The Book of the New Sun

The Book of the New Sun, Volume 1: Shadow and Claw by Gene Wolfe (Fantasy Masterworks #1) contains "The Shadow of the Torturer" and "The Claw of the Conciliator", the first two books of the highly regarded four book series. They are set on the Urth in the far future, and relate the reminiscences of Severian, a journeyman of the guild of torturers. As with all Wolfe's books, they are very well-written, and are full of ambiguities and layers of meaning. They contain many interesting characters, strange events and vivid images.

As much as I admire Wolfe's books I do find them quite frustrating to read, mainly because of their strangeness and the way that the plot darts off in unexpected directions; they almost make me long for simple linear plots. However, the Book of the New Sun is perhaps his most accessible series and is definitely worth reading.

The First Book of Lankhmar

The First Book of Lankhmar by Fritz Leiber (Fantasy Masterworks #18) comprises the four books "Swords and Deviltry", "Swords against Death", "Swords in the Mist" and "Swords against Wizardry". Each book contains a number of short and longer stories, relating the adventures of the Gray Mouser, an accomplished swordsman and thief, and Fafhrd, a giant barbarian warrior. The stories are fantastical, witty and often entertaining, but I found it hard to really identify with the protagonists, possibly because of the short story form. Overall though, the stories are interesting, the writing is good, and the book is worth reading.