Customer Reviews

Three Hearts and Three Lions

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The outline of this book is familiar, even ancient. Candide, the stranger in a strange land. So why have I been dragging my poor, bedraggled copy around for 40 years? (Note to Amazon - I'll be buying another copy soon - mine is not long for this world.) What is the appeal of this fairly lightweight fantasy tale to a 50+ engineer-turned-computer-programmer? By now, I've long since lost count of the times I've read it. 30? 50? 100? more? I don't know, and I don't care. I simply know that on a per hour basis, this is the best entertainment money I've ever spent. And that doesn't even count the times my wife and children have read the darn thing.

Our hero is Holger, a well-meaning, if not entirely bright, engineer transported to a land of myth closely resembling Europe of the Middle Ages, where he is somehow (no surrpise) a central figure in ways he cannot see. Dozens of books like it, right? Wrong. Poul Anderson then spins a yarn I keep coming back to year after year.

The story is rather predictable, but the charm of the characters is mezmerizing. Holger, our intrepid hero, the charming swan-may who loves him, Hugi, the loyal but gruff dwarf --- oh, I give up. Trust me on this one.

Whatever Amazon is asking for this thing, pay it. Now.

Although Poul Anderson (who died in early 2001 after a long, distinguished career) wrote the majority of his books in the science fiction genre, he also turned out excellent work in fantasy as well. His best in this vein is the astonishing, but hard to find today, THE BROKEN SWORD. But he personally preferred this more light-hearted romp, THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS, first published in 1953. It a fun and incredibly clever look into the nature of fantasy itself, as a rationalist from the 20th century is plunged into a fantasy world, where he finds his scientific knowledge and straight-forward approach actually help him, not hinder him.

Chapter after chapter is filled with clever devices, funny characters, and exciting action. (The idea for D&D trolls was borrowed from this book, by the way.) The ending is a surprise as well -- not quite what you would expect considering the tone of the rest of the book, and yet completely appropriate and raises the book beyond mere light entertainment.

I recommend this book to any fantasy lover (it had a huge effect on many other authors, especially Michael Moorcock and his Elric novels), but I especially think that young adults who are just discovering fantasy literature will absolutely fall in love with this book: charm, humor, action, a great hero, a speedy read, and something to think about at the end. What more could you ask for?

I first read this book over thirty years ago. I remember how much it meant to me even though at that time I didn't understand all the references. I was a little afraid that rereading it again after all these years might prove disappointing to me. It wasn't- if anything I love this book more than ever. I am also amazed that it was written in 1953, for its talk of parallel universes and the principles of quantum physics long predates the popularization of those topics.

Briefly, this is the story of an Americanized agnostic engineer of Danish descent who finds himself battling the Nazis on a beach during WW2. A head wound sends his consciousness across to the other world that he simultaneously inhabits. It is a parallel universe in modern terms, or a "higher plane" in esoteric terminology, but, as he tells himself, this is just substituting words for the same reality. But both worlds are connected, and the agnostic engineer concludes that the connection between the two is...God. He finds that in both the same battle of Law versus Chaos rages. In our world the Nazis threaten to engulf the planet, and in the realer, purer realm of which ours is but a pale reflection, the Middle World threatens to blot out Light forever. But Chaos had failed to account for the fact that in its time of need the universe will call forth a champion on all planes. The only problem is that the champion may not immediately recall who and what he truly is...

Before Zelazny and Amber, before Moorcock and Melnibone, before Thomas Covenant and the Land, or Simon Tregarth and Witch World, there was Holger Carlsen in the Middle World on the marches of the Empire. You can read this as a pure adventure romance (witches, warlocks, elves, faeries dragons, giants, trolls, etc.) or you can get a little more out of it, but it is definitely worth your time.

When an adolescent,40 some odd years ago,this book stood out as a beacon of meaning within the imaginative world of science fiction.I read all the well known sci-fi writers of the time,& learned from some of them,much of what I later realized was the nature of bitterness,cynicism,absurdism,,nihilistic pain,and the hollowness of having what the Native Americans called losing my center.The story of how my center found me is not the point.I kept going back to this book because it closed with a focus on belief in the victory over corruption,old and evil,and an attempt to go back to a world where truth & justice and glory meant something,& where right was fresh and clean,& wrong was really wrong.I later found the writers who gave Anderson his own literary inspiration,and who gave them theirs.I am still grateful for this book,and I include my thanks for its ability to bring back wonder to daily life,and make me realize that life HERE is glorious,and will be better.
Oh,and it's just great entertainment,and fun,too.

The thing I've always liked about Anderson's forays into fantasy, is that he manages to maintain that hard edge of reality throughout the work. Anderson's characters don't stumble around fairy land tripping over magic junk that they're going to happen to need in the next chapter like in some of the feebler fantasy on the market. Anderson gives his hero all the discomforts associated with running around in armor, the confusion of a modern character stuck in a parallel universe that he is having trouble making sense of and yet, manages to make a detailed, sociologically believable parallel universe without resorting to some of the cheaper tricks you too often see in sword and sorcery stuff. When something happens, it makes sense, even if it's fantastical at the same time. Anderson knows his sociology, history and his physics quite well. He's one of the brightest practitioners of the science fiction/fantasy art form and way under-appreciated. This is one of my favorites! Tom Kin

In the original Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master's Guide Gary Gygax wrote an appendix ( appendix N) that listed books that influenced the creation of Dungeons and Dragons. This book appeared on the list and that is what lead me to read it.

Three Hearts and Three Lions takes us through the journeys of Holger Carlsen. Carlsen is a Danish engineering student in America who returns to his home to fight the Nazis during World War Two. During the course of a combat action he is knocked out, when he awakes he is in a parallel universe where it is the middle ages and magic is real. This world that Carlsen appears in is a battleground between the forces of Law and the forces of Chaos. Law is represented by knights like Holger Carlsen's alter ego Sir Holger.Chaos is represented by the Fey and those that consort with them.

The book is well written. The creatures of the realm of Faerie were described in such a way that it left me wanting to learn more of them ( I ended up ordering a book entitled Faeries by Brian Froud and Alan Lee).The battles are well written and the action moves along nicely. I have a short attention span, I often read several books off and on; Three Hearts and Three Lions kept my attention the whole way through. The book weighs in at a quickly readable 238 pages, it left me wanting more.

If you enjoy fantasy novels, but you are tired of the standardized formulas that developed in the post Tolkien era, then this is a read for you.

It is so refreshing to read a fantasy novel that doesn't require a massive glossary of character names and two hands to hold. Don't get me wrong; I enjoy Martin et al., but this clean, relatively simple, well-paced story was a delight to read. The themes will be familiar: Law against Chaos, a seemingly everyday-guy-type hero, an unlikely little band on a quest, etc. But this book was published in 1953 before those themes were beaten to death, and it still sounds fresh. Poul Anderson is a master story-teller. It is not hard to appreciate why he was so prolific and successful as a writer in both the fantasy and sci-fi genres. Give this one a try.

This is truly a great book. If you want a great adventure that is clean, moves at a good pace, holds your interest, and is truly imaginative, this is it.

While the Plot outline is not unique, the book is just greatly entertaining. Much like I reread some of Roger Zelazny's books, this one is worthy of reading again.

I was first recommended this book by a teacher friend when I was 14 years old (31 years ago), and I still haven't really found its match yet!!

I didn't realize this was fantasy when I found this used book at a flea market as a teenager... but then, I didn't know much about genres. I guess I figured it was a SciFi/time travel book, like an adult version of Conneticut Yankee. I certainly had no idea it was written in the early '50s and, until tonight, had no clue it influenced Dungeons & Dragons.

I did find it fully enjoyable, engrossing, and leaving me wanting more when I finished it in record time. So much so that I bought other books by Poul Anderson (from his Flandry series) and was greatly disappointed. Maybe I should try them again, now. Howard and Burroughs took a few tries for me before I got in their groove, too.

Anyway, I've read this a few times and will probably do so again. It truly does have appeal for all ages. I admired Holger Carlsen and the Saracen Carahue, enjoyed the fight scenes and was tickled by the riddle contest with the pseudo-intellectual giant (years later I paid homage to it in a fantasy short of my own).

Throughout the tale there is an implication that the characters have been expecting Holger to arrive--like it was prophesied from olde or something. But this is never explained to my satisfaction. That's annoying, but I'm not one of these reviewers who's gonna complain because the female characters aren't amazon superninjas. If you want that so bad you can find it in pretty much EVERY fantasy, SciFi or action adventure, fiction or film, cookie-cuttered out in the last few decades. This was written before that became an ironclad requirement in the formula and, for that, I'm grateful.
3 Hearts & 3 Lions is flat-out FUN and makes me wish Anderson had done more like this.

Henry Brown is the author of the heroic fantasies Tales of the Honor Triad, as well as the military thriller Hell and Gone. He is the columns editor at New Pulp Fiction, and does some blogging of his own at the Two-Fisted Blogger.

I had this book sitting on my shelf for years with out a peep as to read me or even that it was there. I found it again while cleaning up a room and thinning a growing collection of technical books two levels down from it. I got to looking at it and wondered about it and was thinking this is probably from a series and I really don't want to read a series. I just want one book and then the end move on to something else. I took the title and looked here on Amazon to see what other people thought of this book. I was intrigued so I took the chance and read the book to see if it really could engage my mind who usually reads technical books. I found it refreshing and a quick read, and that is coming from someone who doesn't read fast at all. Done in about a week I found it a truly superior book, quick to tale and not too much detail that you need to make notes to keep up with all the characters and their numerous friends and meetings.
The story is one of good vs. evil, dual worlds and a hero that dosent know his full potential but, discovers much about himself and what is important and over comes his fear. I dont want to go into a lot of details as it would take away from the enjoyment and discovery of reading this story. But, I will say this is a great book and great author and as so many have said before me, should be required reading to set the mind along the path of true fantatsy writing and reading.
Go get this book and give it a read...you will be as pleasantly surprised as I am.