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Jirel of Joiry and Selected Stories
Not yet published
Expected 24 Nov 26The first woman protagonist of the sword-and-sorcery genre, the strong and defiant Jirel of Joiry
In the pages of Weird Tales which introduced readers to the writings of some of the most legendary authors in the speculative genre, one heroine’s name stood out from the rest with her bravery and Jirel of Joiry. With fiery red hair, lion-yellow eyes, and a mighty two-handed sword, Jirel’s quick wit and defiant demeanor immediately entranced readers and cemented her as one of the first and most iconic characters in the sword-and-sorcery genre.
Jirel was the creation of C.L. Moore, a secretary at a bank in Indianapolis, whose short stories published in the premier pulp fiction magazines of the 1930s stood out from others with their unique blend of engaging prose, thematic depth, rapid pacing, and sensual, lucid depictions of imagined historical and interstellar worlds. With Jirel, Moore introduced a physically and emotionally powerful warrior woman whose hot-blooded fearlessness still inspires the strong women protagonists in the genre today. Featuring seven classic Jirel tales and three of Moore’s finest short stories — “Shambleau”, “No Woman Born”, and “Vintage Season” — this collection celebrates one of the most influential speculative fiction authors who changed the rules of the game for early twentieth-century fantastic literature.
In the pages of Weird Tales which introduced readers to the writings of some of the most legendary authors in the speculative genre, one heroine’s name stood out from the rest with her bravery and Jirel of Joiry. With fiery red hair, lion-yellow eyes, and a mighty two-handed sword, Jirel’s quick wit and defiant demeanor immediately entranced readers and cemented her as one of the first and most iconic characters in the sword-and-sorcery genre.
Jirel was the creation of C.L. Moore, a secretary at a bank in Indianapolis, whose short stories published in the premier pulp fiction magazines of the 1930s stood out from others with their unique blend of engaging prose, thematic depth, rapid pacing, and sensual, lucid depictions of imagined historical and interstellar worlds. With Jirel, Moore introduced a physically and emotionally powerful warrior woman whose hot-blooded fearlessness still inspires the strong women protagonists in the genre today. Featuring seven classic Jirel tales and three of Moore’s finest short stories — “Shambleau”, “No Woman Born”, and “Vintage Season” — this collection celebrates one of the most influential speculative fiction authors who changed the rules of the game for early twentieth-century fantastic literature.
368 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication November 24, 2026
About the author
C.L. Moore
356 books230 followersExcerpted from Wikipedia:
Catherine Lucille Moore was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, as C. L. Moore. She was one of the first women to write in the genre, and paved the way for many other female writers in speculative fiction.
Moore met Henry Kuttner, also a science fiction writer, in 1936 when he wrote her a fan letter (mistakenly thinking that "C. L. Moore" was a man), and they married in 1940.
Afterwards, almost all of their stories were written in collaboration under various pseudonyms, most commonly Lewis Padgett (another pseudonym, one Moore often employed for works that involved little or no collaboration, was Lawrence O'Donnell).
Catherine Lucille Moore was an American science fiction and fantasy writer, as C. L. Moore. She was one of the first women to write in the genre, and paved the way for many other female writers in speculative fiction.
Moore met Henry Kuttner, also a science fiction writer, in 1936 when he wrote her a fan letter (mistakenly thinking that "C. L. Moore" was a man), and they married in 1940.
Afterwards, almost all of their stories were written in collaboration under various pseudonyms, most commonly Lewis Padgett (another pseudonym, one Moore often employed for works that involved little or no collaboration, was Lawrence O'Donnell).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you so much to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review!
To say that I was excited to read this collection when I saw it pop up on NetGalley was an understatement. I did not grow up reading sword and sorcery. In fact, my first sword and sorcery experience was reading “The Sword & Sorcery Anthology” by David G. Hartwell in 2019. That’s where I encountered Conan, Elric, and Jirel for the first time.
And I’ve been hooked ever since.
So when this collection popped up, with all of the original stories of Jirel in one place, I knew I had to have it.
The introduction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia does a great job of setting us up for what’s to come. C. L. Moore is an author who deserved more recognition during her lifetime, and still deserves it today. She manages to scratch the itches of both fantasy and horror in ways that Robert E. Howard did at the time (and better than Lovecraft, but I digress).
Jirel is a fine and fiery companion to add to your sword and sorcery collection, if you haven’t read of her already. These stories are snappy and deep at the same time. They read like poetry with a bite. Jirel is at once brave and take-charge, but also mortally human and fearful of the horrors about her. She’s not like the typical “stoic barbarian” archetype, she’s emotionally complex but will still swing that sword at a moments notice.
I loved reading these stories, and will admit that I was more excited about Jirel than the other additional tales in the collection. They’re also good, don’t get me wrong, but not as good as the sword and sorcery stories, in my opinion. Which could also be because I’m a mood reader and they’re not what I’m in the mood for, who knows?
Anyway, awesome-ness abounds here. Read it and fall in love with the sword-edge beauty.
To say that I was excited to read this collection when I saw it pop up on NetGalley was an understatement. I did not grow up reading sword and sorcery. In fact, my first sword and sorcery experience was reading “The Sword & Sorcery Anthology” by David G. Hartwell in 2019. That’s where I encountered Conan, Elric, and Jirel for the first time.
And I’ve been hooked ever since.
So when this collection popped up, with all of the original stories of Jirel in one place, I knew I had to have it.
The introduction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia does a great job of setting us up for what’s to come. C. L. Moore is an author who deserved more recognition during her lifetime, and still deserves it today. She manages to scratch the itches of both fantasy and horror in ways that Robert E. Howard did at the time (and better than Lovecraft, but I digress).
Jirel is a fine and fiery companion to add to your sword and sorcery collection, if you haven’t read of her already. These stories are snappy and deep at the same time. They read like poetry with a bite. Jirel is at once brave and take-charge, but also mortally human and fearful of the horrors about her. She’s not like the typical “stoic barbarian” archetype, she’s emotionally complex but will still swing that sword at a moments notice.
I loved reading these stories, and will admit that I was more excited about Jirel than the other additional tales in the collection. They’re also good, don’t get me wrong, but not as good as the sword and sorcery stories, in my opinion. Which could also be because I’m a mood reader and they’re not what I’m in the mood for, who knows?
Anyway, awesome-ness abounds here. Read it and fall in love with the sword-edge beauty.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a truly outstanding, not to say important, collection. Jirel of Joiry was a foundational story for me: my mom handed it to me at a very young age, after I had cut my teeth on Narnia and some other portal fantasies, and I was *enraptured*. It runs the risk of understatement to say that the Jirel stories shaped some of the central architecture of my imagination.
This is one of the only books that I enjoy as well in my 40s as I did as a tween/teen--and critically, that's not due to a sense of nostalgia for my formative experience with the book, for which fact I think it may actually stand alone. These stories are among the most timeless I've ever read, and not in a dry, edifying, "be sure to read your classics" way. C. L. Moore's prose and pervasive otherness is as electric to read now as it was when I was very young.
I love the selection presented here, and I love the introduction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She articulates so aptly what makes Moore's writing stand apart from other weird fiction featured in pulps of the time.
Included in this collection are the Jirel stories:
Black God’s Kiss
Black God’s Shadow
Jirel Meets Magic
The Dark Land Hellsgarde
Quest of the Starstone (with Henry Kuttner)
--as well as the following seminal stories from her ouevre:: Shambleau
No Woman Born,
and Vintage Season.
I love these and am so glad to see C. L. Moore in print again. She deserves not to be forgotten and I dearly hope that a new generation of readers will discover her for the genuinely timeless treasure she is.
I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and that's not likely to start affecting my reviews anytime soon.
This is one of the only books that I enjoy as well in my 40s as I did as a tween/teen--and critically, that's not due to a sense of nostalgia for my formative experience with the book, for which fact I think it may actually stand alone. These stories are among the most timeless I've ever read, and not in a dry, edifying, "be sure to read your classics" way. C. L. Moore's prose and pervasive otherness is as electric to read now as it was when I was very young.
I love the selection presented here, and I love the introduction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She articulates so aptly what makes Moore's writing stand apart from other weird fiction featured in pulps of the time.
Included in this collection are the Jirel stories:
Black God’s Kiss
Black God’s Shadow
Jirel Meets Magic
The Dark Land Hellsgarde
Quest of the Starstone (with Henry Kuttner)
--as well as the following seminal stories from her ouevre:: Shambleau
No Woman Born,
and Vintage Season.
I love these and am so glad to see C. L. Moore in print again. She deserves not to be forgotten and I dearly hope that a new generation of readers will discover her for the genuinely timeless treasure she is.
I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and that's not likely to start affecting my reviews anytime soon.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is an interesting collection of short stories by an author who should have more recognition, especially in the cosmic horror genre. As a contemporary of H.P. Lovecraft Moore also wrote for Weird Tales, and her stories continue to influence and inspire media today, probably often with the influenced party not aware of the existence of the woman who provided that inspiration.
With an insightful introduction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, I hope that C.L. Moore finds a revitalized readership ready to dive into these fantastical and often horrifying visions of fantasy worlds visited by nightmares beyond human comprehension.
Readers who enjoy works by contemporaries like H.P. Lovecraft will find similar references to unseen beings that move in the edges of human sanity, and readers who enjoy stories about strong women swinging swords will find Jirel to be the standard to whom everyone else must measure up.
With an insightful introduction by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, I hope that C.L. Moore finds a revitalized readership ready to dive into these fantastical and often horrifying visions of fantasy worlds visited by nightmares beyond human comprehension.
Readers who enjoy works by contemporaries like H.P. Lovecraft will find similar references to unseen beings that move in the edges of human sanity, and readers who enjoy stories about strong women swinging swords will find Jirel to be the standard to whom everyone else must measure up.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"The Black God's Kiss" ★★★
"Black God's Shadow" ★
"Jirel Meets Magic" ★★
"The Dark Land" ★★★
"Hellsgarde" ★★★★★
"Quest of the Starstone" ★★★
"Shambleau"★★★★
"No Woman Born" ★
"Vintage Season" ★★★
"Black God's Shadow" ★
"Jirel Meets Magic" ★★
"The Dark Land" ★★★
"Hellsgarde" ★★★★★
"Quest of the Starstone" ★★★
"Shambleau"★★★★
"No Woman Born" ★
"Vintage Season" ★★★
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews