C.L.Moore: The Tree of Life--A Classic Science Fiction Novelette about Mars and Northwest Smith

"The Tree of Life" is a classic science fiction novelette by Catherine L. Moore (pen name C. L. Moore). This is a great story, offering a good sampling of Moore's "Weird Tales" output from the 1930's. C. L. Moore wrote alongside her husband, Harry Kuttner. The two became acquainted after Kuttner wrote her a letter, thinking (due to her pen name) that she was a man. Going by her initials was largely a practical matter; at the time Catherine Moore was writing, there was a strong prejudice that science fiction writing should be masculine, and female authors had a very difficult time getting an audience. Most notable female science fiction authors either used initials or gender-neutral pseudonyms, for a good many years after that era. It wasn't until fans dug up the obituary of James Tiptree Jr.'s mother that "he" was identified as Alice Sheldon. After all these years, "The Tree of Life" remains a great read, and excellent introduction to the works of Catherine, or C. L. Moore.


About the Author
Catherine Lucille Moore (1911-1987) 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. She was born on January 24, 1911 in Indianapolis, Indiana. She was chronically ill as a child and spent much of her time reading literature of the fantastic. She left college during The Great Depression to work as a secretary at the Fletcher Trust Company in Indianapolis. Her first stories appeared in pulp magazines in the 1930s, including two significant series in Weird Tales. One series concerns the rogue and adventurer, Northwest Smith, and his wanderings through the Solar System; the other is a short fantasy series about Jirel of Joiry (one of the first female protagonists in sword-and-sorcery fiction). The most famous of the Northwest Smith stories is "Shambleau", which marked Moore's first professional sale. It appeared in the magazine in November 1933, with the sale netting her a hundred dollars. The first and most famous of the Jirel of Joiry stories is "Black God's Kiss", which received the cover illustration (painted by Margaret Brundage) in the October 1934 Weird Tales. Her early stories were notable for their emphasis on the senses and emotions, which was highly unusual at the time. Moore's work also appeared in Astounding Science Fiction magazine throughout the 1940s. Several stories written for that magazine were later collected in her first published book, Judgment Night, published by Gnome Press in 1952.