Scan barcode
arachan's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Disclaimer: The Jules de Grandin stories were written for the Weird Tales Magazine, famous for publishing H.P Lovecraft, Robert Howard and others. A certain level of racism/sexism/general-isms is to be expected. There are a couple of howlers but honestly, nothing as pervasive as Lovecraft.
I will say that these stories are significantly more readable than those of Lovecraft. Seabury Quinn was far and away the most popular writer for Weird Tales and these were the most requested and beloved stories. It's really obvious why. Quinn owes an obvious debt to Conan Doyle - Jules de Grandin also puts me in mind of Christie's Poirot but I don't think the time-line is quite right.
The stories are fun. Not super serious and formulaic in a way that can get repetitive if you read the whole book in one sitting. They work better if read one at a time but they are well-paced and fun. Definitely intended to be published in a periodic magazine.
Jules de Grandin is a lot of fun. A little stereotypical but full of energy and confidence. He's also (as I read him) coded as transmasc. Dr. Trowbridge, our relentlessly materialistic narrator, constantly talks about de Grandin's womanly proportions and habits. Not intentional, given the times it was written, but it makes more sense to me.
I will say that these stories are significantly more readable than those of Lovecraft. Seabury Quinn was far and away the most popular writer for Weird Tales and these were the most requested and beloved stories. It's really obvious why. Quinn owes an obvious debt to Conan Doyle - Jules de Grandin also puts me in mind of Christie's Poirot but I don't think the time-line is quite right.
The stories are fun. Not super serious and formulaic in a way that can get repetitive if you read the whole book in one sitting. They work better if read one at a time but they are well-paced and fun. Definitely intended to be published in a periodic magazine.
Jules de Grandin is a lot of fun. A little stereotypical but full of energy and confidence. He's also (as I read him) coded as transmasc. Dr. Trowbridge, our relentlessly materialistic narrator, constantly talks about de Grandin's womanly proportions and habits. Not intentional, given the times it was written, but it makes more sense to me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Racism, Xenophobia, Sexism, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, and Racial slurs
More...