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<blockquote data-quote="nikolai" data-source="post: 1367244" data-attributes="member: 10130">Wow. You're really well read!I read all the REH Conan stories a while back, and I'm working my way through Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser now. The Leiber stories are very, very, variable. The bad ones are very bad. The quality of Howard's stuff is very consistent, if you pick up a random Conan story you know what you are going to get.Here's where I try to pick a fight! I agree with Rateliff that the Leiber stuff is better. Here's why:<ul>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul"> I think the best of Leiber's stories have a real completeness to them and are beautfully constructed. The Bleak Shore, The Sunken Land, and The Howling Tower all have a elegance to how the story works out. Howard approaches this in some stories, such as the The Tower of the Elephant, but doesn't equal Leiber. </li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul"> The quality of Leiber's prose is fantastic. The rhythm of his writing and the quality of his description are amazing.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul"> There's a great variety in the Lankhmar stories you don't get with Conan. A lot of the same themes crop up in Howard again and again, he sadly never wrote enough for this to get tiring, but watching Conan steal the umpteenth gem, or blunder across the umpteenth monster or slay the umpteenth wizard can feel a little repetative.</li>
<li data-xf-list-type="ul"> Leiber's stuff is just very, very witty. Leiber doesn't have the primal feel, but Howard doesn't have the humour.</li>
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[QUOTE="nikolai, post: 1367244, member: 10130"] Wow. You're really well read! I read all the REH Conan stories a while back, and I'm working my way through Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser now. The Leiber stories are very, very, variable. The bad ones are very bad. The quality of Howard's stuff is very consistent, if you pick up a random Conan story you know what you are going to get. Here's where I try to pick a fight! I agree with Rateliff that the Leiber stuff is better. Here's why: [list] [*] I think the best of Leiber's stories have a real completeness to them and are beautfully constructed. [i]The Bleak Shore[/i], [i]The Sunken Land[/i], and [i]The Howling Tower[/i] all have a elegance to how the story works out. Howard approaches this in some stories, such as the [i]The Tower of the Elephant[/i], but doesn't equal Leiber. [*] The quality of Leiber's prose is fantastic. The rhythm of his writing and the quality of his description are amazing. [*] There's a great variety in the Lankhmar stories you don't get with Conan. A lot of the same themes crop up in Howard again and again, he sadly never wrote enough for this to get tiring, but watching Conan steal the umpteenth gem, or blunder across the umpteenth monster or slay the umpteenth wizard can feel a little repetative. [*] Leiber's stuff is just very, very witty. Leiber doesn't have the primal feel, but Howard doesn't have the humour. [/list] [/QUOTE]

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