Роберт Э. Ховард и Фриц Лайбер: 10 лучших книг жанра «меч и магия»

The sword-and-sorcery genre was born around the 1930s in the pages of pulp magazines like Weird Tales, thanks to authors of the caliber of Robert E. Howard, though the genre's name wouldn't be coined until 1961 by another one of its most legendary authors, Fritz Leiber. These are stories that, unlike traditional high and epic fantasies, are characterized by deeply personal stakes, morally grey heroes struggling to survive in a world full of dangerous magic, and visceral action and swordplay. For a wide variety of reasons, the genre is no longer nearly as popular or fertile as it used to be; even so, it has left behind such a tremendous legacy of must-read works of fantasy adventure that it's nothing if not commendable. From foundational classics like Jirel of Joiry to more modern and subversive works like Imaro, sword-and-sorcery contains several of the most irresistibly entertaining fantasy books the genre has ever seen. 10 'Jirel of Joiry' (1969) C. L. Moore was a downright revolutionary author, establishing herself as one of the English language's most prominent speculative fiction authors at a time when fantasy and sci-fi were still largely male-dominated. She's perhaps best known as one of sword-and-sorcery's pioneers, all thanks to Jirel of Joiry, a Medieval ruler and warrior who defends her land from monsters and sorcerers. Perhaps the genre's first prominent and memorable female hero, Jirel of Joiry first appeared in Weird Tales and wasn't published in book form for the first time until 1969. But aside from breaking gender boundaries, the book is still an incredibly entertaining read for people who love dark, surreal, undeniably pulpy heroic fantasy. Moore's melodramatic prose is very much a product of its time, but for those who love sword-and-sorcery, it should prove incredibly entertaining. 9 'Swords and Deviltry' (1970) Short story collections are a foundational pillar of sword-and-sorcery, which should be unsurprising considering the subgenre's birth as fast-paced standalone stories in pulp magazines. As far as must-read sword-and-sorcery short story collections go, it doesn't get much more essential than Swords and Deviltry, the first volume of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series. It was written by Fritz Leiber, one of the undeniable fathers of the genre. There are probably not many bookworms who would go so far as to call it one of the best adventure book masterpieces of all time, but those who love sword-and-sorcery should nevertheless consider it a must-read. At once a perfect example of old-school pulpy fantasy and a subversive piece that injects some delightful humor into a subgenre that at times takes itself a bit too seriously, Swords and Deviltry is fast-paced, action-packed, and imbued with refreshing character depth. 8 'Imaro' (1981) Since its inception and until quite late into its history, sword-and-sorcery was deeply rooted in Eurocentric tropes and racially-biased attitudes. Charles Saunders, arguably one of the first prominent Black authors to dip their toes into sword-and-sorcery, came to smash those precedents with the groundbreaking Imaro. There are those who go so far as to refer to the book as the inception point of a whole new subgenre, sword-and-soul, a branch of sword-and-sorcery set in pre-colonial Africa and based on African cultures and mythologies. But it's not just its historical significance and revolutionary nature that make Imaro essential reading, since it's also an incredibly fun and refreshing sword-and-sorcery masterpiece in its own right. At the end of the day, it's entertainment value that serves as the genre's main selling point, and Imaro contains that in droves. Fast-paced and full of richly detailed world-building, it's a gem as emotionally compelling as it is hard to put down. 7 'The Blacktongue Thief' (2021) As the publishing industry started to distance itself from the world of pulp magazines, beginning to favor less episodic book series when it came to fantasy, the sword-and-sorcery genre started to become much less prolific than it once was. Still, the genre has produced a few masterpieces throughout the 21st century, including Christopher Buehlman's Blacktongue series including some of the most prominent. The Blacktongue Thief, the first installment in the series, is easily the best of the bunch. It's one of the best fantasy books of the 2020s, a hugely creative, witty, funny, and badass example of quintessentially modern sword-and-sorcery. The book wears its Dungeons & Dragons and The Witcher influences on its sleeve, functioning as both a loving homage to classic sword-and-sorcery and a playful deconstruction of its usual tropes. Readers who love old-school sword-and-sorcery but want something more in touch with modern fantasy's sensibilities ought to add this gem to their to-read list. 6 'The Eternal Champion' (1970) Originally published in 1962 as a magazine novella, The Eternal Champion was expanded to novel length in 1970. Michael Moorcock was one of the most important speculative fiction writers of his time, one so eager to subvert fantasy and sci-fi's traditional tropes that he's typically regarded as one of the spearheads of the sci-fi New Wave of the '60s and '70s. The Eternal Champion introduced the hero known both as John Daker and Erekosë, and it's one of the most essential pieces of subversive sword-and-sorcery literature of all time. That subversion is fully and brilliantly intentional. Moorcock creates a deconstruction of "the Chosen One" trope that's still among the most complex and fascinating that the fantasy genre has ever seen, rejecting the black-and-white nature of the usual "good vs. evil" battle. The introduction to Moorcock's sprawling Eternal Champion series, The Eternal Champion has aged like fine wine in virtually every sense imaginable. 5 'Kull: Exile of Atlantis' (1967) Robert E. Howard is best-known for the creation of a certain hero who continues to be the poster boy of the whole sword-and-sorcery genre, but before that hero's arrival, there was Kull of Atlantis. Howard introduced the character in Weird Tales in 1929, but it wouldn't be until 1967 that the world would be treated to a collection of all of Howard's stories featuring Kull. It's arguably one of the best books of the 1960s, a must-have for the bookshelf of anyone and everyone who would consider themselves even casual enjoyers of sword-and-sorcery and heroic fantasy. Far more than just a prototypical text for Howard's more popular creation, it's a work of surprising thematic depth and pure pulpy entertainment value. Its prose may read as a bit raw or unpolished by more modern sword-and-sorcery standards, but that only adds to its classic old-school charm. 4 'Elric of Melniboné' (1972) A core part of the larger Eternal Champion multiverse, Moorcock's The Elric Saga introduced the world to one of the best book antiheroes of all time: Elric, who first saw the printed page in the novella The Dreaming City. The first full-length novel to feature Elric is Elric of Melniboné, which is regarded as an absolute masterpiece and one of the most foundational works of dark fantasy in history. But though it may fit into several different subgenres of fantasy, Elric of Melniboné is subversive sword-and-sorcery at its very core. From its fast-paced episodic adventures to the soft yet incredibly fun magic system crafted by Moorcock, the novel is a powerful inversion of the usual tropes and clichés seen in classic sword-and-sorcery. It's an impeccably written page-turner whose pulpy feel makes it incredibly easy to read in just a few sittings. 3 'The Last Wish' (1993) By this point, The Witcher has become such a paragon of pop culture thanks to its presence not just in literature, but video games and television as well, that it requires pretty much no introduction. It shouldn't be forgotten, however, that the franchise was born in one of the most perfectly written dark fantasy book series of all time, by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Sword of Destiny was the first Witcher book to be published, but The Last Wish is officially considered the first entry in the series. This short story collection wouldn't be translated into English until 2007, but though its rise in international popularity definitely took a while to appear, it was entirely deserved. Dark fantasy, sword-and-sorcery, and high fantasy bliss in equal measure, The Last Wish is a must-read deconstruction of all of its subgenres' tropes, approaching sword-and-sorcery with grit, wit, and delectable moral ambiguity. 2 'The Blade Itself' (2006) The status of Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself as a sword-and-sorcery novel is not uncontested, which only makes it even more of a must-read for people who love the genre. The first installment in the First Law trilogy, which is itself also the first part of the overarching book series of the same name, The Blade Itself is one of those fantasy books better than most movies being produced nowadays, essential reading for all those who love dark fantasy. With a biting sense of humor meant to satirize the usual tropes of heroic fantasy subgenres like sword-and-sorcery, The Blade Itself borrows influences from authors like Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock in all sorts of genius ways. It's grimdark fantasy at its most irresistibly entertaining, a masterclass in psychologically complex fantasy that's among the genre's greatest masterpieces of the 21st century so far. 1 'The Conquering Sword of Conan' (2005) No hero of the sword-and-sorcery subgenre is more iconic than Conan the Barbarian, also known as Conan the Cimmerian. In him, Robert E. Howard crafted a character that pretty much single-handedly birthed most of the tropes that went on to be collectively known as the sword-and-sorcery genre. The Conan the Cimmerian trilogy of books collects all of Howard's pulp magazine Conan stories. The first volume in the series, The Conquering Sword of Conan, is arguably the best of the three. Perfectly readable as a standalone book for those looking for an introduction not just to Conan, but to the sword-and-sorcery genre as a whole, The Conquering Sword of Conan is perhaps the single most essential book that anyone interested in the genre could possibly have in their collection. Raw, powerfully written, action-packed, and incredibly entertaining from cover to cover, this story collection is the peak of what sword-and-sorcery has to offer.