In Nice Girl With 5 Husbands, Fritz Leiber invites us into a sun-scorched Southwestern valley where time itself seems to behave strangely. Artist Tom Dorset arrives seeking inspiration, only to be swept into a dust devil that deposits him in a place where the people are warm, welcoming, shockingly advanced… and living by rules he’s never imagined. When he meets Lois, a charmingly candid young woman who casually mentions her five husbands and a group life beyond any modern ideal, Tom is drawn in by their ease, their brilliance, and the faint suggestion that something impossible is happening. Yet the more enchanted he becomes, the more he senses that this harmony stands on foundations he can’t fully grasp — and that time itself may be twisting around him.
This story blends social speculation, gentle humor, and subtle unease into one of Leiber’s most intriguing visions. With futuristic lifestyles, advanced technology woven casually into daily life, and a haunting sense that the valley exists both within and outside time, it offers a reading experience that lingers.
Fritz Leiber (1910–1992) was one of the defining voices of 20th-century speculative fiction. A master of science fiction, fantasy, and dark psychological tales, he pushed boundaries long before genre labels existed to contain him. His work appeared in Astounding Science Fiction, Unknown, Galaxy, Fantastic, and countless others.
Gifted with wit, intellect, and the ability to blend humanity with the uncanny, Leiber crafted stories that challenged assumptions about culture, technology, fear, and the future. His influence continues to shape writers, filmmakers, and readers seeking the strange possibilities hidden just beyond everyday reality.
