Swords Against Wizardry

If you haven't read any of Fritz Leiber's "Lankhmar" series, this is probably the wrong place to start. But if you've already read either one of the first two books in the series, you're going to enjoy this. Leiber presents a sword-and-sorcery world with heavy doses of horrific imagery and droll, black comedy ala Douglas Adams. Each of the "Lankhmar" books is largely episodic, which make them fairly painless to read. This book contains two novelettes, "Stardock" and "The Lords of Quarmall" along with very brief linking material. "Stardock" mostly details Fahfrd and the Gray Mouser's lengthy and dangerous expedition to climb a mountain called Stardock in the Frozen Wastes. Leiber was an accomplished fencer who brought swordplay to life in a way few other fantasy authors could, and his descriptions of mountaineering are equally impressive. "The Lords of Quarmall" is one of the most bizarre stories Leiber ever wrote, in which two horrid magicians are both heirs to a depressing underground kingdom and try to do each other in through both magical and traditional assassination. The imagery is so strange that I have to do my best to restrain myself from sharing details with you, but I don't want to spoil it for any first-time readers. This is definitely not Tolkien-style wizardry! There's some absurd humor in this story, but readers will need strong stomachs to appreciate it. What sets Leiber apart from most fantasy writers is his attention to human quirks. Fahfrd and the Gray Mouser are just as close friends as Frodo and Samwise, yet Leiber allows them to behave more like real friends. Just like real friends would, Fahfrd and the Grey Mouser start to get annoyed with one another if they spend too much time together (which nicely sets up the premise of the Quarmall novelette). Sadly, most of the supporting characters aren't given that degree of characterization although each of the primary villains in Quarmall is given more attention by Leiber than is usual for his supporting characters. In sum - if you enjoyed the other Lankhmar stories you will like this one.

The book is three stories, all linked together, making more like two stories with a short story to link them. What happens is simple - they get into a lot of trouble to steal something which is stolen from them. They look bad, get drunk, end up selling their swordarms. To different Rulers. Who happen to be brothers. Fighting each other. It's all fun and laughs till somebody gets impaled by a sword.