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).

Review: Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett

In the city of a thousand delights (and smells) someone is plotting murder in the shadows. With hands grasping at secret weaponry of terrible death they set their sights on overturning the rule of Ankh-Morpork and ushering in again the age of kings.

In the Night Watch a time of upheaval is at hand as new recruits are inducted to fulfil quotas of equality and inclusivity. And in these stressful times they're about to lose their leader, as captain Vimes is about to say farewell to life in the watch to marry the richest woman in the city, the excentric caretaker of sick dragons, Sybil Ramkin.

When citizens start showing up murdered left and right, with tight-lipped guildmembers tightening the ranks, in a city threatening to boil over with specie-ist tension, the adopted by dwarves, corporal Carrot will have to keep his wits and his watch-squad together if he's to get to the bottom of whatever new evil is threatening Ankh-Morpork.
To back him up, new recruits Detritus, Cuddy and Angua (troll, dwarf and, eh, woman, respectively)
will have to adapt fast to life in the city guard. But night watch old-timers corporal Colon and all-round weirdo corporal Nobby will gladly show them the ropes. With some reservations, of course.

I've read a fair bit of his writings but this is undoubtably Terry Pratchett at his best.
A touching and heartfelt story that nonetheless tackles issues that are still relevant today, subjects that have the potential to easily raise hackles left and right, but as usual, Pratchett's humour, wit and excellent use of trope subversion manages to extinguish the burning fuse before the barrel blows and starts to upset delicate sensibilities.

The story is rather exceptional for the Discworld. For starters there's an actual honest-to-god police procedural. There are several mysteries backed up by enough clues to give it all meat on its bones and Pratchett lets you stew in your own suspicions and theories until he finally lifts the veil and shows you what is actually going on.
I believe it's something he's not done before (order-of-publication reading order), at least not with this complexity and with so many clues buried everwhere along the way. I didn't figure it out before the time of its revelation and was happy to let Pratchett pull back the curtain on his own. There were some surprises there, I can tell you.
It's also a darker book than I'm used to from the Discworld. In the novels, the darkness is always there of course, usually to somewhat less of a degree and always cloaked in humour, wit and sarcasm. But here there were times when every pretense was dropped, to very good effect; see the previous blogpost: Men At Arms appreciation

Men at Arms is truly a standout among the Discworld Novels, I can see why one would advise a newcomer to start with this one. It's got darkness but also alot of heart, a very well constructed plot laid alongside what is almost a genuine police drama. It's accessible in spades.

Great ending too. I do believe I got a little emotional there.

Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett Appreciation

'This anger was the engine that powered Good Omens.'

You know, that quote that Gaiman likes to use to talk about Pratchett's work, always mystified me a little.
I've read Good Omens and I thought it was good. Not great. But good. And I definitely not remembered it as very angry.

I never much saw the anger in Good Omens. Withering sarcasm, sure. Veiled contempt, sure.
Anger? Hmmm.
But turns out; there were seeds of it in Good Omens, likely restrained. And they led to this.

I just read a particular part from Pratchett's Men at arms.
Turns out what really got Sir Terry Pratchett's hackles up was bigotry. Small-minded bigotry for the people that are different than us and the facets of it that permeate our society, altering it, turning it into a sty of anti-inclusivity and hate. So utterly relevant.

The rage and plain all-out despair just came rolling off the page.
I had to look at the cover of the book I was reading as I had a momentary doubt that Terry Pratchett hadn't in fact written it.
It is shocking how teeth-grittingly angry it feels.
It wasn't even much present up until now. Hints maybe.

In this part, there's this character, who's described as not really a bad person, but my god, at what is likely the darkest point in the book, does Pratchett shower bile over him. Inherent in the scene comes an unapologetic deluge of disapproval and contempt for the people like him.

It's something that's quite...
I'm not even sure what I'm looking for here.

Awe-inspiring, I guess...

This level of utter certainty; the utter dismissal of this character's views and opinions because that characer is utterly, narrowmindedly, idiotically wrong and biased and that those opinions are that character. Stupid and unchangable. Too stupid to be changed. Set in his ways.
And that these people that the character represents hurt the world around them so much, dismissing others, stripping them bare to an evil-minded handful of xenophobe slurs and statements, completely sure of their own righteousness. Happily continuing on their way, oblivious, while people suffer in their wake.

Pratchett's passion and conviction of this leads to an unabashed and uninhibited flaunting of anger, hate towards people in general who subscribe to these views.

This segment suddenly skyrockets this book upwards towards very lofty heights. Such dripping hate. So deliciously pure and unrestrained.

But it's literature with thunderheads. It's dark and there's no humour in sight.

What used to be just a fun reading diversion has become so much more. The telling of a sad and despairing truth.
A reminder that humanity is still the same bastard it has been since the start. A bigoted moron, unable to look past his own nose. Locking tight, locking close and disparaging anyone and anything that looks, smells or sounds different. And moreover the belief we don't really want to look at; that humanity is likely unable to change, no matter how much we might wish it. That there's too much hatred in the world and that it always comes rolling back because hatred always begets more hatred. We're fighting a battle against the wind and the wind is endlessly renewed.

It's staggering, It's stunning. The idea is not new but I haven't felt this kind of outrage in quite a while.

This here, is a book to remember.