Fritz Leiber

I enjoy the genres of sci-fi and fantasy. That being said, I admit feeling a bit of shame whenever I admit this in public, no doubt due to the whole geek stigma. It's not that I enjoy hack writing, lame TV shows, or crappy movies; nor have I ever dressed as a Vulcan to attend a Star Trek convention. But I am guilty of enjoying sci-fi/fantasy for both its occasional intellectual content (a la Heinlein, et al.), and more frequently, purely for its entertainment and escapist qualities.

One of my favorite writers of the genre is Fritz Leiber (1910-1992). He was a prolific author whose works spanned the genres of fantasy, horror, and sci-fi. I would describe his writing as efficient and smooth, very good at establishing a setting and mood while still being an easy read, and showing a superb understanding of human nature without being preachy or moralizing. He also possessed the remarkable ability to weave humor into his tales without ruining the fabric of the story, even when dealing with the most serious of subjects.

Leiber is best known for the Lankhmar series of adventures, featuring the rogues Fafhrd and The Grey Mouser. The world Leiber creates is just as colorful and exciting as Tolkien's Middle Earth. However, Leiber's world is much different, taking a dark tone while dealing with adult themes. This mood is best seen in Leiber's heroes -- they are not motivated to save the world, but by visceral emotions and needs -- greed, lust, adventure, and often just survival. Fafhrd and The Grey Mouser are not the righteous/moralistic (they never battle "Evil"), asexual protagonists featured in so many fantasy novels, nor are they mere mindless hack-'n-slayers. In Leiber's own words, "They drink, they feast, they wench, they brawl, they steal, they gamble...", and much of the enjoyment for the reader comes from their interactions with each other and the other characters in the stories.

Leiber's horror stories are also excellent. In the traditions of H.P. Lovecraft ("The Case of Charles Dexter Ward", "Shadow at Innsmouth", et al.) and Clark Ashton Smith ("Genius Loci", et al.), Leiber's tales are typically occur in modern urban settings. This is perhaps not surprising, as Leiber corresponded with both of these legendary authors in his early writing days. Good reads include (a somewhat dated but still eerie) "Conjure Wife" and the flawless short-story "The Black Gondolier". But his tour-de-force novel is "Our Lady of Darkness", a semi-autobiographic horror set in contemporary San Francisco. The story follows Franz Western, who like real-life Leiber must come to grips with the death of his wife and is a recovering alcoholic. The mixture of menace and darkness with the feelings of sadness and despair are what make this novel, in my opinion, so poignant.

Although often acclaimed by critics, I consider his sci-fi tales to be his weakest efforts. Perhaps his finest work in this category is "Gather, Darkness!", a novel about a renegade priest battling the scientific theocracy ruling a future earth. Other popular novels include "The Green Millenium" (about aliens that look like cats -- no wonder I didn't enjoy it!) and "The Big Time" (a very odd novel about time-travel that reads like a play). I'd recommend looking elsewhere, however, if you want excellent sci-fi.

Some of Leiber's novels are still in print -- the Lankhmar stories can be found in various different compilations (I own the excellent ACE series published in the 70s), and "Conjure Wife" and "Our Lady of Darkness" are currently available together in the compilation "Dark Ladies" published by Orb. For other works of Leiber, try a good library, used book store, or eBay.

Fritz Leiber page by primetime 07.25.2001