C. L. Moore created Jirel, ruler of Joiry, in reaction to the beefy total-testosterone blood-and-thunder tales of '30s pulp magazines, but Jirel is...
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May 19, 2008
Werner
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Originally published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in the late 1930s, Moore's five stories ("Black God's Kiss," "Black God's Shadow," "Jirel Meets Magic," "The Dark Land," and "Hellsgarde") featuring beautiful swordswoman Jirel, lady ruler of a feudal fiefdom in Dark Ages France, were as germinal in the development of sword-and-sorcery fantasy as the work of her contemporary, Robert E. Howard. Jirel is a strong and complex character, the firs
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Dec 11, 2008
Elizabeth
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Jirel is the ruler and battle commander of Joiry. She fights with her men, the fiercest of them all. She has red hair, yellow eyes, the beauty of the sword's edge, tortures as much as any other medieval ruler, and once fell in love. Now you know how much I know about Jirel, both from the back cover and when I got to the end of the book.
The book is really interesting. C.L. Moore is the earliest female fantasy writer I've read. These stories about Jirel of Joiry were published in the More...
The book is really interesting. C.L. Moore is the earliest female fantasy writer I've read. These stories about Jirel of Joiry were published in the More...
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Jul 25, 2007
Ross
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If Swords and Sorcery is the brand of fantasy you’re looking for, then C.L. Moore’s Jirel of Joiry is just the girl for you. Red-haired, armor-clad, and dealing out destruction with her massive two-handed sword, Jirel set the standard for tough warrior women decades before Xena, Warrior Princess or even Tolkien’s Arwen and Éowyn. Girl power, indeed.
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Dec 16, 2011
reverend dak
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I found this at a used bookstore for cheap. I knew Moore was on the Appendix N list abd I thought I would give it a shot. I read this after reading Howard's Sword Woman and thought it would be the same kind of thing. Both originally published in wierd pulp & horror mags from the early 1900's, but they ended up totally different. Jirel was royalty and leadership from the start and her adventure was more surreal and strange. Moore's style was also a stark contrast from Howard's. While Howard is mo
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Jul 23, 2008
Charles
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Jirel is one of the very first, if not the first, swordswomen adventurer. This is heroic fantasy with Moore's deft touch on the imagery.
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Sep 06, 2011
Mathieu
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Ce court recueil regroupe six nouvelles de fantasy, initialement parues dans des revues américaines dans les années 1930, et mettant en scène Jirel de Joiry, une femme-chevalier française.
Contemporaine de Lovecraft, Catherine L. Moore a publié pas mal de textes dans les pulps américains, écrivant aussi bien de la fantasy que de la SF (avec le héros Northwest Smith).
Les six récits que l’on a ici sont très disparates, car publiés à plusieurs années d’intervalles. Le style est malheureusement un p More...
Contemporaine de Lovecraft, Catherine L. Moore a publié pas mal de textes dans les pulps américains, écrivant aussi bien de la fantasy que de la SF (avec le héros Northwest Smith).
Les six récits que l’on a ici sont très disparates, car publiés à plusieurs années d’intervalles. Le style est malheureusement un p More...
Oct 17, 2011
Derek
rated it:
Moore's descriptions tend to the excessive, and this may not be to any particular reader's taste.
I was struck by the similarities of the stories: each seemed to represent a journey into an alien otherworld where the laws of physics and possibly the laws of morality are different. In particular, "Black God's Kiss" and "Black God's Shadow" take place in a plane or realm that makes very little sense to us, but it still abides by some strange rules. With these stori More...
I was struck by the similarities of the stories: each seemed to represent a journey into an alien otherworld where the laws of physics and possibly the laws of morality are different. In particular, "Black God's Kiss" and "Black God's Shadow" take place in a plane or realm that makes very little sense to us, but it still abides by some strange rules. With these stori More...
Nov 20, 2009
Jake
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I had never heard of C.L. Moore or her stories until a friend lent me this book, which is a bit sad, since she seems to have been quite a figure. Specifically, she was one of the earliest women writers to enter into the sword-and-sorcery genre, publishing stories in the same magazines as Robert E. Howard and H.P. Lovecraft.
Jirel of Joiry collects some of those stories, specifically the ones that deal with...Jirel of Joiry. Jirel, the ruler of a fictional kingdom located somewhere in More...
Jirel of Joiry collects some of those stories, specifically the ones that deal with...Jirel of Joiry. Jirel, the ruler of a fictional kingdom located somewhere in More...
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Dec 09, 2011
Milena
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A must read for any fantasy fan, and particularly those who want strong female characters. Yes, I know that "strong female characters" are themselves a cliche, but Jirel of Joiry was there when the genre itself was being born, before there were any real cliches. Go read this. Now.
Aug 08, 2011
thegift
rated it:
Proto-feminist sword and sorcery, very imagistic, sensual, emotional, epic archetypes, violent, not very intellectual. Difference from male authors? Woman is not prize or prey. Woman is Heroine.
May 05, 2010
February
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Maybe it was cool back then, but this style of writing grates on me as a reader of 2010. Did not finish chapter 1.
Aug 11, 2009
Arlene
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Before Xena, there was Jirel. I actually wrote a college essay on this book.
May 30, 2011
Paul
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Moore is not Howard. This is just a set of "weird tales". Nothing like the sword and sorcery genre I was expecting. Too high expectations.
Aug 06, 2008
Amanda
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Stories originally published in the 1930s in Wierd Tales. Jirel is not a shrinking violet content to let the boys have all the fun. The Lady of Joiry is tough and fights to defend all that belongs to her, and she's willing to to risk everything to bring her enemies down.
I love it that C.L. Moore was writing feminist fiction back when women's suffrage was still a new idea.
I love it that C.L. Moore was writing feminist fiction back when women's suffrage was still a new idea.
May 20, 2010
Eric
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A pretty amazing sword & sorcery romp. I can't believe I've never read it before. Moore's writing is quite good, not overwrought like some pulp stuff. The book also feels pretty fresh and original. Not a lot female characters in the sub-genre have been quite like this.I was disappointed she only wrote this handful of Jirel stories.
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