Ratings4
Average rating2.8
With her red hair flowing, her yellow eyes glinting like embers, and her face streaked with blood, Jirel is strong, fearless, and driven by honor. The fierce, proud, and relentless commander of warriors, standing tall above her enemies and simmering with rage, Jirel bids farewell to the world of treacherous men and walks through a forbidden door into Hell itself in pursuit of freedom, justice, and revenge. These are the classic tales of blood and honor that catapulted C.L. Moore into the legendary ranks of such acclaimed writers as Robert E. Howard and Edgar Rice Burroughs in the golden age of sword and sorcery. First published in the magazine Weird Tales in the 1930s, Moore's fantastic medieval adventures are heightened by a savage, romantic vision that helped define the genre, earning her recognition as a Grand Master for lifetime achievement by the World Fantasy Convention.
Reviews with the most likes.
Statuesque ginger
so horned up she can't think straight
murderous hotpants.
Podcast review (swedish) http://lashart.podbean.com/e/cl-moore-jirel-of-joiry/
A bit conflicted about this book.
While the writing is lush and beautifully scripted, the main character reads like the same personality trait over and over again. She's steel. She's a redhead. She's a sword prone to shouting and violence. Every other eye she meets is a clashing of blades.
Although I sometimes enjoyed reading this (from what I gathered) edifying character of Moore's prowess for writing, it was more due to the quality and awe of the narrative and worldbuilding than the characters.
Moore skirts the thin lines between scince-fiction and fantasy constantly and seamlessly, but spends little time fleshing out the realness of her characters.
Reading this, I wonder if Moore rose to prominence at a time women in SFF were few because she writes female characters like a man abidding to the female character conventions of the time. Joiry's descriptions, and the way she spends her adventures getting coveted and/or assaulted by men, certainly fit the stereotype.