I remember loving Leiber’s fantasy writing as a young boy. The “Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser” sword and sorcery books were enormously entertaining (if mildly racy for ten year old boys) with good doses of adventure, intrigue, and mystery. Leiber is probably one of the most underappreciated writers in the genre, and definitely worth a look if you like your fantasy fast, fresh, fun, and uncomplicated by lots of moral hand-wringing.

This slim volume, which I picked up at Afterwords in Ann Arbor sometime back, was apparently written, lost, and recently re-discovered in Leiber’s writings. It is in a very different style than the fantasy books, and while it takes a while to get itself in motion, it is quite effective and entertaining by the time the tale draws to its close. I was reminded of Lovecraft in the creeping sense of dread and inevitability as Leiber develops this little tale of time travel and its unintended consequences.

I have been rediscovering books that I enjoyed as a child, and I definitely need to put Leiber on the list.