War of the Gods
The story of Hadding is one of the darkest and most violent to come down to us from the old North. An enigmatic figure, Hadding has remained a mystery to mythologists and folklorists for a century and a half. Aside from incidental mentions, there are only a few sources that give us any solid facts about the great Danish king, whom many compare to King Arthur himself.
Poul Anderson has extensively researched the legend to piece together as much authentic material as possible. He gives us a feel for life as it was in that wintry land, the way people ate, talked, and lived, down to the very gods they worshiped. And in the cosmic framework of that era, kings were generally felt to be descended from the gods themselves.
Hadding's story, however, starts off humbly, when his father, a Danish king, is slain shortly after his birth. Hadding is raised by giants far from his rightful throne until the day he feels he must regain his legitimate place in the land of the old North. His adventures border on the unbelievable, but by such men is history wrought, and Hadding's history was destined to become legend.
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Poul Anderson
Poul Anderson's name is synonymous with the golden age of science fiction, a master of speculative worlds where the future is as vast and varied as the past. Born in 1926 in the United States, Anderson's journey as an author was shaped by his fascination with history, science, and the unknown. A child of the Great Depression, he was drawn to stories that stretched the boundaries of possibility, whether set in the stars or rooted in the depths of myth. Over the course of his career, Anderson built a reputation for crafting intricate narratives that blend hard science fiction with the richness of historical and fantasy elements, making him one of the genre's most respected voices.
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