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jackb_93's review against another edition
Best Fantomas book so far, with the logic defying twists and grisly murders taken up a further notch
magada's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
stacialithub's review against another edition
3.0
Fantômas was enjoyable enough, though a little too gruesome for me in a few parts. Since this is one of those books written in the early 1900s, it is easy to think it will be milder/nicer than current novels when, in fact, that is not necessarily the case. (I always think stuff like that until I remember humans have been bloodthirsty throughout history, such as past times when people would attend public executions as a fun family outing.) This was the first of what was apparently a wildly popular 'pulp fiction' series in France (which also spun-off into multiple silent films), starring a not-quite-Sherlock-Holmes-like police inspector called Juve. Being popular pulp fiction, the story is a little wild, the solving (by the mastermind detective) a little too convenient, & the escaping of the dastardly villain a little too easily gained multiple times (but I guess that's how Fantômas manages to keep Juve on the run for the many sequels in this series). Overall, Fantômas is fiendish, fast-paced, & slightly severe in parts. I probably won't be running out to read the sequels, but I'm glad I delved into this popular piece of French cultural history from the early 1900s.
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