Its such a common narrative among
modernist Sci-Fi/Fantasy pundits to say that the genre was always a
boys' club and that women are only now assuming their rightful place
at the top of the field. (There's probably an io9 article about the subject right now.)
This is bullshit because it erases
women who were writing at the top of their game to great commercial
and critical success almost a hundred years ago. Catherine Lucille
“C. L.” Moore being among the best and brightest of that group.
An Indiana native, Moore made her first
professional sale to Weird Tales
in 1933. In 1934, she made the cover story of Weird Tales'
October issue with Black God's Kiss. It's weird.
Jirel
is the tall, fiery, red-headed, yellow-eyed warrior commander of
Joiry, a castle somewhere in France that has just been captured by
the arrogant and dashing Guillaume. He takes something of a fancy to
her spirited defense of the castle and cavalierly kisses her.
Imprisoned
and seething with wounded pride and rage, she escapes her cell and
with the help of Father Gervase, she sneaks into a dark, forbidden
part of Joiry Castle where a dark tunnel will lead her to a dark
place where she might find the means of her revenge.
Gervase's
pleas fall on deaf ears. Jirel will have her revenge, even at the
cost of her soul, and she descends into a bizarre Hell that isn't
like the kind described in Dante.
It
would be a crime to spoil what follows, but it entails physical
peril, moral peril, spiritual peril, and some very difficult
decisions and repercussions.
Jirel
is an incredible female heroine: strong and flawed, skilled in battle
but with so much growing up left to do. Her battle prowess isn't what
can help her, though, and she must use her judgment to reach the end
of the story, which arguably moves it away from Sword & Sorcery
(where cutting a bloody swath through one's enemies is de
rigueur) to the kind of
weirdness that marked the beginning of Merritt's The Moon
Pool. There's no mistaking that
Moore is a female author, though, and her perspective adds another
layer to the experiences of young Jirel that wouldn't be found in
Robert E. Howard's work.
Less
action-packed and more weirdness & wonder, Black God's
Kiss is an incredible
introduction to an incredible character written by a Grandmaster of
the genre who is leagues better than the modern SF/F writers (male or
female) who've forgotten her legacy. She stands shoulder to shoulder
with Burroughs, Merritt and Howard and deserves to be a household
name.
Respect
due.
Essential
Reading.
2 comments:
Agreed. C.L. Moore is one of the best, and a profound influence on many that came after her. Fritz Leiber, Leigh Brackett and Andre Norton, to name a few.
Thanks for the post.
Thanks! That's the beauty of this Pulp Rev thing. There's so many gems just sitting around.
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