books 2006: Lean Times in Lankhmar, by Fritz Leiber

[supercheesegirl]

I really like these stories, honestly. Good, straight-up fantasy. There's something sort of Conan-like about the world, too, that I like. I don't like how the vast majority of the female characters are completely one-dimensional and boring, and I don't like the way the stories often end with our heroes riding off into the sunset with a fair maiden while the next story starts off with our heroes on their own as if all previous maidens never existed, at least not as individuals outside of an adoring throng of past hero-admirers. But you know what, a lot of these stories were originally written in the 1930s. I don't fault Leiber for not writing heroines back then. Tolkien wasn't writing too many heroines back then either. I'm definitely done with Lankhmar for a while, but I like Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser and I'd be happy to visit with them again at some point. My next book should contain a jolt of feminine energy. Unfortunately, the Virginia Woolf and Mrs. Pollifax novels I ordered from amazon haven't arrived yet.

Comments

[sarahpender.livejournal.com]

I've wondered about some of those old authors like Leiber and Moore, but I haven't tried them. I have read all the original Conan stories, which have a similar problem, but were written about the same time. I do love the feel of his world; I haven't seen much like it in fantasy.

I was thinking recently that Asimov's female characters tended to be either invisible or paper-thin, but then Arkady at least seemed to have a mind of her own.

[x-hj-x.livejournal.com]

Oh, man, I remember I read a couple of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser books when I was 9 or 10 and loved them. I had no idea they were written that long ago. Now I'm going to have to find a couple and revisit.