Customer Reviews

The Best of C. L. Moore

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The classic early SF/fantasy tales by Catherine Moore were so far ahead of their time that the extent of her influence is mind-boggling. In fact, many modern authors may consider themselves heavily influenced by other authors who were themselves heavily influenced by Moore. The short stories collected here are all from the 1930s and 1940s, and you can easily see Moore's insistent influence on vast realms of fantastic fiction. The stupendous "Shambleau," dealing with a bizarre alien predator that oozes terrifying sexual tension, broke so much new ground in science fiction, horror, and goth that the reader will be astounded to learn that it's from 1933. A year later Moore probably invented the fantasy femme fatale in "Black God's Kiss," featuring the amazingly butt-kicking (for 1934) heroine Jirel of Joiry, who hates her male oppressor so much that she recruits the very forces of hell to taste revenge. Moore may have also invented the cyborg (and a female one, no less) in "No Woman Born," while three different tales here make early inroads into the unknown horrors of time travel, most notably "Greater than Gods" in which a man learns that both of the paths he may take in an important life decision will lead to the downfall of humanity. The late Catherine Moore deserves vast appreciation and respect from historically-minded readers in several different genres of fantastic fiction. This enthralling collection shows why - relentlessly. [~doomsdayer520~]

I do agree totally with the other reviewer - it would be difficult to overestimate the true meaning of those stories for the beginning and further development of SF and horror. And in that, unfortunately lies its only value in our days.

Lord of the Rings, while written "ages ago", still stands as a totally modern masterpiece. The language is beautiful and the book still grips you in its magic and never lets go.

Nothing about that collection grips or delights. Yes, the subjects were revolutionary for their time - so were the first typing machines... which are now often considered visual works of art, but please show me one person still using one?

Moore's writing style, while more or less typical for those times, is very hard to read or take seriously today. Heavily descriptive, her language feels sticky in some way, cloyingly emotional. She constantly uses whole pages where 20-30 leaner lines would have been enough. Reading her felt like trying to make my way through a dense swamp growth, with wines and cobwebs and rubbish sticking to eyes, hands and every exposed bit of brain.

Those stories might be in the base of all modern SF/horror works, but - like early typewriters or house-size computers- their place is in a museum. They did not age well.

And I am not ever starting on the subject of the cover work - it's too ridiculous and stupid by half even to complain about it.