Reading order
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser reading order
- Swords and Deviltry1970
- Swords Against Death1970
- Swords in the Mist1968
- Swords Against Wizardry1968
- The Swords of Lankhmar1968
- Swords and Ice Magic1977
- The Knight and Knave of Swords1988
- Swords Against the Shadowland1998
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7- 7.67.6 / 10112 ratings
- Score
- 8 volumes
- Volumes
- 1968–1998
- Published
- about 35 h
- Reading time
- Completed
- Status
- Short stories
- Genre
Quick answer
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Publication order
8 volumes1968–1998Completed
- Fritz Leiber, who coined the term sword and sorcery, wrote these stories from 1939 to 1988: Fafhrd, a towering northern barbarian, and the Gray Mouser, a small, sly thief, roam the decadent city of Lankhmar and the world of Nehwon in search of loot, drink and trouble.
- Witty, melancholy and hugely influential.
- The seven books arrange the stories in the heroes’ order; Swords and Deviltry, where they meet, comes first.
- The eighth was written by Robin Wayne Bailey.
A plan for the whole series
8 volumes, 1,851 pages, about 35 hours. At 45 min a day that is about 6 weeks.
Stages
2 stages, with 1 short book from outside the series between them. You finish around December 22, 2026, 9 days later than in one go.
- Stage 120 habout 4 weeksby November 24, 2026
- BreakMaus · Art Spiegelman · 295 pp. · score 9.0
- Stage 214 h19 daysby December 22, 2026
- The end of the series
We count 1.1 min per page, the pace of an average novel reader. Faster? Move the slider.
How this plan is calculated
The plan comes from the pages and ratings of each volume: we split the series into stages of about three weeks’ reading, size each break to the stage before it, and read the chance of finishing from how many readers rate the last volume compared with the first. How we work out the plan →
Every volume in order
Order checked by hand · Order and years: Wikidata (CC0). Spotted an error? Tell us. · Data updated October 29, 2026
Extras, short stories and spin-offs
Not needed to follow the main story — read them after the series or skip them.
- Two Sought Adventure1957
- Lean Times in Lankhmar1959
- Bazaar of the Bizarre1978
Frequently asked questions
Which Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser book is the longest?
“The Knight and Knave of Swords” is the longest at 303 pages; the shortest is “Swords in the Mist” with 192 pages.
What should I read after Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser?
After the main series: Two Sought Adventure, Lean Times in Lankhmar, Bazaar of the Bizarre.