On Lying Artistically

Lankhmar in Publication Order 6a Adept's Gambit

I'm not quite ready to write this story up yet, but I love this passage in which Mouser tells a yarn to Fafhrd and Ningauble. I especially love the last line.

“Ningauble purred complacently, “And now I have an idle moment, which, to please you, I will pass in giving ear to the story that the Mouser has been impatiently waiting to tell me.”

So, there being no escape, the Mouser began, first explaining that only the surface of the story had to do with the concubine, the three priests, and the slave girl; the deeper portion touching mostly, though not entirely, on four infamous handmaidens of Ishtar and a dwarf who was richly compensated for his deformity. The fire grew low and a little, lemurlike creature came edging in to replenish it, and the hours stretched on, for the Mouser always warmed to his own tales. There came a place where Fafhrd’s eyes bugged with astonishment, and another where Ningauble’s paunch shook like a small mountain in earthquake, but eventually the tale came to an end, suddenly and seemingly in the middle, like a piece of foreign music.

Then farewells were said and final questions refused answer, and the two seekers started back the way they had come. And Ningauble began to sort in his mind the details of the Mouser’s story, treasuring it the more because he knew it was an improvisation, his favorite proverb being, “He who lies artistically, treads closer to the truth than ever he knows.”

From Fritz Leiber, Swords in the Mist

On Versions of Thieves' House

Lankhmar in Publication Order 5a Thieves' House

I found a reader's copy of Unknown Worlds from February 1943 and bought it so that I could read the original version of Thieves' House and find the differences between it and the later, collected edition.

Frankly, there's not much to discover. Aside from the occasional change of a word or phrase, which I didn't bother to record, here are all the major differences. I compared the texts paragraph by paragraph, checking both the first and last phrases and general length, but I didn't check it line for line, word for word. Even so, I don't think I missed anything significant. The passages below are numbered in pairs like 1a/1b. 1a would be the passage that appeared in Uknown Worlds and 1b would be the parallel passage from Swords Against Death.

As expected, the only real change is added references to Ivrian and Vlana in the Swords Against Death text. Maybe the most interesting change is in the final words of the story. In the Swords version Mouser is speaking to a young lass, Ivlis, and feels a pang of sorrow/guilt over lost Ivrian right before he makes a pass at Ivlis. In the earlier text he, of course, has no memory of Ivrian (she was invented decades later), but he also doesn't flirt with Ivlis. I suppose without the lost love we don't need to see him moving on with his life, but I miss the flirtation in the Unknown Worlds text, which provides a better closing line.

The illustrations are of Krovas being strangled by the skull Ohmphal, Fafhrd holding a skeletal bat, and Mouser getting a missive from the thieves. The artist is "Frank Kramer." (Listed in the credits only as Kramer and in his signatures as F. Kramer. More of his work can be seen at http://www.pulpartists.com/Kramer.html.)

1a.
“And no wonder, for they were written centuries ago,” said the black-bearded thief.
“Where did you find this parchment?” the red-haired wench asked him.”

1b.
“And no wonder, for they were written centuries ago,” said the black-bearded thief.
The fat thief said, “I never heard tell of a Thieves’ Sepulcher, save the junkyard, the incinerator, and the Inner Sea.”
“Times and customs change,” the black-bearded thief philosophized. “Periods of reverence alternate with periods of realism.”
“Why is it called the skull Ohmphal?” the fat thief wondered. “Why not the skull of Ohmphal?”
The black-bearded thief shrugged.
“Where did you find this parchment?” the red-haired wench asked him.”

2a.
“Tch! They always whistle. They like to be mysterious. I know these thieves, Fafhrd. I've known them all my life. Come on!”
The big man shrugged his shoulders and started forward.”

2b.
“Tcha! They always whistle. They like to be mysterious. I know these thieves, Fafhrd. I know them well. And you yourself have twice entered Thieves’ House and escaped. Come on!”
“But I don’t know all of Thieves’ House,” Fafhrd protested. “There’s a modicum of danger.”
“Modicum! They don’t know all of Thieves’ House, their own place. It’s a maze of the unknown, a labyrinth of forgotten history. Come on.”
“I don’t know. It awakens evil memories of my lost Vlana.”
“And of my lost Ivrian! But must we let them win because of that?”
The big man shrugged his shoulders and started forward.”

3a.
“I wonder who the woman is?” said the Mouser. “No thief is permitted to bring a woman here on pain of death. Krovas' mistress, likely. The Master Thief has special powers and perhaps can take chances.”
“The Master Thief is dead,” muttered Fafhrd.

3b.
“I wonder who the woman is?” said the Mouser. “No thief is permitted to bring a woman here on pain of death. But the Master Thief has special powers and perhaps can take chances.”
“He has taken one too many,” muttered Fafhrd.

4a.
“The skull, Master?” said Fissif in a quavering sepulchral tone. “Why, it’s gone back to the grave from which we three filched it. It has flown back by supernatural powers, and the hands with it. Surely if those bony hands could strangle Krovas, as I saw with my own eyes, there would be no difficulty about the other thing.”
The Mouser could hardly repress a gasp of amazement. Slevyas slapped Fissif across the face.

4b.
“The skull, Master?” said Fissif in a quavering sepulchral tone. “Why, it’s flown back to the grave from which we three filched it. Surely if those bony hands could strangle Krovas, as I saw with my own eyes, the skull could fly.”
Slevyas slapped Fissif across the face.

5a.
“intense that it momentarily precluded panic. A fear such as they felt toward their living master, but magnified many times. Moreover, they were sure that nothing living could be in the alcove. They had peered into it that very night and seen that it was empty None knew of the panel.
And then a high wailing voice spoke from the skull, “Move not, oh you craven thieves of today! Tremble and be silent. It is your ancient master who speaks. Behold, I am Ohmphal!”
“The effect of that voice was peculiar. Most of the thieves shrank back, gritting their teeth and clenching their hands to control trembling. But the sweat of relief trickled down Fafhrd’s head, for he recognized the Mouser. And in fat Fissif’s face puzzlement mingled with fear, for he, too, thought of the Mouser and wondered.”

5b.
“...intense that it momentarily precluded panic. A fear such as they felt toward their living master, but magnified many times.
And then a high wailing voice spoke from the skull, “Move not, oh you craven thieves of today! Tremble and be silent. It is your ancient master who speaks. Behold, I am Ohmphal!”
“The effect of that voice was peculiar. Most of the thieves shrank back, gritting their teeth and clenching their hands to control trembling. But the sweat of relief trickled down Fafhrd’s head, for he recognized the Mouser. And in fat Fissif’s face puzzlement mingled with fear.”

6a.
“This delay gave the thieves time to recover a little from their supernatural fear. Slevyas, sensing the essentials of the situation..."

6b.
“This incident further startled the thieves, yet gave them time to recover from their fear. Slevyas, sensing the essentials of the situation..."

7a.
“How can you dare keep them?” questioned Ivlis. “Think of what happened to all those other thieves!” She shuddered and eyed the Mouser with a certain solicitude.”
“Ay, yes, that was unpleasant," replied the Mouser, "but since I am not an ordinary thief, I can afford to take chances."

The End.

7b.
“How can you dare keep them?” questioned Ivlis. “Are you not afraid of brown bones at midnight?” She shuddered and eyed the Mouser with a certain solicitude.”
“He returned her gaze and replied, though the ghost of his Ivrian rebuked him, “My taste runs to pink bones, fittingly clothed.”

  

On Entering a Den of Thieves

Lankhmar in Publication Order 5 Thieves' House

Thieves' House is Fritz Leiber's fifth published tale featuring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. It was published in 1943 in Unknown magazine. Thieves' House also appears as the 3rd chapter in the second volume of the collected editions, Swords Against Death. (It was moved up in the order of that collection to serve as a sequel to the last chapter of Swords and Deviltry. Even though that story was written 27 years after this one. But more on that below.)

The first five tales were all published in Unknown, and in consecutive years from 1939 to 1943. After this story, Leiber would not pen another Fafhrd and Gray Mouser tale for four years.

Though The Bleak Shore begins in Lankhmar, Thieves' House is the first story where all the events happen in Lankhmar. Leiber also introduces the Thieves' Guild in this story, giving us a tour of the thieves' amazing headquarters as well as a look at their structure and training methods. All the little details in this tale related to the thieves and how they work are what make it so great.

A short preamble allows the reader to eavesdrop on a trio of thieves who are planning to recruit Fafhrd and Mouser for help in stealing a fabled artifact ... and then pull a double-cross. The narrative then breaks, and resumes after the band has successfully executed their plan and are fleeing from Fafhrd and Mouser.

The heist all happens off-screen! Brilliant. Because, as Leiber obviously knew, the interesting part of the story is Fafhrd and Mouser pursuing the thieves into their den to recoup their share of the treasure.

Pretty early in the narrative a hint is dropped that this isn't the duo's first run-in with the guild.

"I know these thieves, Fafhrd. I know them well. And you yourself have twice entered Thieves’ House and escaped.”

Even if we look "behind" this story in the collected editions, there is only one story from volume 1, Swords and Deviltry, in which we see Fafhrd and Mouser visit Thieves' House: Ill Met in Lankhmar (written in 1970). That story provides us with the first mention of the characters of Slevyas, Fissif, and Krovas in the collected editions.

I could only find one reference to the differences between the two versions of Thieves' House (1943 and 1970) and it seems to indicate that these thieves, or at least some of them, were not named at all in the original (http://www.troynovant.com/Franson/Leiber/Thieves-House.html).

The second reference is an in-passing "reminder" of Fafhrd and Mouser's lost loves - which, if I am correct, weren't created until 27 years later, in 1970. Here it is:

“I don’t know. It awakens evil memories of my lost Vlana.”
“And of my lost Ivrian! But must we let them win because of that?”

I'll try to verify all of this as I read on. But know that these bits don't really matter to the story. If you are reading them in publishing order, as I suggest, you aren't missing anything. I suppose the big difference is that reading Ill Met in Lankmar first, as the collected editions would have you do, adds a deeper revenge plot to the reading of Thieves' House. But it's not like that revenge plot is a "thing" in the story. Mouser doesn't cut anyone's throat and whisper, "This is for Ivrian!" So that "set up" has virtually no payoff at all and I think the story is actually better without it. Why do they need a motive other than getting back at the thieves that crossed them?

(Note, I later tracked down a version of the original and made a comparison. See my post from May 27, 2016.)

On Sunken Lands

Lankhmar in Publication Order 4 The Sunken Land

The Sunken Land is Fritz Leiber's fourth published tale featuring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. It was published in 1942 in Unknown magazine. The Sunken Land also appears as the 6th chapter in the second volume of the collected editions, Swords Against Death.

Fafhrd and Mouser are sailing across the Outer Sea (presumably still returning home from the Bleak Shore) when Fafhrd catches a fish. In its belly he finds a strange ring that seems to also be a key.

The key reminds Fafhrd of stories of ancient Simorgya, a land that is said to mysteriously rise from and sink back into the sea. He dozes off daydreaming about the men of that fabled land and a storm blows up. Out of the storm a dragon-prowed galley nearly swamps the adventurers' small boat and triggers a series of dream-like events in which Fafhrd catches more than a glimpse of Simorgya and its strange inhabitants.

This tale, even more than the last two, has a distinctly Lovecraftian vibe. In fact, it's a bit like a more pulpy, condensed version of At the Mountains of Madness. An ancient land + a dream-like descent into the past + an encounter with alien horrors; what a perfect formula.

On Spectral Hounds

Lankhmar in Publication Order  3 The Howling Tower

Published in 1941 in Unknown, The Howling Tower is Fritz Leiber's third tale featuring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

The first five stories all appeared in Unknown, a year apart, from '39-43. Then there is a four year gap. But I'm getting ahead of myself. The Howling Tower appears as the 5th chapter in the second volume of the collected editions, Swords Against Death. 

This story is awesome. It reminds me slightly of Lovecraft's The Hound and I could swear that I saw it ripped off in one of the Conan the Barbarian comics.

As Fafhrd and Mouser return to Lankhmar from the Bleak Shore, they must cross the western continent. Settling down for the night, they hear strange howling coming from a distant tower. In the morning, Fafhrd is gone and Mouser must follow to find out what power has lured his friend away.

If I explained it any more there would be spoilers. Oh. What the hell, I'll give you this much: spectral hounds and sympathetic magic! Enjoy.

On Cheating Death

Lankhmar in Publication Order 2 The Bleak Shore

The Bleak Shore is Fritz Lieber's second published tale featuring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. It appeared in a1940 issue of Unknown. Today you can find it as the 4th chapter in the second volume of the collected editions, Swords Against Death.

This story is a pretty remarkable bit of weird fiction. While boasting in a tavern, The Silver Eel of course, Fafrd and Mouser are confronted by a "small, pale man, whose bulging forehead was shadowed by a black cowl." He asks: "So you think a man can cheat death and outwit doom?" He presses the point and then whispers a simple phrase to them three times: "The Bleak Shore."

Clearly placed under some kind of spell the two adventurers drop everything and leave the tavern, hire a ship, and set out for... you guessed it.

This story is the first published story set in Lankhmar (or at least it starts there). It is the first we hear the name of The Silver Eel, a tavern that will become a common starting point for trouble in the stories. And introduces the character of, and the recurring theme of cheating Death.

Other than being notable for these firsts, it is a beautifully told tale with a strange but satisfying ending.

On Worm Sex

For a good part of the hour of dog walking I did tonight, I got to listen to the details of earthworm sex.

I'm glad I walk late at night. If it were daylight, people would have seen me plodding around with a horrible grimace on my face, muttering the occasional "ewww!"

Thoughts on reading Amy Stewart, The Earth Moved