If you love classic sword and sorcery you have to read these books. Written chiefly as books of short stories, they follow the adventures of the barbarian swordsman Fafhrd, and his wily, thief sidekick, The Gray Mouser. A gripping read about strange creatures, witchcraft, robberies and general mischief. There are 7 books in the original series. Leiber is very imaginative - don’t expect a world of elves and dwarves - instead expect a patron that lives in a walking hut, ghouls with transparent flesh, a bird goddess, a frightening bunch of mummified city elders and intelligent rats!

Many of the stories take place in Leiber’s highly atmospheric city of Lankhmar, a cosmopolitan urban landscape of strange characters and numerous vices. In my opinion Lankhmar is the most interesting city in fantasy fiction, although Brust’s Adrilankha comes a very close second.

Monday, April 24th, 2006 at 9:40 pm : Writing.
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