Fritz Leiber (1910–1992)
Author of Swords and Deviltry
About the Author
Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. was born December 24, 1910, the son of a notable Shakespearean actor. He was a graduate of the University of Chicago where he had majored in psychology and physiology, and also attended Episcopal General Theological Seminary. Leiber was an Episcopal Minister from 1932 to show more 1933, but was encouraged to join his father's company, and toured with him in 1934, leaving two years later when he married in 1936. Leiber became an Editor with Consolidated Book Publishers in Chicago from 1937 to 1941. He was a Speech and Drama Instructor at Occidental College in Los Angeles from 1941 to 1942, a Precision Inspector at Douglas Air Craft Company, Santa Monica from 1942 to 1944, an Associate Editor for Science Digest Magazine from 1944 to 1956, and a Freelance Writer from 1956 to1992. Leiber's interest in writing came from correspondences with a a close college friend, Harry Fischer. Together they developed alter ego characters: Nordic Fafhrd a tall gangly limbed individual from 'the North' - based on Leiber, and the effervescent Grey Mouser - based on Fischer. Leiber first featured the characters in a story, "Adepts Gambit". The story was rejected, but the two characters reappeared in his first published story "Two Sought Adventure", which was published in Unknown magazine John W Campbell, of Astounding Science Fiction was Leiber's first editor. Leiber's first major work as an SF author came with his novel Gather, Darkness! in 1943, concerning the overthrow of a religious dictatorship. An anthology, Ill Met in Lankhmar, published in 1970, received the Hugo science fiction award. Leiber also received a Life Award for his contribution to his field, presented at the Second World Fantasy Convention. He regularly contributed a column to the SF trade magazine, Locus. Leiber was a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and a Lecturer for Science Fiction and Fantasy Workshops at Clarion State College and San Francisco State University. In his lifetime, Leiber won 7 Hugo Awards and a Hugo Grandmaster of Fantasy Award , 2 Nebula Awards and a Nebula Grandmaster Award, an August Derleth Award, 3 World Fantasy and one British Fantasy Awards, a Clark Ashton Award, a Balrog Award, a Locus Award, 3 Gigamesh Awards, an Anne Radcliffe Award, a University of Chicago Proffesional Achievemant Citation, and a Bram Stoker Life Achievement Award. He was also nominated for 7 other Nebula Awards, as well as 4 Lovecraft's and one Second Stage Lensman at Moscon. Leiber has appeared in television, film, on radio and in theater, and has written over 40 books. Fritz Leiber died September 5, 1992 at the age of 81. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Photo by Lars-Olov Strandberg,
Seacon '79 (37th World Science Fiction Convention),
Brighton, England, 1979.
Copyright © Lars-Olov Strandberg
Seacon '79 (37th World Science Fiction Convention),
Brighton, England, 1979.
Copyright © Lars-Olov Strandberg
Series
Works by Fritz Leiber
Swords' Masters (Swords Against Wizardry; The Swords of Lankhmar; Swords and Ice Magic) (1968) 248 copies
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Book 2: The Circle Curse / The Howling Tower (1991) — Original author — 16 copies
A Bad Day for Sales [short story] 12 copies
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Book 4: Lean Times in Lankhmar / When the Sea King's Away (1991) — Original Author — 12 copies
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Book 3: The Price of Pain Ease / Bazaar of the Bizarre (1991) — Author — 10 copies
Ill Met in Lankhmar 10 copies
Nice Girl with Five Husbands 7 copies
America the Beautiful [short story] 6 copies
The Night He Cried 5 copies
Unknown Worlds, April 1943 4 copies
The Big Holiday 4 copies
The Foxholes of Mars 4 copies
Wanted—An Enemy [short story] 4 copies
Le cycle des Épées (Majuscules) Epées et démons ; Epées et mort ; Epées et brumes ; Epées et sorciers ; Epées… (1970) 3 copies
The Death Of Princes 3 copies
Induction 3 copies
Fritz leiber les nouvelles t01 3 copies
Game For Motel Room 3 copies
The Mystery of the Japanese Clock 2 copies
The Dictator 2 copies
The Lion and the Lamb 2 copies
Time in the Round 2 copies
Moon Duel 2 copies
Dark Wings 2 copies
The Button Molder [short story] 2 copies
The Glove 2 copies
The Ghost Light [novella] 2 copies
Kindergarten [short story] 2 copies
Galaxy Science Fiction Super Pack #2: With linked Table of Contents (Positronic Super Pack Series Book 20) (2016) 2 copies
LANKHMAR SERIES: Swords and Deviltry; Swords Against Death; Swords in the Mist; Swords Against Wizardry; The Swords of… (1990) 2 copies
The Dead Man 2 copies
Cyclops 2 copies
One Station Of The Way {short story} 2 copies
Last Letter [short story] 2 copies
Horrible imaginings [short fiction] 2 copies
Quicks Around the Zodiac with Illustrations by Alicia Austin and an Afterword by Gene Wolfe. (1983) 2 copies
Swords &Ice Magic 1 copy
Swords & Magic 1 copy
In the Beginning 1 copy
Mr. Adams' Garden Of Evil 1 copy
Sci-Fi Classics of Fritz Leiber – 21 Time Travel & Dystopia Stories: The Big Time, The Creature from Cleveland… (2018) 1 copy
Swords' Masters: Swords Against Wizardry; The Swords of Lankhmar; Swords and Ice Magic (1968) 1 copy
The Night of the Wolf (1966) 1 copy
Conjure Wife 1 copy
Neri araldi della notte 1 copy
The Hound 1 copy
Night Passage [novelette] 1 copy
Lie Still, Show White 1 copy
Mr. Bauer And The Atoms 1 copy
Swords series 1 copy
The Mutant's Brother 1 copy
Last [short story] 1 copy
I traditori 1 copy
A História é Outra 1 copy
Sword & sorcery: l'epopea di Fafhrd e del Gray Mouser: Il mondo di Nehwon, Le spade di Lankhmar, Spade tra i ghiacci,… (2020) 1 copy
Miła dziewczyna 1 copy
Leiber Fritz 1 copy
Le donne delle nevi 1 copy
Icon Of The Imagination 1 copy
The Fritz Leiber Minipack 1 copy
The Planet Explorer 1 copy
La guerra e i labirinti 1 copy
The Gray Mouser: 1 1 copy
Great Science Fiction no. 6 1 copy
Associated Works
Dangerous Visions: 33 Original Stories — Contributor — 1,920 copies
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One: The Greatest Science Fiction Stories of All Time (1970) — Contributor — 1,878 copies
The Norton Book of Science Fiction: North American Science Fiction, 1960-1990 (1993) — Contributor — 315 copies
American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940s to Now (2009) — Contributor — 268 copies
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Three: Nebula Winners 1965-1969 (1982) — Contributor — 242 copies
The Game Is Afoot: Parodies, Pastiches, and Ponderings of Sherlock Holmes (1994) — Contributor — 198 copies
The Vampire Archives: The Most Complete Volume of Vampire Tales Ever Published (2009) — Contributor — 187 copies
The Way It Wasn't : Great Science Fiction Stories of Alternate History (1996) — Contributor — 151 copies
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume Four: Nebula Winners 1970-1974 (1986) — Contributor — 124 copies
Isaac Asimov Presents the Golden Years of Science Fiction - Fourth Series (1984) — Contributor — 92 copies
Rivals of Weird Tales: 30 Great Fantasy & Horror Stories from the Weird Fiction Pulps (1990) — Contributor — 92 copies
John Stanley's Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again: An A to Z Encyclopedia to the Cinema of the Fantastic or Is (1981) — Foreword, some editions — 80 copies
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: 15th Series (1966) — Contributor, some editions — 79 copies
Weird Tales : a selection in facsimile, of the best from the world's most famous fantasy magazine (1976) — Contributor — 78 copies
The Best from Fantasy and Science Fiction: A Special 25th Anniversary Anthology (1974) — Contributor — 72 copies
The Best Fantasy Stories from the Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (1985) — Contributor — 69 copies
SF: The Year's Greatest Science Fiction and Fantasy: 4th Annual Volume (1958) — Contributor — 68 copies
A Century of Science Fiction 1950-1959 : The Greatest Stories of the Decade (1996) — Contributor — 56 copies
Isaac Asimov Presents Tales of the Occult: Stories by H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, Rudyard Kipling, Edith Wharton,… (1989) — Contributor — 41 copies
Vampires, Zombies, Werewolves and Ghosts: 25 Classic Stories of the Supernatural (2011) — Contributor — 38 copies
Science Fiction Hall Of Fame Volume Two. The Greatest Science Fiction Stories Of All Time Chosen By The Members Of The… (1970) — Contributor, some editions — 35 copies
In Lands That Never Were: Tales of Swords and Sorcery from The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (2004) — Contributor — 33 copies
Van Jules Verne tot Isaac Asimov de vijftig beste science fiction verhalen (1981) — Contributor — 15 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction October 1967, Vol. 33, No. 4 (1967) — Contributor — 13 copies
Children of the Night: Stories of Ghosts, Vampires, Werewolves, and Lost Children (The Children of the Night) (1999) — Contributor — 11 copies
Alien Worlds : three novellas of science fiction by award winning authors (1976) — Contributor — 11 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction April 1970, Vol. 38, No. 4 (1970) — Contributor — 11 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction October 1957, Vol. 13, No. 4 (1957) — Contributor — 8 copies
The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction January 1963, Vol. 24, No. 1 (1963) — Contributor — 7 copies
Het dagboek in de sneeuw : en andere griezelverhalen — Contributor — 7 copies
The far side of time, thirteen original stories;: A science fiction anthology (1974) — Contributor — 6 copies
Fantastic Imaginings: A Journey Through 3500 Years of Imaginative Writing, Comprising Fantasy, Horror, and Science… (2012) — Contributor — 4 copies
Un passo avanti e due indietro — Contributor — 3 copies
I Premi Hugo 1976-1983 — Contributor — 3 copies
Fantastic stories of imagination. No. 106 (August 1963) — Contributor — 3 copies
Pistolero fuori tempo — Contributor — 3 copies
Fantastic science fiction stories. No. 061 (November 1959) — Contributor — 3 copies
Fantastic stories of imagination. No. 073 (November 1960) — Contributor — 3 copies
Impuls 1 — Author, some editions — 2 copies
Den ¤elektriske myre og andre science fiction-fortællinger (1984) — Author, some editions — 2 copies
Nuove avventure nell'ignoto — Contributor — 2 copies
Fantastic stories of imagination. No. 079 (May 1961) — Contributor — 1 copy
Fantastic. No. 146 (August 1968) — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Leiber, Fritz Reuter, Jr.
- Other names
- Lathrop, Francis
Breçon, Maurice - Birthdate
- 1910-12-24
- Date of death
- 1992-09-05
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
- Place of death
- San Francisco, California, USA
- Cause of death
- stroke
- Places of residence
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
Hollywood, California, USA
San Francisco, California, USA - Education
- University of Chicago (Chicago, Illinois, USA)
- Occupations
- actor
speech instructor (UCLA)
editor
fantasy writer
drama teacher - Relationships
- Leiber, Justin (son)
- Organizations
- Swordsmen and Sorcerers' Guild of America
Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America - Awards and honors
- SFWA Grand Master (1981)
Gandalf Award ( [1975])
Bram Stoker Award ( [1987])
SF Hall Of Fame ( [2001])
World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (1976) - Agent
- Robert P. Mills
Richard Curtis (Richard Curtis Assoc.)
Members
Discussions
THE DEEP ONES: "Sea Magic" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (September 2023)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Sadness of the Executioner" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (March 2023)
THE DEEP ONES: "In the Witch's Tent" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (December 2021)
THE DEEP ONES: "Smoke Ghost" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (November 2021)
Leiber Masters of the Weird Tale in Centipede Press (October 2021)
THE DEEP ONES: "Richmond, Late September, 1849" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (August 2021)
Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (June 2021)
scifi from 50s or 60s? about man who becomes invisible to his coworkers in Name that Book (March 2018)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Unholy Grail" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (September 2017)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Girl With the Hungry Eyes" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (April 2016)
SciFi Our world is a machine in Name that Book (April 2016)
THE DEEP ONES: "Spider Mansion" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (September 2012)
THE DEEP ONES: "The Black Gondolier" by Fritz Leiber in The Weird Tradition (June 2012)
short story; earth knocked out of orbit; survivor in Name that Book (February 2009)
Reviews
My favourite so far of the first 3 books.
Apart from the "Origin" stories in volume 1, all of the short stories have felt too similar and predictable for me.
Hard times in Lankhmar in this volume was different and enjoyable.
I also enjoyed the novella sized Adept's Gambit. Similar to the shorter stories, but I've worked out I like my fantasy drawn out a bit more.
Unsure whether to continue with volume 4 or move onto something completely different.
Might try volume 4 at least as it appears to be a couple of longer novellas.… (more)
Apart from the "Origin" stories in volume 1, all of the short stories have felt too similar and predictable for me.
Hard times in Lankhmar in this volume was different and enjoyable.
I also enjoyed the novella sized Adept's Gambit. Similar to the shorter stories, but I've worked out I like my fantasy drawn out a bit more.
Unsure whether to continue with volume 4 or move onto something completely different.
Might try volume 4 at least as it appears to be a couple of longer novellas.… (more)
1 
stubooks | 20 other reviews | Apr 4, 2024 |
stubooks | 20 other reviews | Apr 4, 2024 | 
Not the best, but not the worst of the series.
I sort of liked the fact that some previous characters appear in this story.
But didn't like the way every single female they had encountered in previous books appeared and just highlighted how 2 dimensional they mostly were.
I sort of liked the fact that some previous characters appear in this story.
But didn't like the way every single female they had encountered in previous books appeared and just highlighted how 2 dimensional they mostly were.
Entertaining enough.
Obviously the history behind them counts for a lot, and if they were read one by one in the magazines they originally appeared in then it wouldn't matter so much that there's not a lot of difference between any of the stories.
Obviously the history behind them counts for a lot, and if they were read one by one in the magazines they originally appeared in then it wouldn't matter so much that there's not a lot of difference between any of the stories.
Lists
Witchy Fiction (1)
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Statistics
- Works
- 349
- Also by
- 372
- Members
- 23,611
- Popularity
- #886
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 497
- ISBNs
- 779
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25pp
O título me pegou, não nego. Por isso parei para ler mesmo conhecendo pouco do Leiber. Nunca tinha lido nada dele e só o conhecia por meio de citações sobre a importância dele nos tropos de fantasia e por ter batizado o gênero Sword & Sorcery. Não sabia que ele também escrevia ficção científica, e nem que fosse logo ficção científica dura.
O preâmbulo meio longo é válido porque acho que essas duas facetas quase opostas (a densidade do hard sci-fi e as vibrantes histórias de aventura e feitiçaria) estão levemente presentes aqui. E o maior problema não vem da tentativa de conciliar isso, mas sim da forma frouxa que ele dá ao conto.
Antes de chegar aí, porém, ele consegue te segurar na narrativa, sabe contá-la muito bem. A abertura é forte, ao molde daquela famosa historinha "Não há ninguém no mundo. Batem a porta" só que expandida. Começa em primeira pessoa e a exposição acontece aos poucos:
Algum corpo estranho gigantesco passou pelo nosso sistema solar e arrastou a terra para longe do sol (The Big Jerk, chamam), o que faz a atmosfera congelar instantaneamente. Se entendi bem: os diferentes compostos, por conta das diferenças na constituição, congelam de maneira diversa e em camadas diferentes. O pai do protagonista consegue montar um ninho, que é como chamam o buraco de poucos metros quadrados, chapado por paredes grossas e alumínio e outras coisas, onde conseguem sobreviver buscando na parte de cima baldes de oxigênio congelado. Daí o título, sim.
Vestem uma roupa de astronauta improvisada, vão à superfície, buscam o oxigênio congelado, colocam-no perto da fogueira para derreter, e por conta da parede e outras coisas, o oxigênio é retido ali o máximo possível. Antes do balde descongelar, busca-se outro, e assim vão vivendo.
Falando assim parece tedioso, mas não é. Um mundo congelado é um mundo morto, parado, estático? Na visão do autor, não. Justamente por conta da composição de tudo que nos cerca. A dose ação/descrição/construção de mundo é bem administrada, e o ponto de vista do protagonista, quase uma adolescente, é leve e fácil de acompanhar, apesar do conteúdo. É ele quem vai nos contando tudo daquele mundo, afinal já nasceu naquela situação.
Mas há, na perspectiva, indícios do problema do conto; "nós" somos os interlocutores dele, mesmo que até a ação principal, como se vê pela abertura, não havia mais ninguém vivo naquele estado inteiro, ou em todo país, sendo otimista.
Quando o menino vê outra pessoa lá fora, não confia nos próprios olhos, e conta ao pai; e a reação dele, pelo contexto da situação, é meio esquisita (intencionalmente). E, de novo, essas perguntas vão surgindo e nos mantém lendo.
A sequência final, entretanto… é broxante e anticlimática. A única explicação possível, a meu ver — até aí a narrativa estava sendo muito bem conduzida, — é que o Leiber se cansou do conceito e quis acabar logo; não quis desenvolver mais nada.
Sem alerta de spoiler mesmo porque acho que ninguém vai ler uma história tão nichada: não era paranoia do menino, eram mesmo pessoas. Elas se revelam interessadas por como aquela gente conseguiu viver dentro de um buraco, com baldes de oxigênio... e revelam haver diversos redutos de humanidade pelo mundo. Há até uma pitada de desenvolvimento de personagem na relação dos visitantes com o menino mas... subitamente o conto acaba. A conclusa acaba sendo: mesmo a terra solapada forçadamente do sistema solar, mesmo com tudo congelado, a humanidade ainda dá seu jeititinho de ir vivendo. Isso sou eu extrapolando o fim, que consegue ser mais abrupto que isso.
É uma das piores conclusões de conto que li nos últimos tempos. Você, no fruir da leitura, percebe o quão estranho é, sente o baque da narrativa forçosamente interrompida. Só se salva de críticas maiores porque tudo o que vem antes é relativamente interessante e, sobretudo, não tenta de maneira alguma ser o que não é: não há enrolação ou desfiles descritivos ou longos parágrafos densos de ciência dura ou qualquer outras dessas características que cansam em certos sci-fi. Termina sendo o vislumbre de uma boa história, com um retrogosto amargo no final.
Original em Inglês [Trad. Livre minha]
Conto de Ficção Científica
✲ 3.0/5.0… (more)