|
Post by Finarvyn on Mar 9, 2011 14:33:07 GMT -6
I'm re-reading Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions and honestly, I'd forgotten just how good it is. Paladins, scottish dwarves, a swanmay, witches, and I'm not too far into the book. Some of this might seem like a tired cliche, except that it was written in the 1950's. Another thing I like is that each chapter is somewhat short and somewhat self-contained, so I could put it down and pick it back up later without missing anything significant. A nice book to keep in my car for times when I need something to read but don't have a lot of time to read it. When I finish this one, I may move on to re-read The Broken Sword, also by Anderson.
|
|
|
Post by sirjaguar on Mar 9, 2011 17:08:24 GMT -6
The Broken Sword is a fantastic novel. It turned me into a Poul Anderson fan. Also, for Anderson's impressive take on the "twilight Earth" genre, read Winter of the World.
Lawson
|
|
|
Post by kenmeister on Apr 29, 2011 11:04:03 GMT -6
I just recently read it too, and really enjoyed it. My only complaint is that the ending was merely summarized instead of played out, so to speak.
|
|
|
Post by Professor P on Apr 29, 2011 12:43:29 GMT -6
I just recently read it too, and really enjoyed it. My only complaint is that the ending was merely summarized instead of played out, so to speak. I both loved and hated this aspect of the book. I like imagining a final epic battle myself, but I would have liked to see Anderson's take on the battle as well.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2011 19:01:52 GMT -6
For decades, "Three Hearts and Three Lions" had a place of solitary honor on my "Best Fantasy Book Ever" shelf.
Recently it's been joined by "Curse of Chalion" and "Paladin of Souls".
Gronan
|
|
|
Post by pessimisthalfling on Jul 28, 2011 8:07:22 GMT -6
I found a dirt-cheap copy of this book in my local Used Bookstore. I'm reading it right after I'm done with Princess of Mars and Smith's Hyperborea cycle. That is if my brain can handle that much weirdness.
|
|
|
Post by Morandir on Aug 23, 2011 23:46:16 GMT -6
I just finished reading this tonight and thoroughly enjoyed it. Now I must get the wife to read...
|
|
DeBracy
Level 2 Seer
Henchman
Posts: 45
|
Post by DeBracy on Aug 25, 2011 16:57:05 GMT -6
I've read The Broken Sword during the summer and I definitely want more of Poul Anderson's writing. Getting my hands on Three Hears and Three Lions will be a priority this fall!
|
|
|
Post by tetramorph on Jun 12, 2016 18:56:25 GMT -6
Hey, folks, does the world that Anderson lays-out and engages in Three Hearts and Three Lions show up in any of his other works? Is the Broken Sword in the same "setting"? I am reading Three Hearts and Three Lions for the first time and I am already sad that it is going to end! I am hoping there is more in that world for me to read. I want to live there for a while!
Also, didn't Anderson have some kind of hate for Tolkien/Middle Earth? Yes? If so, can someone give me the summary version?
|
|
|
Post by tkdco2 on Jun 12, 2016 19:23:32 GMT -6
IIRC, D&D trolls were based on Anderson's works.
|
|
|
Post by Falconer on Jun 12, 2016 20:25:41 GMT -6
You should definitely read The Broken Sword. I found it more memorable than 3H&3L. They’re the same setting but the genre in which they are written differs.
My favorite of all is The High Crusade, though it shares nothing with the other two and is not as D&Dish (or maybe it’s very OD&Dish…).
|
|
|
Post by derv on Jun 13, 2016 20:30:14 GMT -6
I too, like The Broken Sword more than Three Hearts. But, my favorite is The Hrolf Kraki Saga.
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Jun 14, 2016 7:37:41 GMT -6
I've often thought about running a campaign based on The Broken Sword and Three Hearts & Three Lions but haven't gotten around to re-reading while taking notes. I like his take on elves and trolls.
|
|
|
Post by tetramorph on Jun 14, 2016 9:45:51 GMT -6
Falconer, thanks for clarifying The Broken Sword. Would you elaborate on why The High Crusade is not very D&D but very OD&D? You have got me very curious now! derv, how does the Hrolf Kraki Saga fit in with TH&TLs and TBS? Same world? Similar world?
|
|
|
Post by Falconer on Jun 14, 2016 13:49:56 GMT -6
Would you elaborate on why The High Crusade is not very D&D but very OD&D? You have got me very curious now! No! That would spoil the fun!
|
|
|
Post by Porphyre on Jun 14, 2016 15:40:34 GMT -6
Also, didn't Anderson have some kind of hate for Tolkien/Middle Earth? Yes? If so, can someone give me the summary version? I never had the notion that Anderson spoke ill about Tolkien: they just had a different take on the same source material (reading The Broken Sword and Children of Hurin, you cannot but see the similarities and differences). But the people who dislike Tolkien, like Moorcock, are the ones who like to oppose them, using Anderson as counter-example
|
|
|
Post by derv on Jun 14, 2016 16:58:35 GMT -6
derv, how does the Hrolf Kraki Saga fit in with TH&TLs and TBS? Same world? Similar world? Truthfully, I think The Broken Sword has more in common with The Hrolf Kraki Saga then it does with Three Hearts. Hrolf Kraki is the retelling of Norse myth and legend. Along these same lines I've also read, War of the Gods, The Demon of Scattery (co-written), and Mother of Kings. Demon of Scattery is a quick read and is filled with a number of nice illustrations. I cannot say that I enjoyed Mother of Kings. I do not consider it one of his better works.
|
|
|
Post by Red Baron on Aug 14, 2016 9:14:00 GMT -6
I read Poul Anderson's Project Afreet a few days ago, and there's no way in all jubilex's slimy hells that gygax didn't read it:
Werewolves, were-tigers, were-bears, were-foxes (who obey the principle of conservation of mass, the were tiger being 7+ feet tall and 500 lbs as a man)
A black cat familiar (of a beautoful witch) who fights with a Tommy gun.
Knockspell ("she chanted the lock open")
Holy water squirter (like arneson's elfs)
A doctor who kills diseases by using his Evil Eye on the bacteria through a microscope.
The cavalry division no one wants to admit they are in, because of the "virgin" requirement to ride a unicorn.
A flying broom with wings and a bayonet
Crystal ball and magic carpet
A ancient evil efreet who is scared back into his bottle by telling him that most of earth's surface is covered with water.
A telekenisis spell spoken in piglatin (as the protagonist can't remember his ancient languages).
A town called "Trollburg"
|
|
|
Post by geoffrey on Aug 14, 2016 14:12:50 GMT -6
all juiblex's slimy hells
|
|
|
Post by ritt on Aug 15, 2016 15:16:03 GMT -6
Anyone with any interest in fantasy should read this great, fun novel. It's one of the essentials.
I always thought that D&D's drow were a fusion of Poul Anderson' creepy take on elves and the Black Martians from E.R. Burroughs' The Gods of Mars.
|
|
|
Post by Fearghus on Aug 22, 2016 16:18:25 GMT -6
I've often thought about running a campaign based on The Broken Sword and Three Hearts & Three Lions but haven't gotten around to re-reading while taking notes. I like his take on elves and trolls. I am so late to this thread. In the past couple of years I read Anderson's The Broken Sword, Three Hearts and Three Lions and Mother of Kings (and also a short story in a fantasy compilation book about a sleeper and a priest in Europe encountering mer folk of some sort). Also, Dunsany's The Fortress Unvanquishable, and first two books of Lloyd Alexander's The Chronicle's of Prydain. I think I had the 1981 Dragon Slayer novel in my list and The Once and Future King as well. Reason I mention all of those is because I wanted to do the same as you. All of the above books sort of had a similarity that I thought would play well together in a game setting. I only got as far as creating a small map for the Dunsany portion, and ran a few month PBP based in the village. I keep reading material and screwing around with mechanics instead of actually detailing a setting. One of theses days I'll get around to it. I have seen Prydain mapped out, and also the Dragon Slayer area. That was why i focused on the portion regarding Dunsany: the direction and distance he travelled to each of the areas. The grassy space of the village, and the wood to which it was situated. d**n, I want to go get on my other PC and look for those files.
|
|
|
Post by Fearghus on Aug 22, 2016 16:22:35 GMT -6
Found my notes!
My little appendix N was: The Chronicles of Prydain; Lloyd Alexander The Broken Sword; Poul Anderson Three Hearts and Three Lions; Poul Anderson Flashing Swords 1; Poul Anderson The Fortress Unvanquishable, Save for Sacnoth; Lord Dunsany The King of Elflands Daughter; Lord Dunsany The Once and Future King; T.H. White
I have a note to myself to check out Mythago Wood, but I have not read it.
|
|
|
Post by Finarvyn on Jun 6, 2018 7:17:39 GMT -6
A little thread necro... I've often thought about running a campaign based on The Broken Sword and Three Hearts & Three Lions but haven't gotten around to re-reading while taking notes. I like his take on elves and trolls. Sadly, I never got around to doing this but I happened to see my copy of The Broken Sword on my shelf and it got me thinking about this stuff again. I have a whole stack of other books to get to first, but I'd love to re-read these and take some notes so that I could throw something together. Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology also looks good, and is on my stack. I think it might fit in well with the Anderson stuff.
|
|
|
Post by chicagowiz on Jun 6, 2018 8:07:26 GMT -6
Thanks for all these recc's - going to add these to my Amazon wish list!
|
|
|
Post by talysman on Jun 6, 2018 16:34:24 GMT -6
I read Poul Anderson's Project Afreet a few days ago, and there's no way in all jubilex's slimy hells that gygax didn't read it I still haven't read Three Hearts and Three Lions or The Broken Sword (haven't even seen a copy.) But I did read "Operation Afreet" long ago, as part of the novel Operation Chaos (along with the stories "Operation Salamander", "Operation Incubus", and "Operation Changeling".) There's so much in that book that obviously influenced D&D. Gygax probably heard about elementals and geases from many sources, but those in Operation Chaos are more like what we actually see in D&D. And OC is another example of Anderson doing Law vs. Chao well before Moorcock's interpretation. While verifying the titles of the individual stories, I discovered that there was a sequel, Operation Luna. Has anyone read this? Is it good? Also, I see that in another book, he has one character from Operation Chaos meet Holger Carlsen. So, in Anderson's mind at least, some of these stories were interconnected...
|
|
|
Post by tetramorph on Jun 10, 2018 6:29:20 GMT -6
Just picked up copies of Hrolf Kraki and Fantasy at the NTRPGCon.
Looking forward to filling in the gaps with some more Anderson.
Fight on!
|
|
|
Post by retrorob on Dec 14, 2021 16:03:45 GMT -6
The very first version of "Three Hearts and Three Lions" was published as two-part novella in "Fantasy & Science Fiction" magazine in 1953.
Does anyone know what was changed (added, I guess) in the 1961 book? So far I've read only Polish translation, that was for sure based on the novel.
Unfortunately Anderson was one of those writers who like to alter their stories with another editions ("The Broken Sword" for example).
|
|
|
Post by derv on Dec 14, 2021 17:16:42 GMT -6
The very first version of "Three Hearts and Three Lions" was published as two-part novella in "Fantasy & Science Fiction" magazine in 1953. Do you mean these? F&SF v5 n3F&SF v5 n4
|
|
|
Post by Otto Harkaman on Dec 14, 2021 17:18:53 GMT -6
I can't believe I haven't read his trilogy of Harald Hardrada. I've had the books on my shelf for years. I really enjoyed "War of the Gods." I meant to re-read "Three Heart and Three Lions" and then somehow got diverted to reading Rex Warner's two books on Julius Caesar.
|
|
|
Post by retrorob on Dec 14, 2021 17:23:27 GMT -6
That's correct. I intend to read the novella, but as I don't remember the book word-for-word, I'm affraid it'll be hard to tell the difference. I've found a nice comparison of both versions of "The Broken Sword", but nothing on 3H&3L.
|
|