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A review by fredsphere
Black God's Kiss by C.L. Moore
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
A series of stories connected only by their protagonist, the warrior queen Jirel of Joiry. She's from Medieval France and she travels to Hell and alternate dimensions, meeting spacemen from the future along the way, so there are a lot of genres packed into this blender.
The first 20% were as strong as any pulp fiction you'll find in any era. And the last story was quite good, bringing in Moore's other famous protagonist Northwest Smith, the fastest blaster in the Solar System. But this book sags somewhat in the middle, costing it a fifth star. I felt the purple prose failed in those stories where the metaphysics of the worldbuilding lacked detail, leading to hand-waving and empty promises of just how amazing and profound and strange and awesome things were.
C.L. Moore is the poster girl that proves the pulps were not the exclusive domain of male authors. She's good, but it remains true that my heart belongs to another. If you want the very pinnacle of pulp fiction, I urge you to seek Leigh Brackett. BRACKETT IS BEST!
The first 20% were as strong as any pulp fiction you'll find in any era. And the last story was quite good, bringing in Moore's other famous protagonist Northwest Smith, the fastest blaster in the Solar System. But this book sags somewhat in the middle, costing it a fifth star. I felt the purple prose failed in those stories where the metaphysics of the worldbuilding lacked detail, leading to hand-waving and empty promises of just how amazing and profound and strange and awesome things were.
C.L. Moore is the poster girl that proves the pulps were not the exclusive domain of male authors. She's good, but it remains true that my heart belongs to another. If you want the very pinnacle of pulp fiction, I urge you to seek Leigh Brackett. BRACKETT IS BEST!