Two Sought Adventure

by Fritz Leiber

Contents:

• Induction
• The Jewels in the Forest
• Thieves' House
• The Bleak Shore
• The Howling Tower
• The Sunken Land
• The Seven Black Priests
• Claws from the Night

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Adventure, Fiction

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. was one of the more interesting of the young writers who came into HP Lovecraft's orbit, and some of his best early short fiction is horror rather than sf or fantasy. He found his mature voice early in the first of the sword-and-sorcery adventures featuring the large sensitive barbarian Fafhrd and the small street-smart-ish Gray Mouser; he returned to this series at various points in his career, using it sometimes for farce and sometimes for gloomy mood pieces--The Swords of Lankhmar is perhaps the best single volume of their adventures. Leiber's science fiction includes the planet-smashing The Wanderer in which a large cast mostly survive flood, fire, and the sexual attentions of feline aliens, and the satirical A Spectre is Haunting Texas in which a gangling, exo-skeleton-clad actor from the Moon leads a revolution and finds his true love. Leiber's late short fiction, and the fine horror novel Our Lady of Darkness, combine autobiographical issues like his struggle with depression and alcoholism with meditations on the emotional content of the fantastic genres. Leiber's capacity for endless self-reinvention and productive self-examination kept him, until his death, one of the most modern of his sf generation.

Used These Alternate Names: Maurice Breçon, Fric Lajber, Fritz Leiber, Jr., Fritz R. Leiber, Fritz Leiber Jun., Фриц Лейбер, F. Lieber, フリッツ・ライバー

Reviews

[ambyr · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first adventures with Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, but probably not my last. It's fascinating to see the early birth of the tropes on which the roleplaying games I've played all my life have relied.

[Amaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well that was fun.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read as part of my Appendix N project, now complete.) This was the last book I was going to read from D&D's Appendix N. Even though there are other options on there, I think the time has come to move on, and I'm happy with the knowledge I've gained of this fantasy fiction of this time that influenced a game which, while I have never played it, has gone on to influence so many of the games I have played and fantasy I have enjoyed. (And my next book selection in fact will be a fantasy that may be influenced by and a conversation with this genre, Samuel R. Delany's "Tales of Nevèrÿon".)

As for this book itself, I enjoyed reading the tales of F&GM in their original form (and I really didn't have time to read all the stories) and can see where they fit in the puzzle of influences. And yes, I did in fact pay about ~$60 from abebooks.com for a first-edition hardcover of this one. ;) I rarely do that kind of thing and it adds the whole historical significance of the project. It feels good to hold in your hand a book that was printed long before you were born...

[James Enge · Rating 5 out of 5]

In summary: Two Sought Adventure and Swords Against Death both collect the earliest stories Fritz Leiber published about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, ergo one or the other is essential reading for the sword-and-sorcery fan. Both are probably essential only to the Leiberian completist, so if you’re only going to read one I’d recommend Swords Against Death. But Two Sough Adventure has its own charms. See my blog for the full review of both books.

[Michael Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before Tolkien became popular and only a few English authors had fantasy stories there was Fritz Leiber. His two mismatched burglars, adventures, thieves, swordsmen who acted like Laurel and Hardy stumbled though life seeking that big something. Or maybe just living another day. Better to have no luck than their apparent bad luck. But then they survived many tales. This collection of stories is just a fun read.