A review by ashleylm
The Swords of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber
5.0
Unusually inventive--hard to believe this is a product of decades long past, rather than the latest outing from a Matthew Hughes or Scott Lynch. I have been reading in internal chronological order, and this, the only true novel, is a fitting climax to the series (of course, there are more stories to go--may they provide equally fitting denouement).
I was the tiniest bit worried that Leiber might not be able to maintain a novel's length worth of interest, especially since some of his novelette-sized tales dragged a bit. But the author of Conjure Wife (one of my favourites) has risen to the occasion and I feel a bit silly for doubting him.
The protagonists are male, but the prominent female characters are scarcely helpless maidens--in fact, I've rarely seen such a diversity of female characters, though each is (to borrow an anime term) a bit fan-service, two of them being prominently naked at all times. That's the only aspect of this that carries a hint of the times with it--otherwise this is a fresh, entertaining romp of a novel.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
I was the tiniest bit worried that Leiber might not be able to maintain a novel's length worth of interest, especially since some of his novelette-sized tales dragged a bit. But the author of Conjure Wife (one of my favourites) has risen to the occasion and I feel a bit silly for doubting him.
The protagonists are male, but the prominent female characters are scarcely helpless maidens--in fact, I've rarely seen such a diversity of female characters, though each is (to borrow an anime term) a bit fan-service, two of them being prominently naked at all times. That's the only aspect of this that carries a hint of the times with it--otherwise this is a fresh, entertaining romp of a novel.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!