War of the Gods

War of the Gods, Poul Anderson, Tor Books, 1997

This is not just a fantasy novel, it's a semi-autobiographical novel about a Danish king named Hadding who actually lived in the 12th century, and about whom very little is known.

In this book, Hadding's father, also a king, is killed by a rival, so the infant Hadding is sent away to be raised by a family of giants. He learns how to survive in the forest, and keeps up on what's happening in what was his father's kingdom. As a teenager, he leaves to begin his quest for revenge and the return of his father's kingdom. He makes quite a name for himself and eventually regains the throne. Mostly, there is peace and friendship under King Hadding, through conquest or marriage. In a neighboring kingdom, the sons of the king that Hadding killed in battle, who killed Hadding's father, will go to nearly any lengths to get him, once and for all.

This novel gives the impression of having actually been written in the 12th century, recently discovered and translated, and mis-packaged as Fiction instead of History. This is how swashbuckling fantasy is supposed to be done. I loved it.