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xeni's review
I read the first story of this collection, and I was loving the weird, strange hellscape and odd creatures Jirel was encountering. It was really cool. And then... what was written to be a feminist work, something that was described as "going against the he-man brawn of the 1930's pulp stories" turned into sexual assault apologizing. So, I'm not finishing this series of short stories.
aldoojeda's review against another edition
4.0
Ever since I found out about C.L. Moore, I wanted to read Jirel of Joiry; a female writer with a female protagonist in the pulp era? I'm in!
This book gathers all the stories from the titular character. The first three (Black God's Kiss, Black God's Shadow, Jirel Meets Magic) that present us Jirel, the indomitable, fierce warrior, are actually very weak. Moore adds obstacle after obstacle for the sake of it, but doesn't adds up well. I was starting to believe that maybe it was too much hype for Jirel, but then the other two tales (The Dark Land, Hellsgarde) told me differently. These are great stories and actually made me wonder at every paragraph what will happen next. The last story (Quest of the Starstone, written along with Henry Kuttner, his husband) is a funny tale that introduces us to Northwest Smith. Also a very compelling story, although I believe it takes away a little protagonism from Jirel, who sometimes just stands there watching what Smith will do next.
What makes this book interesting, is that it let us see the evolution of Moore, from an inexperienced writer to a narrator capable of conveying powerful stories. And, in a genre dominated by the likes of Robert E. Howard and his Conan the Barbarian, it feels like a breath of fresh air.
This book gathers all the stories from the titular character. The first three (Black God's Kiss, Black God's Shadow, Jirel Meets Magic) that present us Jirel, the indomitable, fierce warrior, are actually very weak. Moore adds obstacle after obstacle for the sake of it, but doesn't adds up well. I was starting to believe that maybe it was too much hype for Jirel, but then the other two tales (The Dark Land, Hellsgarde) told me differently. These are great stories and actually made me wonder at every paragraph what will happen next. The last story (Quest of the Starstone, written along with Henry Kuttner, his husband) is a funny tale that introduces us to Northwest Smith. Also a very compelling story, although I believe it takes away a little protagonism from Jirel, who sometimes just stands there watching what Smith will do next.
What makes this book interesting, is that it let us see the evolution of Moore, from an inexperienced writer to a narrator capable of conveying powerful stories. And, in a genre dominated by the likes of Robert E. Howard and his Conan the Barbarian, it feels like a breath of fresh air.
valyvre's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ashleylm's review
3.0
Echoing what some others have said: I found the descriptions worked well, Jirel herself not terribly interesting, and the plots godawful dull. The climax was almost always some variation of Jirel thinks/endures/waits/focuses/looks/imagines/stands/concentrates, which is about a dull a climax as you can wish for. The author appears not to care for multiple characters and/or dialogue very much, and eschews them as much as possible. It's mostly Jirel standing somewhere, with description of what she sees.
She also has an apparent obsession with blackness (story 1: the black god, story 2: the black god again, story 3: black stones, black stump, black hair, black-robed wizard, black sky (despite it being daytime), black mountains, black blob at the doorway, story 4: entire black dimension, black villain with black beard, black mountains, black ocean, black black black black black etc. ...
If she had written some variant of William Hope Hodgson's The Night Land it might have been amazing. But as far as sword and sorcery goes, yowzer, this is tiresome meat. So 5 stars for description, 1 star for plot/character, kind of a low 3.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
She also has an apparent obsession with blackness (story 1: the black god, story 2: the black god again, story 3: black stones, black stump, black hair, black-robed wizard, black sky (despite it being daytime), black mountains, black blob at the doorway, story 4: entire black dimension, black villain with black beard, black mountains, black ocean, black black black black black etc. ...
If she had written some variant of William Hope Hodgson's The Night Land it might have been amazing. But as far as sword and sorcery goes, yowzer, this is tiresome meat. So 5 stars for description, 1 star for plot/character, kind of a low 3.
(Note: 5 stars = amazing, wonderful, 4 = very good book, 3 = decent read, 2 = disappointing, 1 = awful, just awful. I'm fairly good at picking for myself so end up with a lot of 4s). I feel a lot of readers automatically render any book they enjoy 5, but I grade on a curve!
books_and_keys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
alexiachantel's review
5.0
This compilation of short stories is stunning. Black God's Kiss is eerie and by far my favorite. Jirel's vibrancy and the alienness of the landscape that is hell are wonderfully written. There is so much writing inspiration within these stories.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
5.0
Some of the best dark, raw, brutal, and libidinous sword and sorcery to come out of the pulp eras; puts Robert E. Howard to shame. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2021/06/06/planetary-peril-and-seductive-sorcery/
gorillotaur's review
2.0
Podcast review (swedish) http://lashart.podbean.com/e/cl-moore-jirel-of-joiry/
lleullawgyffes's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0