Status Updates From The Broken Sword

I'm impressed at all the subtext packed into this book--it's not the basic allegory of other fantasy novels but instead is a running commentary on the tension between religions/cultures. It manages to do all that without falling into a simple good vs. evil narrative, which is pretty cool

I love the ways in which Poul Anderson develops the characters. The story is borderline Machiavellian, where each preceding moment subtly shifts the trajectory of what happens next.

I love how much plot the author is able to squeeze into 200 pages. There have been so many twists and turns, and through the character's prophecies, there's a Sword of Damocles tone to the whole story.

I can't help but make comparisons to The Lord of The Rings. Though Broken Sword is less sentimental and the characters less approachable, its battle scenes, pacing, prose and storyline are all so much better than Tolkien's work.

Rtc

OK but these battles are really well done.

There's copious rape AND incest. A winning combo.

Wow, this is uh... Extremely time-bound in its "charms"