joshgauthier's review
4.0
I have been aware of Leiber's influence on fantasy for a while, but it has taken until now for me to pick up one of his books. And having done so, I can see the reason that he has proven key to shaping the sword-and-sorcery genre.
Overall, I had mixed feelings about the stories in this first volume--a collection of short stories and novellas, rather than a traditional novel. In short, each story included her felt progressively better than the last, in terms of both style and content.
The introduction and first story did not work particularly well for me, but Mouse's first story made clear what direction the book could potentially take. And on reaching the final story, I saw why this duo has such appeal for so many people.
Once Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser meet, we are treated to an engaging blend of humor, adventure, and tragedy. From their initial meeting to a drunken infiltration of the one place they shouldn't go, Fafhrd and the Mouser are a matched pair. There is criticism to be given for Leiber's treatment of female characters, at least based on this first book in the series. That being said, the world is detailed, the characters and their banter are amusing, and the adventure is as grand as would be hoped for in high fantasy.
This was an interesting introduction to Leiber's work, and I expect I will return to it at some point.
Overall, I had mixed feelings about the stories in this first volume--a collection of short stories and novellas, rather than a traditional novel. In short, each story included her felt progressively better than the last, in terms of both style and content.
The introduction and first story did not work particularly well for me, but Mouse's first story made clear what direction the book could potentially take. And on reaching the final story, I saw why this duo has such appeal for so many people.
Once Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser meet, we are treated to an engaging blend of humor, adventure, and tragedy. From their initial meeting to a drunken infiltration of the one place they shouldn't go, Fafhrd and the Mouser are a matched pair. There is criticism to be given for Leiber's treatment of female characters, at least based on this first book in the series. That being said, the world is detailed, the characters and their banter are amusing, and the adventure is as grand as would be hoped for in high fantasy.
This was an interesting introduction to Leiber's work, and I expect I will return to it at some point.
mschlat's review
3.0
I haven't read any Fafhrd and Gray Mouser in ages...
My exposure to the duo was basically the series of Ace paperbacks (two of which I own) and not the magazine stories, so I started with this book and the origin of the two characters (which is wildly different from the order of publication).
Pros: Lieber's prose is quite evocative, if a bit overwrought at times, and there's a sense of civilized decadence that informs all the descriptions of Lankhmar. The fight sequences are quite, quite good, and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser work better for me as characters than, say, Conan. They're witty at times, silly at others, and more genuine than your standard sword and sorcery protagonist. I'm guessing my reading of these primed me well for [a:Scott Lynch|73149|Scott Lynch|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332432746p2/73149.jpg]'s works.
Cons: Wow, this book is not good with female characters. You can start with the fact that Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser get their motivation from the [spoiler redacted] of their female companions. But Fafhrd's origin in particular is heavily focused on the "otherness" of females, be that mystical, sexual, or as symbols of civilization, and none of the women in the story come off as much more than plot devices to move Fafhrd away from his home. The one woman in Gray Mouser's origin story is more developed emotionally, but still suffers from the fact that her motivations mesh perfectly with what the story wants Mouse to become.
So, I liked this reread and am going to search out a few more stories, but I can't strongly recommend the work for modern fantasy readers.
My exposure to the duo was basically the series of Ace paperbacks (two of which I own) and not the magazine stories, so I started with this book and the origin of the two characters (which is wildly different from the order of publication).
Pros: Lieber's prose is quite evocative, if a bit overwrought at times, and there's a sense of civilized decadence that informs all the descriptions of Lankhmar. The fight sequences are quite, quite good, and Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser work better for me as characters than, say, Conan. They're witty at times, silly at others, and more genuine than your standard sword and sorcery protagonist. I'm guessing my reading of these primed me well for [a:Scott Lynch|73149|Scott Lynch|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1332432746p2/73149.jpg]'s works.
Cons: Wow, this book is not good with female characters. You can start with the fact that Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser get their motivation from the [spoiler redacted] of their female companions. But Fafhrd's origin in particular is heavily focused on the "otherness" of females, be that mystical, sexual, or as symbols of civilization, and none of the women in the story come off as much more than plot devices to move Fafhrd away from his home. The one woman in Gray Mouser's origin story is more developed emotionally, but still suffers from the fact that her motivations mesh perfectly with what the story wants Mouse to become.
So, I liked this reread and am going to search out a few more stories, but I can't strongly recommend the work for modern fantasy readers.
elaryen's review against another edition
adventurous
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
gaoruko's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
ricparks's review against another edition
5.0
In my opinion, this is where modern fantasy fiction reached full maturity. Robert E. Howard and Tolkien created the genre and, in this book, Lieber brought all the parts together into a brilliant, entertaining, and wonderfully written set of three stories. I can't wait to read the rest.
csdaley's review against another edition
2.0
There was probably a time in my youth this book would have done it for me. Alas, I am not in my youth. I have been meaning to read these books forever and I tried to like it. The rating is probably close to 2 1/2 stars but only because there was some stuff when the two main characters finally get together that were fun. I will probably give one more book a try because I bought the whole series many years ago when it went on sale.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser's origin stories. I didn't like these particular stories in the series as much when I was younger, but I really liked this now.
Reread 23 June 1995. Reread 13 May 1995.
Reread 23 June 1995. Reread 13 May 1995.