"A Midsummer Tempest" by Poul Anderson

Publisher: Doubleday

Copyright: 1974

This book is the second in the Holger Dansk series, The first of which I reviewed two weeks ago.

Both of these books are essentially about parallel universes that coexist with ours. In the first, as you may recall, Dansk is involuntarily swept away to a different universe in which he plays a fairly important role in the overall outcome of the story.

However, in this book he's only a secondary character in a relatively brief bar room scene in the middle of the book. This makes me somewhat curious to as to why Mr. Anderson would classify this as part of  the Holger Dansk when he's really not in the story to any degree. But seeing as there are only these two books in the series I don't suppose that makes much difference.

In this book the entire story revolves around a universe in which Cromwell is at war with Charles II in England, however this time it is an England that already has steam trains and other comparable technology (approximately 200 years ahead of when it did). The lead character in this book is Prince Rupert, nephew of the king, Who is captured and briefly held prisoner by Sir Malachi Shellgrave a loyal follower of Cromwell.

Rupert falls in love with Shellgrave's neice, and with the aid of one of Ruperts Lieutenant's they enlist the help of the fairy folk in this war.

This was a fun book to read, but somewhat disappointing in that I was expecting more of the adventures of Holger Dansk and not a totally different world.

"Three Hearts and Three Lions" by Poul Anderson (1926-2001)

Publisher: Avon books

Copyright: ~1953

This book tells a modern version of the story of Holger Carlsen, an engineer, who is slightly wounded, and passes out while fighting with the Danish underground, during the Second World War. He awakes naked in another time, and seemingly in another place. But what place, or rather what a place?

He is provided with a full suit of mail armour, clothes, weapons, and a huge black stallion. Thus begins his quest to find out where he is, and why he's here.

This novel is the first of two books  known as the Holger Dansk series. For those of you unfamiliar with Danish folklore (which is likely most of you), he is the legendary Prince of Denmark who in his cradle was given strength, luck, and love by the fairie folk who wish men well. According to legend he sleeps beneath Kronberg Castle, and will awaken in the hour of Denmark's need.

Poul Anderson has crafted a great story that meshes the folklore / legend of this famous man, with the events of the period when it was written. In this book the reader is treated to a general overview of Celtic mythology, and it is done very well. One thing I particularly liked was that one of the characters spoke with a very distinctive accent, and Mr. Anderson wrote it in dialect which gave it a wonderful flavour.

There is a second book in the series which I'll be reviewing in  two weeks.