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''Swords Against Death'' is a
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...
short story collection by American writer
Fritz Leiber Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ( ; December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theater and films, playwright, and chess expert. With writers such as Robert ...
, first published in 1970 and featuring his
sword and sorcery Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the ...
heroes
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by American author Fritz Leiber. They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories. One of his motives in writing them was to have ...
. It is chronologically the second volume of the complete seven volume edition of the collected stories devoted to the characters. It is an expansion of Leiber's earlier collection ''
Two Sought Adventure ''Two Sought Adventure'' is a 1957 collection of fantasy short stories by American writer Fritz Leiber. It was first published by Gnome Press in 1957 in an edition of 4,000 copies. The collections contains all of Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mou ...
'', issued by Gnome Press during 1957. The earlier collection contained seven of the ten stories of ''Swords Against Death'', plus an "Induction" omitted from the expanded edition, which was instead republished in its companion volume, ''Swords and Deviltry'' (1970). ''Swords Against Death'' was first published in paperback during 1970 by
Ace Books Ace Books is a publisher of science fiction (SF) and fantasy books founded in New York City in 1952 by A. A. Wyn, Aaron A. Wyn. It began as a genre publisher of mystery fiction, mysteries and western (genre), westerns, and soon branched out int ...
, which reprinted the title numerous times through August 1990; later paperback editions were issued by ibooks (2003) and
Dark Horse A dark horse is a previously lesser-known person or thing that emerges to prominence in a situation, especially in a competition involving multiple rivals, or a contestant that on paper should be unlikely to succeed but yet still might. Origin Th ...
(2007). It has been published in the United Kingdom by
New English Library The New English Library was a United Kingdom book publishing company, which became an imprint of Hodder Headline. History New English Library (NEL) was created in 1961 by the Times Mirror Company of Los Angeles, with the takeover of two small B ...
(1972),
Mayflower Books ''Mayflower'' was an English ship that transported a group of English families, known today as the Pilgrims, from England to the New World in 1620. After a grueling 10 weeks at sea, ''Mayflower'', with 102 passengers and a crew of about 30, r ...
(1979) and
Grafton Grafton may refer to: Places Australia * Grafton, New South Wales Canada * Grafton, New Brunswick * Grafton, Nova Scotia * Grafton, Ontario England * Grafton, Cheshire * Grafton, Herefordshire *Grafton, North Yorkshire * Grafton, Oxfordshi ...
(1986). The first hardcover edition was issued by
Gregg Press Gregg Press was founded about 1965 by Charles Gregg in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey to distribute in the United States the antiquarian reprints published in the UK by Gregg Press International. Gregg decided he wanted to publish scholarly repr ...
during December 1977. The book has also been gathered together with others of the series into various omnibus editions; ''The Three of Swords'' (1989), ''Ill Met in Lankhmar'' (1995), ''The First Book of Lankhmar'' (2001), and ''Lankhmar'' (2008). The book collects ten short stories, eight of which were originally published in the magazines ''
Unknown Unknown or The Unknown may refer to: Film * ''The Unknown'' (1915 comedy film), a silent boxing film * ''The Unknown'' (1915 drama film) * ''The Unknown'' (1927 film), a silent horror film starring Lon Chaney * ''The Unknown'' (1936 film), a ...
'' for August 1939, '' Unknown Worlds'' for February 1942 and February 1943, '' Unknown Fantasy Fiction'' for November 1940, and June 1941, '' Other Worlds Science Stories'' for May 1953, ''
Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it ...
'' for Fall 1951, and '' Fantastic Stories of Imagination'' for August 1963, and two of which first appeared in the book itself.


Contents

*"The Circle Curse" (1970) *"The Jewels in the Forest" (1939; originally titled "Two Sought Adventure") *"Thieves' House" (1943) *"The Bleak Shore" (1940) *"The Howling Tower" (1941) *"The Sunken Land" (1942) *"The Seven Black Priests" (1953) *"Claws from the Night" (1951; originally titled "Dark Vengeance") *"The Price of Pain-Ease" (1970) *" Bazaar of the Bizarre" (1963)


Plot

The Fafhrd and Gray Mouser stories concern the lives of two larcenous but likable rogues as they adventure across the fantasy world of
Nehwon Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by American author Fritz Leiber. They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories. One of his motives in writing them was to hav ...
. The stories in ''Swords Against Death'' concern the duo as they leave
Lankhmar Lankhmar is a fictional city in the ''Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser'' stories by Fritz Leiber. It is situated on the world of Nehwon, just west of the Great Salt Marsh and east of the River Hlal, and serves as the home of Leiber's two antiheroes ...
after the deaths of their first loves, only to find their resolution never to return pointless ("The Circle Curse"). There follow a miscellaneous series of adventures from their wanderings, including a quest for treasure in a dwelling with unique defenses ("The Jewels in the Forest"), a return bout with the Thieves' Guild they hold responsible for their ladies' deaths ("Thieves' House"), an ensorcelled journey to a far-away land ("The Bleak Shore"), an encounter with a beast-haunted stranger ("The Howling Tower"), a dangerous visit to the Nehwonian equivalent of Atlantis ("The Sunken Land"), a conflict with a murderous priesthood ("The Seven Black Priests"), a magical plague afflicting Lankhmar ("Claws from the Night"), a final parting with their deceased loves in the Shadowland ("The Price of Pain-Ease"), and an investigation of a mysterious shop that is other than it seems ("Bazaar of the Bizarre").


Prequel

The events of
Robin Wayne Bailey Robin Wayne Bailey (born 1952) is an American writer of speculative fiction, both fantasy and science fiction. He is a founder of the Science Fiction Hall of Fame (1996) and a past president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Americ ...
's authorized Fafhrd and Gray Mouser novel, '' Swords Against the Shadowland'' (1998), occur approximately between '' Swords and Deviltry'' and this book, including some of the same time as "The Circle Curse".


References


External links

*
Fantastic Fiction entry
* {{Fritz Leiber 1970 short story collections Nehwon books Fantasy short story collections Short story collections by Fritz Leiber Ace Books books