling what he saw when he peered from his darkened window."
-- from Robert E Howard, 'The Hand of Negral' (fragment)



" ..... On the third anniversary of Issek's Second Coming, the night
descended ominous and thickly foggy, the sort of night when all wise
Lankhmarians hug their indoor fires. About midnight awful screams
and piteous howlings were heard throughout the city, along with the
rending of thick doors and the breaking of heavy masonry--preceded
and followed, some tremulously maintained, by the clicking tread of
bones on the march. One youth who peered out through an attic
window lived long enough before he expired in gibbering madness to
report that he had seen striding through the streets a multitude of
black-togaed figures, sooty of hand, foot and feature and skeletally
lean.
"Next morning the five temples of Issek were empty and defiled and
his minor shrines all thrown down, while his numerous clergy,
including his ancient high priest and overweeningly ambitious grand
vizier, had vanished to the last member and were gone beyond
human ken."
-- Fritz Leiber, 'Lean Times in Lankhmar'

Edited by guilalah, 21 November 2012 - 05:54 PM.

[Ningauble]

The latest mailing of the EOD contained Joshi's foreword to the original version of "Adept's Gambit". Very exciting -- can't wait to see the book in print!

[deuce]

The latest mailing of the EOD contained Joshi's foreword to the original version of "Adept's Gambit". Very exciting -- can't wait to see the book in print!

Finally.