The Review:

(A Once Upon a Time Challenge Read, from the alternates pile)

As I mentioned in a previous post, reading the Howard Chaykin/Mike Mignola graphic novel adaptation of Fritz Leiber’s characters Fafhred and the Gray Mouser merely whet my appetite for Leiber’s work without bedding her back down. Thus I found myself purchasing the first book, in the reissued Dark Horse format.

I read quite a bit. In fact, it is fair to say that I am always reading and most of the time am really, really enjoying what I am reading. But that doesn’t mean that I am always in that state of being that we readers get in wherein we are devouring a work, intent solely on finishing the story at hand, oblivious to all else around us. Those moments are special, and I think reflect more on the mood one is in than on the quality of the book one is reading. That is what happened with this first book in Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar series.

I am fairly new to the sword and sorcery genre. It is only in the past few years that I picked up the work of Robert E. Howard, the father of said genre, and discovered how extremely talented he was. Since then I have desired to get back to more in this genre but had not taken the time to do so. I am so glad that I picked up that graphic novel which led me to the very fun work of Fritz Leiber.

This first novel is interesting, especially after having read the stories in the graphic novel. Swords and Deviltry is essentially 3 short stories in one book: the story of Fafhrd and his escape from his native lands with the help of the woman he had come to love; the story of the Gray Mouser and his victory over his lover’s evil father; and the story of how the two came together in the great city of Lankhmar.

This third story is where the graphic novel began. While I can see why they started their adaptation with the meeting of these two heroes, it helped me tremendously to see read their origin stories. These two stories really helped develop the individual character of each hero, making their meeting much more rewarding. After having read the last third of the book, Ill Met in Lankhmar, I have to say that Chaykin and Mignola did a marvelous job capturing many of the details in a very faithful adaptation of this portion of the story.

This was a quick read, at 191 pages, that I simply devoured over the course of an evening and an afternoon. Was it as good as Robert E. Howard’s best Conan stories? Not quite, but it was a darn good tale nonetheless. Fafhrd is a brave and savage hero, the Gray Mouser a more civilized, suave hero. Together they make a very entertaining duo. I particularly enjoyed the first tale, that of Fafhrd’s homeland, in which the women were all powerful witches who worked their magic to keep their men in line. Leiber’s writing style had me quickly enveloped in the world of Nehwon, and a very believable world it is.

I am very impressed with Fritz Leiber’s work thus far and understand completely why it is proclaimed that he defined this genre with his work. I look forward to reading more of the detailed adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.