The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson and Bronson Pinchot

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 Skafloc, 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 Skafloc 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.

There are some old fantasy books that still hold up when reading now, but this wasn't one of them. Just very, very outdated fantasy in general. Characterization, relationships, storytelling... I didn't really like any of it.

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reviews.metaphorosis.com

3 stars

Imric the elf-earl takes a chance to leave a changeling in place of a human child. The action plays into the complex calculations of the Aesir, but with tragic consequences for others.

I've read a fair number of books by Poul Anderson, but somehow never really warmed to his somewhat clinical style. Still, I recalled this being considered a classic, so I thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, my opinion held true of this book as well. It has the scholarly, technically accomplished feeling of Tolkien's Silmarillion, and that tome's cool distance from its readers.

Anderson presents his tale as a (mostly) prose saga, with events and emotions stiffly described, but little for the reader to empathize with. He has clearly done his research, and a brief afterword gives some additional context. The verses scattered throughout are carefully constructed. All in all, it's an impressive intellectual accomplishment, but unfortunately, not a lot of fun to read. It's also pretty heavy on the powers of the Christian god (better than all those old gods).

If you have a hankering for the feel of old Norse epics, but presented in readable English prose, this is definitely worth a look; it's well and thoughtfully put together. If, on the other hand, you're just looking for epic adventure to escape with, you'll do better elsewhere - add an S to the name, and look for Sanderson instead.

NB: Received free copy from Net Galley.