Customer Reviews

Lean Times in Lankhmar (Lankhmar Series , Vol. 2 - Swords in the Mist and Swords Against Wizardry)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The story Adept's Gambit is one of the most moody pieces intheFafhrd and the Gray Mouser series. It contains a Lovecraftianhorror/mystery, a comical opening (in true F&GM style) and a thrilling climax. It is the element of luck that plays such a refreshing part in Leiber's stories concerning the two heroes. He can give them heroic qualities galore but he keeps them grounded in semi-reality by never giving them ridiculous Conan-like abilities. Lean Times in Lankhmar is, for my money, the funniest thing Leiber ever wrote and possibly his best piece of narrative in the whole series. I'm think it's quite a feat to write a story that both mocks and celebrates religion and throws in some adventuring fun to boot.

Except for "Adept's Gambit," a very early story by Leiber, all of the tales here are among the best short stories I have read in fantasy fiction. While Leiber's style of writing at time leans towards being a trifle florid, he nonetheless offers some of the most richly phrased descriptive narrative and inventive characters and settings one could find, and I think one would be hard-pressed to call any of his work tiring or lacking imaginative interest. These stories belong on the shelf of any serious fantasy reader, so I am sad to see they've gone out of print.

I really enjoyed the Cloud of Hate - Lean Times..., and Stardock - The two best thieves... - and The Lords of Quarmall sections, of this second book of the series, more than the Adept's Gambit - and associated parts. All of it was good, but the lastly mentioned - mid section - was rather contrived and inconsistent in style, the thirty year gap in the creation of some of the linking parts not helping. Maybe if they had been placed more strategically they would have worked better in the overall scheme. Anyhow, the more appealing sections are important, since elements from them are used extensively as future references within the last two books of the series, Return to Lankhmar, and Farewell to Lankhmar. So these must be read.

This book includes two of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser books. Swords in the Mist and Swords against Devilry. In the former is a short novel called Adept's Gambit. Which happens of F&GM's world of Nehwon and on ours during Hellenistic times. Like most of F&GM's stories it combines swashbuckling action with comedy and horror

Fun, exiting, I have read it three times in two years. I love to imagine the world in which Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser run around, drink, get women, and fight harrowing duels with any villian one can imagine.

Leiber is a classic Fantasy writer. He's right up there with Moorcock. His characters and plots are detailed, and he's not afraid to stray away from the typical "knight-in-shining armor" character.

Even though I consider myself a fantasy fan extraordinaire, it took me over 20 years of reading to finally get to some of the seminal masterworks, namely the works of Fritz Leiber, in "Ill Met in Lankhmar" and "Lean Times in Lankhmar". Although I would not consider these books among my all, all-time favorites, I am certainly glad I finally got to them, if only for their historical significance.

I think that my favorite facet of these stories is trying to decide which characters and/or stories of more contemporary fantasy were based, to some degree at least, on Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. My prime candidate is the delightful "Garrett, PI" series by Glen Cook. Mr. Cook's city of Tunfaire is every bit the den of iniquity that Lankhmar is. I'd also put the roguish, yet possessed of a heart of gold, Indiana Jones in this category. I could be dead wrong, and there are probably many others, but these are the ones that I was reminded of.

As I said, I'm glad I read the first two books and am anxiously looking forward to finding and reading the remaining tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

Sure, Fafhrd & the Mouser are great, but whose bright idea was to change the formerly cool and moody covers to these hideous new affairs? Now they look exactly like any number of mediocre fantasy littering the shelves, rather than being distinguished as the groundbreaking classics they are. Bah, I say! A thousand times bah!