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zare_i's review against another edition
4.0
Meet Jirel of Joiry, first female fantasy heroine., vengeful and harsh warlord on a quest to vanquish his foes and evil-doers. In her adventures she chases her enemies to other plains of existence, fights very disturbing creatures and even comes across a traveler from the distant future.
Very interesting collection of stories - but be warned! If you expect constant action and sword fights you may end up disappointed because main point here is the atmosphere of the story - effects of the surroundings, eerie creatures and sounds, torments and fear of the main character - not just mere hack-n-slash.
Very interesting collection of stories - but be warned! If you expect constant action and sword fights you may end up disappointed because main point here is the atmosphere of the story - effects of the surroundings, eerie creatures and sounds, torments and fear of the main character - not just mere hack-n-slash.
dantastic's review against another edition
2.0
Black God's Kiss: Joiry falls to a conqueror named Guillaume and Jirel goes to hell for a weapon to use against him.
The first story was pretty good. The writing reminds me of Michael Moorcock and the trip to hell uses the strange geometry Lovecraft made popular. The weapon she brought back was a surprise but probably shouldn't have been given the title. Jirel seems like one tough cookie so far, years ahead of her time.
Black God's Shadow: Tormented by the guilt of Guillaume's fate, Joiry returns to hell to put his soul to rest.
The second story wasn't as good as the first and felt like a retread. The setting was the same and the plot was very nearly so. It still had its moments, though.
Jirel Meets Magic: Jirel pursues the wizard Giraud into another realm, intent on killing him.
Yeah, it's pretty much the same story as the first two. Jirel goes to another realm to do something or get something, then kills her enemy. The writing is still good, evocative of Moorcock or Karl Edward Wagner, but the stories are getting tedious.
The Dark Land: On her death bed after a pike wound, Jirel gets whisked off to another realm to be the bride of Pav of Romne, Lord of Darkness.
Seriously? Another plot where Jirel goes to another realm and returns to have everything back to normal? Bleh. I realize the Jirel of Joiry stories weren't meant to be read back to back but come on! The stories are good but they're formulaic as hell.
Hellsgarde: Jirel goes to the ruins of Hellsgarde Castle to find the treasure the long dead owner died for, only to find it inhabited by his descendants. But what hellish purpose would cause them to live there?
At last, a story that breaks from the formula. Even though it's a fairly standard S&S tale, it's probably the best one in the collection.
Quest for the Starstone: Jirel teams up with C.L. Moore's other series character, Northwest Smith, in a tale that spans space and time.
Like a lot of team-up tales, this one failed to meet expectations. The Starstone was kind of a flimsy excuse to get Jirel and Northwest Smith together. Still, it wasn't bad.
The collection of Jirel of Joiry tales wasn't bad but I would have enjoyed it a lot more had I waited a week or two between tales. The first four were essentially the same plot. I can give it a 2.5 but not a 3.
The first story was pretty good. The writing reminds me of Michael Moorcock and the trip to hell uses the strange geometry Lovecraft made popular. The weapon she brought back was a surprise but probably shouldn't have been given the title. Jirel seems like one tough cookie so far, years ahead of her time.
Black God's Shadow: Tormented by the guilt of Guillaume's fate, Joiry returns to hell to put his soul to rest.
The second story wasn't as good as the first and felt like a retread. The setting was the same and the plot was very nearly so. It still had its moments, though.
Jirel Meets Magic: Jirel pursues the wizard Giraud into another realm, intent on killing him.
Yeah, it's pretty much the same story as the first two. Jirel goes to another realm to do something or get something, then kills her enemy. The writing is still good, evocative of Moorcock or Karl Edward Wagner, but the stories are getting tedious.
The Dark Land: On her death bed after a pike wound, Jirel gets whisked off to another realm to be the bride of Pav of Romne, Lord of Darkness.
Seriously? Another plot where Jirel goes to another realm and returns to have everything back to normal? Bleh. I realize the Jirel of Joiry stories weren't meant to be read back to back but come on! The stories are good but they're formulaic as hell.
Hellsgarde: Jirel goes to the ruins of Hellsgarde Castle to find the treasure the long dead owner died for, only to find it inhabited by his descendants. But what hellish purpose would cause them to live there?
At last, a story that breaks from the formula. Even though it's a fairly standard S&S tale, it's probably the best one in the collection.
Quest for the Starstone: Jirel teams up with C.L. Moore's other series character, Northwest Smith, in a tale that spans space and time.
Like a lot of team-up tales, this one failed to meet expectations. The Starstone was kind of a flimsy excuse to get Jirel and Northwest Smith together. Still, it wasn't bad.
The collection of Jirel of Joiry tales wasn't bad but I would have enjoyed it a lot more had I waited a week or two between tales. The first four were essentially the same plot. I can give it a 2.5 but not a 3.
shane_tiernan's review against another edition
1.0
I made it about a third of the way through this book before giving up. It was all about atmosphere. Page after page of description of shadows and flickering lights and the voice forever calling. This was possibly the most repetition I've ever read in a book. It just felt like one long scene where the same things kept happening over and over. The plot is really bad too. A warrior princess punishes and evil conqueror and then falls in love with him and regrets it because she can't stop thinking about his muscley arms around her and the kiss that he stole from her. It's the ultimate "no means yes" sexist plot.
In this first third of the novel the main character was completely alone about 90% of the time, just wandering. Ugh!!!
In this first third of the novel the main character was completely alone about 90% of the time, just wandering. Ugh!!!
ddmckenna's review against another edition
Good but strange. I feel like there’s a lot to dissect in here.
It’s neat to see a feminine protagonist in the genre but there’s some weird stuff in there. The requirement to make Jirel an admirable hero seems to be that she be fierce but there is also some effort to show that she is “good”. However “good” doesn’t take the form we are used to I guess. She speaks with relish of the torture instruments in her dungeons, and she swears oaths to kill people without there ever really being any explanation to the reader as to WHY the person might deserve to die. She lays siege to a wizard to get the Star Stone and it’s kind of just assumed he’s evil without really ever telling is why she knows he’s evil.
During the first story Jirel is introduced being thrown before her enemy who forces a kiss from her. But later on in the story there is a line where he is referred to as her lover? What’s that about?
It’s always weird that although Jirel is supposed to be a great warrior the stories don’t have her fighting “onscreen” very much... and most of the victories we see her win are not won with her sword either.
And what is up with the way she treats her soldiers/guards? She’s always talking down to them (calling them womanly like that’s an insult - but I know it was back in the 1930s) and I don’t know why they’d be so loyal to her when she’s so mean to them. It reminds me of Hell’s Kitchen a bit. Not the employer I would want. I’ll do my job without verbal abuse thank you very much.
I walked away from this thinking it’s cool I’ve listened to something sort of historical in the genre, but not loving Jirel exactly.
It’s neat to see a feminine protagonist in the genre but there’s some weird stuff in there. The requirement to make Jirel an admirable hero seems to be that she be fierce but there is also some effort to show that she is “good”. However “good” doesn’t take the form we are used to I guess. She speaks with relish of the torture instruments in her dungeons, and she swears oaths to kill people without there ever really being any explanation to the reader as to WHY the person might deserve to die. She lays siege to a wizard to get the Star Stone and it’s kind of just assumed he’s evil without really ever telling is why she knows he’s evil.
During the first story Jirel is introduced being thrown before her enemy who forces a kiss from her. But later on in the story there is a line where he is referred to as her lover? What’s that about?
It’s always weird that although Jirel is supposed to be a great warrior the stories don’t have her fighting “onscreen” very much... and most of the victories we see her win are not won with her sword either.
And what is up with the way she treats her soldiers/guards? She’s always talking down to them (calling them womanly like that’s an insult - but I know it was back in the 1930s) and I don’t know why they’d be so loyal to her when she’s so mean to them. It reminds me of Hell’s Kitchen a bit. Not the employer I would want. I’ll do my job without verbal abuse thank you very much.
I walked away from this thinking it’s cool I’ve listened to something sort of historical in the genre, but not loving Jirel exactly.
mferrante83's review against another edition
4.0
Jirel of Joiry first introduced by C. L. Moore in 1934 in the pages of Weird Tales is noted as being one of the first post-Conan Howard influenced sword and sorcery protagonists as well as the first heroine of the sword and sorcery genre (ed note: I won’t lie that first bit about Conan comes via wikipedia, the reference was cited as being from Lin Carter so anyone who wants to take umbrage may rightly do so). Paizo, once again continuing their brilliant use of the Planet Stories name, republished all five of the Jirel stories as single volume in 2007 as Black God’s Kiss. Moore’s fiction is notable for its use of exotic landscapes and in each of Jirel tales the location plays a key role in informing the tone of the story. Of course, while Jirel is well versed in use of arms, her real key trait though is her temper, her indomitable will, and her independence.
Jirel herself, particularly her will and determination, forms the axis upon which all of her stories are told. The primary conflict of each tale, while typically involving some kind of deadly threat, is more often than not also a threat that seeks to suborn Jirel’s mastery of her self and her destiny. In the opening Jirel tale, the titular Black God’s Kiss, that threat comes from a conquering warlord who dominates Joiry itself and seeks to possess Jirel. Jirel’s rage over this, prompted by a stolen kiss, is what drives her to consort with otherworldly and horrific entities in order to prove that she cannot be mastered. The tale is also one of the few instances where Jirel’s flaws shine through wherein her drive for independence and her rage blinds her to deeper emotions. That first story reveals much as Jirel’s anger proves to be a strength and a weakness. In Jirel Meets Magic it is Jirel’s anger and her pledge of vengeance against a sorcerer that sets her at odds with an ancient and powerful god-like sorceress and in The Dark Land it is Jirel’s rage (even in death) at an ancient entity which desires her for his wife that drives her forward to near destruction.
Notable, in that it doesn’t quite set Jirel up against a near god-like power, is Hellsgarde. Hellsgarde see Jirel finding her way to a hidden, haunted castle finds it occupied by a mysterious and unsettling group. Hellsgarde is an excellent example of one of the Jirel tales more endearing elements: the use of horror. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Jirel, birthed amongst the pages of Weird Tales, is plagued by horrific elements but what is a surprise is just how integral that atmosphere is to each and every Jirel story. Moore excels at crafting a horrific atmosphere; covering her stories in a cloak of unease. From Jirel’s initial approach to the titular castle where she is greeted by a ghastly sight of soldiers speared to the ground outside its gates (in a particular moment of seemingly macabre glee Moore has one of said soldiers slide wetly to ground as Jirel passes) to the castles strange inhabitants who can see in the dark and imbibe a strange meat, to the final revelation of just what those people are the sense of darkness and unease is palpable.
In truth it is the landscape in each of the tales that often provides the weird elements of the stories. In Black God’s Kiss and Black God’s Shadow it is the strange dimension with its unfamiliar stars, and strange inhabitants. In Jirel Meets Magic it is the forested land beyond the door in a magician’s tower and in The Dark Land it is the strange world Jirel is drawn to after death. In each Moore manages to paint a truly strange landscape far different from our own and one that lends an air of other-worldliness to these stories that makes them rather unique compared to what I have read in the genre so far.
There is a certain timeless quality to the Jirel tales. They are as absorbing as they were over 80 years ago. Moore was right at home in Weird Tales as the strange and dark are right home in the land of Joiry. While others might quail when facing off against those alien and inhuman entities that exist in this world and others Jirel’s certainty of self and her will to remain her own person serve as formidable weapons where other mortal arms might fail. I admit that I skipped the final tale in this collection, Quest of the Starstone (co-written with Moore’s husband Henry Kutner), which is a crossover featuring Jirel and Moore’s other creation Northwest Smith. I’ll be returning to that tale once I’ve read some Northwest Smith stories. If you’re a fantasy fan and haven’t had a chance to take a look at C. L. Moore’s Jirel of Joiry than you really should do yourself a favor and check her out. Moore’s tales are vividly drawn featuring atmosphere of dread that is all too rare in most modern fantasy fiction.
Jirel herself, particularly her will and determination, forms the axis upon which all of her stories are told. The primary conflict of each tale, while typically involving some kind of deadly threat, is more often than not also a threat that seeks to suborn Jirel’s mastery of her self and her destiny. In the opening Jirel tale, the titular Black God’s Kiss, that threat comes from a conquering warlord who dominates Joiry itself and seeks to possess Jirel. Jirel’s rage over this, prompted by a stolen kiss, is what drives her to consort with otherworldly and horrific entities in order to prove that she cannot be mastered. The tale is also one of the few instances where Jirel’s flaws shine through wherein her drive for independence and her rage blinds her to deeper emotions. That first story reveals much as Jirel’s anger proves to be a strength and a weakness. In Jirel Meets Magic it is Jirel’s anger and her pledge of vengeance against a sorcerer that sets her at odds with an ancient and powerful god-like sorceress and in The Dark Land it is Jirel’s rage (even in death) at an ancient entity which desires her for his wife that drives her forward to near destruction.
Notable, in that it doesn’t quite set Jirel up against a near god-like power, is Hellsgarde. Hellsgarde see Jirel finding her way to a hidden, haunted castle finds it occupied by a mysterious and unsettling group. Hellsgarde is an excellent example of one of the Jirel tales more endearing elements: the use of horror. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Jirel, birthed amongst the pages of Weird Tales, is plagued by horrific elements but what is a surprise is just how integral that atmosphere is to each and every Jirel story. Moore excels at crafting a horrific atmosphere; covering her stories in a cloak of unease. From Jirel’s initial approach to the titular castle where she is greeted by a ghastly sight of soldiers speared to the ground outside its gates (in a particular moment of seemingly macabre glee Moore has one of said soldiers slide wetly to ground as Jirel passes) to the castles strange inhabitants who can see in the dark and imbibe a strange meat, to the final revelation of just what those people are the sense of darkness and unease is palpable.
In truth it is the landscape in each of the tales that often provides the weird elements of the stories. In Black God’s Kiss and Black God’s Shadow it is the strange dimension with its unfamiliar stars, and strange inhabitants. In Jirel Meets Magic it is the forested land beyond the door in a magician’s tower and in The Dark Land it is the strange world Jirel is drawn to after death. In each Moore manages to paint a truly strange landscape far different from our own and one that lends an air of other-worldliness to these stories that makes them rather unique compared to what I have read in the genre so far.
There is a certain timeless quality to the Jirel tales. They are as absorbing as they were over 80 years ago. Moore was right at home in Weird Tales as the strange and dark are right home in the land of Joiry. While others might quail when facing off against those alien and inhuman entities that exist in this world and others Jirel’s certainty of self and her will to remain her own person serve as formidable weapons where other mortal arms might fail. I admit that I skipped the final tale in this collection, Quest of the Starstone (co-written with Moore’s husband Henry Kutner), which is a crossover featuring Jirel and Moore’s other creation Northwest Smith. I’ll be returning to that tale once I’ve read some Northwest Smith stories. If you’re a fantasy fan and haven’t had a chance to take a look at C. L. Moore’s Jirel of Joiry than you really should do yourself a favor and check her out. Moore’s tales are vividly drawn featuring atmosphere of dread that is all too rare in most modern fantasy fiction.
thecrankyreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
thomcat's review against another edition
4.0
I liked the later stories more than the first two. Will definitely read more C.L. Moore
caddysnack's review against another edition
4.0
This is definitely one of the oddest books I have ever read. Originally published in the 1930s in serials, these 5 stories follow the warrior queen Jirel of Joiry. The stories primarily take place in dark otherworlds, different realms of hell to us, as Jirel is forced to battle with the supernatural and evil. The books are rich with imagery, there is relatively little action and even less dialogue. I definitely intend to read these again, and let these worlds sink into my imagination even more.
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
I must admit that I didn't expect these stories to have quite as much female agency and psychological/metaphysical drama as they did (even if there are aspects that are very much of the time [and of the pulps]). I really enjoyed these stories (although the mash-up that is the end story is nowhere near as good as the just Jirel stories).