Since Mouse has already taken Ill-Met in Lankhmar, I shall take Fritz Leiber's Adept's Game, which is quite atypical of the Fafhrd/Grey Mouser books in that it takes place on Earth, not Lankhmar, which makes me suspicious that he wrote it for some other character and adapted it to the immortal pair. The atmosphere is quite chilling, though not without the trademark Leiber humor. The adept of the title is actually laying in his coffin for much of the story, and I shall not spoil one of the greatest plot twists that I have ever witnessed to tell you why. Suffice it to say that my heart bled for his sister, and continues to do so. The line, "So, after a day, I returned to [him], like a ghost returning to its murderer," is a lovely, chill, and sad one, as you shall see if you read the book.

How come i never saw this topic before ????

Perhaps because I rescued it from page 12??

I'm still wading through the literary criticism and will soon be up to speed.
Let me make a few comments first. Like you Mouse, I didn't like the Alvin Maker books. I read the first three but I can only take so much pain. The Ender books are another story. I have found them all fascinating and thought provoking. The early books were full of action but still introduced characters that became real. The later books branched off to flesh out characters besides Ender. I found that I cared for these characters as well. It is also provides a good reminder that truth is viewed differently by different people. Seeing the same story and events shown through the eyes of others, with different concerns and motivations, is an important lesson that can benefit each of us in our own lives.
One of the most exciting things for me was when my son had to read "Enders War" for school. It was a book that he enjoyed. He not only read it but wanted to talk about it.

Any of the culture novels are good. Try the use of weapons next.

Does anyone here read technothrillers? Lots of them are over the top, but I enjoy them a lot. (The Hunt for Red October comes to mind.)

For those of you who like Clancy, you might want to try Dale Brown's McLanahan books, start with Flight of the Old Dog

Can't believe you dug this one up Mouse! [img]smile.gif[/img]

Sir Krustin I have read some Tom Clancy. I enjoyed Hunt For Red October but i tell you what, i really enjoyed Red Storm Rising, that was a great book.

Ok a book that i have just read the first four pages of.. It is the Cantebury Tales... I have heard enough about it to know it is a very important book in the history of books.. but has anyone else read this book? and can you talk about Chaucer to me and tell me what kind of person he was to write this? Tell me about this book a little bit please...

Ill Met in Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber

It seems that most authors of fantasy at some time or another acknowledge a debt to the archetypes represented by Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. In fact Raymond E.Feist describes them as “Two of the finest creations in the history of modern fantasy” I have been aware of this book and it’s main characters for years, but never got round to actually reading anything of them.

Basically this first book in a series of four chronicles the meeting and early adventures of the two characters in the fantasy world of Nehwon and it’s major city, Lankhmar. After a couple of scene setting chapters, it is mainly concerned with the adventures of the pair as they use their wits and skill to overcome a host of challenges.

So how did I enjoy this “classic”? Well, sad to say, not terribly. I could understand how this could be considered groundbreaking, but since it was conceived in the 1950s, the whole genre has moved on. I found the main characters almost two dimensional, and the perils they faced, whilst inventive, curiously uninvolving and lacking tension. If this was published today, it would probably be hailed as deliciously ironic – a sort of genre equivalent of the film Scream. As I see it, it’s a bit like a 50 year old sports car. It may have been radical and trendy in its time, but it just does not cut it today. Admire Fritz Leiber’s creativity in the context of it’s time, just don’t expect it to stand head and shoulders above the best of contemporary fantasy.

Djinn, I have read some of the Canterbury Tales (still know large excerpts by heart :D ), as well as Chaucer's Parliament of Foules, The Booke Of The Duchess and some more random stuff. My boyfriend's the real expert though, he's just finished writing an essay comparing Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde to Henryson's Testament of Cresseid. I've beentrying to get him to post in the Books forum on Pandemonium actually... he would probably be able to give you some background info... I'm a bit rusty myself and I lent him my copy of the Riverside Chaucer ;)
Anyway I'll let him know you're reading the Canterbury Tales and ask him if he could post a bit on Panda [img]smile.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

On a different note, good to see this thread active again! [img]smile.gif[/img] I've been reading lots lately... just finished Auel's The Clan Of The Cave Bear and Ian McEwan's short stories compilation First Love, Last Rites. Before that it was Douglas Adams's Dirk Gently Omnibus and I also started in William Burroughs Naked Lunch, which I had to take back to the library before I could finish it :(
Will try again some other time though. [img]smile.gif[/img]

I agree with your assesment on the Fritz Lieber "epics", Mouse. I too decided to read them because of the accolades given to them by writers whose work I've liked. They were alright, but didn't really engage me. For me they are comparable to the early writings of Asimov and Heinlein that I had enjoyed when I was younger. Now they seem really dated. The writing is good but the concepts are old fashioned and things which I've seen over and over again. I'm just sorry that I didn't read these books when the situations and concepts were still fresh and new. I think I would have enjoyed them so much more if only I had read them 30 years ago.