The Broken Sword
#4803.87 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1954 Reading commitment Low by Poul Anderson Last reviewed 2026-08-26
Overview
A standalone 1954 heroic fantasy novel drawing heavily on Norse mythology and Icelandic saga style, following a changeling raised among elves and the doom that follows him and his human-born rival. Often cited alongside The Lord of the Rings as one of the twentieth century's two great mythic fantasy novels of that decade, though far less widely read.
Dark fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
The Broken Sword (1954) core · 3.87 (7,912 ratings); A revised text with different opening and closing chapters was published in 1971; this catalogue follows the original 1954 text as the first edition.
Quick answers
- How many books are in The Broken Sword? The Broken Sword's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is The Broken Sword finished? Complete (1954).
- How much reading does The Broken Sword take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~208 pages).
- How is The Broken Sword ranked? #480 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 7,912 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #480?
Ranked #480 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.87 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (7,912 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #479, Lavinia (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.45.
- A single standalone novel: ranked on that one book alone.
Why explore this universe?
Rated · 1 book · Complete · 8k ratings · Ranks #480 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment dark fantasy universe that's already finished, so there's no wait for the next book.
Reading order
A single Core Canon work: no sequencing question to resolve.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
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Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.87 across 7,912 ratings on 1 Core Canon book. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Admit The Broken Sword (Poul Anderson) accepted 2026-08-26
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core Canon is the single 1954 novel. A revised text with a different opening and closing chapter was published in 1971; this catalogue follows the original 1954 text as the first edition.