The Broken Sword
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The Broken Sword
Buy Now for $17.12
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Narrated by:
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Bronson Pinchot
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Written by:
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Poul Anderson
About this listen
Thor has broken the sword Tyrfing so that it cannot strike at the roots of Yggdrasil, the tree that binds together earth, heaven, and hell. But now the mighty sword is needed again to save the elves in their war against the trolls, and only Skafloc, a human child kidnapped and raised by the elves, can hope to persuade Bölverk the ice-giant to make Tyrfing whole again. But Skafloc must also confront his shadow self, Valgard the changeling, who has taken his place in the world of men.
©1954 Poul Anderson (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.What listeners say about The Broken Sword
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Langer MD
- 2024-11-05
Norse Myth-flavored Dark Fantasy
This Poul Anderson tale is like a violent cross between Robert E. Howard's 'Conan' adventures and a saga like 'Beowulf'. The "seek a magical sword" quest is handled beautifully, Anderson incorporates Sword & Sorcery seamlessly, and the battle between "Trollheim" (Trolls and Goblins) and "Elfheim" (Elves with a few Humans & Dwarves - Wizards on both sides) is epic.
Unfortunately, the book is overwritten. Anderson tends to poetic - almost Shakespearian - language (including actual poetry at one point) and the allegory-heavy imagery is overwhelming.
Bronson Pinchot was a brilliant choice to read the book. His voice-acting and pronunciations are spot-on and he has a near-psychic understanding of the author's tonal and thematic intentions. Pinchot has an annoying habit of extending his consonants ("The ssssea king shshshrugged", for example), but he rarely sounds slurry. This is an impressive performance.
Altogether, I give 'The Broken Sword' 7 stars out of 10. It's a great example of Nordic-themed Dark Fantasy - easily worth your time if you can get it for free as I did.. but the style is just a little bit too flowery to justify spending a Credit on it.
[Incidentally: Anderson borrows heavily from Tolkien's 'Silmarillion' in this one. There are almost moment-by-moment copies of the Beren-Luthien and Túrin Turumbar plots]
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2023-01-12
Amazing narrator!
I tend too lean towards British narrators and less bloodthirsty stories but this had me enthralled from the outset! A classic theme, gods and demons, a forbidden love and the struggle between Good and evil- what more could you want!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2022-07-04
Plays like a True Story of Fae
Entirely engaging.
Anderson’s grasp of Fae and Divine lore, had me feeling like I was listening to one persons version of a verifiable historical event.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-04-21
Classic dark fantasy
The narrator does an amazing job! One of the best, so emotive. When I saw his name I realized he was balki from perfect strangers.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- howard sangster
- 2022-11-29
Reads like a real saga
I’m also listening to a real Norse saga at the same time and Anderson really captured the spirit. If I didn’t know better I’d think it was real mythology.
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1 person found this helpful