Today is Fritz Leiber's Centenary*. Despite not actually being blown away by his work, I feel like I should honour it with a post on my blog. I've only read "The Snow Women," "The Unholy Grail" and "Ill Met in Lankhmar" so far, and to my sadness I wasn't particularly moved. Underwhelmed, in fact. I guess I just started off with bad stories: if these were in fact sub-par Leiber, it'd be no fairer to judge him on them than to judge Howard if all I read of his work were the sub-par Conan stories. Leiber deserves more, though, so one of my New Year's Resolutions (early announcement, I know) is to give him another chance. I have both Lankhmar collections of
Fantasy Masterworks, so I'll definitely have a go with them. Maybe I'll crack open
Our Lady of Darkness, or hunt down "Gonna Roll The Bones": I've heard good things about them.
In lieu of a tribute myself, I'd rather gather some of the fantastic tributes I've found around the internet, all far more qualified to speak on Leiber than myself:
James Maliszweski,
James Enge and P.C. Hodgell,
Steve Tompkins,
Joseph A. McCullogh, and
John Howard's In Memoriam.
So many people speak highly of Leiber, many of whom's opinion I respect. I
must be missing something. I aim to find out.
*In an earlier version of this post, I inadvertently made the rather profound exaggeration that it was "Leiber's 100th Centenary." As Michael Halila patiently pointed out, he ain't
that old!
I actually felt the same way about the three you've read. It was when I read "Jewels in the Forest" that I realized he was a genius.
ReplyDeleteYep, I started with those as well and it wasn't until (years later) that I gave other stories a chance and liked those much better.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend reading the stories in the order written, which is admittedly a pain, because I know of no collections that present them that way.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why you'd dislike "Ill Met in Lankhmar," though. It's generally regarded as one of Leiber's best; it's a favorite of mine, too (not that that means anything).
"The Snow Women" was an awful way to start off the Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser series, probably the worst story next to "The Swords of Lankhmar." (Though "The Mouser Goes Below" was also pretty awful). Considering the man's enourmous output, it's no surprise he produced some stinkers. So did John Brunner.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend reading the stories in the order written, which is admittedly a pain, because I know of no collections that present them that way.
ReplyDeleteD'oh. Maybe I'll just go by an online chronology, and read the stories out of order with the collections?
Not sure why you'd dislike "Ill Met in Lankhmar," though. It's generally regarded as one of Leiber's best; it's a favorite of mine, too (not that that means anything).
To be frank, I can't even remember! I vaguely recall thinking it was better than the first two, though. "The Snow Women" probably just soured me on the tales. Considering your knowledge of fantasy, I certainly think it means something.
"The Snow Women" was an awful way to start off the Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser series, probably the worst story next to "The Swords of Lankhmar." (Though "The Mouser Goes Below" was also pretty awful). Considering the man's enourmous output, it's no surprise he produced some stinkers. So did John Brunner.
I figured as such. Yet another of the pitfalls of putting stories not written in chronological order in one. It gives me hope that I just had bad luck with the stories I read, and not that I don't "get" the stories.
Come to think of it, if I read "Jirel Meets Magic" before "Black God's Kiss", I might've been turned off the Jirel stories too.
Al, some of my favorites of the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories are Adept's Gambit, The Jewels in the Forest, Thieves' House, and the Howling Tower. I also like Stardock quite a bit but I suspect that's more nostalgia as much as anything else. It's the first one I read. I didn't care for The Snow Women or the Unholy Grail, but I did like Ill met In Lankhmar. So yes, give Leiber another shot. But hey, if you don't like his stuff after that, then you just don't. There are authors that some of my friends just love whose appeal escapes me entirely. Just works that way sometimes.
ReplyDeleteBy a weird coincidence, I also just recently - by which I mean, "within the last couple of months" - acquainted myself with Leiber, via the same three stories you mention. I definitely thought they got better as they went on (so I'm kind of surprised to hear they're presented out of written order!). I was intrigued enough to put "more Lankhmar" on my to-read list, but there's something about his style that was a bit, hm, off. I think it's the dialog.
ReplyDeleteI tried some stories of Fafhrd and the gray mouser but just after reading the James Allison cycle and Bran Mak Morn stories by Robert E Howard and Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcok so I can't finished the first story, I remebered it not so blood and thunder for me, but I have real curiosity in that stories
ReplyDeleteother things is his horror stories he was the creator of the urban horror, and I remember an excellent story of the 80's or so about the ghosts inhabiting the stairs and the spaces between the flats (rellanos in spanish) of a building
Francisco
I had the very great pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Fritz Leiber and his wife Margot Skinner about a year before his death. We talked about the origins of Fafhrd and the Mouser and about writing in general. He was patient with the clumsy questions presented by a very nervous and (at that time) very young man. He came alive and beamed proudly as he told me that his son, Justin had picked up the pen to write fantasy.
ReplyDeleteDespite his great age and being confined to a wheelchair, he still had a very powerful presence.
Today is Fritz Leiber's 100th Centenary.
ReplyDeleteNo way he's that old.
"The Snow Women" probably just soured me on the tales.
I can see that, as it's by far the worst of them. I made a kind of parlor game out of picking out every possible word he affixed "snow" or "ice" to. Snow girls drinking snow brandy under a snow sycamore...
I've got the same Fantasy Masterworks edition, and it was definitely worth reading as the pace picks up pretty well toward the end. I didn't find Leiber's stuff to be all that extraordinary, but it's competently written, entertaining fantasy; at times tiresome, at times a little silly, but mostly good fun. So I'd definitely recommend revisiting the stories.
Al, some of my favorites of the Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories are Adept's Gambit, The Jewels in the Forest, Thieves' House, and the Howling Tower. I also like Stardock quite a bit but I suspect that's more nostalgia as much as anything else. It's the first one I read. I didn't care for The Snow Women or the Unholy Grail, but I did like Ill met In Lankhmar. So yes, give Leiber another shot. But hey, if you don't like his stuff after that, then you just don't. There are authors that some of my friends just love whose appeal escapes me entirely. Just works that way sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI think a guy as influential and popular as Leiber definitely deserves another shot. Thanks for the recommendations, I'll read them after I've re-read "Ill-met in Lankhmar."
By a weird coincidence, I also just recently - by which I mean, "within the last couple of months" - acquainted myself with Leiber, via the same three stories you mention. I definitely thought they got better as they went on (so I'm kind of surprised to hear they're presented out of written order!). I was intrigued enough to put "more Lankhmar" on my to-read list, but there's something about his style that was a bit, hm, off. I think it's the dialog.
I'm glad I'm not the only one! Yes, this seems to be a big problem with the Fantasy Masterworks line in general. They did the same with Elric, with Stormbringer taking place at the end (which makes sense from a chronological standpoint), but it also meant the collection started off with a lot of spoilers that affected the later story. Luckily I had already read Stormbringer before, so I wasn't too badly spoiled.
I tried some stories of Fafhrd and the gray mouser but just after reading the James Allison cycle and Bran Mak Morn stories by Robert E Howard and Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcok so I can't finished the first story, I remebered it not so blood and thunder for me, but I have real curiosity in that stories
That might be it for me: I like my S&S drenched in blood and grimness. I'm hardly a humourless guy, but I generally like my S&S to have a hard edge. From what I've heard, though, the best Fafhrd-Mouser stories do have plenty of that too.
I had the very great pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Fritz Leiber and his wife Margot Skinner about a year before his death. We talked about the origins of Fafhrd and the Mouser and about writing in general. He was patient with the clumsy questions presented by a very nervous and (at that time) very young man. He came alive and beamed proudly as he told me that his son, Justin had picked up the pen to write fantasy.
Despite his great age and being confined to a wheelchair, he still had a very powerful presence.
What an awesome story. You've met so many fascinating folks, MD.
No way he's that old.
I worded that ridiculously wrong, didn't I? D'oh!
I can see that, as it's by far the worst of them. I made a kind of parlor game out of picking out every possible word he affixed "snow" or "ice" to. Snow girls drinking snow brandy under a snow sycamore...
I've got the same Fantasy Masterworks edition, and it was definitely worth reading as the pace picks up pretty well toward the end. I didn't find Leiber's stuff to be all that extraordinary, but it's competently written, entertaining fantasy; at times tiresome, at times a little silly, but mostly good fun. So I'd definitely recommend revisiting the stories.
I'm convinced!
I adore Leiber pretty much from start to finish, so I'd add my voice to the general encouragement to give his work at least one more chance.
ReplyDeleteI will say, though, that he doesn't frequent the 'hard edge' so much--he loves language, and loves satire and humor. All of these put his 'Lankhmarine' work at a very different plane than, say, the Elric mythos. (I will say, though, that Leiber is often quite realistic in other ways: unlike many purveyors of 'Swords and Sorcery,' he actually knew how to wield a blade himself--and I think it shows in his fight scenes.)
And speaking--as you do in your profile blurb--of 'worlds beyond time,' you must also check out his 'Change War' series: "The Big Time" actually begins with one of the Three Witches' most famous lines as epigram, which I'd think you'd relish!
Thanks, Kevin. I do appreciate humorous work, such as Gordon R. Dickson. I'll definitely check out "Change War."
ReplyDelete