For Love And Glory by Poul Anderson
01/05/2003 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 

Pub: TOR books. 300 page hardback. Price: $24.95 (US), $34.95 (CAN). ISBN: 0-312-87449-9.

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Poul Anderson died in 2001 and this is his last book. That in itself should be enough reason to buy this book. Anderson also shared a rare distinction with Hal Clement in doing realistic worlds and believable aliens and make you believe the problems you would face if you lived or visited them.

In this book, explorer Lissa Daveysdaughter Windholm is accompanied by various people in her adventures to seek out the Forerunners’ - early aliens - artifacts that surface from time to time.

Although many of them are Big Dumb Objects, Anderson doesn’t dwell on them so much as the competition to getting to and exploiting them first.

In many respects, I can’t help but feel this belongs in the Technic History series although much further down the line than the Van Rijn books.

Looking at the list at the front of the book only indicates how many of Anderson’s books haven’t been published in the UK. Anderson claims in the introduction that there’s more of a connection to ‘Asimov’s Universe’ books which he wrote for and incorporated some of the material here.

Poul Anderson was always a smooth and effortless writer and I doubt if anyone would have any problem reading any of his books. This one is no exception to the rule although I suspect it would take another read to really appreciate all the fine detail he incorporated into his reality.

If I have to object to anything, then it has to come from the introduction which tends to imply that Karl, a dinosaur-like alien is Lissa’s constant companion. He isn’t but it would have been neat to see him appear later.

As to combination of three adventures about Lissa then merge well and gives an insight into the reality that she lives in. Don’t miss out on this final salute of one of the grand masters of Science Fiction.

GF Willmetts