Swords Against Death: Book 2 of the Adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser [Mass Market Paperback]

What is it about Leiber? Is it the fast paced action, the gripping sense of mystery, the well developed characters, the dank surroundings of Lankhmar which envelope both heroes and reader? Certainly the greatest feature of this book is its mooring in the world of Nehwon, a fantastic realm dominated by sword and spell, where law is only as strong as ones own ability to uphold it. It is this place that Leiber's rogues Fafhrd, a massive barbarian, and Gray Mouser, a lithe burglar, must negociate their way through the darkness and cruelty of their world. Nehwon seems to us a place of suffocating oppression where suffering and death rule the day, a place of misery that steals the joy of living. It is also home to Fahfrd and Mouser who have long ago survived their baptism by fire. Pain is a reality, but as both men show in Leiber's introductory book "Swords and Deviltry," they manage to overcome their suffering in the only way they can--through the brutal strength to persevere, take action, and stand fast in the face of danger. They don't become slaves to Nehwon, but seek to tame it and use it to their advantage. From here, the two swordsmen silently take on the world in a number of adventures which are modivated from lust of wealth to cheating death at his own game. Each short story carries with it a new adventure, fresh and original, which keeps the reader securely in place, and the mind in a whirl of activity. Not to mention, they also steal an entire house in one story, and you can't go wrong with that.

Poor Fritz Leiber. He has never truly received the credit he deserves for fostering the fantasy genre. Along with the old Conan stories and Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, this is amongst the most influential works of fantasy fiction.
Fascinating worldbuilding, intrigue and exciting characters abound in these tales, all told with Leiber's exceptional artistic skills. Not only are the plots and personalities compelling, but Leiber has a magical rhythm to his storytelling and descriptions. This is one of the few stories that is on my "reread" list.

Pick this up and you'll love the stories--and when you look at the copyright date of these tales, you'll come to appreciate just how much Leiber has affected the fantasy authors that have come since.

It's a shame that in order to find non-formulaic fantasy, you mostly have to do your searching at the very beginnings of the genre. Fritz Leiber doesn't need a three book deal to tell a great story, and in fact being a master storyteller seems to have been nothing more than a trivial feat to his ever pranking genius.
Disguised as pulp fiction, here is an intricately simple Sistine Chapel of fantasy fiction, each chapter an enjoyable stand-alone tale and yet a statement of literary symbolistic skill and an intrinsic part of the larger book and plot as a whole, all at the same time!
What's more, you'll see the two reoccuring heroes Fafhrd and/or the Grey Mouser undergo character change and development in every single tale; no matter how he uses them, Leiber never fails at making these two personalities grow and flourish. The authors characterization is more amusing and perhaps even keener than that of the others in the triumvorate of fantasy of which he is a part (Tolkien, Howard, and Leiber), and is even reminescent of Brian Jaques and perhaps even Charles Dickens.
Token run-on sentences are an aquired taste, but much appreciated when you get to know them, and Leiber famously switches styles like a mad maniac; the result is a rolicking journey describing its moods and settings with grammatical choices as well as poetic and sleezy descriptions. Here you will find the influence of modernism on fantasy, while finding the source of inspiration for what we have come to know as sword and sorcery.
Imagine a young and reckless Conan as a sort of medieval rock star who's hanging out with a sorceror thief played by Johnny Depp in an episode of the Twilight Zone that's set in Tomothy Leary's 1960s Dungeons and Dragons campaign, and you'll be getting a glimpse as to what awaits you in the world of Nehwon.