For a period of four decades, 1940s to the ‘80s,
Fritz Leiber’s pair, Farfhrd and the Gray Mouser, were two of sword and
sorcery’s most beloved creations. Their
adventures spanning more than 30 short stories, novelettes, novellas, and even
a novel, Orion decided to publish the collection in two volumes for the ongoing
Fantasy Masterworks series, The First
and Second Book of Lankhmar.
Fun and entertainment forever at the forefront,
serious literature it is not. Fafhrd a sentimental,Viking-esque
warrior fighting far from home and the Gray Mouser a small but wily thief with
more than one trick up his sleeve, the duo seem to continually find themselves
in a scrape—the law, magicians, witches, and otherwise. Rogues through and through, they would list thievery, vendettas, and mercenary work on their resumes if they ever tried to find jobs
that didn’t place them in a new adventure every week. And the city where they
live, Lankhmar, doesn’t have any shortage of opportunities. The foggy, scummy, magical, lantern lit, and decadent
streets possessing a fun adventure around every corner, it doesn’t seem they’ll
be switching professions anytime soon.
