Swords' Masters (Swords Against Wizardry; The Swords of Lankhmar; Swords and Ice Magic)

This is the definitive Sword and Sorcery!!! Eat your heart out Tolkien...

Those who haven't read Leiber need to see where modern sword and sorcerey was in it's earlier days. I love those characters.

So good to have this back in my library. Continues from The Three of Swords compilation and doesn't disappoint.

Classic sword and sorcery by a true master. A big inspiration for many current authors today. Buy them all now.

I first found out about this series through the excellent comic adaptations by Mike Mignola about 25 years ago, which I only bought because of the striking cover. Until recently, finding actual print editions of these books was dicey at best. Luckily I came across this volume in a used book store, which pulls together books four through six of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series. Those three stories are: Swords Against Wizardry, The Swords of Lankhmar, and Swords and Ice Magic. Each one is wonderful.Being a big fan of classic Conan stories I was right at home here, In fact, I think good old Fafhrd and the Mouser may be easier traveling companions than the cantankerous barbarian. I must say that the comic version, which is superb, can’t compare with the actual book. This series should be as famous as Conan or Robin Hood, a true classic and very enjoyable.

This is the second collected volume of Fritz Leiber's adventures of the sword and sorcery dynamic duo "Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. Fafhrd is a fierce yet honorable barbarian from the far North. The Grey Mouser is a scoundrel thief/magician from somewhere to the far South. Together, they journey across the world of Nehwon, taking part in all sorts of adventures. This volume collects the three novels "Swords Against Wizardry," "Swords of Lankhmar," and "Swords and Ice Magic."In the first novel in question, Fafhrd and the Mouser journey high up into the formidable mountains of Fafhrd's homeland, to the tallest peak of them all; Stardock, in a race to obtain a legendary treasure, and later end up in an underground world ruled by shadowy sorcerous overlords.In "Swords of Lankhmar," undoubtedly the strongest of these collected novels, our two heroes uncover a sinister plot to overthrow the city of Lankhmar by a power-mad sorcerer, his narcissistic daughter, and an army of super-intelligent mutant rats.Finally, in "Swords and Ice Magic," the two are called to the mysterious Rime Isle to stand against an inhuman ice mage of immense power and a horde of Mingol barbarians threatening to rape and pillage the island's people and treasures.Outside of "Swords of Lankhmar," I found the other two novels within this collection to be quite disappointing and lackluster, especially at their conclusions. I'll keep reading Lieber's "Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser" out of pure curiosity though, as I am now reading "A Knight and Knave of Swords," and am going to finish up with Robin Wayne Bailey's pastiche of "Swords Against the Shadowland." But honestly, I'm not getting my hopes up, as the aforementioned book is turning out to be quite a letdown as well so far. Suffice it to say, I believe Fritz Leiber is not turning out to be my cup of tea when it comes to the sword and sorcery genre. He lacks the muscle, grit, and power that abound in other authors of the genre.I give "Swords' Masters" by Fritz Leiber a 2.5 out of 5.

I had finished Books 1-3 in The Three Swords years ago. I finally found this completion of this series on Amazon, Books 4-7. Always loved these stories by Fritz Leiber about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

The adventure continues for Fafhrd and Grey Mouser......Even MORE brawling, rowdy bouts of drinking, and indulgence in all manner of wenches! In this series of tales, the wayward pair find plenty of excitement, great deeds of arms, and hoardes of loot. Whether at home in the city of Lankhmar or trekking far afield in the lands of Nehwon, Fafhrd and the Mouser never fail to find themselves right in the middle of whatever supernatural mischief the gods may throw at them.In this collection, the pair encounter a kingdom of intelligent civilized rats, a race of invisible humans, a subterenean nation of wizards, Norse gods from Earth, ...and even Death himself.This collection features the last tale, ...in which a middle-aged Fafhrd and Grey Mouser go to the assistance of an island people menaced by a massive barbarian invasion fleet. Here they have the aid of none other than the Norse gods, Odin and Loki...