Summer of Sword and Sorcery: It's A Wrap

Looking back, here's how I would rank my readings (by author)

Karl Edward Wagner.  Wagner wins the day.  These were the best of the stories I read over the summer, both gritty, dark and violent, but also evocatively supernatural, with magic that felt like magic.  Lovecraftian monsters and full of suspense as well.

Fritz Leiber.  Leiber is a very close second.  The polish and professionalism of his writing, and the wit and humor make these stories really stand out.  Plus Fafhrd and the Mouser are great characters.

Robert E. Howard. Howard is the undisputed (by me) king of this kind of fiction (of which he is largely the original architect - sorry, Sprague/Carter - it wasn't Dunsany, William Morris or Homer), and his best stories just burn off the page.  I mostly stuck to unread/less-remembered Conan's this go-around, and, while good, none of my favorites were on the racks this summer.

Michael Moorcock. Moorcock is a bit of a bring-down from my teenage years.  The tales I read ranged from brilliant ("The Dreaming City") to inspired-pulpy (most of the others).  That's not to say they were bad - there's good imagination and some fine writing here, and of course Elric is a standout and original character.  But it's not quite the gold I thought it was at 17.

Jack Vance.  I read The Dying Earth at 17 as well and thought it was phenomenal.  This time around I'm still impressed by its imagination and lovely writing, though I'm less floored by it.  You can't have my copy, though.

Thieve's World books. I really liked these in my HS years and the best parts and characters still hold up pretty well, though what impresses me most is the gritty setting and the fact that the most impressive and memorable characters are not fierce warriors or magicians or nobility, but poverty-stricken and powerless ones who get by on wits and ingenuity.

C.L. Moore. I first read Jirel of Joiry when I was around 20 and (again) was pretty knocked out by it and (again) am a bit less so now, but still impressed.  Moore was a fine writer and Jirel is a female hero who's all woman.  These adventures often deal more with thoughts, feelings, and spiritual experiences which are just as fearsome as the monsters and evil swordsmen who populate most s`n's.  

Andre Norton. I'm very fond of Norton's Witch World books (as well as others) even though I sometimes find her writing hard to follow and the stories exceedingly compressed, as if a longer and slightly more relaxed telling would serve them better.  Nonetheless she was always imaginative, original, and thoughtful.

Leigh Brackett. Sword of Rhiannon is the first Brackett I've ever read, and while it didn't blow me away, I'm still intrigued enough to seek out some more.

Gardner Fox.  Although one story was fairly fine, overall I'd have to say Fox's Kothar left me cold, and I don't plan on investing and more time on the sequels.

Lin Carter.  I've long had this weird, perverse desire to read some of Carter's fantasy novels, even though their notoriously not-that-great.  This one proves the rule.  I think my desire has been cured.