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Sword & Sorcery
Flashing Swords
Pitch Black Books
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Reviewed by S. C. Bryce
Bruce Byfield's Witches of the Mind: A Critical Study of Fritz Leiber is one of a very small list of bona fide critical works on speculative fiction in general and Fritz Leiber in particular. Byfield is clearly an adoring fan of Leiber, but not slavishly so. He provides a "warts and all" approach to reviewing Leiber's work, covering not only his sword-and-sorcery masterpieces, the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories, but other works (both award-winning and lesser known) as well.
Byfield divides Leiber's works into four chronological periods: Lovecraftian Period (1936-1949), Gravesian Period (1949-1958), Early Jungian Period (1958-1974), and Late Jungian Period (1975-present). These periods are named after three of the chief influences on Leiber's writing: H.P. Lovecraft, Robert Graves, and Carl Jung. Other influences that Byfield discusses include Henrik Ibsen, Shakespeare, and Joseph Campbell. Certainly some background in psychology, philosophy, mythology, and literature would be helpful to the reader, although it's not necessary because Byfield does spend time explaining the various concepts in Witches of the Mind.
Should the reader wonder whether Witches of the Mind is an example of over-analysis, remember that Byfield had the input, blessing, and praise of both Leiber and his son, Justin Leiber. Additionally, though not all Byfield's arguments or observations are compelling (in other words, there are other interpretations of Leiber's work that are supportable by the data included in Witches of the Mind), they are certainly intriguing and astonishingly well researched. Further, Byfield is clear about the limits of his analysis—a level of honesty that not all critics bother with.
This book is geared toward devotees of Leiber; certainly fans will find much to mull over. However, even relative newcomers to Leiber's body of work can find satisfaction here, as Byfield provides handy summaries of many of Leiber's stories. Further, aspiring writers may be fascinated to watch how one writer's struggles with substance abuse, family deaths, and a nontraditional upbringing combine with philosophical, psychological, and mythological exploration to create an award-winning, unforgettable, and profoundly influential body of work. Although it can be a difficult read, I rate Witches of the Mind a 9 out of 10.
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| Friday, May 16, 2008 Copyright 2008, SWORDandSORCERY.org |