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Shambleau

Author: C. L. Moore

A lean, rugged man, pistol slung low on his hip, strides through a dusty frontier town. But this town is on Mars, and the man is Northwest Smith who is about to rescue a woman from being attacked by the locals. The trouble is, when he has spirited her away, the woman turns out to be a medusa, and Northwest Smith has to think and act fast in order to stay alive. "Shambleau" was C.L. Moore's first published story, and introduced the character of Northwest Smith who would bring his laconic style to a host of stories in which planetary adventure and supernatural tale combine. Why it's on the list: Moore was one of the most original writers of her day, able to turn her hand fluently to hard sf, weird fiction, heroic fantasy or comedy. But she was at her best, as here, when she merged genres to create something fresh and exciting.

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