[Mouse]

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.