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Post by kullagain on Mar 10, 2016 22:46:45 GMT -5
Just started Swords Against Death (this is actually the book I wondered about) the other day and so far the prose is singing to me, not as much as REH's does but still the most so of any other author aside I've read, including Vance and Herbert, who I don't think have the ear of these slightly earlier authors.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Mar 17, 2016 18:36:04 GMT -5
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Post by robp on Mar 20, 2016 5:07:59 GMT -5
Thanks Jason, listened to that driving home last night. It's encouraged me to re-read all my F&GM, have all the paperbacks but not looked at them for years.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Mar 20, 2016 21:26:55 GMT -5
Thanks Jason, listened to that driving home last night. It's encouraged me to re-read all my F&GM, have all the paperbacks but not looked at them for years. Thanks for listening to it, rob! I'm glad it inspired you to perhaps do a re-read of the books. I'm on the third story in Swords in the Mist right now. I'm sensing a theme regarding The Gods of Lankhmar so far. The first tale, dealt with a strange fog that Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser had to deal with, "The Fog of Hate."It was the manifestation of Lankhmar's hate, evidently. It was an alright story. "Lean Times in Lankhmar" on the other hand...holy shit. This was an amazing story, and might be my favorite Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser story yet. Fafhrd and the Mouser's partnership is broken up, but the two remain in Lankhmar. The Gray Mouser begins working for a man who extorts religious leaders in the city and Fafhrd becomes an acolyte to one of the religious leaders. Due to Fafhrd's training as a scald in the Cold Waste, he starts to bring some northern influence into the religion and it begins to take off. This cause problems for the Gray Mouser, as the priest of said religion becomes a target for his new employer. This has truly one of the most well thought out and entertaining climaxes that I've ever read and it was a lot of fun. One thing I will point out in regards to the Audible audio books, is the danger of recording a series as you go and not having the narrator read the whole series first. When Fafhrd begins the series in Book 1: Swords and Deviltry, he has a high voice when in the Cold Waste. However, according to "Lean Times in Lankhmar" in Book 3: Swords in the Mist, he began speaking with a deep voice once he started partnering with the Gray Mouser, and I assume when he came to Lankhmar. The narrator of the audible books kept him with his high voice throughout the first two books. I thought that was kind of funny. Now I have to get it into my head that Fafhrd has a deep voice.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Apr 4, 2016 13:06:31 GMT -5
Finished listening to "When the Sea-King's Away" this afternoon. It was an interesting premise and setting, with Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser at sea traveling down a tube to a land that's basically an air tent below the actual sea water. Fafhrd fights a sword wielding octopus and The Grey Mouser takes on three assailants at once, one a scimitar wielding dwarf. I think this was better in concept than actual story, but I did enjoy it. The ending changed the geography of Nehwon.
I also listened to "The Wrong Branch" which is a short story that acts as a prequel to Adept's Gambit. It explains how Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser end up on Earth. I've read Leiber's original draft of Adept's Gambit (the one he sent to Lovecraft) and enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to experiencing his later version.
Here's my past Pulp Crazy episode on the Original Version of Adept's Gambit. Pardon my old, shitty microphone.
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Post by Ningauble on Apr 5, 2016 9:17:56 GMT -5
I envy you, Jason -- reading the F & GM stories for the first time is something you can do only once. BTW, I learned that Leiber's son Justin passed away recently.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Apr 6, 2016 23:02:28 GMT -5
That's a bummer about Leiber's son.
I'm hoping to finish Adept Gambit's next week on my walks, then I'll hop right into Swords against Wizardry. I'm expecting them to take on some more sorcerers in the next collection.
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Post by Ningauble on Apr 7, 2016 9:53:59 GMT -5
I'm expecting them to take on some more sorcerers in the next collection. You have no idea...
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Post by Jason Aiken on Apr 12, 2016 19:29:07 GMT -5
I'm expecting them to take on some more sorcerers in the next collection. You have no idea... Now I'm really looking forward to it. It's just around the corner, I've been listening to Adept's Gambit the last few days on my walks, so I'm nearly finished with Swords in the Mist. I was surprised at one passage, that isn't in Adept's Gambit: The Original Version, as Leiber didn't fully develop the concept of Ningauble's caverns as a mechanism for traveling through time and space yet. Leiber, Fritz (2014-04-01). Swords in the Mist (Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Book 3) (Kindle Locations 1819-1822). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition. And this is from this webpage: www.ancient.eu/article/107/I thought was pretty cool.
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Post by Ningauble on Apr 13, 2016 12:50:15 GMT -5
Now I'm really looking forward to it. It's just around the corner, I've been listening to Adept's Gambit the last few days on my walks, so I'm nearly finished with Swords in the Mist. I was surprised at one passage, that isn't in Adept's Gambit: The Original Version, as Leiber didn't fully develop the concept of Ningauble's caverns as a mechanism for traveling through time and space yet. Leiber, Fritz (2014-04-01). Swords in the Mist (Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Book 3) (Kindle Locations 1819-1822). Open Road Media. Kindle Edition. And this is from this webpage: www.ancient.eu/article/107/I thought was pretty cool. Truly awesome! I didn't know that.
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Post by johnnypt on Apr 13, 2016 15:01:30 GMT -5
I have to say I'm stunned these two guys have never made the transition to movies or TV in any form. That nobody tried to make it out like a barbaric version of Midnight Cowboy or something along those lines. I don't know if the time is right to do them now with all the rest of the fantasy, but considering how much trouble we've had getting Conan to be closer to his source material, maybe it's for the best.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Apr 13, 2016 21:44:28 GMT -5
I have to say I'm stunned these two guys have never made the transition to movies or TV in any form. That nobody tried to make it out like a barbaric version of Midnight Cowboy or something along those lines. I don't know if the time is right to do them now with all the rest of the fantasy, but considering how much trouble we've had getting Conan to be closer to his source material, maybe it's for the best. Yeah I shudder at a live action Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser. I'm perfectly happy with the original Leiber stories and the comics. An animated film...maybe.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Apr 15, 2016 22:53:58 GMT -5
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Post by Von K on Apr 18, 2016 3:18:10 GMT -5
I'd like to have seen how George Macdonald Fraiser would have written the script for a Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser film. He wrote some great scripts for the Three Musketeers film trilogy, so he could have handled the swashbuckling roguery and wit.
Could be interesting to see Michael Chabon's angle on a F+GM script.
Thanks for your latest podcast Jason.
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Post by Jason Aiken on Apr 18, 2016 20:09:25 GMT -5
I'd like to have seen how George Macdonald Fraiser would have written the script for a Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser film. He wrote some great scripts for the Three Musketeers film trilogy, so he could have handled the swashbuckling roguery and wit. Could be interesting to see Michael Chabon's angle on a F+GM script. Thanks for your latest podcast Jason. Yeah those indeed would be two people that I would put a little trust in from a screenwriting standpoint. But once producers and directors got involved, I'd be a bit apprehensive. Studio suits, too. You're welcome, regarding the latest pod, VonK, thanks for listening. I'm bummed that there aren't better scans of the Grafton covers to the Swords series out there. I like them the best, they have a Bob Eggleton landscape-vibe going.
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