The longest story in the saga of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser in the Land of Nehwon. Part of it was originally published in Fantastic as *Scylla's Da...
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Mar 13, 2009
Jim
rated it: 
I recently re-read for the Pulp Fiction group. Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser are certainly 2 of the most entertaining of all sword & sorcery heroes. Their faults are legion, but their hearts are usually in the right place, unless of course there's money or sex to be had. Then they make horrendous mistakes, scramble frantically to extricate themselves from their current mess & swagger off, chalking it all up to experience. Of course, they promptly get into another mess shortly after that, but they
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Mar 28, 2009
Werner
rated it: 
In creating the barbarian soldier of fortune Fafhrd and his partner, the short-statured swordsman known only by his nickname the Gray Mouser, and the fantasy world of Nehwon that they inhabit, Leiber was influenced by his sword-and-sorcery sub-genre predecessors, notably Robert E. Howard and E. R. Eddison. But he also wanted (according to his preface for this novel) to create "fantasy heroes closer to true human stature" than the likes of Conan. He also approached their stories with
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Sep 02, 2011
Dave/Maggie
rated it:
Leiber at his best -- and worst. The first half drags on interminably: Fafhrd an' the Mouser sailing the bounding main; playing the consummate, pussy-whipped, gobshite eejits, an' playin th' muthafuckin' foo's.
The dragon-mounted German? Let's leave that for tomorrows beyond tomorrows, shall we?
The second half of the nov sees our boys transmuting the base metal of their unforgivable character flaws into moral gold -- with the aid of a surly kitten, a magic flute, a potion or More...
The dragon-mounted German? Let's leave that for tomorrows beyond tomorrows, shall we?
The second half of the nov sees our boys transmuting the base metal of their unforgivable character flaws into moral gold -- with the aid of a surly kitten, a magic flute, a potion or More...
Feb 24, 2009
Manny
rated it:
This classic sword-and-sorcery novel contains a rather unusual scene involving a threesome. The hero has made a romantic tryst with the mysterious woman he's been pursuing. He's surprised when she turns up together with her faithful maidservant, and even more surprised when she tells him what the deal is. He can kiss HER all he wants, but he has to do it while embracing the other chick. This unorthodox arrangement works out surprisingly well.
It turns out later that the mysterious wom More...
It turns out later that the mysterious wom More...
Nov 20, 2011
Kat
rated it: 
I never get tired of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser — I adore those two rogues! In The Swords of Lankhmar (a full novel rather than the usual story collection), the boys have been hired as guards for a fleet of grain shipments because several ships have recently disappeared. Aboard the ship they meet a couple of enchanting women who are escorting a troupe of performing rats across the sea. Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser soon discover that these are not ordinary women, and those are not ordinary rats.
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Dec 05, 2010
Keely
rated it:
When I first started reading Leiber, my expectations were pretty low. He is often praised along with the other 'giants', but the fantasy genre is awash with unwarranted praise: the barely-differentiated is lauded as revolutionary, and many of its 'giants' are giant only in disappointment. But Leiber surprised me. Throughout the Lankhmar series, he has shown a lively, stylized voice, an eye for character and suspense, and an evocative sense of wonder.
Unfortunately, he begins to fall o More...
Unfortunately, he begins to fall o More...
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Aug 14, 2008
David
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Although this book is the fifth of six collecting the original tales of Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser, it also happens to be their first and (as far as I know) only novel length adventure. A fun and breezy read with a rather dark sense of whimsy. Lankhmar is under siege by a very unusual foe, and only the two greatest swordsmen--and greatest rogues--in all of Newhon can save it. The plot is much more epic in scope, but also, perhaps due to length, a bit stretched thin in places. The essence of Fafhrd
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Oct 10, 2010
John
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There are several well done reviews here. This is the Fafrd/Gray Mouser book that I kept coming back to and re-reading more than any of the others. The detail on Lankhmar, the detail on the world under Lankhmar is captivating. Hisvet is one of the best of Leiber's Leading Ladies, as well.
A great read that doesn't slow down from start to finish. Again, as I've noted in prior reviews, this is a must read for any fan of fantasy or Sci/Fi.
A great read that doesn't slow down from start to finish. Again, as I've noted in prior reviews, this is a must read for any fan of fantasy or Sci/Fi.
Nov 11, 2009
Damon
rated it:
This really took me a long time to slog through. It's not because it was bad, or really even that I wasn't enjoying reading it, it just wasn't really what I was expecting. I really like Fafhrd and the Mouser, but all the previous books have been soft of a loosely-related series of short adventures, so it was maybe 20 or 30 pages of one thing and then on to the next. This one, though, was one solid novel, and was also about 100 pages longer than any of the previous volumes. So it seemed to lo
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Jan 20, 2009
Ed
rated it:
Leiber is among the best of science fiction and fantasy writers. It would be hard not to notice the influence his body of work has had most especially on the fantasy genre. The only other writer of such notable import is Marion Zimmer Bradley.
Jul 17, 2011
Maxwell
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The use of rats as villains is interesting, especially since Leiber manages to make them a credible threat. The sequences of a magically shrunken Mouser exploring the rat city are amazing.
Jun 03, 2008
Jeff
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Possibly the best fantasy novel of all time. I grabbed it randomly off a bookshelf one night, maybe a month ago, before going to bed, and re-read it for the 3rd or 4th time in my life. It's a quick and amazing read. Swords, sorcery, rats... humorous and even kinda sexy... the only flaw in this book is the dumb part about the interdimensional traveler -- I think this was filler material recycled from another story. Anyhow this is the only full-length Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser novel, and it i
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Aug 11, 2010
Travis
rated it:
More clever fantasy adventure stories featuring one of the greatest duos in literature.
Great stuff. There are no bad 'Fafhrd and the Mouser' stories.
Great stuff. There are no bad 'Fafhrd and the Mouser' stories.
Nov 27, 2010
Bill
rated it:
This is a great fantasy novel, containing sword fights, magic potions, ancient gods awake and wrathful, super-intelligent rats, a time-traveller riding a sea serpent, a whistle for summoning mystic war cats, transparent but still attractive lady ghouls whose bones gleam provocatively in the moonlight, lovely femme fatales and (of course) deluded males, nudity, copious drinking, overt sadism involving whips and chains, and just a hint of masochism for good measure. In other words: a thoroughly
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Mar 26, 2009
Vulgrin
rated it:
Read this as suggested by a friend. I doubted him two thirds of the way through the book, as it seemed to drag on with no end in sight. (Even though its a short book.) I put it down for a month or so, and then decided to just finish the dang thing off.
I'm glad I did. The last third of the book makes up for the rest. Though I'm not a huge fan of the writing, I was sucked into the book and had to finish it that night.
I'm glad I did. The last third of the book makes up for the rest. Though I'm not a huge fan of the writing, I was sucked into the book and had to finish it that night.
Aug 04, 2008
Nathan
rated it: 
I wanted to like this book more than I did. The characters (Fafhard and the Grey Mouser) are figures out of my childhood, where I spent many hours with the Dungeons and Dragons Lankhmar materials.
The reality was kinda disappointing. The language of the books is wonderful, but dated. The action scenes are good, but arranged pretty haphazardly. It doesn't flow as well as it could.
The two rating doesn't mean I won't scavenge more of these books to read in the future, it More...
The reality was kinda disappointing. The language of the books is wonderful, but dated. The action scenes are good, but arranged pretty haphazardly. It doesn't flow as well as it could.
The two rating doesn't mean I won't scavenge more of these books to read in the future, it More...
Oct 05, 2011
Keith
rated it:
The only novel length story in the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series. I loved (and by loved I mean was sickened by) the rat invasion and then the Gods of Lankhmar which are not worshiped, only feared and loathed.
Feb 12, 2012
Feb 09, 2012
Feb 08, 2012
