The days off in Chicago and the flight time let me quickly knock out Fritz Leiber’s Swords in the Mist, the third collection of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories.
This one was a little uneven. There’s really only four substantive stories, The Cloud of Hate, Lean Times in Lankhmar, When the Sea-King’s Away, and Adept’s Gambit. Their Mistress the Sea and The Wrong Branch are basically just short fillers to paper over some continuity.
The highlight is Lean Times in Lankhmar, arguably one of the best and funniest Fafhrd and Mouser tales, and greatly highlights their unique brotherhood. Unlike your typical fantasy tale, this one eschews dark horrors, evil wizardry, and devious palace intrigues for common street religion. Despite their numerous adventures together, Fafhrd and the Mouser part ways in the face of tough times on the streets of the black togaed city. Fafhrd takes up religion while the Mouser joins in with an extortionist who plunders the priests of the gods in Lankhmar. Needless to say the Mouser and Fafhrd wind up on a collision course to entertaining effect.
Meanwhile, the extended novella Adept’s Gambit, while having all the elements of a good Fafhrd and Mouser yarn, is a bit off because the two are placed not in Lankhmar but right here on Earth. Plus, there’s extensive interaction with Ningauble of the Seven Eyes, yet nary an appearance from Sheelba of the Eyeless Face. Just weird.
Meanwhile, The Cloud of Hate, while mildly funny, and the richly detailed When the Sea-King’s Away, were both eminently forgettable.
Interestingly, I never knew Howard Chaykin (one of my favorite comic book authors) pitched in on a comic adaptation of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. Might have to try and dig those up.
Nine books down for the year.