Swords and Deviltry cover art

Swords and Deviltry

The Adventures of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser

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Swords and Deviltry

By: Fritz Leiber
Narrated by: Jonathan Davis, Neil Gaiman (introduction)
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About this listen

 Neil Gaiman Presents: the first book in Fritz Leiber's classic sword-and-sorcery series, which includes the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novella, Ill Met in Lankhmar.

In the ancient city of Lankhmar, two men forge a friendship in battle. The red-haired barbarian Fafhrd left the snowy reaches of Nehwon looking for a new life, while the Gray Mouser, apprentice magician, fled after finding his master dead. These bawdy brothers-in-arms cement a friendship that leads them through the wilds of Nehwon, facing thieves, wizards, princesses, and the depths of their desires and fears.

The late Fritz Leiber's tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser launched the sword-and-sorcery genre, and were the inspiration for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons and Dragons.

BONUS AUDIO: Includes an exclusive introduction by Neil Gaiman.

©1995 The Estate of Fritz Leiber (P)2008 Audible, Inc. Action & Adventure Epic Epic Fantasy Fantasy Fiction Sword & Sorcery Magic Adventure Magic Users Friendship Sorcery

Critic Reviews

"It's, like all of Fritz Leiber's fiction, delightful and, like all of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories, a wonderful place to go." (Neil Gaiman)
"Fritz Leiber's tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are virtually a genre unto themselves. Urbane, idiosyncratic, comic, erotic and human, spiked with believable action and the eerie creations of a master fantasist!" (William Gibson)
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Loved this engaging story with its flawed and relatable cast. The heroes are not overpowered, and they play for real stakes. Decisions have consequences. This is top tier, beautiful world building. Don’t miss it.

Superb narration, a true fantasy classic

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It's great to see this classic book available on Audible!
Anyone who has read the Conan books will be partially familiar with the style of this book. However there are some differences.
Conan is more well known these days due to the movies, but alas there was no Hollywood blockbuster about Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, even though these books were released much earlier and the writing is more nuanced.
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are complex characters living in a complex world, full of scheming characters which the duo must outwit at every turn to stay alive.
If you like any kind of 'sword and sorcery' vibes that moves beyond a simple portrayal of 'good vs evil', then you'll find plenty to love here. Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser aren't really heroes in the traditional sense. They are flawed and make rash or selfish choices sometimes, which makes this book more interesting than the typical fantasy epic.
The introduction by the talented Mr Gaiman is also a nice touch!

A true fantasy classic!

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Enjoyed this quite a bit!
It was fun to finally dip my toe into the world and characters that paved the way for the fantasy I enjoy today.
One of my father's favourites that forever influenced the course of his D&D tables in my youth.
Classic Swords and Sorcery.

Fun thowback

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After a heavy (slightly overlong) foreword by a revered junior author (Gaiman), the story fails to impress. What I want to impress upon you, however, is that I was entering into this on a recommendation, and that I was tacitly aware that the classics CAN appear cliché and uneventful against their modern counterparts. This was one of those situations. A drastically simple premise, executed simply by both author and narrator. I could be more generous, but I've sat looking at this one, paused on my screen for two weeks because the story was doing nothing for me. There are better tales, of equal and older lineage that do more. Perhaps if I had read/listened to this as my entry to fantasy, swords and sorcery, but the genre is not new to me- and I still wouldn't recommend this as a first to younger/newer peers.

Unimpressed, slow and outdated.

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Did not finish this book, lost interest within after an hour. Slow moving story, will seek to return

Found difficult to get into

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