Carl, Son Of Ralph

Vault Of The Ages.

In Chapter 1, our viewpoint character, Carl:

travels on horseback;

is the son of the local Chief;

is sixteen;

is "...large and strong for his age...," (p. 14);

has long, brown hair, a sun tan and "...wide-set brown eyes..." (ibid.);

bears sword, dagger, shield, bow and quiver;

can live off game and farmers' hospitality;

carries news of impending war;

is impatient with Dalesmen who talk of trivia while eating.

Thus, he sounds like an ideal hero for a juvenile novel which this is. To regular readers, this is a very familiar Poul Anderson scenario although it was in fact his first novel.