Critical Introduction

Catherine Lucille Moore (1911–1987), who wrote under the pen name C. L. Moore, was one of the earliest female science-fiction writers, working mostly in pulp magazines such as Astounding Science Fiction and Weird Tales. “Shambleau” (1933) was written early in her career and established the Northwest Smith character, to whom she would return again and again. But Smith is not the star of this particular tale: as it proceeds, his easy confidence fades, and he ends the narrative deeply shaken by his encounter with the Shambleau.

In science-fiction—where human beings are often the minority—it is difficult to consider anything a monster. This is especially true with the Shambleau, whose feline physical features neither repulse nor initially attract Smith. By the time she has Smith mentally in her grasp, however, the reader might be unsurprised that Yarol finds him physically entwined in her hidden, worm-like tentacles. This is not necessarily because tentacles are somehow inherently related to monstrousness (though H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu sports them as well), but because Moore uses the hallmarks of a femme fatale to telegraph that Shambleau is as dangerous as she is desirable. Like Bram Stoker's Dracula, she exerts a sexualized, hypnotic hold over her victim, but unlike the Count, she does not seem to be intent on domination: the narrative makes clear that this is how she survives. Removed from a Christian context, the space vampire is neither undead nor evil like its predecessors, but it is still a dangerous creature, as shown by the final conversation between Yarol and Smith.

Reading Questions

Although Moore is careful to remove the outright evil aspects of previously Earth-bound vampires, she maintains a mysterious background for the Shambleau. As you read, think about why Moore works to explain and mystify the Shambleau at the same time.

After you have finished reading the story, try to identify the differences between the Shambleau vampire in this story and the “classic” vampire in Dracula (if you have not read all of Dracula, perhaps consider the film adaptations instead). Why do you think these differences are important? That is, are they differences that merely serve the narrative, or can they be attributed to the science-fiction genre, the particular cultural context of the 1930s, or a female perspective on the vampire?