Three Hearts and Three Lions is an interesting novel. Written in 1953, it follows the story of Holger Carlson, a Scandinavian. Escaping from Nazi's, he becomes unconscious. On waking, he has no idea where he is. Nearby, however, is a suit of armour that fits his unusually large frame perfectly, and a horse that seems to recognise him.
Holger finds himself wearing the banner and carrying the shield of the knight of three hearts and three lions, a warrior whom everyone in this strange world seems to have a grudge against. Holger soon gains allies suitable to the odd situations he finds himself in; a dwarf and a maiden who can turn herself into a swan at will. They journey onwards, and Holger finds himself in the middle of a war in which he appears to play an important part, although no-one can tell him how or why.
I love this book. It's not aged at all, perhaps because it's fantasy. Parts of it are absolutely hilarious, but the plot itself remains serious. It does use the 'off-the-peg' fantasy figure of Morgan le Fay (King Arthur's sister who shows up as the villain in every single fantasy story about knights every written), and many other characters are recognisable to any fantasy aficionado. However, the plot, and Holger's modern thinking and ideas about the fantasy world are interesting. Many of the characters speak in a colloquial Scottish accent, which frankly can be a tad irritating at times. Still, the main flaw with the book is the length; it's far too short. On reaching the end of the book, I was sorely tempted to merely begin it again, so unwilling was I for it to end. The book doesn't seem suitably finished with the ambiguous ending it is given, and more than anything, I wish a sequel were available (unfortunately, the author died in 2001).
In summary, it's a great book; funny, well written, intelligent, and absorbing. It just ends too soon.
Holger finds himself wearing the banner and carrying the shield of the knight of three hearts and three lions, a warrior whom everyone in this strange world seems to have a grudge against. Holger soon gains allies suitable to the odd situations he finds himself in; a dwarf and a maiden who can turn herself into a swan at will. They journey onwards, and Holger finds himself in the middle of a war in which he appears to play an important part, although no-one can tell him how or why.
I love this book. It's not aged at all, perhaps because it's fantasy. Parts of it are absolutely hilarious, but the plot itself remains serious. It does use the 'off-the-peg' fantasy figure of Morgan le Fay (King Arthur's sister who shows up as the villain in every single fantasy story about knights every written), and many other characters are recognisable to any fantasy aficionado. However, the plot, and Holger's modern thinking and ideas about the fantasy world are interesting. Many of the characters speak in a colloquial Scottish accent, which frankly can be a tad irritating at times. Still, the main flaw with the book is the length; it's far too short. On reaching the end of the book, I was sorely tempted to merely begin it again, so unwilling was I for it to end. The book doesn't seem suitably finished with the ambiguous ending it is given, and more than anything, I wish a sequel were available (unfortunately, the author died in 2001).
In summary, it's a great book; funny, well written, intelligent, and absorbing. It just ends too soon.
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