It be time to blog about books....
Apr. 24th, 2007 07:07 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
darkelf105So, as promised, my review of Fritz Leiber's Swords And Deviltry. I was happily surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. Given the time period it was written in (1970 I believe) and it's inherent cheesetasticness (it is after all swords and sorcery and laudably one of the first, I might add), I thought it clever, over-the-top and well done. I loved the Gray Mouser, I knew I would, but I was most shocked and surprised by how much I liked Fafhrd, the barbarian. That's right, I typed it, I liked the barbarian better than the witty thief. Fafhrd's introduction is so outrageous (we learn that the women of his tribe are vindictive bitches who use magic and snowballs to keep their men in line) and corny, that I had to laugh. Fafhrd's introduction centers on an artic peep show and it's consequences. And with highly humorous results. I can't tell if Leiber just has a dry wit or if it's just funny because it's so cheesy, but either way, I grinned my way through most of this book. I had previously seen the comments by other readers on Amazon about how the women in this book were one dimesional, and it's true, to a limited extent. However, I think that there might be a bit of satire and commentary going on here. **************SPOILERS AHEAD****************
Although Vlana and Ivrian both die tragic and horrible deaths (to further the plot, no less), are both femal cliches, they are still almost as finely drawn as the Gray Mouser and Fafhrd. They just get way, way less screen time, so to speak. But since Swords And Deviltry is, in essence, a buddy cop, er, book, this has genre rule written all over it. Buddy films focus on the buddies, and thus, so too, would a book about buddies. And, since that was the impression I got of the book, I was not that disheartened over said misogyny in book. It wasn't as bad as I had thought and still does not even begin to reach where Terry Goodkind and Robert Heinlein go. Because I don't think Swords and Deviltry takes itself seriously as a book, as a piece of literature, Leiber can write about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and only Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The book never pretends to be about anything but those two. And thus the lack of very many secondary characters. So overall, I would recommend this title to anyone who wants a light, funny, very face paced read with clever dialogue and much cheesiness. My food rating: fries with cheese sauce. Which are good, every once in awhile. Especially after not having them for awhile.
Although Vlana and Ivrian both die tragic and horrible deaths (to further the plot, no less), are both femal cliches, they are still almost as finely drawn as the Gray Mouser and Fafhrd. They just get way, way less screen time, so to speak. But since Swords And Deviltry is, in essence, a buddy cop, er, book, this has genre rule written all over it. Buddy films focus on the buddies, and thus, so too, would a book about buddies. And, since that was the impression I got of the book, I was not that disheartened over said misogyny in book. It wasn't as bad as I had thought and still does not even begin to reach where Terry Goodkind and Robert Heinlein go. Because I don't think Swords and Deviltry takes itself seriously as a book, as a piece of literature, Leiber can write about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser and only Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser. The book never pretends to be about anything but those two. And thus the lack of very many secondary characters. So overall, I would recommend this title to anyone who wants a light, funny, very face paced read with clever dialogue and much cheesiness. My food rating: fries with cheese sauce. Which are good, every once in awhile. Especially after not having them for awhile.