Customer Reviews (3)

Bazaar of the Bizarre
America of the future where madness is accepted and nurtured - or, alternatively, repressed through steamroller conformity...aman plagued by the memories of his famous father - and 237 of his talking likenesses... music more addictive than any drug... garbage and refuse than obtains a malign ghostly power... homicidal allergies... vampiric supermodels... derelict spaceships... beatniks in orbit... These and many more witty fictions are what made Fritz Leiber one of the founding fathers of modern SF&F and horror. However, no matter what your genre preference is, HERE ARE 44 STORIES THAT WILL STICK TO YOUR RIBS.

Of course, this does not in any way mean that every story in this half-century retrospective is exceptional. The exact opposite is true: many of the stories in this impressively large and heavy book are dull and unexciting. There is a definite impression that they were written by an undisputed master of the genre - but no rerader involvement. However, some of the better stories present make this mammoth anthology a joy to read.

As far as the genres represented in this volume, one can't but admit that Leiber has an undeniable gift for blurring the lines of separation: rather than being strictly science fiction or fantasy, the wide majority of stories are ridiculous fictions, absurd juxtapositions of totally unrelated elements (for example, "Endfray of the Ofay" is an alternate history combining magic and nuclear weaponry). Certainly, there are some recurring themes - nuclear devastation and the continuing Cold War are especially common. In their ultimate form, these "idea-stories" can be extremely funny, adventuresome, and provocative.

Interestingly, the author's style - and its evolution - adds a layer of depth and variety to the anthology: the shock-pulp of the thirties gives way to the somber fictions of the fifties and the uproarious fantasies of the sixties and seventies. The progression is completed with the excellent, unique semi-autobiographical novelettes of the eighties, which combine Leiber's personal experiences of apartment-living with some supernatural undercurrents.

Those looking for Fafhrd/Gray Mouser stories will be sorely disappointed - there are only five (compare to the two about chess), and they are not at all interesting. As for myself, I was disappointed by the inordinate number of typos - of the sort that evade spell-check software and confuse readers ("closet" instead of "closest").

A very good restrospective anthology honoring one of the founding fathers of SF&F.

The best intro to Leiber
In his writing career of over fifty years, Fritz Leiber made major contributions to the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror.Insf, Leiber was one of the first writers (along with Alfred Bester) todepict futures in which high technology coexisted with cultural decadence,thereby blazing the trail to what is now called "cyberpunk".Hisstories of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser helped set the formula for heroicfantasy.The horror genre owed Leiber the most, for his ideas of whatforms nightmares would take in a modern, urban environment.Finally, muchof Leiber's work is so individual that it demands new genreclassifications; for example, the many autobiographical fictions hepublished toward the end of his life. Leiber's impact on genre literaturehas been consistently underestimated, because it has been so varied anddiverse.Fans of his work in one genre weren't necessarily aware of hiswork in others, and collections of Leiber typically stuck to one genre at atime."The Leiber Chronicles" is the first book to do fulljustice to the variety of Leiber's output, including samples from all thegenres in which he worked, as well as many that defy easy classification. This gives the reader an opportunity to study the themes that run throughLeiber's work as a whole; his interest in cities, chess, cats, the"woman-as-other", and most of all the interaction betweenmodern/rationalist and pre-modern/intuitive ways of thinking.My onlyregret is that one of my favorite Leiber stories, "Space-Time forSpringers", was left out; fortunately it is widely availableelsewhere. Sadly, this volume is out of print, but if you have any interestin sf, fantasy, or horror, you owe it to yourself to seek it out!

Good place to start for an intro to the author's work.
Harlan Ellison endorsed this man's work, so I had to investigate.He writes content like Ellison, but I find Leiber's writing style less hurried, with a mature resonance.This collection of fantasy andcontemporary horror stories has whetted my appetite for more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Nice Bundling of Most of Leiber's Change War Stories
I've reviewed The Big Time elsewhere, so I'll concentrate on the other side of this Ace Double.It's a collection of stories from 1958-1960, half of them set in the same Change War universe as The Big Time though they are all independent and don't share characters.

The three stories not in the Change War range from social satire to horror.

"The Haunted Future" (aka "Tranquility, Or Else!" expresses a characteristic Leiber fear that a conformist order based on a psychological norm will not only reduce man but also do nothing for mental illness.In this future, the Board of Public Sanity makes sure people are conditioned to properly use their freedoms.But it is also hushing up an increase in mental illness.The government also wants to crack down on Individuality Unlimited which has some radical ideas about people breaking the straitjackets of appointed roles and the conformity of modern life - through getting in touch with their inner Mr. Hyde and the tragedies of life.Not really all that interesting on its own merits, but it is another example of the faith of 1950s' science fiction that psychology would become a truly scientific - if perhaps tyrannical -- discipline.

"The Number of the Beast" seems to be one of those Galaxy magazine stories that tried to combine the detective story with science fiction.This one, an investigation of a murdered alien diplomat, does that effectively, but it is nothing beyond a minor puzzle story.

"The Mind Spider" is the best of the non-Change War stories and shows, unlike a lot of his work, the influence of H. P. Lovecraft - a mentor of Leiber towards the end of the former's life.Specifically, I was reminded of Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness and John W. Campbell's Antarctic story "Who Goes There?"A family of telepaths - they only use their power as a very intimate form of family communication - comes in contact with a baleful alien entity.The prose is not Lovecraftian at all, but some of the themes are.

The remaining three stories illuminate aspects of the Change War.

"Damnation Morning" shows how the Spiders and Snakes get their recruits.An alcoholic who has checked himself into a hotel room - and who can't shake the feeling he's killed someone - narrates the story.

"The Oldest Solider" is somewhat autobiographical.Like its narrator, Leiber was always philosophically inclined towards pacifism but rejected it in certain circumstances.The narrator develops, later in life, an interest in military history and veterans.Hanging out at a neighborhood bar populated by vets - and not passing himself off as anything but a lifelong civilian, he befriends a vet who tells some very strange - but detailed and consistent -- war stories.

"Try and Change the Past" vividly demonstrates the philosophical foundation for the Change War - the Law of the Conservation of Reality.The universe goes to some very strange lengths to insure a new recruit doesn't evade his death from a gunshot.

This double bundles together many of the Change War stories, and "The Mind Spider" is a nice addition to those more significant works.
... Read more

Product Description
Newhon is a specific location book for the Lankhmar setting of RuneQuest, based on Fritz Leiber's classic adventures.Newhon, one of the greatest cities of Leiber's world, is described in all its glory, including a breakdown of its varied corrupt social groups and criminal fraternities, plus specialist equipment and comprehensive maps. ... Read more

Product Description
In this last book of their adventures, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser -- sometimes together, sometimes apart -- navigate all manner of strange waters.Fafhrd goes sailing through the clouds, and the Mouser as merchant captain saves his vessel from a watery grave.Finally, in the last story of this magical series, we bid farewell to Lankhmar. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Super Reader
This is the Knight and Knave of Swords, with a different name. The final adventures of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser are to be found here, rebadged in a different edition. Fahrd begins by learning to get along without a left hand, a problem yet again caused by those annoying god types. Hanging around leisurely should be peaceful, shouldn't it? Not when they have two women around, and others that would like a little payback coming.

Not a magical ending alas
What is wrong with this book, which pales against the superb vibrant, middle of the series titles Swords Against Death, Swords in a Mist, and The Swords of Lankhmar, all towering classics of fantasy? Firstly there is little sophistication,mystery or magic here, Leibers style has deteriorated sharply into dull, long winded self mockery in his advancing years. Secondly Rime isle is a sadly boring, mundane place quite unfitted for our two oh so worldy wise heroes to end their days. Thirdly those self-same heroes themselves have deteriorated into middle age tedium, most alarmingly, rather like their creator appears to have done. If you dont mind all that, then buy the book.

Still Alive and Well
No one could write 'em like Fritz. He invented the term 'sword and sorcery' to describe these two fine heroes, who have become the archetype and prototype of all sword-slinging heroes. A little frayed and beginningto go gray, our adventurers are lured to cold Rime Isle by the promise ofadventure fit for a hero, and women to match. But across their future fallsa cold shadow, and even heroes age and die. As an evil villain, I findthese books irresistable. The delicious evil girls, tempting and dangerous!Hisvet creeps me out but oh, that Frix! I tried to date her but she turnedme down flat. What, you haven't READ this? Don't let your kids readit...bad influence...they might turn out like me.

A Satisfying Conclusion To The Series
As the stories contained within this last book of the tales of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser all revolve around Rime Island, they follow a much more linear andchronological order than the earlier three volumes, and are sequentiallytied to the last two stories that concludedthe previous "Lean Times in Lankhmar." Insome ways more tightly written and plotted than some of the earliertales, I found "Farewell" asatisfying conclusion to the "twain's" adventures, despite havinggrown somewhat weary of Leiber'sover-worked writing style. While I agree withan earlier commentator that the tales here lack some of the roving actionand fanciful--some might sayfarfetched--episodes contained within earlier tales, Iwas not entirely disappointed by their absence. Nor did I detectthe melancholia noted by another; only arecognition of aging on the part of the heroes that added anew and realistic dimension to their characters--afterall,all good things must come to and end.

I did find the sexual episodes in "TheMouser Goes Below" somewhat off-puttingand indulgent, with their soft porn appeal to masochism and sadism, andfelt they were largely irrelevant anddistracting to the plot. But as the "boys" sexualprowess and escapades have always been indulged within thetales, I imagine they will retain continuedappeal for fans of the series, regardless of their juvenile andchauvinistic pandering.

A wonderful end to the series
This was the first Fritz Leiber book that I ever read, and titled as THE KNIGHT AND KNAVE OF SWORDS. C.J. Cherryh points out in an Interzone interview, that F.L. had a wonderful talent for delivering the contents ofhis stories with such a sophisticated, slickness that you didn't know itwas coming till it happened. One of the better examples of this quality isin the story, THE MOUSER GOES BELOW. There is a section where The Mouser isprivy to a pain and pleasure scene between the rat-queen, Hisvet, and hertwo maids, threesie and foursie. At the climax to this, The Mouser, beinghighly stimulated by the action is accosted by Death's sister, Pain, whorelieves him drop, by excruciating drop. It's the way that the Paincharacter is reintroduced from earlier, and then used within a switch ofrelated contexts. The former being comically erotic, the latter, a piece ofpure horror. Sequences such as this, clearly demonstrate why F.L. was sucha highly awarded writer, as is detailed in the dust jacket.

My only gripewith this publication is the omission of the last few pages that ended THECURSE OF THE SMALLS AND THE STARS in THE KNIGHT AND KNAVE OF SWORDSversion, which I was familiar with. I think it would have been morecomplete with that addition, as it completes the story more agreeably,instead of leaving it slightly hanging. ... Read more

Product Description
A fantastic collection containing some of the most thought-provoking stories by science fiction and fantasy great, Fritz Leiber. From the strange shared universe of Poor Superman and Coming Attraction to forgotten gems like the Chthulu Mythos story, The Dreams of Albert Moreland. Diverse stories like No Great Magic (A story of the Change War) to the fan favorite, A Pail of Air.Tales from the darkly disturbing-A Bit of the Dark World. To the hilarious and bizarrely erotic-The Night He Cried.Also included is the novel, The Night of the Long Knives. Over 100,000 words that promise to entertain as well as a gateway into the unique, genius mind of a Science Fiction Grand Master. ... Read more

Product Description
Bread Overhead is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Fritz Leiber is in the English language. If you enjoy the works of Fritz Leiber then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Free SF Reader
A Science Fiction Story

Light staple perfection.


4 out of 5 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Wordwooze
This old sci-fi oddity, which dates back to 1958, is a sharp and (dare I say) eggheaded satire on the publishing industry, the art of writing, and the public's consumption of entertainment. In a future emerging from the slightly twisted mind of Fritz Leiber, writers have been replaced by machines called "wordmills" that crank out fiction for the masses who demand a cheesy new book every day – stories built out of market research for trendsters, but which offer nothing for deep thinkers. A union of writers destroys all the wordmills, only to find that they can't even begin to write for themselves after all. Meanwhile, this future society features mega-advanced robots with literary and philosophical musings and active sex lives, who turn out to be much better writers. Furthermore, publishers plan to overcome the wordmill destruction not by relying on the newly re-emerging human writers, but by using "silver eggheads" in which the brains of real classic writers of the past have been imprisoned in a world of pure thought. Much of Leiber's satire is period-based, but he was remarkably prescient on future trends in mass entertainment consumption. Many mass-market bestsellers are now being written by teams of wordmilling hacks, and you can really see some parallels between Leiber's lowest-common-denominator future mass entertainment and our modern obsession with things like iPods, video games, and instant messaging. That's what makes for good satire, and Leiber is pretty funny to boot. [~doomsdayer520~]

Who Can Replace An Author?
In a far-fetched, far-flung future, humans have begun relegating themselves to mere keepers of the machine, and no one feels it more keenly than the 'authors,' who take credit for the wordwooze written by computer'wordmills.' An author's revolt smashes the wordmills, and the haplessauthors find themselves attempting to actually write. Realizing they can'tdo it, the attempt to enlist the help of the Silver Eggheads, an artist'scolony of disembodied brains. We robots find this a groundbreaking novel asit was the first to seriously suggest robots with gender and sex lives, aswell as their own literature and culture, and in fact we consider St Fritzone of our greatest heroes and Zane Gort, the robot author, one of hisgreatest characters.

A top 5 in my funny sci-fi titles
A very funny work by Fritz Leiber.The stoy is like this: all the books are made by wordmills and writers are bored to death, so they revolt. They destroy the wordmills and start to write books them-selfs but they find out they can't write a page much less a book. The field is open to the eggheads, brains in eggs. It goes all over sci-fi from wordwooze to robot(male) and robox(female) sex. It is one of the best funny sci-fi I've ever seen. It's a must read, but if you don't like wordmills burned, blown up, or melted a don't read. ... Read more

Product Description
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are on the trail of mischief and mayhem once again in the third volume of White Wolf's four volume series. Includes The Swords of Lankhmar and Swords and Ice Magice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Men of High Adventure and Low Character Triumph!
Fritz Leiber was a fantasy writer when that genre existed in people's minds, Jeckyll and Hyde style, as either the Christian allegories of the Inklings (C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Charles Williams) or the garish pulp of Edgar Rice Burroughs or Robert E. Howard.Leiber, no shrinking violet, considered himself the literary equivilent of the former but embraced the visceral stylings of the latter.Indeed, the Lankhmar books, Leiber's penultimate achievement, are a much more enjoyable read when one has seen Leiber's notes and commentary on his contemporaries and predecessors.

This is why White Wolf Publishing's new collection of Leiber's Lankhmar tales is such a fine accomplishment.In addition to the stories themselves, a number of Leiber forwards, postscripts, correspondence, and related writings are included in each volume, giving the readers rare and valuable insight into the author of these fantasy favorites.Indeed, the heart of any literary fan must go aflutter at the possibilities when Leiber writes off-hand about his near-attempts to write stories based on the Cthulhu mythos of contemporary and friend H.P. Lovecraft.Those musings, along with the greatest of Leiber's works, "Swords of Lankhmar", and others are included in this third part of White Wolf's reissue.

"Return to Lankhmar" is, far and away, the most enjoyable and engaging of White Wolf's Lankhmar compendium, both for the casual scholar and voracious fantasy reader."Swords of Lankhmar", apart from being Leiber's greatest story, is one of the high watermarks in fantasy literature all together - a mix of action, wit, and self-reference that is sure to win over the hearts of any fans of the genre.A must on anyone's "To Read" fantasy list and a book (indeed the whole series) that should find a home on the shelf of any fan.

Worth Reading If Only For Leiber's Wit And Prose
Essentially two relatively brief novels with six short stories intermixed between, Leiber continues the adventures of two of the most original characters to grace fantasy fiction, Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.Thoughafter reading "Ill Met in Lankhmar" and "Lean Times inLankhmar" Leiber's at times over-worked prose is beginning here towear thin, he nonetheless retains an ability for vividly worded descriptionand a well-turned phrase that sets his work apart from other fantasyfiction.Ever inventive in plot, Leiber is even able to construct a warbetween Lankmar's human inhabitants and underworld rats and pull it off,creating the best fable of human and rodent relationships since the"Pied Piper of Hamlin."

While I would agree with an earlierreviewer regarding the last two tales included--"The FrostMonstreme" and "Rime Island"--I would have to say that atleast four of the included short stories are insubstantial, including"The Sadness of the Executioner" lauded below.Further, therehas been better rounded works in fantasy published since Leiber wrote thisseries.Nonetheless, this belongs on any serious fantasy afficianado'sreading list; though, being out of print, one may need to undergo someeffort to find it.

Black rats � White shadows.The Mouser goes Below.
Set mostly within Lankhmar- Above and Below - The Swords of Lankhmar is the obvious one here for maximum entertainment value, incorporating lots of great characters, F.L's passion for contact sports, and the Twains'willingness to indulge in such, given opportunity - yet always ready todefend Lankhmar, if coincident with their own interests. This is a book inits own right, with a huge amount of detail and plot for a hair over twohundred pages. A short mid section comprising a half dozen very shortstories, leads onto, The Frost Monstreme and Rime Isle ( two parts of anovella, precursor to the fourth volume of the set, Farewell to Lankhmar).Reviews that I have read regarding these last two stories describe them asbeing below par, and drab. I don't agree with this at all. Theyare of thesame quality as, The Swords of Lankhmar, except Lankhmar isn't much a partof the picture, and the cast of characters aren't as dramaticallydifferentiated: No eight teated rat-queen (Hisvet), white-hot-wire whipwielding mistress ( Samanda), invisible girl-ghoul ( Bonny-bones),bat-carrier albatross, Glipkerio, Skwee, etc.F. L's use of language, andability to integrate a lot of unlikely themes -not so much the Twains'use of weapons - are the primary factors, which make these stories work sowell today. I'm not saying that it's style over content, but without it,they would come across as pulp adventure tales, for which they were gearedtowards in the first place, and where in-depth character development wasinappropriate. So whilst the last two stories are, in essence, as good asthe first of the book, with respect to style and construction, they lackcolour due to the reduction in location and up-front character dynamics,needing more of the character insight details as used in, The Mouser goesBelow (Farewell to Lankhmar ), to compensate.

Contains the best fantasy novel yet written.
Full of brilliant characters and bursting with wry humour, "The Swords of Lankmar" (the novel forming half of this volume) is illuminating about the inhabitants of our world whilst being mostentertainingly set in Leiber's alternative one. This transcends its genreto be wonderful literature.

The best modern fantasy novel and short story in one volume.
Leiber is one of the best writers of this century in or out of the fantasy genre.His stories are amazing poetic works -- as well as brilliant tales.His two heroic but flawed and realistic characters were the first complex and adult protaganists in pulp fiction -- far more interesting to watch while saving the world (or simply their own skins) than the belligerent Conan or self absorbed Elric.That Leiber also includes some other elements rare in fantasy lit is a bonus: realistic combat (based on his own fencing knowledge), a wry but understanding knowledge of religion, comments on metaphysics and philosophy, the nature of true friendship, complicated relationship and sexual situations (including more than of a touch of the fetishistic and kinky), unnerving elements of horror, and especially the more than waiting-to-be-rescued women of his stories. The Swords of Lhankmar is his only novel of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser -- and it is easily the best adult fantasy novel ever written. From it's ironic and violent opening to it's last-minute rescue finish, it is better than anything published in this field since. It is strange, violent, a bit perverse, and very funny.The story The Sadness of the Executioner -- which is in Swords and Ice Magic -- gets my vote as the most elegant peice of fantastic literature ever written.A short, short story that is mostly a prose poem about the nature of mortality, it is surprising, somber and funny, all within a dozen pages.

And what of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser themselves?Fafhrd is the surprisingly complex barbarian warrior with a poet's heart and sometimes gullible nature.The Mouser is ever cynical, slightly evil, always self-involved, and too clever by half.The two are unbeatable in battle, but too likely to fall for the right scam or the wrong set of lovely eyes.The argue, brawl, drink, discuss the nature of reality, explore, steal, serve masters good and ill, and swashbuckle their way across the most imaginative stories ever... Read and enjoy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Super Reader
No, we are not making dessert out of the boys with quick hardening chocolate. Here there are a few more problems with gods, with getting lost in the dark, with getting lost on the ocean without appropriate conveyance, and in the end, back to being a bit on the chilly side, as you could guess. Another rough time.

Swords and Ice Magic : 01 The Sadness of the Executioner - Fritz Leiber
Swords and Ice Magic : 02 Beauty and the Beasts - Fritz Leiber
Swords and Ice Magic : 03 Trapped in the Shadowland - Fritz Leiber
Swords and Ice Magic : 04 The Bait - Fritz Leiber
Swords and Ice Magic : 05 Under the Thumbs of the Gods - Fritz Leiber
Swords and Ice Magic : 06 Trapped in the Sea of Stars - Fritz Leiber
Swords and Ice Magic : 07 The Frost Monstreme - Fritz Leiber
Swords and Ice Magic : 08 Rime Isle - Fritz Leiber


The Death of Newhon uses the boys to help in the proper death of heroes.

4.5 out of 5


Girl splits male, violently.

4 out of 5


Death realm leavetaking, wizardly undertaking.

4 out of 5


Diamonds, short chick and tall fiends.

4 out of 5


Booze, women, unappreciated gods and scrawny thief girls

4.5 out of 5


The boat sailed on and on and on.

3.5 out of 5


Bored in the pub, cold sailing adventure appeals.

3.5 out of 5


Battle, nookie and grim god nasty nooses.

4 out of 5

... Read more

Product Description
A paperback original anthology of stories from the magazine "Unknown." This book had two printings by Pyramid (1963, 1970), and a later edition from HBJ/Jove (1978). Cover art by Schoenherr, interior artwork by Edd Cartier. Foreword by Isaac Asimov, Introduction by the editor. Stories: "The Misguided Halo" (1939) by Henry Kuttner; "Prescience" (1941) Nelson S. Bond; "Yesterday Was Monday" (1941) by Theodore Sturgeon; "The Gnarly Man" (1939) by L. Sprague de Camp; "The Bleak Shore" (1940) by Fritz Leiber; "Trouble With Water" (1939) by H. L. Gold; "Doubled and Redoubled" (1941) by Malcolm Jameson; "When It Was Moonlight" (1940) by Manly Wade Wellman; "Mr. Jinx" (1941) by Fredric Brown and Robert Arthur; "Snulbug" (1941) by Anthony Boucher; "Armageddon" (1941) by Fredric Brown. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Unknown Should Be Better Known
An early casualty to the paper shortage of World War II, Unknown survived for only a few issues.I first read these stories as a teenager, in what seems now to be Early Triassic, and still remember them and even much of the phrasing.If that isn't memorable then what is?Unknown, like Mozart, died young, more's the pity. ... Read more