Meet Fafhrd, a barbarian from the cold north, and the Gray Mouser, an apprentice wizard and journeyman thief. In this first volume containing the collected shorter fiction of this well-known Swords and Sorcery duo, we see the backstory on our two heroes, including Fafhrd's past, before he left the Cold Wastes, the Cold Clan, and his betrothed, Mara, to join the adventures of the members of the Show, especially Vlana, his current infatuation.

Likewise, we meet the Gray Mouser, once the Gray Mouse, apprenticed to a wizard, but finding his heart set more on stealing than casting spells.

And to top off this volume of origins, we get the origin story: "Ill Met in Lankhmar," in which Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser meet, and realize that they have much in common, including a joy of pilfering, especially from thieves. In a moment of drunkenness, the two decided to rob the Thieves Guild to mixed results.

Part comedy, part tragedy, part satire, and part biography, Leiber paints a wonderful portrait of two guys doing their best in Lankhmar.

Recommended for all fans of Sword and Sorcery. ( )

It's Sword & Sorcery &/or Heroic fantasy mixed with some satire & horror elements, the latter reminiscent of Lovecraft to my eye. Leiber started off with this series I believe & worked on it most of his career, so the collection of short stories (all? One novel?) varies a lot in the mood, but the quality is always there. I'm only giving this one 3 stars, but it might be worthy of more. I didn't like this quite as much as some of the other ones, probably because the characters weren't as well developed.

The two main characters are the barbarian Fafhrd and the small, city-wise thief, the Gray Mouser. Neither does well without the other & together they still manage to get into & usually out of a lot of trouble. Imperfect, reluctant heroes with questionable morals, but generally good natures.

I have & have read the entire series a couple of times. The last time I read any of the books was at least a few years ago, though. If you like Howard's Conan, you might not like this as well - the heroes aren't as heroic. If you like Wagner's Kane, you're probably in for a treat. Overall, I'd give the series 4 stars, at least 3.5. ( )

One of the best sword and sorcery style novels. Similar in theme to the Conan novels, though it features two heroes, both thieves, and its own particular flavor. Really a collection of short stories and a novella, which won the Nebula award. ( )

Fritz Leiber is a key figure in the field of swords and sorcery literature. The true master of the genre may be Robert Howard, but it was Leiber who gave it the name in 1961. Leiber's most important legacy is the adventures of Fafhrd and Gray Mouser, two unlikely heroes struggling in the city of Lankhmar. Leiber wrote the first story of the two in 1939 and his last major work in 1991 finally wrapped it up.

This collection shows the origins fo the couple. Snow Women tells how Fafhrd left his home in the far north, fighting against other warriors of his tribe and the ice-cold magic of the northern women, to flee to southern civilization of Lankhmar. In The Unholy Grail Mouse, the apprentice of a hedge wizard, becomes the Gray Mouser and escapes to Lankhmar after some dabbling in the black arts. Finally, the award-winning Ill Met in Lankhmar describes how the two meet and how their career of thievery and killing begins in the city of Lankhmar.

This is no high literature, but what's wrong with good entertainment? Leiber's stories are entertaining, and especially the last one is a wonderful story of swords and sorcery, full of fantasy cliches (excused, because Leiber came up with quite a few of those, I believe) and action. The stories are funny, too, as Leiber doesn't take his writing too seriously.

Considering the influence these stories have had in other writers, I'd say reading Leiber is a must for anybody who likes sword and sorcery stories and this collection is definitely the best place to start, it's a good introduction to Fafhrd and Gray Mouser. (Review based on the Finnish translation.)

(Review of Swords and Deviltry in Mikko reads) ( )

Sword and sorcery at its finest. The beginning of the adventures of Fafhrd and Grey Mouser, told in three stories: The first tells us how Fafhrd left his home tribe in the north, and why he came to Lankhmar. The second tells a similar tale about Grey Mouser, and the last one describes how the two met in Lankhmar.

No unnecessary finesse, just simple and brutal fantasy. Leiber has created a very believable world in Nehwon. Also, a very good translation into Finnish.

This is the first Lankhmar book that I have read, and I very much look forward to reading more about them. ( )