The High Crusade
3. Poul Anderson, The High Crusade
This novel takes a common sci-fi premise - an alien race’s first contact with Earth - and adds an unusual twist: what if this contact took place in the year 1345? In the small English village of Ansby, Sir Roger de Tourneville and his vassals are about to join King Edward III on crusade when a giant alien ship suddenly lands among them. Despite being terrified at the appearance of what they believe to be demons, Sir Roger and his men fight the aliens and manage to gain control of the ship. Then, due to one alien’s cunning, the spaceship returns to its home planet - with Sir Roger and his Englishmen aboard!
This was my first experience with Poul Anderson, but it certainly won’t be my last! The description of this book just tickled me; how could I resist a book about aliens who land on Earth during the Middle Ages? I was expecting it to read almost like a parody and be extremely funny, but this novel actually has a lot of depth to it. I was surprised by how much I ended up caring for the characters, like Sir Roger, his chronicler Brother Parvus, and his wife Lady Catherine. I also think the book is well plotted, and the ending was a surprise in a very good way! I really, really enjoyed this book and will definitely be seeking out Anderson’s other work.