Summer of Sword and Sorcery Week 11

"The Dream of the Sorceress" by A.E. Van Vogt.  Alten Stulwig, a sleazy (though tame by Sanctuary standards I suppose) herbalist finds himself in the bizarre position of getting on the wrong side of the conquering god, Vashanka.  Funny in an odd way, thanks to Van Vogt's dry, sometimes choppy, sometimes elegant style.  I liked it.

"Black God's Shadow" by C.L. Moore. This was the sequel to "Black God's Kiss", and tells of Jirel's latest trip into Hell(?), this time to find some kind of redemption for her foe from the first tale.  Moore's vision of Hell is not one of fire and brimstone, but of dark, solitude, and mystery.  The story is more metaphysical than action-oriented, which is not in and of itself a problem, but this time out I think Moore gets lost in Jirel's feelings and thoughts to her own detriment.  Not a bad one, just lacking.

"Shadow's Pawn" by Andrew Offut.  Hanse Shadowspawn again finds himself in over his head when a number of enchanted, and dangerous, items make their way into Sanctuary.  This tale is a bit choppy and feels like it needs some editing, but the humor is there and the enchanted items and their powers are given a gritty, realistic feel which I really liked.

"The Sustenance of Hoak" by Ramsey Campbell.  Campbell is best known as the author of numerous horror stories (and several novels) which are introspective, subtle, and at times flat-out surreal.  Therefore he's hardly the type one would expect to take on s&s, but - he's also a child of the pulps, and it seems he did so, with a series of stories in Offut's Swords Against Darkness volumes, of which this was the first.  It's not bad, as Ryre, a mercenary who's left his battles in search of a fabled treasure, finds himself in a secluded fortified town that like something out of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.  There's a lot of grim mindset, gloopy Lovecraftian horror, and an unusual hero for s&s - Ryre is a skilled mercenary, tough and smart, but in now way superhuman.  It's no classic but I find myself intrigued enough that I will probably track down more Ryre stories.

"The Bleak Shore" by Fritz Leiber.  One of the earliest of the F&GM stories written, one of the first I read, one of most evocative, and one of the weirdest.  Faf and the GM, after a strange encounter at The Silver Eel, their favorite dive, head out on a boat to a remote location, seemingly under some kind of hypnotic spell.  An evocative story, as I said, but somehow I'm missing something here...

"Claws in the Night" by Fritz Leiber. Interestingly, this one, with its gangs of thieving birds terrorizing Lankhmar, made me think of a Batman comics story (given that DC put out a Fafhrd/Mouser comic in the early 70's - a pretty good one I might add, its a surprise this one was not among the stories adapted). However, instead of the Penguin, F&GM find themselves up against a reincarnated goddess.  Full of humor, suspense, and unresolved mystery, this one's one of the best.

"Isle of the Torturers" by Clark Ashton Smith.  A side trip as this project winds down.  Most of Smith's stories skirt the edges of s`n's, as this one surely does.  But I remembered "Isle" from the time when I read all of Smith's stuff in college, and chose it for revisit.  As is usual, its a dark little tale with a fatalistic sting at the end, as the king of Yoros, having left behind his kingdom, devastated by plague, finds himself held prisoner on an island of extremely creative sadists.  As always Smith's best qualities are his wicked imagination and what I once read described as his "acidic" writing.  Does that mean lysergic, or caustic?  Either, or both, could apply.

"Sea Magic" by Fritz Leiber.  The Knight and Knave of Swords, the final F&GM collection, has been sitting on my shelves since 1988 and this is the first time I've cracked it.  This tale, originally published in 1977, is a vignette, but it shows Leiber undiminished, as Fafhrd finds himself in a knotty situation with a refugee from Simorgya, the Sunken Land.

"Reflections for the Winter of My Soul" by Karl Edward Wagner.  One of my favorites sword-and-sorcery tales, one of my favorite Wagner tales, and easily one of my favorite (spoiler!) werewolf tales.  Kane finds himself snowbound in a castle with a retinue of oddballs, a madman, and the aforementioned werewolf.  A suspenseful game of Ten Little Indians ensues.  Superb!