Introduction:

The most dorkily enjoyable cowboy-vampire-outer-space-medusa-on-mars story ever.

The Characters:

Northwest Smith -- Obviously Moore is thinking of the classic pop lit kind of male name, consisting of an everyman monosyllabic last name and a depersonalized macho first name (e.g., Rock, Rod, Granite, Bulk, etc.), although in this case it's not even a substance but, rather, a vector. His lunk-headed assumption of the role of renegade protector (257) keeps him from making some basic inquiries such as "What in hell is a Shambleau?" But he's the stereotypical male doofus and can't ask for directions. No doubt he sees himself as a victim, and Moore (a female author, somewhat surprisingly, given the gender dynamics here) seems to foster this reading, but really Smith's arrogant self-image keeps him so busy that he lays himself open for what happens. She's just there.

Shambleau -- Mo[o]re stereotypical gender politics have the female creature named representatively for the entire species. It's the "tender trap" crap again, presupposing that men are staightforward while women are forever plotting to undermine them. This Shambleau is certainly less devious than Carmilla even, who weave only the thinnest of webs in that vampire story. Issues of her "own language" (260) and the gaze (259, 261) are potentially interesting.

Yarol -- Moore tells the story (in 1975) of being a secretary and the origin of the story simply as a launching from typing exercises. Yarol is an anagram of the brand of typewriter: Royal.

Commentary:

If only he'd been more speciesistic and gun-happy (263, 264, 268). I suppose that's what we're left to think. But what really is the problem? That his addiction to being bloodsucked signifies a loss of will and purpose in life -- a purpose, by the way, that is so deep and sacred we can't even know what it is? All very well to imply mind-control and soul-sucking (260), but give me a break.

Moore, C.L. "Afterword: Footnote to 'Shambleau'... and Others." The Best of C.L. Moore. Ed. Lester Del Rey. Garden City, NY: Nelson Doubleday, Inc., 1975. 306-309.

---. "Shambleau." The Penguin Book of Vampire Stories. Ed. Alan Ryan. NY: Penguin Books, 1987. 255-281.