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The Black Gondolier |
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Author:
Fritz Leiber
By e-reads.com
Average Customer Rating:  
List Price: $19.95
Our Price: $14.49
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Product Description
Announcing a new collection of stories by Fritz Leiber. Assembled here is a selection of Mr. Leiber's best horrific tales, many of which have been virtually unobtainable for decades. From the riveting "Spider Mansion" and "The Phantom Slayer" from Weird Tales to the more recent "Lie Still, Snow White" and "Black Has Its Charms" from rare, small-press magazines, this collection provides an overview of Leiber's fifty-plus years as an acknowledged master of the weird tale. While much of Leiber's seminal science-fiction and fantasy remains in print, his work in the field of supernatural horror has been sadly neglected until now. Edited by John Pelan and Steve Savile.
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 Not Free SF Reader, 2008-12-14
This is a decent collection, at 3.33. A few good stories, a couple of duds, but the above average is well ahead of the average for this collection of mostly horror type tales.
Black Gondolier : The Black Gondolier - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : The Dreams of Albert Moreland - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : Game for Motel Room - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : The Phantom Slayer - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : Lie Still, Snow White - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : Mr. Bauer and the Atoms - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : In the X-Ray - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : Spider Mansion - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : The Secret Songs - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : The Man Who Made Friends with Electricity - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : The Dead Man - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : The Thirteenth Step - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : The Repair People - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : Black Has Its Charms - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : Schizo Jimmie [The Warlock] - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : The Creature from Cleveland Depths - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : The Casket-Demon - Fritz Leiber
Black Gondolier : Mr. Adams' Garden of Evil [Dr. Adams' Garden of Evil]
Oil search.
3.5 out of 5
Mad fantasy chess.
3.5 out of 5
Writing and stuff a bit dull.
2 out of 5
Will sleep murder.
3 out of 5
Blue light sex.
3.5 out of 5
Suicide doesn't work, Captain Atom.
3.5 out of 5
Third dead sister.
4 out of 5
Nobody loves a midget, especially when they are crazy and feed people to bugs.
4 out of 5
Crock witch nip glitter.
3.5 out of 5
Well zapped.
3 out of 5
Self control partner pursuit.
3 out of 5
Horror group.
3 out of 5
Blob fix.
3.5 out of 5
Pack procurement, no penetration, pansy.
4 out of 5
Crazy witch judge, jury, executioner.
3.5 out of 5
Tickler problems.
2.5 out of 5
Voluptuous insubstantiality.
3.5 out of 5
Too many kittens.
3.5 out of 5
Breadth and Vision, 2008-06-03
It is said that the greatness of a writer lies in his/her breadth and vision. If this is true, then Fritz Leiber has proven himself one of the greatest fantasists to grace 20th century fiction. The stories in this volume represent a precisely chosen set of pieces that demonstrate this fact. Leiber shows skill in science fiction (Spider Mansion), suspense (The Phantom Slayer), horror (The Thirteenth Step), and those genres that lie in between (The Dead Man). His ability to transcend and simultaneously perfect genre is paralleled only by Bradbury. This ability contributes directly to his strongest attribute, his vision of what he wants to do with a story. Many current (and to be honest, past) writers in fantasy literature have made the mistake of putting genre before story (e.g., a writer who ONLY writes science fiction). This tendency of putting genre before story is perhaps the greatest fault in all of fantasy literature. This tendency is absent in Leiber. For Leiber, story is paramount, genre is secondary (if even a consideration at all). Even in his early, semi-Lovecraftian pieces, such as The Dreams of Albert Moreland, story never becomes secondary. Leiber has a vision he wishes to present. Though it must be admitted that his vision never approaches (at least in this selection of stories) the magnitude of a Lovecraft, it must also be admitted that very few writers ever do approach that magnitude (with certain notable exceptions such as Ligotti). Yet, Leiber never sacrifices that vision and this refusal to sacrifice that vision results in some truly outstanding pieces of weird fiction. It must be admitted that sometimes that vision is flawed and so the story as a result is flawed as in the case of The Creature From Cleveland Depths. But on the whole, that vision is usually highly effective or even years ahead of its time. For example, in Lie Still, Snow White, Leiber presents a story that predates the "erotic horror" genre by decades and surpasses all but one or two stories that genre has produced up to the present. Had genre been a consideration for Leiber, that story might never have seen the light of day. John Pelan has truly done a service by giving us such a clear display of the literary powers of one of weird fictions greatest practitioners.
5 Stars for Leiber, 1 Star for Publisher 'e-Reads', 2006-06-21
Fritz Leiber is one of the all-time greatest writers of the weird tale. Short stories like 'The Dreams of Albert Moreland' are justifiably classics of the genre. I would say that his OUR LADY OF DARKNESS is my favorite horror novel ever.
BUT A MAJOR CAVEAT FOR THIS EDITION:
This paperback eReads edition is one shoddy production. My copy has poorly printed, somewhat blurry text (if you look closely at a given printed letter, you will see small white gaps all through it) that is headache-inducing. There are also numerous typos. And, even though I am very careful with my books as I read them, this one is getting a rolled spine quite easily.
I believe that THE BLACK GONDOLA was originally published in hardcover form by John Pelan's Midnight Press, along with two other volumes (HORRIBLE IMAGININGS and THE SMOKE GHOST - very nicely done but now out of print and hard to find). Leiber remains a master whose works deserve to be printed in superior editions. Paging Centipede Press, Night Shade Books, Subterranean Press...
the master Fantasy/SF writer can do horror too!, 2006-02-28
Fritz's other stories from Mouser Series to the Horror novellas' of "Our lady of Darkness" and "Conjures Wife", are better known, but these short stories entertain too.
From the preisient title story "The Black Gondolier" to the classic Gothic Horror of decay and science gone wrong of "Spider Mansion" come into Leiber's mind and enjoy the 'dark' side of science fiction horror. 90% of the 18 stories are worth reading and re-reading.
Fine collection of rare weird tales by this master of genres, 2004-10-11
This edition is a trade paperback reprint of a hardback titled THE BLACK GONDOLIER & OTHER STORIES published in a limited numbered edition of 460 by Midnight House in 2000, now out of print, difficult to find and quite expensive; it's a treat finding this reasonably priced version.
Co-editor John Pelan writes "...Leiber belongs to that pantheon of great writers that have shaped and molded the field of fantastic literature in the latter half of the twentieth century." As far as I'm concerned, Fritz Leiber reposes at the pinnacle of this literary hierarchy: he is a writer of major importance whose long career is awe inspiring. Whether it's science fiction, fantasy or horror, his writing is of the highest order: cliche free, varied and fine to the point of being prose poetry. Such a shame that so little of his short fiction remains in print. Another reason to rejoice at the publication of this book.
In it you'll find the following stories:
"The Black Gondolier"-A story set in Venice California about the diabolic plans for humanity being hatched by petrolium.
"The Dreams of Albert Moreland" - The tale of a chess master engaged in a match against a dark power.
"Game for Motel Room" - In which a man finds that the "woman" with whom he has a tryst isn't what she seems and whose jealous husband's revenge could be world shattering.
"The Phantom Slayer" - A man inherets his dead ex-cop uncle's boarding room and belongings which includes a police uniform and the files from an unsolved serial killer case; in his dreams the man wanders the streets in his uncle's uniform and witnesses murders.
"Lie Still, Snow White"-a necrophiliac ruminates about his obsession to his next victim.
"Mr. Bauer and the Atoms" - Mr. Bauer fears that the atomic powers contained within his body could destroy the world.
"In the X-ray" - A girl's evil twin sister gives her a final embrace.
"Spider Mansion" - How has the midget Malcolm Orme become a giant? What is the mysterious rustling and clicking that comes from the closed living room and why does it so frighten Mr Orme's servants and wife?
"The Secret Songs" - Two drug addicts visit their interior worlds: he in his slumber and she via TV, glue and glitter.
"The Man Who Made Friends with Electricity" - Mr. Leverett is delighted to rent a house next to high tension electric transmission lines because he THINKS electricity is his friend until he discover that it, or is it they, isn't/aren't true blue American/s.
"The Dead Man" - A love triangle involving a doctor, his wife and his expeiment's subject who possesses the ability to manifest diseases through hipnosis.
"The Thirteenth Step" - A twelve step meeting has an unexpected visitor.
"The Repair People" - Welcome to the repair shop where two "Repair People", a journeyman and an apprentice, extract, rearrange and reinsert the dream wrapped souls into blobs. Or is is slobs?
"Black Has Its Charms" - An alcoholic wife castigates her husband and tells him why he should murder her.
"Schizo Jimmy" - Are modern witches merely persons who are carriers of insanity; typhoid Marys spreading pshchosis?
"The Creature from Cleveland Depths" (Erroneously titled "The Lone Wolf" in the table of contents.) - Gusterson a surface dwelling inventor/novelist dreams up "ticklers" which prove to be more "helpful" to dwellers down under than expected.
"The Casket Demon" - Film star Vivian Sheer is fading and only the notoriety given by fighting her family's demon will substantiate her.
"Mr. Adam's Garden of Evil" - Taggart Adams, publisher of "Kitten" skin magazine, has a sinister secret in his subterranian garden.
My brief "high concept" renderings of these stories does them little justice because the manner of Leiber's story telling and the variety of voices and approaches he uses are so much more that can be described in one sentence synopsis.
Buy this book and be amazed and delighted.
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Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780759252790
ISBN: 0759252793
Label: e-reads.com
Manufacturer: e-reads.com
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 300
Publication Date: 2003-07-23
Publisher: e-reads.com
Studio: e-reads.com |
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