The Broken Sword in Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy

Dec 30, 2020 Jason Koivu rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

Excellent from start to finish!

This has been on my tbr list since I was about 10-years-old and saw it listed in the back of the Basic D&D rules as a recommended read, along with other fantasy classics. Took me long enough to read it, but man am I glad I did!

The Broken Sword is mythically epic in that it incorporates the Nordic pantheon, faerie creatures of the British Isles and mortal man's interaction with them. There's a jungle fever love affair that turns out to be semi-incestuous ("Step bro ...more

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Aug 23, 2011 Jim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 1paper, fantasy, 2fiction

I re-read this due to my friend Stephen's glowing review. I'm glad I did. The mythology was excellent. It's been a lot of years since I've read anything by Anderson, although I liked his books quite a bit when I was younger. I think I bought this in the late 70's, have had it around ever since & am glad I hung on to it. It was a fabulous read, a type of fantasy I rarely see any more. Very reminiscent of Beowulf - I know of no higher praise. I think one reason I didn't rate it higher before was b ...more

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Apr 08, 2009 Alex rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

The Broken Sword is a book I'd recommend with absolutely no hesitation if you like Michael Moorcock or fantasy with a rawer, more down to earth classic edge. The story is simple, a straightforward and unpretentious and the book is short ad to the point, a human child is stolen and sent to live with the elves and replaced by a changeling who becomes bitter when he learns of what has happened. The two brothers end up on a railroad to a showdown; throw a cursed sword, an incestuous relationship and ...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Diana Marques | Papéis e Letras rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: own, fantasy, kobo, 2013

After reading some very good reviews about this book, praising it as equally awesome and even superior to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, I had very high expectations for this book. After all, I'm a sucker for Norse and Celtic mythology, magical swords and everything medieval. However, maybe because I read those reviews, I couldn't enjoy this reading as much as I thought I would.

This book is very much in the tradition of the Norse sagas, giving more attention and emphasis to the action itself than After reading some very good reviews about this book, praising it as equally awesome and even superior to Tolkien's Lord of the Rings, I had very high expectations for this book. After all, I'm a sucker for Norse and Celtic mythology, magical swords and everything medieval. However, maybe because I read those reviews, I couldn't enjoy this reading as much as I thought I would.

This book is very much in the tradition of the Norse sagas, giving more attention and emphasis to the action itself than to the building of characters. Because of this, I could not feel empathy for the characters and what they went through. On the other hand, there is enough action in the book, particularly in the battle scenes and here the details abound. In this matter I think the connection with the Norse sagas is well done, because it is more or less the same kind of narrative that we find in works such as Beowulf or the Saga of the Volsungs, for example. If you are looking for such a story, I recommend this book.

However, if you are looking for depth and detail in the characters, to know their thoughts and wishes, their motivations and frustrations, this book does not excel in such descriptions. I like action, but I also like to connect with the characters and it did not happen, which turned me off a bit. On the other hand I enjoyed the presence of the Irish and Norse Gods in the narrative, I liked the description of weapons during battles, their thirst for blood, because this is exactly what we find in medieval epics, at least in northern Europe. Still, it was not enough for me to find this book amazing.

In short: I liked the book, but I think that if I weren't influenced by the criticism that I read earlier, that compared Anderson to Tolkien when the two are on different levels, none being better or worse than the other, I might have appreciated this book better. I think the comparison between the two authors is due to the marked influence of Norse and Celtic mythology in both works, but the comparison ends there. They are dissimilar works with a structure, content and style very different from one another. However, I can distance myself enough to say it's a good book, but I do not think the book is as awesome as so many claim to be. ...more

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