Mythic fantasy, the world of this novel overlaps with dark ages Europe, during the Viking raids on England and Europe. This novel was released the same year as Fellowship of the Ring, and is frankly a better story. Battle scenes and Norse gods share time with witches and curses, but it all comes back to one broken sword.

These elves and Tolkien's elves came from the same root folk, light and quick but not Fey or Sidhe. The Norse foster some action, but don't drive it, and are mostly absent from this legend. Christianity also fits into the mix, though the author reduced this in an edited version released in 1971. Fortunately, Gollancz put out a version in 2002 that restores the original work, giving readers the option of reading the original.

Since 2009, I have reviewed 399 books on WorldsWithoutEnd, an enjoyable mix of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. This book brings that total to 400, and I see no reason why it won't continue to grow. Of those 400, this is easily in the top 10, and is highly recommended.