At the same time, the writer is adamant about distancing himself from the actual novel, repeatedly pointing out the authors’ pulp origins, denigrating the quality of the writing, and sneering at the coincidences that the plot hinges on.But, at least in this newly tuned-up translation, the book is a shining example of a pulp mystery - shocking murders occur, scandalizing society and devastating families.

The introduction is largely positive about the popular appeal and long-lasting influence of the Fantômas stories on French and European fiction, film, and culture, including the fascination of many artists in the Surrealist movement. I mean Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes are a little dated now too despite their many reincarnations on screen.The only thing that stops it getting full marks is the fact that the story is incomplete, it is after all only the first one in the series and there are another 40+ books to follow and I am unsure whether or not I will ever get around to reading another. At times the language and plot-line feels a little dated, a bit formulaic and as if it was written in a rush, which it was, Allain and Souvestre had a deadline to meet but this should not really detract from the overall quality of the read. It also shows Parisian in particular, and French in general, avant-garde life in all its many shades which in itself made it all the more interesting to me at least. Is he real or a sort of Boogie Man created to scare the upper tiers of Parisian life?This book was first published in 1911 and became an instant hit across all levels of French society, but then it is so much more than a simple criminal tale. But even at the very end of the book, which is both cleverly constructed and yet horrifying in its simplicity, you still have no real idea who Fantomas is or even whether or not that he even exists at all other than in Juve's mind.

Juve is a quirky but brilliant detective who has made it his life's work to catch this criminal, seeing links in seemingly unconnected crimes where no one else can spot them. Many thanks to the 1001 book list because I would have never read this book had it not been on the list and missed out on a gem.Fantomas is a master criminal, ruthless and brilliantly clever,able to take on any disguise seemingly at will, a real fictional anti-hero long before they became popular.

Allain souvestre