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Fantômas #8
The Daughter of Fantômas
Fantômas rises from the grave--having just escaped from the clutches of the Hangman of London--and leads his two nemeses, Policeman Juve and Journalist Fandor, on a wild chase that takes them from a plague-infested ocean liner to the deadly wastes of the South African Transvaal.
- GenresFiction
248 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 1911
About the author
Marcel Allain
165 books41 followersMarcel Allain (1885-1970) was a French writer mostly remembered today for his co-creation with Pierre Souvestre of the fictional arch-villain and master criminal Fantômas.
The son of a Parisian bourgeois family, Allain studied law before becoming a journalist. He then became the assistant of Souvestre, who was already a well-known figure in literary circles. In 1909, the two men published their first novel, Le Rour. Investigating Magistrate Germain Fuselier, later to become a recurring character in the Fantômas series, appears in the novel.
Then, in February 1911, Allain and Souvestre embarked upon the Fantômas book series at the request of publisher Arthème Fayard, who wanted to create a new monthly pulp magazine. The success was immediate and lasting.
After Souvestre’s death in February 1914, Allain continued the Fantômas saga alone, then launched several other series, such as Tigris, Fatala, Miss Téria and Férocias, but none garnered the same popularity as Fantômas.
The son of a Parisian bourgeois family, Allain studied law before becoming a journalist. He then became the assistant of Souvestre, who was already a well-known figure in literary circles. In 1909, the two men published their first novel, Le Rour. Investigating Magistrate Germain Fuselier, later to become a recurring character in the Fantômas series, appears in the novel.
Then, in February 1911, Allain and Souvestre embarked upon the Fantômas book series at the request of publisher Arthème Fayard, who wanted to create a new monthly pulp magazine. The success was immediate and lasting.
After Souvestre’s death in February 1914, Allain continued the Fantômas saga alone, then launched several other series, such as Tigris, Fatala, Miss Téria and Férocias, but none garnered the same popularity as Fantômas.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 19, 2020
An insane blend of mystery caper and cliffhanger serial.
Everyone is up to something, a whole bunch of people are gonna die and it has this weird almost perfect mix of thrilling pulp and self aware sense of humor.
It's like the writer is saying 'I know this is crazy, and doesn't entirely make sense, but isn't it fun?'
and he's right.
The juggling of multiple story threads is fun at first, but doesn't hold up, as a good half of the cast gets left in limbo.
No idea if they get more to do in later volumes.
The leads are all interesting, and Fantomas is one of the great characters of French literature.
He is a monster, but so cool and intriguing that you worry when he's in danger, every bit as much as you do for the detectives pursuing him.
So far, this is my favorite of the Fantomas books.
Everyone is up to something, a whole bunch of people are gonna die and it has this weird almost perfect mix of thrilling pulp and self aware sense of humor.
It's like the writer is saying 'I know this is crazy, and doesn't entirely make sense, but isn't it fun?'
and he's right.
The juggling of multiple story threads is fun at first, but doesn't hold up, as a good half of the cast gets left in limbo.
No idea if they get more to do in later volumes.
The leads are all interesting, and Fantomas is one of the great characters of French literature.
He is a monster, but so cool and intriguing that you worry when he's in danger, every bit as much as you do for the detectives pursuing him.
So far, this is my favorite of the Fantomas books.
February 3, 2016
After reading The Daughter of Fantomas, I was hit with the weird feeling that I'd read a book pieced together from a Stefan bit on Saturday Night Live:
"New York's hottest new club, The Daughter of Fantomas, has everything- cross dressing teenage opium smokers, the Plague, saber duels, an old lady with no eyeballs...."
It's entertaining and, due to its sheer goofiness in terms or horror and mayhem, very unpredictable. Still, reading this book was exhausting in a way that none of the earlier Fantomas novels were. Though the extravagant plans on both sides of the story are as crazy as ever, they click along so quickly that there's no sense of dramatic tension. The bizarre traps that Fantomas and Juve set for each other are best when they're given a chance to develop rather than just sprung as the characters breathlessly explain what they've done.
It's hard to say that I disliked The Daughter of Fantomas. It was a fun read, and I like that I got the chance to read one of these that wasn't previously translated, even if the ebook did have a few typos. Still, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
"New York's hottest new club, The Daughter of Fantomas, has everything- cross dressing teenage opium smokers, the Plague, saber duels, an old lady with no eyeballs...."
It's entertaining and, due to its sheer goofiness in terms or horror and mayhem, very unpredictable. Still, reading this book was exhausting in a way that none of the earlier Fantomas novels were. Though the extravagant plans on both sides of the story are as crazy as ever, they click along so quickly that there's no sense of dramatic tension. The bizarre traps that Fantomas and Juve set for each other are best when they're given a chance to develop rather than just sprung as the characters breathlessly explain what they've done.
It's hard to say that I disliked The Daughter of Fantomas. It was a fun read, and I like that I got the chance to read one of these that wasn't previously translated, even if the ebook did have a few typos. Still, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews