The history of the novel is traced back to the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine, the 12th century ancestor of some of England’s greatest kings. (Aquitane was part of England until a series of incompetent kings lost it.) In Eleanor’s court there were written the tales of the Matter of Britain or the Arthurian Cycle. There were, however, three “matters” that have contributed to modern literature. There was the Matter of Rome, which concerned itself with the ancient Greek and Roman legends, the Matter of Britain, which concerned itself with Arthur and the knights of the round table, and the Matter of France or the Carolingian Cycle, which is concerned with the legends of Charlemagne and his Paladins, especially Roland, and Oliver. The Carolingian Cycle springs from the ancient chansons de geste.

We are probably much more familiar with the Matters of Rome and the Matters of Britain. We all know the Arthur legends and Arthur has appeared in many modern Spec-Fic and Fantasy novels. The Matter of France, however, has had less coverage. The only one that I can think of is Andre Norton’s first novel Huon of the Horn.

Poul Anderson wrote several historical novels. Some were concerned with his own Scandinavian heritage, and some of these have no speculative element. They are all good.

Three Hearts and Three Lions is a modern telling of the fate of the Carolingian Paladin Oliver. Like Arthur, Oliver did not die, but was taken away by Morgan Le Fay to be cured and he would return again to save France. The hero, here, is a Danish American who returns to Denmark to fight the Germans at the outset of World War II. He is wounded and wakes up in the land between the world of Men and the world of Faerie. He has adventures, meets a beautiful maiden who can change into a swan, and has encounters with Morgan Le Fay. He discovers his relationship to the legendary Oliver and saves the universe of law from the forces of chaos.

There are other similar novels that involve a modern man being transported to a magical past, such as Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, and Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp. Poul’s novel is probably the best of them and has had a great influence on modern Fantasy.

The theme of Three Hearts and Three Lions, conflict between the powers of Law and Chaos, was used by the creators of Dungeons and Dragons, and is directly due to this book. D&D also includes several characters from the book.

Poul Anderson is a Golden Age of Science Fiction Writer, but he is of a later generation. His style is more literary and the characters more modern. He has real women characters that stand out, such as the old witch, the Swan May and Morgan Le Fay. His heroes are complex and seek to work out internal as well as external conflicts. The quality of writing is way beyond that of John W. Campbell, Jr. who published the original version of Three Hearts and Three Lions in Astounding Magazine.

Three Hearts and Three Lions reads much like a Harry Potter book and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed those books and is looking for a similar title.

I have the original paperback version pictured above, but it has not stood up well in its 47 year life. The spine was dried out and the binding came apart leaving me with loose pages separated from the cover. I am going to glue it back together, but I will not be able to sell it as anything more than a reader copy.