Content levels
Trigger warnings
Positive tags
Hero archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
The award-winning sword and sorcery classic that introduced Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, from a Grand Master of Science Fiction and Fantasy. First in the influential fan-favorite series, Swords and Deviltry collects four fantastical adventure stories from Fritz Leiber, the author who coined the phrase "sword and sorcery" and helped birth an entire genre. In "Induction," in the realm of Nehwon, fate brings young prince Fafhrd and apprentice magician the Gray Mouser together to mark the beginning of a loyal and lifelong friendship. Consumed by his wicked mother's enchantments, Fafhrd finds freedom by pursuing the love of a beautiful actress in the Nebula and Hugo Award–nominated "The Snow Women." Studying sorcery under a great wizard in a land where it is forbidden, Mouse crosses the thin line between white and black magic to avenge a great wrong in "The Unholy Grail." And in the Nebula and Hugo Award–winning novella "Ill Met in Lankhmar," Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser disguise themselves as beggars to infiltrate the Thieves' Guild—only to pay a horrible price for their greed when they come face-to-face with a monstrous evil.
Is Swords and Deviltry appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 16 and up.
This classic sword and sorcery collection contains strong violence including deaths, moderate sexual content and innuendo, magical corruption, and morally gray protagonists who steal and kill. The 'Ill Met in Lankhmar' story involves significant character deaths and consequences for greed.
What to know going in
This book has strong violence, moderate sexual content, and moderate language. Content notes include emotional abuse, murder, death, and grief (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Teens will enjoy the origin story of the iconic fantasy duo Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser as they navigate magic, thievery, and dangerous adventures in a gritty fantasy world.