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lori85's review against another edition
4.0
Gertrude Barrows Bennett, who wrote as Francis Stevens, was America's first major female author of speculative fiction and was praised by her contemporary, [a:H.P. Lovecraft|9494|H.P. Lovecraft|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1299165714p2/9494.jpg]. Sadly, "the woman who invented dark fantasy" is today largely forgotten outside of niche circles and this novel, Citadel of Fear (serialized in Argosy Magazine from 1918-19) is considered a lost classic. Indeed, while the tropes of lost eons, malevolent gods, and unspeakable abominations are familiar to anyone who enjoys weird fiction, Bennett's writing is suffused with a kind of hallucinatory gloom that makes even the most mundane scenes feel slightly off-kilter. The story shifts radically from a surreal Aztec city to an ordinary American suburb, yet the madness of the former is still there, lurking, and finally bursting forth in a wild, dreamlike conclusion. The "transmutation" horror also recalls some of [a:Arthur Machen|33546|Arthur Machen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1263324471p2/33546.jpg]'s Little People stories.
The female characters are surprisingly standard for this era, however. One woman naturally faints when confronted by danger and spends the next several weeks as an invalid from the shock. The protagonist's love interest, meanwhile, is annoyingly submissive.
The female characters are surprisingly standard for this era, however. One woman naturally faints when confronted by danger and spends the next several weeks as an invalid from the shock. The protagonist's love interest, meanwhile, is annoyingly submissive.
lleullawgyffes's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
almanilsson's review
4.0
Again one of these books that was written under a man's name because if she had used her own no one would have taken it seriously. This definitely has a pre-Lovecraftian feel to it. It takes place in a South American jungle and has so much to it, melting lots of genres together, but I think it's a great book, full of adventure and things to think about.
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