The Black Giant: Or, Dainty Lance in Jeopardy

DIME NOVEL

Trapper Dainty Lance and his loyal sidekick are ambushed by four bandits in the wilderness, but their lives are saved in the nick of time by a giant black man named Hercules and his “handler,” a dainty blonde white woman named the Snow Sprite. Warned that the main party of bandits awaits them at their campsite, the group must figure out how to overcome their tormentors with the help–or hindrance–of Snow Sprite's old father.

While I can see why dime novels such as this one were poplular–they are indeed action-packed and filled with likeable protagonists–the description and rendering of Hercules as fiercely barbaric when fighting but “childlike”, “slow”, and “like a tame dog” when following the orders of the Snow Sprite (who later instructs him to take orders from Dainty Lance, as well) made me unable to enjoy much. The writing was also dense and overly descriptive, a characteristic of the time period in which it was written. The action and narrative could be revamped and streamlined for more contemporary use, but unless the racial issues are resolved, I'd consign it to its current place as a little-remembered relic of the past.