Swords and Deviltry, Fritz Leiber (Centipede Press edition)

To tie in with the theme of the Discworld this week, here's something that arrived recently.

The first novel of the adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser; Swords and Deviltry in its new and very beautiful Centipede Press edition.

Fritz Leiber's creation is in large part responsible for Terry Pratchett's work. Ankh-Morpork is a direct parody/homage to the city where most of the adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser take place; Lankhmar.

The ties are most noticable in the first two published Pratchett novels; The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic, (note the two adventurers exiting the city at the start of the series?) but following characters around in Ank-Morpork never fails to evoke memories of reading the adventures in Lankhmar.

Incidentally, the influence of Fritz Leiber's Lankhmar stretches far beyond Pratchett's Discworld.
Where Ankh-Morpork inhabits the shining rays of witty satire and cheerful humour cast by the sun of Lankhmar, Warhammer's cities of the Old World squatly brood in the shadows that it casts. Warhammer Fantasy: the dark and grim cousin to Discworld. Sort of.
The monstrous rat-infested sewers of the cities of the Empire, the steampunk colleges of Nuln and Altdorf, the warlike Talabheim and Middenheim, mercantile Marienburg or even haunted Mordheim; Lankhmar's shades are just everywhere.

Here's a bonus picture comparing Swords and Deviltry with the 'Masters of the Weird Tale: Fritz Leiber' cover, which is also done by artist Tom Kidd. 

Small note; I don't have the MoftWT book. The dustjacket was included with a previous order.
It's something that Jerad Walters does to extra protect his items. He likes to include excess publishing paraphernalia and small extras for people that order directly from the Centipede Press site in their shipments. Not that I'd actually call this small. This almost unheard of level of generousity is extremely pleasant and very much appreciated.

Embossed on the cover; Fafhrd and the Mouser 

Up next: the skullglass wasn't included. I just needed something that was able to hold down the page without creasing it, while I could show the book's contents.

Internal artwork also by Tom Kidd.

The book's contents include, besides the induction and the three short stories that make up the original contents of Swords and Deviltry, also introductions by Michael Moorcock and Fritz Leiber himself, three small pieces from Leiber's friend Harry Fischer, one detailing the origins of the two heroes, one in specificity the creation of the character of the Mouser and the last a short tale by Fischer, written in 1970, in response to that one's dissatisfaction with the origin story for the Mouser as it was laid out in The Unholy Grail by Leiber. It's worth noting that he lets his tale neatly dovetail into that one, thereby not clonflicting with the established canon of Leiber.
There are also 2 Gray Mouser poems and a lengthy interview with Fritz Leiber himself.

This post won't be a review of the Fantasy Masterwork that are the books of Lankhmar as I've read those particular books quite a while ago now and I'd be hard-pressed to remember much of them. To do a review of the 2 collections I'd have to do a re-read and I simply do not have time to do so.

I do remember that Swords and Deviltry and the earlier novels of Lankhmar were the best of the lot. And that the Snow Women, the first true story of Deviltry, is by its composition, concepts, imagination and dry wit, easily on its own, an unassailable masterwork of literature.
The pages just breathe frost and ice crystals just fly off the pages.

Here are some extra pictures with bonus hand (mine).