The Broken Sword (Fantasy Masterworks 32)
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The sword Tyrfing has been broken to prevent it striking at the roots of Yggdrasil, the great tree that binds earth, heaven and hell together . . . but now the mighty sword is needed again to save the elves, who are heavily involved in their war against the trolls, and only Scafloc, a human child kidnapped and raised by the elves, can hope to persuade the mighty ice-giant, Bolverk, to make the sword Thor broke whole again. But things are never easy, and along the way Scafloc must also confront his shadow self, Valgard the changeling, who took his place in the world of men. A superb dark fantasy of the highest, and most Norse, order The Broken Sword is a fantasy masterpiece.
About the Author
Poul Anderson (1926-2001) was born in Pennsylvania of Scandinavian stock. He started publishing science fiction in 1947 and became one the great figures in the genre, serving as President of the Science Fiction Writers of America, winning many Hugo and Nebula awards, and also winning the Gandalf (Grand Master) Award.
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There was a man called Orm the Strong, a son of Ketil Asmundsson who was a great landsman in the north of Jutland. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
There was a man called Orm the Strong, a son of Ketil Asmundsson who was a great landsman in the north of Jutland. Read the first page
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have to admit that though I have read more fantasy novels than can possibly be good for a grown man, this was my first read of this classic written at the same time of LOTR's.
It has made me re-evaluate some of my beliefs such as GRR Martin, Erikson and a few others invented the 'darker' and gorier branch of fantasy! They didn't Anderson did.
Having now read it I see why so many authors credit Anderson as an inspiration to them. Back in the 1950's this book must both have been groundbreaking and quite shocking. If Tolkien is the Beatles then Anderson is the Rolling Stones! more raw, edgy and dangerous but perhaps not as widely celebrated.
Anyway the book! First off it is relatively short (275 pages) and yet soo much is crammed in. Anderson tells you the story as though he is an ancient nordic story teller with his audience sat round the fire with a horn of meade. True saga style. The quicker the reader grasps this the better as there will be no riding behind the eyes of the heroes or pages of motives and feelings. In fact you could even argue there are no heroes just competeing factions.
Anderson sets the action in our world as man and the 'White Christ' is starting to sweep the land of faerie from the world. Despite this the war which makes for the bulk of the story is between the Trolls and the Elves. Into this war is dragged a human hero who must contend with the meddling of the God's, the fate weaving of the norn's, frost giants, falling in love and discovering who he is and where he came from!
Anderson manages to weave together actual history, faerie legend, nordic culture, the Gods and a sweeping story of envy, lust, violence, vengeance and love and I repeat all in about 275 pages!
Given the historical importance and clear conduit to modern fantasy status as well as the fact it is a mini masterpiece it had to be a 5 star rating.
It has made me re-evaluate some of my beliefs such as GRR Martin, Erikson and a few others invented the 'darker' and gorier branch of fantasy! They didn't Anderson did.
Having now read it I see why so many authors credit Anderson as an inspiration to them. Back in the 1950's this book must both have been groundbreaking and quite shocking. If Tolkien is the Beatles then Anderson is the Rolling Stones! more raw, edgy and dangerous but perhaps not as widely celebrated.
Anyway the book! First off it is relatively short (275 pages) and yet soo much is crammed in. Anderson tells you the story as though he is an ancient nordic story teller with his audience sat round the fire with a horn of meade. True saga style. The quicker the reader grasps this the better as there will be no riding behind the eyes of the heroes or pages of motives and feelings. In fact you could even argue there are no heroes just competeing factions.
Anderson sets the action in our world as man and the 'White Christ' is starting to sweep the land of faerie from the world. Despite this the war which makes for the bulk of the story is between the Trolls and the Elves. Into this war is dragged a human hero who must contend with the meddling of the God's, the fate weaving of the norn's, frost giants, falling in love and discovering who he is and where he came from!
Anderson manages to weave together actual history, faerie legend, nordic culture, the Gods and a sweeping story of envy, lust, violence, vengeance and love and I repeat all in about 275 pages!
Given the historical importance and clear conduit to modern fantasy status as well as the fact it is a mini masterpiece it had to be a 5 star rating.
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If it wasn't for the fact that this book was published the same year as The Lord of the Rings, Anderson could be called one of the more succesful and original of myth-inspired fantasy authors in Tolkien's line. But though Anderson draws on some of the same sources, mainly Norse, Celtic, English and Scots mythology, he treats his subject matter quite diferrently from what Tolkien does. Anderson's England on the borderline between historical and mythological time is much more colourful, raw, unpolished, violent -- and more true to the tone and spirit of the Norse sagas, than Tolkien's more civil (and consciously Christian -- or at the very least profoundly moral) Middle-earth.
While many other authors in this line imports (more or less digested) elements of myths into their plot, Anderson seems to import his plot into the mythology. He uses the saga style very dextrously to present his complex and fascinating story of a human kidnapped by the elf-lord and his changeling replacement.
This book has many strong points to make it stand out: the very style-conscious and succesfully saga-terse language; its original depiction of the amoral elfs contrasted with heathen and Christian humans; its almost supernaturally powerful love story. But which are appreciated most will depend on the eye of the reader.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I highly recommend all of Poul Anderson's books, especially Three Hearts & Three Lions (Fantasy Masterworks), this is the second of his books I've read and I'm currently reading Midsummer Tempest (Orbit Books) and I have Twilight World (science fiction) in my to be read pile. Anderson can not disappoint.
This book has especially strong character development, hero or villain you really do become engrossed by each and there is a very strong plot, the pace is excellent and the book never dips. As a tribute to norse and anglo-celtic mythology and storytelling its absolutely wonderful. I also think that Anderson is among a precious few who has been able to really convey the cruel and threatening nature of faerie beings such as elves and trolls or the existence of a faerie realm in tandem with our own.
The story is that of an epic, featuring both the faerie realm and human realm, it is in some ways a tragedy with the curse of a witch working itself out on the protagonists, it is also the tale of a changling and an epic struggle between elves and trolls with implications for the human realm. All the elements of very good fantasy are here, magic, heroes, villains, magical weapons, mythical beasts and creatures.
Worth mentioning is some really excellent poetic dialogue, worth reading for alone and which really comes into its own when featured in a ritual in which the spirits of perished ancestors are called back from the grave atop a burial mound. Highly recommended to fans of the fantasy genre, this is as good as Lord of The Rings, easily, highly recommended to fans of Poul Anderson (in my opinion his second best book after three hearts, three lions).
This book has especially strong character development, hero or villain you really do become engrossed by each and there is a very strong plot, the pace is excellent and the book never dips. As a tribute to norse and anglo-celtic mythology and storytelling its absolutely wonderful. I also think that Anderson is among a precious few who has been able to really convey the cruel and threatening nature of faerie beings such as elves and trolls or the existence of a faerie realm in tandem with our own.
The story is that of an epic, featuring both the faerie realm and human realm, it is in some ways a tragedy with the curse of a witch working itself out on the protagonists, it is also the tale of a changling and an epic struggle between elves and trolls with implications for the human realm. All the elements of very good fantasy are here, magic, heroes, villains, magical weapons, mythical beasts and creatures.
Worth mentioning is some really excellent poetic dialogue, worth reading for alone and which really comes into its own when featured in a ritual in which the spirits of perished ancestors are called back from the grave atop a burial mound. Highly recommended to fans of the fantasy genre, this is as good as Lord of The Rings, easily, highly recommended to fans of Poul Anderson (in my opinion his second best book after three hearts, three lions).
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great book
This book, which was obscured by the recent release ad succcess of The Lord of the Rings, deserves some attention. Anyone who enjoyed Tolkien's saga would like Anderson's book.
Published 19 months ago by Alvaro
Waste of money ...and time
I bought this as the first- and last- book by an unknown(for me)author based on the reviews and my liking of high fantasy. Read more
Published 23 months ago by AMK
Excellent Saga
I thought that it was brilliant. It was exciting, well written and really conveyed a great sense
Of the old Norse Sagas.
Of the old Norse Sagas.
Published on 10 Mar 2010 by The Emperor
Excellent fantasy, perhaps a bit too gory for some
I purchased this book on the strength of the reviews I read on Amazon. I am not a heavy reader, but like the occasional fantasy novel. Read more
Published on 25 Jan 2008 by J Meaden
This IS the original version!
"Returning reader " is mixing things up. The Fantasy Masterworks edition of the book contains the original text! Read more
Published on 25 July 2005 by Oren Douek
This IS the original version.
"Returning reader" is wrong. This IS the original version of the text that was later revised; the version with introduction by Lin Carter is NOT the original - it is the revised... Read more
Published on 25 July 2005 by Oren Douek
Returning reader
I first read this book in the Sphere print, with the intriduction by Lin Carter, in about 1977, and was blown away by the subject, the pace, the characterisation and the sense of... Read more
Published on 5 Jun 2005
The lost and found sword
One afternoon in 1954 I walked into the library to do research for a school report and ended up at the "new aquisitions" bin instead. Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2003 by Diana L. Paxson
A Fantasy Masterwork worthy of the name
And there haven't been too many of them recently, the standards been slipping. This one, as has been said by others, was written in 1954 and then revised in the 70s by Poul... Read more
Published on 18 Feb 2003 by S. Flaherty
A BENCHMARK STORY FOR FANTASY FANS
This is a whirlwind of a book - exciting, fast-paced, incredibly imaginative, well written and at times breath taking and awe-inspiring. Read more
Published on 2 Jan 2003
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