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A review by rowena_m_andrews
The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson
1.0
It has been a long time since I’ve had such a visceral dislike for a book, and normally it would have ended with a DNF and no rating. However, I persevered with this one for three reasons (1) it was short, coming in on 208 pages so at least I didn’t suffer for long. (2) It was on my original TBR for Norsevember so I wanted to finish it, and (3) it is a ‘fantasy masterwork’ and I am always curious to explore those.
Part of me can see why it is considered a ‘masterwork’ and from the summary and the blending of mythologies and legends, and written in the style of a Norse epic it is something that I should have loved. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and I found myself constantly waiting for that moment when it would click into place and I would be able to see and feel what makes so many people hold it up as a masterpiece, and was disappointed to the end when I didn’t say it. The writing just didn’t grip me, and perhaps I am too heavily invested in the lovely, messy, morally ambiguous characters of modern, darker fantasy but I felt nothing for the characters or their story.
This was very much a case of ‘this is not the book for me’ and on a personal level I have to rate it at a 1-star because I disliked it so intensely (and was disappointed because I had wanted so much to like it). That said, while I couldn’t bring myself to bump it up, even though I can see the appeal (kind of…), I would say that this is a book that would appeal to many people, I’m just not one of them unfortunately.
Part of me can see why it is considered a ‘masterwork’ and from the summary and the blending of mythologies and legends, and written in the style of a Norse epic it is something that I should have loved. Unfortunately, that was not the case, and I found myself constantly waiting for that moment when it would click into place and I would be able to see and feel what makes so many people hold it up as a masterpiece, and was disappointed to the end when I didn’t say it. The writing just didn’t grip me, and perhaps I am too heavily invested in the lovely, messy, morally ambiguous characters of modern, darker fantasy but I felt nothing for the characters or their story.
This was very much a case of ‘this is not the book for me’ and on a personal level I have to rate it at a 1-star because I disliked it so intensely (and was disappointed because I had wanted so much to like it). That said, while I couldn’t bring myself to bump it up, even though I can see the appeal (kind of…), I would say that this is a book that would appeal to many people, I’m just not one of them unfortunately.