You know, I was just thinking about 'lyrical' and 'good' writing and how much I love Cormac McCarthy after reading your post, Hans, and that made me think of one of my other favorite authors: Michael Chabon. All of his stuff is flipping great, but I'd say the book probably the most applicable to AW is "Gentlemen of the Road" which reads kind of like Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser but without the sorcery. Seriously though, you have a couple of rough guys who wander into a teeteringly stable city state in a vast nomad/bandit haunted wasteland and seriously screw up the fragile status quo. That's the only story I can recommend for AW specifically, but all of his other stuff will make you a better person, which *might* make you better at AW too.