I Read Books: Swords And Ice Magic
This penultimate volume of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser’s adventures splits into two parts. The first is made up of short adventures, most of them involving Death, whose mask they stole some time ago. Death has mixed feelings and his own sense of honour; they will always have a chance to avoid his schemes which they do in various farcical, whimsical, exciting and sometimes distasteful ways. The three gods that the pair have worshipped at various times also curse them (in an attempt to make them more devout) sending them on a tour of their former lovers. In fact if there is a recurring motif of the volume, it’s reminiscing on their previous love affairs (occasionally also remembering enemies and other adventures).
They also sail down to the equatorial current where there are lots of waterspouts that may, or may not, contain stars and other celestial bodies. While this is not-incompatible with the cosmology of Nehwon being a bubble in the universal-ocean, it does raise questions about the diamond-esque unlaunched star they found on Stardock (this of course is perfectly consistent with Fafhrds suggestion that the world is inside the skull of a dead god).
In the second half of the volume the pair are sitting in the Silver Eel, talking about former lovers and former exploits, when they are hired by Afryt and Cif, two women of the mythical Rime Isle, to save said island (only rumoured to exist until they walk in). It seems that the Mingol hordes have been united by Khahkat the ice wizard, though also divided into two fleets, the Sunwise-Mingols and the Widdershins-Mingols, that will sail around the globe in two directions to attack Rime Isle. Each recruits a dozen followers – 12 northern berserks for Fahrd, a dozen soldier-thieves for the Mouser – acquires a ship and sails to the island, facing down a monstrous ice-ship on the way.
On the island things are not as they expect. No one is waiting for them, no one is prepared for the Mingols and there are two outsider gods – Odin and Loki who have wandered over from our world for some reason. Fafhrd and the Mouser will have to step up and actually be heroes for once, as enemies new and old ally against them.
Read This: For more roguish adventures from Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser, and also one where they have to be slightly less roguish.
Don’t Read This: If the repetition of their former lovers and adventures is likely to put you off, and leave you thinking that Leiber is dwelling on his past work
Comments