Fritz Leiber Books In Order

Publication Order of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Books

Chronological Order of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Books

Publication Order of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Graphic Novels

Publication Order of Change War Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Short Stories/Novellas

Publication Order of Short Story Collections

Publication Order of SF Authors Choice Books

Publication Order of The Hugo Winners Books

Publication Order of The Golden Age of Science Fiction Books

Publication Order of Anthologies

Fritz Lieber was an American best known for writing horror, sci-fi and fantasy. He was born on December 24, 1910 in Chicago Illinois. He studied philosophy at the University of Chicago and graduated in 1932. Later, he studied theology and worked for some time as a lay preacher. Lieber was actively interested in his parents acting company and in 1934 he spent a considerable amount of time touring with this company FritzLieber & Co. As a son of Shakespeare’s actors it is quite clear where he got his inspiration from.

On January 16, 1936 he married Jonquil Stephens and was blessed with a son, Justin Lieber three years later. During World War 2, he was offered a job in the aircraft production. He later worked for a literal journal Science Digest for more than 10 years. He later became an editor for this company. In 1958 the family moved back to California where he ventured fully into writing.

His wife’s death in 1969 was a big blow to his personal life and writing career, forcing him to move to California where he plunged into drunkenness. After things had calmed down, he released a fantasy novel, Our Lady Of Darkness, which was basically about a writer with weird tales who lost his wife and struggled to recover from alcoholism. Other contemporary writers expressed dismay at Lieber ’s lifestyle. For instance Harlan Ellison was angered to find Lieber residing in a dingy apartment in California that was full of books. For a moment he had sunk into a pit of depression and preferred to stay live a low-life. But later he took up his broken pieces and mended them and was actively again into writing and theater. But it has been reported that FritzLeiber enjoyed leading a simple life and loved to dine and travel.

Fritz Lieber re-married Margo Skinner, a journalist and a poet and a longtime friend. In the same year 1992, Fritz Lieber collapsed while traveling from a science fiction convention with his wife and died. The cause of his death was said to be organic brain disease.

Writing career

FritzLieber washeavily influenced by the works of Carl Jung’s concepts of anima and the shadow. He used these concepts in writing his novels and books which were his methods of exploring fascination with estrangement from the female. His love of cats was evident in his story productions. He once wrote about a cat-like alien in his famous Tigerishka, who caught the eye of a human protagonist and became sexually attracted to her. One of his famous Sci- Fi short stories was A Pair of Air. It became a famous copy after its first appearance in the December 1951 issue if the Galaxy Magazine and was later on radio show X minus One. The story is about a personal narration of a 10 year old boy who finds himself living on rogue planet earth. The earth lack’s Sun exposure, after having been torn away by a passing dark star. Consequently, the earth has frozen into thick layers of snow. The boy’s father constructs a large shelter along with other scientists but the earthquakes destroyed this structure and killed some of these scientist. The boy’s father does not give up and still constructs a small makeshift “Nest” where his family survives in this breathable atmosphere for a number of years. The family is brought to rescue by a group of people who are using nuclear power to provide heat. This group is also searching for other survivors using rockets.

Another one of his famous sci-fi stories was Coming Attraction which is set in Manhattan during war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Manhattan has been rendered uninhabitable by a “Hell Bomb”. Wysten Turner a British citizen is the narrator who resides in New York who exchanges grain for electronic equipment because he suspects this equipment will be used in constructing an American military base on the moon. The story begins with the character pulling a young woman out of a car’s pathway in an attempt to save her from a gang’s favorite activity of snagging women’s clothing with fishhooks. The woman is a Muslim and therefore her face is covered so he cannot identify who she is, but is nevertheless intrigued. Turner narrates the incidence to the police but they do not regard it as serious. They meet later at a nightclub and the woman begs him to help her escape from America away from her violent profession wrestler boyfriend, who beats her after losing a match. The boyfriend arrives in the scene and Turner knocks him down. To his surprise, the girl does not thank him for defending her but turns on him. Apparently, her seductive ploy is known by all others. She craves the abuse of her violent boyfriend. When Turner unmasks the girl, he is repulsed by her unattractive demeanor and expression of hatred. He leaves disappointed and wants to return to England. Coming Attraction was published in the 1950 second issue of the Galaxy Magazine. The story also received a Hugo Award in 2001, making Fritz Lieber a famous writer. As one of the best sci-fi stories he ever wrote, this book was selected to be among the Sci fi Writers of America in 1970. It has been anthologized at least 25 times.

Other works

Many of Fritz Lieber’s works were of the horror genre. His acclaimed works such as “The Girl With “The Hungry Eyes” and “You’re All Alone” made him to be labeled as one of the forerunners of modern horror stories. He expressed distrust in automatons and liked to challenge the conceptions of science. His books and narratives were focused on such beliefs.

FritzLieber was known for hos ability to connect with his audience. He wrote about the occasional times he struggled with his personal weakness like drunkenness. His famous creation Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories further consolidated his legacy and the next 50 years he spent working on his stories and novels were full of adventure and suspense. He once wrote about two heroes who matured and decided to take on more responsibilities in life. They quit their destructive habits and settled down into marriage. Lieber’s works continue to be celebrated long after his demise.