Lankhmar Book 2: Swords Against Death (Bk. 2) [Paperback]

Fritz Leiber (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lankhmar | Publication Date: August 21, 2007

In the second installment of this rousing series, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser journey from the ancient city of Lankhmar, searching for a little adventure and debauchery to ease their broken hearts. When a stranger challenges them to find and fight Death on the Bleak Shore, they battle demonic birds, living mountains, and evil monks on the way to their heroic fate. Fritz Leiber's witty prose, lively plots and superb characterizations stand the test of time.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"For anyone who loves great literature, Fritz Leiber walked on water."—Harlan Ellison "If he [Leiber] weren't such a deadly fine fantasist I wouldn't be stopping everything to read his tales. I stop everything when a new Fafhrd and Gray Mouser story comes into my hands."—Roger Zelazny "Leiber's writing has lost none of its luminous magic."—San Francisco Chronicle --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse (August 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595820760
• ISBN-13: 978-1595820761
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #249,506 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great afternoon-armchair-escape., February 15, 2008

By 

Greg "Reviewer for fantasyliterature com" (North Carolina, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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This review is from: Lankhmar Book 2: Swords Against Death (Bk. 2) (Paperback)

After a self-imposed exile, our heroes; the legendary Farfhrd and Gray Mouser, are back to their old shenanigans in the sinful city of Lankhmar. Shortly after their return, they find themselves hypnotically drawn across Newhorn's Outer Sea to lands unknown, only to have to survive a perilous journey to again get back to Lankhmar; the closest thing they have to a home. Along with their other misadventures, they finally come to terms with the deaths of their true-loves.
As stated on the book's back-cover; Fritz Leiber shares the throne as a master of fantasy along with J. R. R. Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and C. S. Lewis. In fact, I've heard that Lankhmar was the model for the first Dungeon & Dragon games.
The Farhrd and The Gray Mouser tales are classic Sword & Sorcery. Leiber's prose and dialog have a whimsical, but almost Shakespearean feel, which lends humor to adventures that are nothing short of a good-time. The companionship between the Gray Mouser, a small thief and a former wizard's-apprentice, and Fafhrd, an almost 7 ft. tall barbarian, is endearing and reminiscent of the camaraderie between the best-friends of one's childhood. I even get a sense that there's a little "bohemian" influence (the lifestyle not the historic people) that makes these stories even more interesting.
I give Swords Against Death four stars, only because I found that, at times, the same prose and rhythm that makes the book so entertaining can also be a little monotonous. Still, Farfhrd and Gray Mouser are well-worth the read and make for a great afternoon-armchair-escape.

[...]

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Audio version, December 17, 2010

By 

Kat at Fantasy Literature - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Lankhmar Book 2: Swords Against Death (Bk. 2) (Paperback)

Ho, Fafhrd tall! Hist, Mouser small!
Why leave you the city Of marvelous parts?
It were a great pity To wear out your hearts
And wear out the soles of your feet,
Treading all earth, Foregoing all mirth,
Before you once more Lankhmar greet.
Now return, now return, now!

Swords Against Death is the second collection of stories about Fafhrd, the big northern barbarian, and The Gray Mouser, the small thief from the slums. For the past three years, the two have grown so close that they are now (as Neil Gaiman suggests in his introduction to the audio version) like two halves of the same person. They've been traveling the world together in an effort to forget their lost loves.

During their travels "they acquired new scars and skills, comprehensions and compassions, cynicisms and secrecies -- a laughter that lightly mocked, and a cool poise that tightly crusted all inner miseries," but they haven't been able to assuage their guilt or lessen their feelings of loss outside of Lankhmar, the city which they swore never to return to.

But as Sheelba of the Eyeless Face prophesied ("Never and forever are neither for men. You'll be returning again and again."), Fafhrd and the Mouser are persuaded to return to Lankhmar where, it turns out, they have not been forgotten, and soon the duo is back to their old tricks and dealing with their former enemies in these stories: "The Circle Curse," "The Jewels in the Forest," "Thieves' House," "The Bleak Shore," "The Howling Tower," "The Sunken Land," "The Seven Black Priests," "Claws from the Night," "The Price of Pain-Ease," and "Bazaar of the Bizarre."

Some of the stories are better than others (my favorite was "Bazaar of the Bizarre") but all are "classical rogue" (Neil Gaiman's term) and all are worth reading simply because they're written in Fritz Leiber's gorgeous prose, which is thick with alliteration, insight, and irony.

I listened to Swords Against Death on audio. It was produced by Audible Frontiers (Brilliance Audio is putting them on CDs soon), introduced by Neil Gaiman, and read by Jonathan Davis who does a terrific job with this series. His voices for Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are perfect -- Fafhrd sounds pensive, intellectual, and introverted while Gray Mouser sounds a bit greasy and common. I highly recommend this format; it adds an extra dimension to these fun stories.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What's really for dessert?, September 21, 2008

By 

Kawika "honest2u" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lankhmar Book 2: Swords Against Death (Bk. 2) (Paperback)

Leiber does it again. An assortment of short adventures of varying quality (mostly 4-5 stars, one or two 3 star stories). I really enjoyed these stories, some reminding me of the Robert E. Howard/Sprague De Camp Conan stories I read as a kid. Great sense of humor, fantasy that even acknowledges the existence of black people...what a concept. Why is it so hard for this duo to actually achieve their treasure, yet so easy for them to get laid?

Lots of fun, although I still don't understand why Dark Horse has released these short books individually at such a high price. These are just short story collections, why not combine them and give the reader more bang for the buck? Which is why I still recommend the Three of Swords collection over this. There are plenty of decent used copies available for the price DH is selling this one. Either way, enjoy.