4.25 Probably with half a point or so of historical interest. This short story collection - most of them rather loosely woven together, except for Kiss of the Black God and Shadow of the Black God - piqued my interest, because having a badass female main character roughly contemporary to Howard's and Lovecraft's is quite unique. Jirel does not disappoint much, but don't expect completely modern sensibilities. In most of the stories the focus is on the narrative and especially the utterly strange environs.

Still, some of the stories really are quite imaginative, especially Hellsgarde, and some almost pass the Bechdel Test. While there are some passages that make it clear that C. L. Moore was still very much a product of her time, the moments of weakness make Jirel more believable and less invulnerable than other sword and sorcery characters. Ultimately it's still surprising how such a character driven by joy in life, but also furiously struggling against her enemies made it into the pulps.