Three Hearts and Three Lions
#5213.83 of 664 ranked universes · full ranking
Books 1 book Status Complete 1961 Reading commitment Low by Poul Anderson Last reviewed 2026-08-26
Overview
A standalone 1961 portal fantasy novel in which a Danish resistance fighter finds himself transported into a parallel medieval world of knights, trolls, and faerie, drawing heavily on Northern European and Carolingian legend. Expanded from a 1953 magazine novella into the full novel.
Portal fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (1 work) counts toward ranking
Three Hearts and Three Lions (1961) core · 3.83 (5,680 ratings); Expanded from a 1953 magazine novella into the full novel; this catalogue follows the 1961 book publication as the first edition.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Three Hearts and Three Lions? Three Hearts and Three Lions's Core Canon is 1 book.
- Is Three Hearts and Three Lions finished? Complete (1961).
- How much reading does Three Hearts and Three Lions take? Low reading commitment (estimated from 1 Core Canon book · ~177 pages).
- How is Three Hearts and Three Lions ranked? #521 of 664 ranked universes on this site, based on 5,680 reader ratings across 1 Core Canon book. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #521?
Ranked #521 of 664 ranked universes.
- Average reader rating of 3.83 across 1 core book.
- A smaller readership (5,680 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Less than 0.01 behind #520, The Weaver and the Witch Queen (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 · 6k ratings · Ranks #521 overall
Good choice if you want a quick, low-commitment portal 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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Suggestions computed from what Three Hearts and Three Lions and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
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- Stardust Fairy-tale retelling / Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.09
- The Ten Thousand Doors of January Portal fantasy · Complete · Low commitment · 4.01
- Time of Iron Portal fantasy / Romantasy · Ongoing · Low commitment · 3.86
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.83 across 5,680 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 Three Hearts and Three Lions (Poul Anderson) accepted 2026-08-26
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
Last reviewed: 2026-08-26
Rule: Core Canon is the single 1961 novel. Its protagonist makes a later cameo in one other novel by the same author, but that later book is a different, unrelated setting and is not catalogued here.