Rating: 
Summary: Great Fun
Review: High Crusade is as a novel is great fun. More serious than Douglas Adams but still satirical and funny, this novel captures the feel of the concept: "What if the medieval English went to outer space?"From the opening chapter you know how this book will go, but it is the little things that make it a fun gem: "You need not fear the demons if you are God fearing men!" yelled Sir Roger. "But we are miserable sinners!" quailed a man in the back (note the above was a paraphrase as I do not have the book handy. The actual quote is likely much more vibrant. But this is memory, such a subjective thing) In any case, if you want to read a novel that follows your classic fantasy (fight the bad guy, conquer the kingdom), has a bit of a love story and many funny sequences, this is a highly recommended book. Just not a thinking novel.
Rating:
Summary: Great Fun
Review: High Crusade is as a novel is great fun. More serious than Douglas Adams but still satirical and funny, this novel captures the feel of the concept: "What if the medieval English went to outer space?" From the opening chapter you know how this book will go, but it is the little things that make it a fun gem: "You need not fear the demons if you are God fearing men!" yelled Sir Roger. "But we are miserable sinners!" quailed a man in the back (note the above was a paraphrase as I do not have the book handy. The actual quote is likely much more vibrant. But this is memory, such a subjective thing) In any case, if you want to read a novel that follows your classic fantasy (fight the bad guy, conquer the kingdom), has a bit of a love story and many funny sequences, this is a highly recommended book. Just not a thinking novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Very funny... but what if?
Review: High Crusade is one of my favorite SF ever, since it is pure mind game. Despite its wicked humor, it asks a serious underlying question: Can high-tech warfare be defeated by clever tricks and basic weaponery? Poul Anderson used funny - but interesting - tactics to make his point: - sophisticated radars and satellites detecting vehicles and missiles launches can be fooled by wooden trebuchets lobbing tactical nukes; - highly trained firearms soldiers can be cut into ribbons by swordsmen at close quarters. It does not require a vast imagination to transpose the funny context of "High Crusade" in our serious world. When I looked at TV at the wounded US soldiers evacuated from Somalia, defeated by rag-tag local militiamen, I had a thought for this book. In Bosnia, the high-tech occidental armies were almost defenseless against snipers using relatively crude weapons. In Kosovo, the Serbian Army managed to fool the Allied coalition using wooden tanks and artillery, preserving most of their land forces intact despite weeks of bombing. Civilizations expect foes to behave - and fight - like themselves. This could prove dangerous. Thanks for the demonstration, Poul.
Rating:
Summary: Crusaders to the Stars
Review: I hope this book returns to print. I lost my copy in a house fire and have been looking for a replacement since. Told from the point of view of a medieval friar, crusaders mustering for the holy land are visited by an alien spaceship intent on resupply. What do you do when confronted by "demons"? Charge forth and bring the word of god to the heathen infidels. I love the "first contact" scenario when the astronauts from earth meet the aliens. Aliens who venerate the pope, want to know if Jerusalem has been freed, and still wear full armor for ceremonial occasions.
Rating:
Summary: Crusaders to the Stars
Review: I hope this book returns to print. I lost my copy in a house fire and have been looking for a replacement since. Told from the point of view of a medieval friar, crusaders mustering for the holy land are visited by an alien spaceship intent on resupply. What do you do when confronted by "demons"? Charge forth and bring the word of god to the heathen infidels. I love the "first contact" scenario when the astronauts from earth meet the aliens. Aliens who venerate the pope, want to know if Jerusalem has been freed, and still wear full armor for ceremonial occasions.
Rating:
Summary: COOL
Review: I just bought this book at a garage sale[ a hard cover in like new condition]. took it home and read it in one sitting. this book is easy to read and understand and also fun, it has aliens and crusaders from the 14'th century. was looking through "Amazon" to see if there was a sequel. if not maybe MR. Anderson can write us another one.
Rating:
Summary: This story is definitely screenplay material
Review: Sci-fi that takes place in the time of the Crusades and includes aliens from outer space. I could not put the book down. The only thing wrong with the book is it's brevity. (or maybe that is it's appeal)
Rating:
Summary: Monty Python meets Star Trek
Review: The basic gist of the book is, aliens land in a mideval village with conqest on thier minds. The local baron is gearing up his army to march to the holy land. When the ship lands and aliens come forth laser guns blazing the Knights do what any good servant of the king would do, they fight back, taking the ship in the name of the king. This is a strangely funny and plausible senario.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Fun
Review: The High Crusade is pure fun from start to finish. Being written by Poul Anderson (I'm a big fan)means he has studied his history so the background details are correct. I hope that doesn't sound dull; it's just the opposite. Nothing is duller or more jarring to a reader than to start thinking, "This doesn't sound right". The High Crusade is perfect! The story just sweeps you along with its adventure and underlying humor. The humor comes out of the basic situation. A highly advanced but unpleasant group of aliens land in Medieval England. Big mistake. The medieval knights simply clobber the aliens and steal their spaceship. From then on it's medieval knights conquer the universe! Of course there's a personal plot, a marriage that's in trouble and conquering the universe solves that! There's also a wonderful framing device as modern humans go into space and run into their medieval ancestors! Too bad Anderson never wrote a sequel! It's my only criticism. I'd love to see more of this.
Rating:
Summary: Pure Fun
Review: The High Crusade is pure fun from start to finish. Being written by Poul Anderson (I'm a big fan)means he has studied his history so the background details are correct. I hope that doesn't sound dull; it's just the opposite. Nothing is duller or more jarring to a reader than to start thinking, "This doesn't sound right". The High Crusade is perfect! The story just sweeps you along with its adventure and underlying humor. The humor comes out of the basic situation. A highly advanced but unpleasant group of aliens land in Medieval England. Big mistake. The medieval knights simply clobber the aliens and steal their spaceship. From then on it's medieval knights conquer the universe! Of course there's a personal plot, a marriage that's in trouble and conquering the universe solves that! There's also a wonderful framing device as modern humans go into space and run into their medieval ancestors! Too bad Anderson never wrote a sequel! It's my only criticism. I'd love to see more of this.
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