heroic fantasy:
historical fantasy;
historical fiction;
historical science fiction.
Which of his novels would it be appropriate to reread now after finishing the long historical fantasy, The King Of Ys (co-written with Karen Anderson)? It would be possible to return to Anderson's works of fiction set in the future, and that will happen eventually, but for the time being it feels like a wrench to leave the past.
I have yet to read or even to acquire a copy of Mother Of Kings. I have recently reread and blogged about Anderson's other four Viking fantasy novels, as also his three novels of different genres set BC. Another three novels of different genres are set in the fourteenth century. These include The Merman's Children. The King Of Ys ends with the exorcism of a mermaid and somewhere near the beginning of The Merman's Children is the exorcism of a colony of merpeople. That seems like an appropriate progression.
The blurb on the attached cover image makes this novel sound like the sequel that Anderson said he might write to his first heroic fantasy, The Broken Sword. I do not think that this novel can be regarded as that but I will check on that point as I reread it.
7 comments:
Hi, Paul!
THE MERMAN'S CHILDREN is definitely NOT a sequel to THE BROKEN SWORD. For one thing, BROKEN was apparently set during the reign of Edward the Elder, the son of Alfred the Great of Wessex. THE MERMAN'S CHILDREN during the early years of the reign of Charles I of Hungary. IOW, more than four centuries separates the books.
They could have a connection in the sense that THE BROKEN SWORD shows the elves and faerie as still powerful and active in the world while THE MERMAN'S CHILDREN shows faerie fast fading away. So, yes, THE MERMAN'S CHILDREN might well be a natural choice for you to read next.
Sean
"Long Awaited Saga of Last Days of Faery" makes it sound like a sequel. PA said in Intro to SWORD that that was a story remaining to be told. (Travel in a few hours.)
Hi, Paul!
No problem if you are unable to quickly comment. I know you will be busy getting to Malta and settling in.
Problem is, PA never did get around to writing a sequel to THE BROKEN SWORD. I think he was careful in the intros to both the first and second editions of BROKEN to keep his options open and non committal.
At most, the two books have a "thematic" connection of the sort I mentioned in my first note.
Sean
There is no sequel to THE BROKEN SWORD but THE MERMAN'S CHILDREN does cover one issue that PA said such a sequel would address: what became of Faerie.
Also, I can find connections to other PA fantasies, like the Merpeople's town being called Liri.
Hi, Paul!
Yes, I can see how the merpeople's town of Liri would remind you (and me) of the pagan sea god Lir. But it seems a rather thin connection. Many towns and cities share the same name, after all.
If THE MERMAN'S CHILDREN has as one theme or idea the dying of faerie, what of THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS? Can that book be showing the BEGINNING of the decisive driving back of faerie?
Sean
But THREE HEARTS ETC is set in an alternative timeline where Earth is only Carolingian Europe with a visible halfworld on the horizon?
Hi, Paul!
True, THREE HEARTS AND THREE LIONS is set in an alternate universe where the Carolingian legends were more literally true than they were in the world of THE MERMAN'S CHILDREN (which is also set in the same time line leading to US). In that case, I would have to modify my prior comment to say, at most, that THREE HEARTS only shows the beginning of Faerie being driven back in THAT universe.
Sean
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