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claubeb's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
skjam's review
5.0
This is a huge book, and pretty much everything in it is choice, being some of the best stories from thirty years of Black Mask magazine, the number one source of hard-boiled detective and crime fiction in the pulp days.
I especially liked some of the shorter stories that sneaked a punch into a few pages.
As was the trend at the time, there are both overt and contextual racism and sexism in some of the stories; it's noted in one introduction that Black Mask readers were not fond of independent, competent female leads. The story "The Color of Honor" especially turns upon the lead character's racism, in a way that makes his mindset nearly incomprehensible to some modern readers.
Still, the wide collection of authors and types of stories make this a rewarding read and the page to price ratio makes this an excellent bang for your buck.
For more anthology reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/anthology/
I especially liked some of the shorter stories that sneaked a punch into a few pages.
As was the trend at the time, there are both overt and contextual racism and sexism in some of the stories; it's noted in one introduction that Black Mask readers were not fond of independent, competent female leads. The story "The Color of Honor" especially turns upon the lead character's racism, in a way that makes his mindset nearly incomprehensible to some modern readers.
Still, the wide collection of authors and types of stories make this a rewarding read and the page to price ratio makes this an excellent bang for your buck.
For more anthology reviews, see http://www.skjam.com/tag/anthology/
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