Hello Fellow Journeyers,
On my quest to find the best books, I happily stumbled upon the wonderful author Poul Anderson; who was aptly named Grandmaster of Science Fiction for many many years. But ironically, the first story of his I read was not sci-fi, but classic fantasy.
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First up is The Broken Sword. It came out the same year as The Fellowship of the Ring (1954) but the similarities end there, other then being fantasy stories about a powerful weapon. The Broken Sword is dramatically more dark, epic, and lacks the moral and symbolic nature the Lord of the Rings is known for. The Broken Sword is much more accessible, and is a gritty heroic fantasy, compared to Tolkien's high fantasy. That being said, it equals The Fellowship of the Ring in greatness. My shortened review on Goodreads details how fast it reads paired with archaically brilliant prose. Some perfect examples include:
"Like a rush of wind and a fleeting blur of moonlight he was out of the forest and across the fields. Far and wide the land stretched, shadowy trees and silent hills and rime-whitened meadows asleep under the moon. Here and there stood a lonely croft, dark now, huddled beneath the great star-crusted sky. There were presences moving in the night, but they were not men - he sensed the distance wolf-howl, the green gleam of a crouched wildcat's eyes, the scurry of furtive feet under the mighty oak-roots. They were aware of the elf-earl's passage and shrank deeper into the shadows." Page 7"Now and again a clash of metal or a shuddering wail echoed down the rough-hewn water-dripping corridors, but Imric paid no heed. Like all elves, he had a rippling liquid cat-grace in his movements, he went swift and silent and easy as a questing wind down into the dungeons." Page 10
These are two examples within the first 10 pages! If you don't feel inspired to read the book or to write poetry after reading those beautiful lines, I don't know what would compel you.
The reading is easy and the writing is simply exquisite poetry more often than not. From the description of the lands, to the deep characterization of the peoples. While The Fellowship of the Ring is a chore and a bit of a slog at the beginning with worldbuilding and plot creation (until chapter 9, At the Sign of the Prancing Pony), The Broken Sword doesn't waste any time getting good and in depth with the plot. Once the first two chapters flew by, I became entranced until the end, which is a true rarity even though the book is on the shorter side (228 pages). For being so dated, Anderson knew how to world-build in a way that was exciting and natural. It always came about during the plot, which is what the master storytellers always do.
But a disclaimer, it is not a happy story nor do "the good guys prevail." There are several instances in the story that are dark, surprisingly dark, especially at the beginning. There is a flippant rape that happens near the beginning by one of the main characters (not the protagonist), a witch who pledges allegiance to the devil, and other moral failings on many parts of the main characters. That being said, it all feels like it has a purpose and is written in such a way to let the reader know that people do horrible things, that's life, make of it what you will. And the story as a whole being a tragedy makes it feel more warranted rather than needlessly dark.
With all the positivity, I must disclose some of the shortcomings of the book. Since it is very short, exposition runs heavy; much is said that is just plot telling instead of showing. That being said, the shortcomings of "telling" versus "showing" is some of the best I've ever read. I never really noticed that we were just getting told the story rather than shown the story so this is barely a problem.
★★★★★ 5 Stars - While I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did, I truly loved it. From the exquisite writing, to perilous journeys, to gritty and harrowing villains, it has everything that I wanted from a desperate story of survival and overcoming odds. All in all, read The Broken Sword if you like vikings, heroic fantasy, short reads, beautiful language, or a good fast paced drama.
Let me hear from you! If you like what you read, want to hear more thoughts on this book, other reviews, or talk book recommendations and Essential Reading, leave a comment below.
Rating system:
★★★★★ 5 Stars: It was amazing; I loved it. Read this book; it is definitely Essential Reading!
★★★★★* 4.5 Stars: It was fantastic, I really loved almost every aspect of it.
★★★★ 4 Stars: It was very good and worth reading; highly recommend.
★★★★* 3.5 Stars: I enjoyed a lot of aspects of this story, but it was lacking in certain areas.
★★★ 3 Stars: It was good, but could've been better or improved upon significantly.
★★★* 2.5 Stars: I wanted to enjoy it. Certain aspects were good, it was worth finishing, but many issues.
★★ 2 Stars: It was okay, I didn't feel strongly about it.
★ 1 Star: I did not like it. It was not worth finishing or I did not finish it.
*I round up based on the system on Goodreads. Also, there is no 1.5 Stars because it does not seem to have enough differentiation.